Page:Craven-Grey - Hindustani manual.djvu/30

 gharoN par, on the large houses. Again, kitAb, a book, being feminine, we say, baRI kitAb, a large book ; baRi kitAb meN, in a large book ; baRI kitAbeN, large books, &c. Adjectives purely Arabic, Persian, or Sanskrit, ending in A, are not necessarily subject to any change or inflection.

(f) In like manner, the genitive case of a noun or pronoun generally precedes the word which governs it; and the use of kA, ke, or kA ; rA, re or rI ; and nA, ne, or ní, in the formation of such genitives, is determined by the same rule that regulates the á, e, and í of the adjective. Hence, in Hindustani, the application of all genitives, nouns and pronouns, is precisely that of the declinable adjective ; thus, mard ká is used when the noun belonging to it is masculine, and in the nom. case singular ; as, mard ká beTá, mard ká ghoRá, &c., the man's son, horse, &c. When the word belonging to mard is masculine, but not in the nom. singular or the sing. ace. form without ko, then ke must be used ; as, mard ke beTe ko, to the man's son ; mard ke beToN ko, to the man's sons. When the word belonging to mard\s feminine, in all cases kí is used ; as, mard kí jorú, the man's wife ; mard kí beTí ko, to the man's daughter.

(d) In English, when we use the verb 'to be' in making an assertion, we put the nominative first, then the verb, and lastly the thing asserted ; as, 'my father is wise ;' 'that man is ignorant.' In Hindustani the rule is, first the nominative, then the thing asserted, and last of all the verb ; thus, merá báp dáná hai, 'my father wise is;' so, wuh ádmí ná-dán hai, ' that man ignorant is.'