Page:Craven-Grey - Hindustani manual.djvu/36

 VII. PREPOSITIONS.

(a) Strictly speaking there are none. Their place is taken by masculine and feminine nouns followed by a postposition that may sometimes be expressed but is usually understood. Thus, ghar ke áge, "before the house" really stands for ghar ke áge (meN), "in the front of the house." This explains why some prepositions are regarded as masculine and some as feminine.

(b) Prepositions may precede or follow the nouns they govern, and sometimes the postposition ká or kí that precedes them is omitted, as : us pás for uske pás.

(c) Mánind "like," if it precedes its substantive, is regarded as masculine and takes ke ; if it follows, it is feminine and takes kí.

(d) Us ke sáth or hamráh means "in company with him," but us ke samet= "taking him along with (me)" : samet is used of lifeless things, animals, children, servants, prisoners, etc.; it cannot be applied to superiors. Sipáhí palTan ke sáth (not samet) gayá. MaiN naukar samet (or ke sáth} gayá. Sáth and hamráh are never used for lifeless things.

(e) A few Persian and Arabic prepositions are occasionally met with in Hindustani. These precede their substantive, which remains in the nominative form.

VIII. INTERJECTIONS.

The following are common : Shábásh "well-done !" (admiration) ; kyá khúb ! "how excellent !" (astonishment and denial) ; wáh wáh ! (for admiration and astonishment) : lo and líjiye (lit. "take") = "lo !" "behold !" and, "hulloa ! ; " haiN "hulloa !" (surprise) ; háy háy " alas !" but hai hai " what a pity !" "what a difficulty !" and also "alas !" ; chhí chhí "fie fie ! " ; "uff! expresses disgust) ; uNh "I don't care!"