One of the most challenging concepts for anyone learning Hindi is, main vs. mujhe.
Why? Because they both mean “I”.
Main
Main is used when the subject, “I” is the doer of a physical action. In other words “I” is the doer of the verb.
Main ladoo khaathi hoon. (I eat ladoos).
Main Hindi seek raha hoon. (I am learning Hindi).
As you can see, “I” is engaged in an action that requires physical movement. Note, in neither of these sentences is “I” engaged in that physical activity right now. So that’s important to understand. We use “main” even when the action involves physical movement.
And again “main” is for when “I” is the doer of the action that requires physical movement. Either “I” is engaged in physical movement right now or the verb involves physical movement.
Mujhe
Mujhe actually means “me” but we use it as “I”. Mujhe is used when the I/Me is not the doer of a physical activity or action.
For example, “Mujhe samosa pasand hain”. In English we would say, “I like samosas”. But what it actually means is “To me samosas are liked”.
Another example is, “Mujhe ice cream chahiye”. In English we would say, “I want ice cream” but what it actually means is “Ice cream is wanted by me”.
Another example, Mujhe pyaas lagi hai. In English we would say “I am thirsty”. But what it actually means is, “Thirst is happening to me”.
In these examples, the “I/Me” is not engaged in any physical activity.
Does liking samosas require physical movement? No.
Does wanting ice cream require physical movement? No
Does feeling thirsty require physical movement? No.
Certainly quenching your thirst requires physical movement but that’s different. That would be “Main pani pee raha/rahi hoon” (I am drinking water). Notice, that’s a “main” sentence because the action of drinking water requires physical movement.
What About “Main Acha Hoon”?
Aap kaise ho? This is a question that anyone who is around Hindi speakers has heard. It means “how are you?” And a common response is “Main acha hoon” – I am good. Or the response could be “Main dukhi hoon”. I am sad. Notice that these are “main” sentences.
I am Thirsty vs. I am Good
Ok, but hang on a second, referring back to the example earlier “I am thirsty”, why is that a mujhe sentence but “I am sad” a main sentence?
Control. It’s about who has control.
Feeling thirsty is out of your control – it’s a natural, physiological reaction to the environment you are in. But you control your emotions. As Bruno Mars says, “Why you mad, fix your face” You can “fix your face” and flip that frown upside down at any time – you are in control.
Hoon vs. Hain
We can’t talk about main vs. mujhe without also addressing two other words found throughout Hindi:
- Hoon
- Hain
The difference between these is another source of confusion in Hindi. And understandably so.
Hoon = am
Hain = is/are
Am, is, and are, are called state-of-being verbs. Though they are not action words they are still verbs. They’re called state-of-being aka linking verbs – because they link the subject of a sentence (I) with information about it. They describe the state and/or the identity of “I”.
All main sentences end with hoon. Main sentences never end with hain. Why? Well, do we ever say “I is” or “I are”? No. We say “I am”. Am = hoon. So all main sentences end with hoon.
In terms of conversational Hindi, the hoon will always be explicitly said/stated; meaning you never drop the hoon while speaking Hindi”.
Main acha hoon. I am good.
Main ladoo khaa raha hoon. I am eating a ladoo.
Main piano seekhti hoon. I learn piano.
Main ghar jhaa raha hoon. I am going home.
Main + Hoon + Verbs
Look at these examples.
Main dosa khaata hoon. I {am} eat dosa.
Main dosa khaa rahi hoon. I am eating dosa.
In the first example, “Main dosa khaata hoon” the am is implied. It’s not explicit like in the second example. The first example states that: I eat dosa {sometimes}. In other words it’s something I do occasionally. Whereas in the 2nd sentence, she’s eating that yummy dosa now.
Now let’s look at the usage of “main” and “hoon” in different verb tenses.
Present tense: Main dosa khaata hoon – I {am} eat dosa {sometimes}
Present continuous tense: Main dosa khaa rahi hoon – I am eating dosa {now}.
Future tense: Main dosa khaungi — I will eat dosa {at some point}
Notice the future tense sentence does not have a “hoon”. Why not? Because hoon means am. Am is a state-of-being verb that describes the state or identity of a person, now. But the future tense sentence describes an event that may occur in the future.
Hain
Now let’s talk about hain. Hain has two meanings: is, are. With regards to how to use it with mujhe, it’s a little more nuanced. We know that mujhe sentences never end with hoon. And at this point that should make sense to you. If there’s a hoon or hain word at the end of a mujhe sentence it will be hain. But notice I said “if” there’s a word at the end. That’s because sometimes the hain is dropped.
When To Use The “Hain” In Mujhe Sentences
Hain is used with mujhe sentences but we don’t always say the hain because sometimes it’s implied.
Mujhe chocolate chahiye.
How we say it in English: I want chocolate.
What it means: Chocolate is wanted by me.
The hain is there but it’s implied. It gets dropped in conversational Hindi. The sentence is “Mujhe chocolate chahiye {hain}” and becomes “Mujhe chocolate chahiye”. You could say the hain but everyone would know that you’re not from around there.
Mujhe nahin pata.
How we say it in English: I don’t know.
What it means: It is not known by me.
Like the chocolate example, the hain is there but it gets dropped in conversational Hindi – “Mujhe nahin pata {hain}” becomes “Mujhe nahin pata”. You could say the hain but again, everyone would know that you’re not from around there.
Mujhe chocolate pasand hain.
How we say it in English: I like chocolate.
What it means: Chocolate is liked by me.
Here you have to say the hain otherwise the sentence is incomplete.
Mujhe lagta hain ke humein phere mein jhaana chahiye.
How we say it in English: I feel that we should go to the wedding ceremony.
What it actually means: To me it feels/seems like we should go to the wedding ceremony.
Here you have to say the hain otherwise the sentence is incomplete.
Mujhe pyaas lagi hain.
How we say it in English: I am thirsty.
What it means: Thirst is happening to me.
Whether to say the hain is a little tricky in this one because it depends on context. You could say “Mujhe pyaas lagi” and drop the hain and depending on the situation/context it could be understood that you’re thirsty now. OR it could be understood that you were thirsty, but not anymore. Better Hindi would be to say, “Mujhe pyaas lagi hain” — I am thirsty.
Mujhe kitaab de do.
How we say it in English: Give me the book.
What it means: Give the book to me.
In this one there is no explicit “hain” nor should there be as this is a command.
Mai vs. Mujhe Practice Problems
I climb mountains.
Does climbing mountains require physical movement? Yep.
Main or Mujhe? Main
I like ice cream.
Does liking ice cream require physical movement? Nope.
Main or Mujhe? Mujhe
I swim every Thursday.
Does swimming require physical movement? Yep.
Main or Mujhe? Main
I want gol gappas.
Does wanting gol gappas require physical movement? Nope.
Main or Mujhe? Mujhe
I don’t know.
Does not knowing require physical movement? Nope.
Main or Mujhe? Mujhe
I write stories.
Does writing require physical movement? Yep.
Main or Mujhe? Main
Summary
In this guide we explored main vs. mujhe. Main means “I” and Mujhe also means “me” but both are used as “I” in English.
Use “main” when “I” is the doer of the action verb — “I” has to engage in any sort of physical movement. Remember it does not matter whether “main” is engaged in physical movement right now. The only thing that matters is whether the sentences requires physical movement at all.
The tool I gave you to figure out whether it’s a main vs. mujhe sentence was:
Does the activity of the sentence require “I” to move his/her body in any way? If the answer is yes then it’s a “main” sentence. And if it’s a “main” sentence it always ends with “hoon”.
If the answer was no, then it’s a “mujhe” sentence and there may or may not be a “hain” at the end.
I hope this is helpful as you continue your Hindi practice.
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About Samta Aunty
Growing up in Orange County, California, I learned Hindi and Indian culture from my parents and the community. At one point, in addition to understanding Hindi, I developed an interest in speaking, and my parents encouraged me.
Friday night was date-night with my mom. We would eat parathas and watch Hindi movies together. I asked lots of questions and switched to speaking in Hindi at home.
That day, in high school, when my Chachi in Delhi said, “Tumhari Hindi bahut achi hain” is one of my favorite memories.
I started Virtual PreSkool to pay it forward. It’s fulfilling when a student comes to class and excitedly shares that they successfully connected with grandparents/relatives or when they were in India and knew how to ask for directions.
After completing undergrad at UC Irvine, I did my MBA at the USC Marshall School of Business. I’ve been an entrepreneur my entire career.
When I’m not teaching and creating lessons, I’m usually exercising, cooking vegan meals, or traveling. I love writing about travel on my blog PassportPages.
Dhanyavaad!
