A1 Basic Verbs 1 min read Facile

Present Tense of 'Hovu' (To Be)

Marquer comme appris
Entraîne-toi

Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

The verb 'Hovu' (to be) is the foundation of Gujarati; it changes based on the subject (I, you, he/she/it).

  • Use 'chu' for 'I am' (Hu chu).
  • Use 'che' for 'He/She/It is' (Te che).
  • Use 'cho' for 'You are' (Tame cho).
Subject + Object/Adjective + Verb (Hovu form)

Hovu Present Tense Conjugation

Pronoun Gujarati English
Hu
chu
I am
Tame
cho
You are
Te
che
He/She/It is
Ame
chiye
We are
Teo
che
They are

Meanings

The verb 'Hovu' expresses existence, identity, or state of being.

1

Identity

Stating who or what someone is.

“Hu Amit chu.”

“Te mari mata che.”

Reference Table

Reference table for Present Tense of 'Hovu' (To Be)
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Subject + Object + Verb
Hu vidhyarthi chu.
Negative
Subject + Object + nathi
Hu vidhyarthi nathi.
Question
Shu + Subject + Object + Verb?
Shu tame vidhyarthi cho?
Short Answer
Yes/No
Ha, hu chu.

Spectre de formalité

Formel
Hu vidhyarthi chu.

Hu vidhyarthi chu. (Introduction)

Neutre
Hu vidhyarthi chu.

Hu vidhyarthi chu. (Introduction)

Informel
Hu vidhyarthi chu.

Hu vidhyarthi chu. (Introduction)

Argot
Hu student chu.

Hu student chu. (Introduction)

Hovu Usage Map

Hovu

Identity

  • Hu chu I am

Location

  • Te che He is
Inscris-toi gratuitement pour lire l'explication complète

Exemples par niveau

1

Hu khush chu.

I am happy.

2

Te shikshak che.

He is a teacher.

3

Tame kon cho?

Who are you?

4

Ame mitro chiye.

We are friends.

1

Hu tya nathi.

I am not there.

2

Shu tame doctor cho?

Are you a doctor?

3

Teo ghare che.

They are at home.

4

Hu vyast chu.

I am busy.

1

Aa pustak maru che.

This book is mine.

2

Tame kyare free cho?

When are you free?

3

Ame office ma chiye.

We are in the office.

4

Teo khub dayalu che.

They are very kind.

1

Jya sudhi hu chu, tya sudhi chinta nathi.

As long as I am here, there is no worry.

2

Teo jem che tem rahe che.

They remain as they are.

3

Tame je cho te satya che.

What you are is the truth.

4

Ame jya chiye tya khush chiye.

We are happy where we are.

1

Hovu ke na hovu, ae prashna che.

To be or not to be, that is the question.

2

Teo jeva che teva j rahe.

Let them remain as they are.

3

Hu chu tyare tame kyam cho?

When I am here, where are you?

4

Ame jya chiye te sthan uttam che.

The place where we are is excellent.

1

Astitva nu hovu ae param satya che.

The existence of being is the ultimate truth.

2

Teo je chhe te chhe.

They are what they are.

3

Hu chu ane rahis.

I am and shall remain.

4

Ame chiye tyare koi bhay nathi.

When we are present, there is no fear.

Facile à confondre

Present Tense of 'Hovu' (To Be) vs Hovu vs. Rehvu

Both can mean 'to be' in some contexts.

Erreurs courantes

✗

Hu chu vidhyarthi.

✓

Hu vidhyarthi chu.

Verb must be at the end.
✗

Hu che vidhyarthi.

✓

Hu chu vidhyarthi.

Wrong conjugation for 'Hu'.
✗

Tame chu vidhyarthi.

✓

Tame cho vidhyarthi.

Wrong conjugation for 'Tame'.
✗

Teo chiye vidhyarthi.

✓

Teo che vidhyarthi.

Wrong conjugation for 'Teo'.
✗

Hu nathi chu.

✓

Hu chu nathi.

Negative follows the noun.
✗

Shu hu chu?

✓

Shu hu chu?

Word order is fine but context is missing.
✗

Teo che nathi.

✓

Teo nathi.

Nathi replaces the verb.
✗

Hu che tya.

✓

Hu tya chu.

Verb must match subject.
✗

Ame che mitro.

✓

Ame mitro chiye.

Wrong conjugation.
✗

Teo cho ghare.

✓

Teo ghare che.

Wrong conjugation.
✗

Hovu che saru.

✓

Hovu saru che.

Verb at end.
✗

Te che jya.

✓

Te jya che.

Verb at end.
✗

Hu chu jya.

✓

Hu jya chu.

Verb at end.

Structures de phrases

Hu ___ chu.

Real World Usage

Introduction constant

Hu Rahul chu.

Inscris-toi gratuitement pour voir tous les exemples
💡

Verb Placement

Always put the verb at the end.

Smart Tips

Focus on the end of the sentence.

Hu chu doctor. → Hu doctor chu.

Prononciation

/tʃu/

Chu

Pronounced like 'choo' in 'choose'.

Question

Tame kon cho? ↑

Rising intonation for questions.

Mémorise-le

Moyen mnémotechnique

Chu for me, Cho for you, Che for he/she/it.

Association visuelle

Imagine a 'Chu' (mouse) saying 'I am here'. Imagine a 'Cho' (chopping) motion when pointing at 'you'.

Rhyme

Hu chu, Tame cho, Te che, Ame chiye, Teo che.

Story

I am (Hu chu) a traveler. You are (Tame cho) my guide. He is (Te che) the driver. We are (Ame chiye) a team.

Word Web

HuTameTeAmeTeochuchochechiye

Défi

Write 5 sentences about your family using Hovu.

Notes culturelles

Respect is shown by using 'Tame' instead of 'Tu'.

Derived from Sanskrit 'bhu' (to be).

Amorces de conversation

“

Tame kon cho?

Sujets d'écriture

Describe yourself.

Erreurs courantes

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Sign up free to see all tips

Test Yourself

Fill in the blank.

Hu vidhyarthi ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: chu
Hu takes chu.

Score: /1

Exercices pratiques

1 exercises
Fill in the blank.

Hu vidhyarthi ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: chu
Hu takes chu.

Score: /1

FAQ (1)

No, it does not.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

Inscris-toi gratuitement pour t'entraîner

In Other Languages

Spanish partial

Ser/Estar

Gujarati does not distinguish between permanent and temporary states.

French moderate

Être

Gujarati is simpler in conjugation.

German moderate

Sein

Gujarati word order is strictly SOV.

Japanese high

Desu

Japanese particles are different.

Arabic low

Ana

Gujarati requires the copula.

Chinese low

Shi

Gujarati conjugates for person.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Next
Subject-Verb Agreement in 'To Be'

Related Grammar Rules

A1

Regular Verb Stems
Was this helpful?

Commentaires (0)

Connectez-vous pour Commenter
Pas encore de commentaires. Soyez le premier à partager vos idées !