Adverbial Postpositions: Because, Instead & Despite (के अनुसार, की वजह से)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
These postpositions require the oblique case of the preceding noun or pronoun to function as adverbial modifiers.
- Use 'के अनुसार' (ke anusaar) after an oblique noun to mean 'according to'.
- Use 'की वजह से' (ki wajah se) to denote cause, requiring the feminine oblique 'ki'.
- Use 'के बावजूद' (ke bavajood) to express 'despite', triggering the oblique case.
Overview
Mastering adverbial postpositions in Hindi is crucial for C1-level fluency, enabling you to articulate complex relationships of cause, contrast, and condition. Unlike simple adverbs, Hindi often employs compound postpositions to transform nouns, pronouns, or even infinitives into sophisticated adverbial phrases. These structures are not merely decorative; they are fundamental to expressing nuanced thought, distinguishing your communication from elementary sentence construction.
At their core, these adverbial postpositions function as 'functional bridges,' providing context for how, why, or under what circumstances an action occurs. They typically consist of two parts: a possessive marker (के - ke or की - kī) followed by a specific noun or adverb that defines the phrase's meaning. For instance, वजह (vajah) signifies 'reason,' but combined as की वजह से (kī vajah se), it expresses 'because of.' This mechanism requires careful attention to the oblique case of the preceding word and the correct gender agreement of the possessive marker, signifying a departure from simpler grammatical patterns.
This rule illuminates Hindi's agglutinative tendencies, where meaning is built by appending specific morphemes, allowing for high-density information transfer within a phrase.
How This Grammar Works
- Masculine nouns ending in
-ā(आ): The-āchanges to-e(ए). For example,कमरा (kamrā)'room' becomesकमरे (kamre)inकमरे के अंदर (kamre ke andar)'inside the room'. Similarly,लड़का (laṛkā)'boy' becomesलड़के (laṛke)inलड़के के साथ (laṛke ke sāth)'with the boy'. This change marks the noun as being governed by the subsequent postposition. - Masculine nouns not ending in
-ā: These typically do not change their form in the oblique singular, but the postposition still applies. For example,घर (ghar)'house' remainsघर (ghar)inघर के पास (ghar ke pās)'near the house'. - Feminine nouns (all endings): Feminine nouns generally retain their nominative singular form in the oblique singular. For example,
बारिश (baarish)'rain' remainsबारिश (baarish)inबारिश की वजह से (baarish kī vajah se)'because of rain'. - Plural Nouns: All plural nouns, regardless of gender or ending, take the oblique ending
-õ(ओं). For example,लड़कियाँ (laṛkiyā̃)'girls' becomesलड़कियों (laṛkiyõ)inलड़कियों के लिए (laṛkiyõ ke lie)'for the girls'.
के (ke) or की (kī):के साथ (ke sāth) |मैं (main) | मुझ (mujh) | मेरे साथ (mere sāth) 'with me' |तू (tū) | तुझ (tujh) | तेरे साथ (tere sāth) 'with you' |तुम (tum) | तुम (tum) | तुम्हारे साथ (tumhāre sāth) 'with you' |आप (āp) | आप (āp) | आपके साथ (āpke sāth) 'with you' |यह (yah) | इस (is) | इसके साथ (iske sāth) 'with him/her/it' |वह (vah) | उस (us) | उसके साथ (uske sāth) 'with him/her/it' |हम (ham) | हम (ham) | हमारे साथ (hamāre sāth) 'with us' |ये (ye) | इन (in) | इनके साथ (inke sāth) 'with them' |वे (ve) | उन (un) | उनके साथ (unke sāth) 'with them' |के (ke) and की (kī) depends on the gender of the noun that forms the second part of the compound postposition, not the gender of the preceding noun. If the second element is masculine (e.g., अनुसार (anusār) 'according to', बजाय (bajāy) 'instead of'), you use के (ke). If it is feminine (e.g., वजह (vajah) 'reason', तरफ (taraf) 'direction'), you use की (kī).कानून के अनुसार (kānūn ke anusār) 'according to the law' because अनुसार (anusār) is masculine, but बारिश की वजह से (baarish kī vajah se) 'because of rain' because वजह (vajah) is feminine. This gender agreement can feel counter-intuitive initially, as it refers to the internal gender of the compound phrase, not the main noun.Formation Pattern
कानून (kānūn) 'law', बारिश (baarish) 'rain', कंपनी (company) 'company'.
मैं (main) 'I', वह (vah) 'he/she/it', तुम (tum) 'you'.
पढ़ना (paṛhnā) 'to read', जाना (jānā) 'to go'. This is used when the adverbial phrase relates to an action, rather than a thing. The infinitive verb will always be in its oblique form, typically ending in -ne.
-ā become -e (e.g., लड़का (laṛkā) -> लड़के (laṛke)). Other nouns typically remain unchanged in the singular (e.g., बारिश (baarish) -> बारिश (baarish)), but all plural nouns take the -õ (ओं) ending.
मैं (main) -> मुझ (mujh), वह (vah) -> उस (us)). When used with के/की, these often manifest as possessive-like forms (मेरे (mere), उसके (uske)).
-nā ending to -ne (ए). For example, पढ़ना (paṛhnā) 'to read' becomes पढ़ने (paṛhne). This oblique infinitive then functions as a verbal noun.
के (ke) or की (kī) based on the gender of the second element of the postposition itself.
के/की | Example |
के अनुसार (ke anusār) | According to | के | नियमों के अनुसार (niyamõ ke anusār) 'according to rules' |
के मुताबिक (ke mutābik) | According to (less formal) | के | मेरे मुताबिक (mere mutābik) 'according to me' |
की वजह से (kī vajah se) | Because of, due to | की | बारिश की वजह से (baarish kī vajah se) 'because of rain' |
के कारण (ke kāraṇ) | Due to, because of (formal) | के | अज्ञान के कारण (agyān ke kāraṇ) 'due to ignorance' |
के बावजूद (ke bāvajūd) | Despite, in spite of | के | कोशिश के बावजूद (koshish ke bāvajūd) 'despite effort' |
के बजाय (ke bajāy) | Instead of | के | कॉफी के बजाय (coffee ke bajāy) 'instead of coffee' |
के अलावा (ke alāvā) | Besides, apart from | के | उसके अलावा (uske alāvā) 'besides him/her' |
के सिवाय (ke sivāy) | Except for | के | भगवान के सिवाय (bhagvān ke sivāy) 'except for God' |
की तरफ (kī taraf) | Towards | की | घर की तरफ (ghar kī taraf) 'towards home' |
के जरिए (ke zarie) | Through, via, by means of | के | इंटरनेट के जरिए (internet ke zarie) 'via the internet' |
की सहायता से (kī sahāyatā se) | With the help of | की | दोस्तों की सहायता से (dostõ kī sahāyatā se) 'with the help of friends' |
Postpositional Formation Table
| Noun (Direct) | Noun (Oblique) | Postposition | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
|
लड़का
|
लड़के
|
के अनुसार
|
According to the boy
|
|
किताब
|
किताब
|
की वजह से
|
Because of the book
|
|
काम
|
काम
|
के बावजूद
|
Despite the work
|
|
मैं
|
मुझ
|
के अनुसार
|
According to me
|
|
वह
|
उस
|
की वजह से
|
Because of him/her
|
|
हम
|
हम
|
के बावजूद
|
Despite us
|
Meanings
These postpositions function as adverbial connectors that link a noun phrase to the rest of the sentence, indicating cause, contradiction, or alignment.
Causality
Indicating the reason for an action.
“बीमारी की वजह से वह नहीं गया।”
“ट्रैफिक की वजह से देरी हुई।”
Concession
Indicating a contrast or despite.
“मेहनत के बावजूद वह फेल हो गया।”
“बुखार के बावजूद वह काम पर गया।”
Alignment
Indicating accordance with a rule or opinion.
“नियम के अनुसार काम करें।”
“आपकी सलाह के अनुसार मैंने किया।”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Noun(Obl) + Postposition
|
नियम के अनुसार
|
|
Negative
|
Noun(Obl) + Postposition + Nahi
|
बारिश की वजह से नहीं
|
|
Question
|
Kya + Noun(Obl) + Postposition?
|
क्या नियम के अनुसार?
|
|
Pronoun
|
Pronoun(Obl) + Postposition
|
मुझ के अनुसार
|
|
Plural
|
Noun(Obl-Pl) + Postposition
|
लड़कों के अनुसार
|
|
Feminine
|
Noun(Obl) + Ki Wajah Se
|
बीमारी की वजह से
|
Formality Spectrum
नियमों के अनुसार (Professional vs Casual)
नियम के अनुसार (Professional vs Casual)
नियम के हिसाब से (Professional vs Casual)
रूल के हिसाब से (Professional vs Casual)
Postpositional Logic
Reason
- की वजह से Because of
Contrast
- के बावजूद Despite
Alignment
- के अनुसार According to
Examples by Level
बारिश की वजह से मैं नहीं आया।
Because of the rain, I did not come.
नियम के अनुसार खेलें।
Play according to the rules.
काम के बावजूद मैं थक गया।
Despite the work, I got tired.
दवा की वजह से वह ठीक है।
Because of the medicine, he is fine.
ट्रैफिक की वजह से हम लेट हो गए।
Because of the traffic, we got late.
आपकी सलाह के अनुसार मैंने यह किया।
According to your advice, I did this.
बुखार के बावजूद वह स्कूल गया।
Despite the fever, he went to school.
गलती की वजह से उसे डांट पड़ी।
Because of the mistake, he was scolded.
संविधान के अनुसार यह गलत है।
According to the constitution, this is wrong.
भारी बारिश के बावजूद मैच जारी रहा।
Despite the heavy rain, the match continued.
प्रदूषण की वजह से हवा खराब है।
Because of pollution, the air is bad.
निर्देश के अनुसार फॉर्म भरें।
Fill the form according to the instructions.
कंपनी की नीति के अनुसार हमें यह करना होगा।
According to company policy, we have to do this.
तमाम कोशिशों के बावजूद वह सफल नहीं हुआ।
Despite all efforts, he did not succeed.
तकनीकी खराबी की वजह से उड़ान रद्द हो गई।
Because of a technical glitch, the flight was cancelled.
अनुबंध के अनुसार भुगतान करें।
Pay according to the contract.
साक्ष्य के अनुसार, अभियुक्त निर्दोष है।
According to the evidence, the accused is innocent.
प्रतिकूल परिस्थितियों के बावजूद उन्होंने हार नहीं मानी।
Despite adverse conditions, they did not give up.
प्रशासनिक लापरवाही की वजह से यह संकट पैदा हुआ।
Because of administrative negligence, this crisis arose.
वैज्ञानिक सिद्धांतों के अनुसार यह संभव नहीं है।
According to scientific principles, this is not possible.
ऐतिहासिक साक्ष्यों के अनुसार, यह साम्राज्य पतन की ओर था।
According to historical evidence, this empire was towards decline.
तमाम विरोधाभासों के बावजूद, यह सिद्धांत मान्य है।
Despite all contradictions, this theory is valid.
वैश्विक आर्थिक मंदी की वजह से बाजार में गिरावट आई।
Because of the global economic recession, the market declined.
संविधान की धारा के अनुसार, यह अधिकार सुरक्षित है।
According to the article of the constitution, this right is protected.
Easily Confused
Both indicate a relationship to a noun.
Common Mistakes
लड़का के अनुसार
लड़के के अनुसार
बारिश का वजह से
बारिश की वजह से
मैं के अनुसार
मुझ के अनुसार
नियम के बावजूद
नियमों के बावजूद
Sentence Patterns
___ के अनुसार, यह गलत है।
Real World Usage
अनुभव के अनुसार...
Oblique Check
Smart Tips
Check for oblique case.
Pronunciation
Oblique Case
Ensure the 'e' sound is clear.
Adverbial stress
Noun(Obl) [stress] + Postposition
Emphasizes the reason or condition.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Remember the 'Oblique Shift': When you see a postposition, change the noun's ending to 'e' or 'on'.
Visual Association
Imagine a heavy anchor (the postposition) pulling the noun into a different shape (the oblique case).
Rhyme
Noun ends in 'aa', change it to 'e', then add the postposition to set it free.
Story
Rahul wanted to go out. Despite the rain (barish ke bavajood), he left. Because of his umbrella (chhatri ki wajah se), he stayed dry. According to his plan (yojana ke anusaar), he reached on time.
Word Web
Challenge
Write three sentences about your day using each of the three postpositions.
Cultural Notes
Used in legal documents and news.
Often replaced by 'ke hisaab se'.
Varies in usage of postpositions.
Derived from Sanskrit postpositional structures.
Conversation Starters
आपकी राय के अनुसार, क्या यह सही है?
Journal Prompts
Common Mistakes
Test Yourself
बारिश ___ हम नहीं आए।
Score: /1
Practice Exercises
1 exercisesबारिश ___ हम नहीं आए।
Score: /1
Practice Bank
10 exercisesInstead of coffee, I will drink tea.
वजह / की / ट्रैफिक / से / लेट / हूँ / मैं
मेहनत के ___ वह सफ़ल हुआ।
Pick the correct phrase:
Match the pairs:
मैं बिना काम नहीं होगा। (Maĩ binā kām nahī̃ hogā.)
इस किताब ___ तुलना में वह बेहतर है।
Apart from him, everyone was there.
मुताबिक / खबर / के / आज / है / बारिश
Which is more formal for 'According to the law'?
Score: /10
FAQ (1)
It's the oblique case rule.
Scaffolded Practice
1
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
según
Word order.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
Related Grammar Rules
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