What do you dream of becoming? In this lesson, you'll learn to talk about your future plans, hopes, and dreams. Sita and Ravi discuss their career aspirations at Delhi University — she dreams of becoming an IAS officer, while he wants to advance in IT. You'll master the future tense and learn the essential conditional structure अगर...तो [agar...to] (if...then). Time to dream big — in Hindi!
Learning tips
- The future tense ending -ऊँगा/-ऊँगी [-ū̃gā/-ū̃gī] for 'I will' is one of the easiest patterns in Hindi. Just add it to the verb stem!
- अगर...तो [agar...to] (if...then) works just like English. The अगर [agar] clause can use past, present, or future tense depending on meaning.
- सोचना [socnā] (to think) is one of Hindi's most useful verbs. 'मैं सोचता/सोचती हूँ कि...' [maĩ soctā/soctī hū̃ ki...] (I think that...) is used constantly.
- Career vocabulary in Hindi mixes Sanskrit, Urdu, and English freely — करियर [kariyar], प्लेसमेंट [plesmeṇṭ], इंटर्नशिप [iṇṭarnśip] are all commonly used.
Warm-up & Active Recall
Recap: In Lesson 10.3 you learned impersonal weather constructions and the progressive tense (रहा/रही/रहे [rahā/rahī/rahe]). Today we look forward with the future tense and conditional sentences.
| Word | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| मौसम [mausam] | weather | |
| गर्मी [garmī] | heat/summer | |
| सर्दी [sardī] | cold/winter | |
| बारिश [bāriś] | rain | |
| धूप [dhūp] | sunshine | |
| हवा [havā] | wind/air | |
| बादल [bādal] | cloud | |
| ठंड [ṭhaṇḍ] | cold (sensation) | |
| गरम [garam] | hot/warm | |
| ठंडा [ṭhaṇḍā] | cold (adjective) |
Dialog
Sita and Ravi discuss their futures at DU — a very realistic scenario, as career planning is a major part of Indian university culture. Sita's dream of becoming an IAS (Indian Administrative Service) officer reflects one of India's most prestigious and competitive career paths — millions attempt the UPSC exam each year. Ravi's IT career is equally typical of Delhi's booming tech sector. Notice the future tense forms: करेंगी [karẽgī] (you will do, f. formal), बनूँ [banū̃] (I become — subjunctive), and the conditional अगर...तो [agar...to] pattern. The campus garden scene is typical of DU life — students often discuss their futures while walking through the campus grounds.
🎓 दोपहर — दिल्ली विश्वविद्यालय, कैंटीन
dopahar — dillī viśvavidyālay, kaiṇṭīn
Ravi
सीता जी, आपकी भविष्य की क्या योजना है? MA के बाद क्या करेंगी?
sītā jī, āpkī bhaviṣya kī kyā yojanā hai? MA ke bād kyā karẽgī?
(Sita ji, your future's what plan is? MA after what will-do?)
Sita ji, what are your future plans? What will you do after the MA?
Sita
मेरा सपना है कि मैं IAS बनूँ। बहुत कोशिश कर रही हूँ।
merā sapnā hai ki maĩ IAS banū̃. bahut kośiś kar rahī hū̃.
(My dream is that I IAS become. Much effort doing am.)
My dream is to become an IAS officer. I'm trying very hard.
Ravi
वाह! ज़रूर कामयाब होंगी। मैं सोचता हूँ कि IT में आगे बढ़ूँ।
vāh! zarūr kāmyāb hõgī. maĩ soctā hū̃ ki IT mẽ āge baṛhū̃.
(Wow! Definitely successful will-be. I think that IT in ahead move.)
Wow! You'll definitely succeed. I'm thinking of advancing in IT.
Sita
उम्मीद है कि अगले साल प्लेसमेंट हो जाए।
ummīd hai ki agle sāl plesmeṇṭ ho jāe.
(Hope is that next year placement happen.)
I hope the placement happens next year.
🌳 शाम — कैंपस का बगीचा
śām — kaimpas kā bagīcā
Ravi
अगर मुझे प्रमोशन मिला, तो मैं नई गाड़ी लूँगा।
agar mujhe pramośan milā, to maĩ naī gāṛī lū̃gā.
(If to-me promotion got, then I new car will-take.)
If I get a promotion, I'll buy a new car.
Sita
और अगर मैं पास हो गई, तो परिवार बहुत ख़ुश होगा!
aur agar maĩ pās ho gaī, to parivār bahut khuś hogā!
(And if I pass happened, then family very happy will-be!)
And if I pass, my family will be very happy!
Ravi
कोशिश करते रहिए — सपने ज़रूर पूरे होंगे।
kośiś karte rahiye — sapne zarūr pūre hõge.
(Effort doing keep — dreams definitely complete will-be.)
Keep trying — your dreams will definitely come true.
Sita
धन्यवाद, रवि जी। मैं सोचती हूँ कि हिंदी सीखना भी मेरे करियर में मदद करेगा।
dhanyavād, ravī jī. maĩ soctī hū̃ ki hindī sīkhnā bhī mere kariyar mẽ madad karegā.
(Thanks, Ravi ji. I think that Hindi learning also my career in help will-do.)
Thank you, Ravi ji. I think learning Hindi will also help in my career.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| भविष्य | bhaviṣya | /bʰə.vɪʂ.jə/ | future | Sanskrit-origin — भविष्य में [bhaviṣya mẽ] (in the future) |
| योजना | yojanā | /joː.d͡ʒ.naː/ | plan | Feminine — योजना बनाना [yojanā banānā] (to make a plan) |
| सपना | sapnā | /səp.naː/ | dream | Masculine — सपना देखना [sapnā dekhnā] (to dream, literally 'see a dream'). सपना पूरा होना [sapnā pūrā honā] (dream coming true) |
| बनना | bannā | /bən.naː/ | to become | Intransitive — मैं डॉक्टर बनना चाहता हूँ [maĩ ḍŏkṭar bannā cāhtā hū̃] (I want to become a doctor) |
| सोचना | socnā | /soːt͡ʃ.naː/ | to think | Transitive — मैं सोचता हूँ कि... [maĩ soctā hū̃ ki...] (I think that...) |
| उम्मीद | ummīd | /ʊm.miːd̪/ | hope, expectation | Feminine — उम्मीद है कि... [ummīd hai ki...] (it is hoped that...) |
| कोशिश | kośiś | /koː.ʃɪʃ/ | effort, try, attempt | Feminine — कोशिश करना [kośiś karnā] (to try). Very common in motivational speech |
| ज़रूर | zarūr | /zə.ruːr/ | definitely, surely | Adds certainty — ज़रूर आना! [zarūr ānā!] (do come, definitely!) |
| अगर | agar | /ə.ɡər/ | if | Always paired with तो [to]: अगर...तो... [agar...to...] (if...then...) |
| तो | to | /t̪oː/ | then | Used both as conditional 'then' and as emphasis particle — 'तो' has many uses in Hindi |
Passive words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| करियर | kariyar | /kə.rɪ.jər/ | career | English loanword, very common in modern Hindi |
| नौकरी | naukrī | /nɔː.kriː/ | job, employment | Feminine — नौकरी करना [naukrī karnā] (to work/have a job) |
| विदेश | videś | /vɪ.d̪eːʃ/ | abroad, foreign country | विदेश जाना [videś jānā] (to go abroad) — a common aspiration in India |
| MBA | MBA | /em.biː.eː/ | MBA | English abbreviation — widely understood, CAT exam is the most common path |
| प्लेसमेंट | plesmeṇṭ | /ples.meɳʈ/ | placement | English loanword — campus recruitment at Indian universities |
| इंटर्नशिप | iṇṭarnśip | /ɪɳ.ʈərn.ʃɪp/ | internship | English loanword — increasingly common in Indian professional culture |
Useful chunks
| Word | Romanization | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| अगर...तो... | agar...to... | If... then... |
| कोशिश करना | kośiś karnā | to try, to make an effort |
| सपना पूरा होना | sapnā pūrā honā | dream coming true |
Pronunciation: The future tense endings have a nasal sound: -ऊँगा [ū̃gā] / -ऊँगी [ū̃gī]. The nasal (ँ) in ऊँ [ū̃] is subtle — it nasalizes the vowel without a full 'n' sound. Practice: करूँगा [karū̃gā], जाऊँगी [jāū̃gī], सीखूँगा [sīkhū̃gā]. The nasalization is what distinguishes future tense from other forms.
Grammar: Future tense consolidation and conditional अगर...तो [agar...to]
| Pattern | Hindi | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Future (m. sg.) | मैं करूँगा [maĩ karū̃gā] | maĩ karū̃gā | I will do |
| Future (f. sg.) | मैं करूँगी [maĩ karū̃gī] | maĩ karū̃gī | I will do |
| Future (m. pl./formal) | आप करेंगे [āp karẽge] | āp karẽge | You will do |
| Future (f. pl./formal) | आप करेंगी [āp karẽgī] | āp karẽgī | You will do |
| Conditional | अगर X, तो Y [agar X, to Y] | agar X, to Y | If X, then Y |
| Conditional example | अगर बारिश हुई, तो घर रहूँगा [agar bāriś huī, to ghar rahū̃gā] | agar bāriś huī, to ghar rahū̃gā | If it rains, I'll stay home |
Future tense in Hindi is formed by adding endings to the verb stem:
| Person | Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|---|
| मैं [maĩ] | करूँगा [karū̃gā] | करूँगी [karū̃gī] |
| तुम [tum] | करोगे [karoge] | करोगी [karogī] |
| आप [āp] | करेंगे [karẽge] | करेंगी [karẽgī] |
| वह [vah] | करेगा [karegā] | करेगी [karegī] |
| हम [ham] | करेंगे [karẽge] | करेंगी [karẽgī] |
Conditional with अगर...तो [agar...to]:
- अगर [agar] (if) introduces the condition, तो [to] (then) introduces the result
- The condition can use different tenses: अगर बारिश हुई [agar bāriś huī] (if it rains — past form used for hypothetical) or अगर तुम आओगे [agar tum āoge] (if you come — future)
- This is one of Hindi's most essential structures for expressing plans and possibilities
Expressing hopes: उम्मीद है कि... [ummīd hai ki...] (It is hoped that... / I hope that...)
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the correct future plans vocabulary.
- मेरा है कि मैं डॉक्टर ।(dream / become)
- है कि सब अच्छा होगा।(hope)
- मैं कर रही हूँ — पास हो जाऊँगी।(effort / definitely)
- मेहनत की, कामयाबी मिलेगी।(if / then)
- आपकी की क्या है?(future / plan)
Grammar Application
Choose the correct future tense or conditional form.
- मैं (m.) कल दिल्ली (जाऊँगा/जाऊँगी) — masculine future(masculine speaker → -ऊँगा)
- सीता IAS (बनेगा/बनेगी) — feminine future(feminine subject सीता → -एगी)
- पढ़ाई की, पास होंगे (अगर/तो)(if... then...)
- हम सब कामयाब (होंगे/होगा) — plural future(plural/formal → होंगे)
- मेहनत करोगे, सपने पूरे होंगे (अगर/तो)(if... then...)
Translation (English → Hindi)
Translate each sentence about future plans into Hindi.
- My dream is to become a teacher.
- If we work hard, we will definitely pass.
- I think the future will be good.
- I hope I'll get a job.
- Keep trying — dreams will come true.
Creative Construction
Write 1-2 sentences about your future plans or dreams using अगर...तो [agar...to] and at least 3 words from this lesson.
Writing: Future-related vocabulary — reading practice
भ
bha
ष
ṣa
य
ya
ज
ja
न
na
Practice words
| Word | Romanization |
|---|---|
| भविष्य | bhaviṣya |
| योजना | yojanā |
| सपना | sapnā |
भविष्य [bhaviṣya] में ष [ṣa] एक retroflex अक्षर है — श [śa] से अलग। ष [ṣa] Sanskrit शब्दों में आता है।
bhaviṣya mẽ ṣa ek retroflex akṣar hai — śa se alag. ṣa Sanskrit śabdõ mẽ ātā hai.
Today we practice reading words with the ष [ṣa] consonant, which appears in Sanskrit-origin words:
- भविष्य [bhaviṣya] — ष [ṣa] is a retroflex sibilant, different from श [śa] (palatal). In modern Hindi, many speakers pronounce both as 'sh', but in formal/literary contexts they're distinct.
- योजना [yojanā] — notice the ो [o] vowel mark on य [ya] and the conjunct ज्ञ — wait, this word doesn't have one! It's straightforward: य + ो + ज + ना.
- सपना [sapnā] — a simple word with the प [pa] consonant and ना [nā] ending typical of masculine nouns.
By Unit 10, you should be able to read most Devanagari text slowly. Keep practicing with signs, menus, and Hindi news headlines!
Takeaway
अगर...तो [agar...to] is Hindi's essential conditional structure — 'If you try, then dreams come true!' Future tense endings (-ऊँगा/-ऊँगी [-ū̃gā/-ū̃gī] for 'I', -एगा/-एगी [-egā/-egī] for 'he/she', -एँगे/-एँगी [-ẽge/-ẽgī] for 'we/you formal') are straightforward to form.
Culture note: Delhi University (DU) is one of India's most prestigious universities. Students there intensely prepare for competitive exams: UPSC (for IAS/civil services — considered the most prestigious career path), CAT (for MBA programs), and GATE (for engineering). 'Placement season' is a major event on campus every year. The phrase 'सरकारी नौकरी' [sarkārī naukrī] (government job) still carries enormous prestige in Indian culture.
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