A क्रिया (Kriya) is the part of a sentence that expresses action, state, or occurrence. Every complete Hindi sentence has a क्रिया — it is what makes a sentence grammatically alive. Without it, you just have a phrase, not a statement.
Think of it this way: if a sentence is a machine, the क्रिया is the engine. Every other part — subject (कर्ता), object (कर्म), adverbs, adjectives — supports or describes the क्रिया, but the क्रिया itself is what makes everything run.
In Hindi, all verbs derive from a धातु (dhatu) — the root form. For example:
This root form is the building block. Every conjugated form — past, present, future; singular, plural; masculine, feminine — grows out of this धातु. The exam has asked this directly: "धातु कहते हैं" → the answer is क्रिया के मूल रूप को.
Here is the big picture of क्रिया classification before we go deep:
The UP Police Constable exam focuses heavily on points 1, 2, and 3. Questions on क्रिया types have appeared every year since 2018. You will likely see 2–4 questions from this chapter. Learn the definitions precisely — the exam tests you on identification in sentences, not abstract theory.
A verb that requires an object (कर्म) to complete its meaning is सकर्मक (sa + karmak = with object).
Test: Ask the verb "क्या?" or "किसे?" — if you get a sensible answer, the verb is सकर्मक.
Examples:
Verbs like खाना, पीना, देखना, लिखना, पढ़ना, खरीदना, बनाना are almost always सकर्मक.
A verb whose action stays with the subject — no object needed — is अकर्मक (a + karmak = without object).
Test: Ask "क्या?" to the verb — you get no sensible answer. The action is complete in itself.
Examples:
Key अकर्मक verbs: रोना, हंसना, सोना, उठना, बैठना, जाना, आना, चलना, तैरना, मरना.
Important edge case: Some verbs can be both. "वह दौड़ता है" → अकर्मक. "वह घोड़ा दौड़ाता है" → सकर्मक. Context is everything.
The सहायक क्रिया supports the main verb (मुख्य क्रिया) and helps clarify its tense, aspect, or mood. It cannot stand alone as the main meaning of the sentence.
Common सहायक verbs: है, था, रहा, चुका, सकता, पाना, देना, लेना when used in compound structures.
When the subject does not perform the action directly but causes someone else to do it, the verb is प्रेरणार्थक (causative).
Formation pattern:
| मूल धातु | प्रेरणार्थक I | प्रेरणार्थक II | |---|---|---| | लिखना | लिखाना | लिखवाना | | काटना | कटाना | कटवाना | | खाना | खिलाना | खिलवाना | | सोना | सुलाना | सुलवाना |
Exam sentence: "राधा ने पायल से चिट्ठी लिखवाई।" → राधा is causing Payal to write → प्रेरणार्थक क्रिया.
When two or more verb forms join to create a single meaning, it is संयुक्त क्रिया.
The second verb (जाना, देना, लेना, पड़ना) adds a nuance — completion, suddenness, benefit — to the first.
When two actions occur in sequence and the first is completed before the second begins, the first verb form (ending in कर or के) is पूर्वकालिक क्रिया.
Verbs formed from nouns (संज्ञा), adjectives (विशेषण), or pronouns — not from a verbal root — are नामधातु.
Look at the verb ending to identify काल:
| काल | Marker | Example | |---|---|---| | सामान्य वर्तमान | है/हैं | वह जाता है | | अपूर्ण वर्तमान | रहा है | वह जा रहा है | | सामान्य भूत | था/थी | वह गया था | | अपूर्ण भूत | रहा था | वह जा रहा था | | पूर्ण भूत | चुका था | वह जा चुका था | | सामान्य भविष्य | गा/गे/गी | वह जाएगा |
"सुरेश गीत गा रहा था" → "गा रहा था" → ongoing action in the past, incomplete → अपूर्ण भूत.
Ask "क्या?" or "किसे?" immediately after the verb. If you get a noun answer, it's सकर्मक. If the question sounds absurd or unanswerable, it's अकर्मक.
Micro-example: "वह सो गया" → सो गया क्या? → (nonsense) → अकर्मक. "वह दूध पी गया" → पी गया क्या? → दूध → सकर्मक.
Standard method: reading all options + reasoning ~ 40 seconds. With this test: 10 seconds per sentence. 4x faster on identification questions.
The most common अकर्मक verbs tested in exams are: Rona (रोना), Hansna (हंसना), Sona (सोना), Aana-Jana (आना-जाना). Add: उठना, बैठना, चलना, तैरना, मरना.
Whenever you see these in a sentence, directly mark अकर्मक — no क्या-test needed.
Step count: standard reasoning = 3 steps (read, apply test, decide). This pattern = 1 step (recognize). Saves ~25 seconds per question.
प्रेरणार्थक sentences almost always have:
Pattern: [X] ने [Y] से [Verb + वाया/आया] → प्रेरणार्थक.
"राधा ने पायल से चिट्ठी लिखवाई" — spot "से" + "वाई" ending in 5 seconds vs reading all four options in 30 seconds.
Ignore the subject and object entirely. Look only at the last 1–2 words of the sentence (the verb phrase).
Tense questions: standard method = parse whole sentence (45s). This tail-reading method = 8 seconds.
धातु is simply the verb form with -ना removed. लिखना → धातु = लिख. खाना → धातु = खा. सोना → धातु = सो.
When the exam asks "धातु कहते हैं", eliminate any option that says "complete form" or "ordinary form" — the answer is always मूल रूप (root form).
Step count: 1 recognition step instead of analyzing all four options. Eliminates 3 wrong options in 5 seconds.
When you see a क्रिया question in the exam hall, run this decision tree in order:
Step 1 — What is the question asking?
Step 2 — Apply the क्या-test first
Step 3 — Look for structural clues
Step 4 — Eliminate first, confirm last Never read all four options with equal weight. Mark the one that matches your test result, then spend 5 seconds checking if any option could be a trap.
Budget: 45–60 seconds per क्रिया question maximum.
Why this question: This is the most tested क्रिया type. The exam places सकर्मक-looking verbs like रोना in distractors.
Solving path: Apply the क्या-test to each option. "पी रहा है क्या?" → चाय ✓ (सकर्मक). "रो रहा है क्या?" → no answer ✓ (अकर्मक). "बना रही है क्या?" → खाना ✓ (सकर्मक). "पढ़ रहा है क्या?" → पुस्तक ✓ (सकर्मक). Only option B gives no object → answer is B.
Why this question: सहायक क्रिया vs other types is a definition-level question. The trap here is confusing "सहायक" with "प्रेरणार्थक".
Solving path: The question says "मुख्य क्रिया के अर्थ को स्पष्ट करने वाली" — key phrase is "स्पष्ट करना" (to clarify). सहायक क्रिया is defined as the verb that helps clarify the main verb's meaning (tense, aspect). नामधातु and नामबोधक are formed from nouns. प्रेरणार्थक involves causation. Only सहायक fits "clarifies meaning of main verb".
Why this question: This is a higher-difficulty question testing knowledge of the specific sub-type "औचित्यबोधक". The trap is confusing it with योजक क्रिया (copula/linking verb).
Solving path: In "चूड़ी अच्छी थी", "थी" connects the subject (चूड़ी) to its attribute/quality (अच्छी). This linking function with an appropriateness/quality judgment makes it औचित्यबोधक क्रिया. Eliminate योजक (pure copula), अधिकारद्योतक (shows possession/right), and अप्रत्यक्ष (indirect action). Answer: A.
Why this question: Direct identification of सकर्मक in a sentence — the most basic form of this question type.
Solving path: Scan each option with the क्या-test. Option A: "है" — stative, no object. Option B: "बना है" — state, no direct object in action sense. Option C: "सो रहा था" — ROSH rule, अकर्मक. Option D: "खरीदे क्या?" → खिलौने → object present → सकर्मक. Answer: D.
Why this question: प्रेरणार्थक is a high-frequency topic. The sentence structure with "से" + वाई ending is the signature pattern.
Solving path: Apply the structural clue test. "राधा ने पायल से चिट्ठी लिखवाई" — राधा is the causer, पायल is the one made to act (identified by से), and लिखवाई is the second-level causative form of लिखना. This is the textbook definition of प्रेरणार्थक क्रिया. Eliminate: संयुक्त (no two merged verbs), पूर्वकालिक (no -कर form), नामधातु (no noun-derived root). Answer: C.
Why this question: धातु definition is a direct recall question — appears every 2–3 years.
Solving path: Eliminate by logic. "संपूर्ण रूप" = the full conjugated form → not धातु. "सामान्य रूप" → vague, not a technical term. "उत्तम रूप" → no such grammatical concept here. Only "मूल रूप" is the correct technical term for धातु. Answer: B.
Why this question: काल identification from verb phrase — combines क्रिया knowledge with Kaal chapter.
Solving path: Read the last two words: "गा रहा था". The tail "रहा था" signals: past tense (था) + ongoing aspect (रहा) = action was in progress in the past but was not completed. This is the definition of अपूर्ण भूत (Imperfect Past). Eliminate: सामान्य भूत (would be "गाया"), पूर्ण भूत ("गा चुका था"), अकस्मात भूत (sudden unexpected past action). Answer: A.
Confusing रहा/रही/रहे as independent verbs. These are part of the सहायक क्रिया structure, not standalone verbs. "वह जा रहा है" — "रहा है" is सहायक, "जा" is मुख्य. Don't mark "रहा" as the main verb.
Calling all linking sentences सहायक क्रिया. "थी" in "चूड़ी अच्छी थी" is not simply सहायक — it is a specific type (औचित्यबोधक). The exam exploits this confusion. Know that सहायक assists a main action verb; when the sentence only has a stative/linking function, the term may be more specific.
Marking द्विकर्मक verbs as अकर्मक. Some verbs take two objects (e.g., "मैंने उसे पुस्तक दी" — दो कर्म: उसे + पुस्तक). These are still सकर्मक. Don't be confused by the double object.
Forgetting that प्रेरणार्थक II ends in -वाना/-वाई, not just -आना/-आई. "खिलाना" is प्रेरणार्थक I (first level). "खिलवाना" is प्रेरणार्थक II (second level, more distanced causation). The exam distinguishes these.
Treating पूर्वकालिक as संयुक्त क्रिया. पूर्वकालिक requires the first verb to end in -कर or -के ("खाकर", "नहाकर"). संयुक्त requires two verbs fused in meaning without -कर. Don't merge these categories.
Misidentifying काल when "था" appears. "था" alone does not tell you which past tense. You must look at the full verb phrase: "था" alone → सामान्य भूत; "रहा था" → अपूर्ण भूत; "चुका था" → पूर्ण भूत; "होता था" → सामान्यतः भूत (habitual). Anchor to the full form, not just था.