में

See also: स, भ, म, and मैं

Hindi

Etymology

Inherited from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀫𑀚𑁆𑀛𑁂 (majjhe), from Sanskrit मध्ये (mádhye), locative of मध्य (mádhya, “middle”), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *mádʰyas, from Proto-Indo-European *médʰyos.

Some scholars have argued that the term is better derived from Sanskrit मध्यम् (madhyam, accusative). However, Reinöhl argues that semantically the locative is a better semantic match and is also more frequent in all historical stages of Indo-Aryan. The spontaneous nasalization can be explained as a common phenomenon in New Indo-Aryan; compare Hindi साँप (sā̃p, “snake”) from Sanskrit सर्प (sarpa).^[1]

Pronunciation

(Delhi) IPA^(key): /mẽː/
Audio: (file)

Postposition

में • (mẽ) (Urdu spelling میں)

in, inside of
Synonym: के अंदर (ke andar)

घर में ― ghar mẽ ― inside the house

कमरे में ― kamre mẽ ― in the room
within
Synonym: के अंदर (ke andar)

मेरे सिर में दर्द हो रहा है।
mere sir mẽ dard ho rahā hai.
My head is hurting.
(literally, “There is pain within my head.”)
into
वह पानी में गिर पड़ा। ― vah pānī mẽ gir paṛā. ― He fell into the water.

गिलास में ― gilās mẽ ― into the glass
during
Synonym: के दौरान (ke daurān)

छूट्टियों में मैं लंदन जा रहा हूँ।
chūṭṭiyõ mẽ ma͠i landan jā rahā hū̃.
I'm going to London during the holidays.

रात में ― rāt mẽ ― in the night

वर्ष १९९४ में ― varṣ 1994 mẽ ― during the year 1994
for the price of
सौ रुपये में ― sau rupye mẽ ― for the price of 100 rupees
between, among
सारे लोग में केक बाँट दिया।
sāre log mẽ kek bā̃ṭ diyā.
The cake was divided among all the people.

इन तीन क़मीज़ोंमें कौनसी अच्छी है?
in tīn qamīzõmẽ kaunsī acchī hai?
Between these three shirts which one is best?

Derived terms

में से (mẽ se, “through; out of”, literally “from inside of”)

References

^ Reinöhl, Uta (2016) Grammaticalization and the Rise of Configurationality in Indo-Aryan, Oxford: Oxford University Press, →ISBN