Upsarg / Pratyay (उपसर्ग व प्रत्यय) — Study Notes

Overview

Upsarg (उपसर्ग, prefixes) and Pratyay (प्रत्यय, suffixes) are fundamental building blocks of Hindi word formation. These elements attach to root words (मूल शब्द) to create new words with modified or entirely new meanings. In SSC GD, you will encounter direct questions asking you to identify the prefix or suffix in a given word, or to form new words by adding these elements. This topic typically carries 2–3 questions and tests your understanding of how Hindi vocabulary is constructed.

Mastering Upsarg and Pratyay helps you decode unfamiliar words during the exam, expand your vocabulary efficiently, and score easy marks. The key is recognising common prefixes and suffixes and understanding how they change the meaning of root words. Most questions are straightforward identification tasks, but you must know the standard forms and their typical meanings.

Understanding word formation also indirectly helps in comprehension passages, idioms, and grammar questions by giving you a structural sense of Hindi vocabulary.

Key Concepts

• **Upsarg (उपसर्ग)** are syllables or word elements added **before** a root word (धातु/मूल शब्द) to modify or completely change its meaning. Example: अ + सत्य = असत्य (untrue).

• **Pratyay (प्रत्यय)** are syllables added **after** a root word to form derivatives, often changing the word class (noun to adjective, verb to noun, etc.). Example: सुन + आई = सुनाई (hearing).

• Pratyay are divided into two main types: **Krit Pratyay (कृत् प्रत्यय)** attached to verb roots (धातु) and **Taddhit Pratyay (तद्धित प्रत्यय)** attached to nouns, adjectives or other non-verb bases.

• Upsarg generally retain consistent meaning across different root words. For instance, 'अ' or 'अन्' typically means negation or absence, similar to 'un-' or 'non-' in English.

• Adding Upsarg or Pratyay may sometimes cause slight spelling changes (sandhi) in the root word, but the core remains recognisable.

• Not every syllable at the start or end of a word is a prefix or suffix. Only those that carry consistent, independent meaning and can be detached to leave a meaningful root qualify.

• Common Upsarg include: अ/अन्, अति, अनु, अप, अभि, उप, दुर्/दुस्, नि, परा, प्र, प्रति, वि, सु, सम्. Common Pratyay include: आई, ता, त्व, पन, वाला, ईय, इक, आवा, औती.

• Exam questions typically provide a word and ask which Upsarg or Pratyay is present, or ask you to form a word using a given prefix/suffix.

Formulas / Key Facts

**Common Upsarg and their meanings:**