Prefixes and Suffixes (Upsarg and Pratyay)

Overview

Prefixes and suffixes form the backbone of word formation in both Hindi and English. In Hindi, these are known as **upsarg** (उपसर्ग) and **pratyay** (प्रत्यय) respectively. Understanding how new words are created by adding elements before or after root words is essential for vocabulary building, comprehension, and grammar questions in JTET Language I.

This topic appears consistently in JTET papers, typically carrying 2–4 marks. Questions may ask you to identify the prefix/suffix in a given word, form new words using specific upsarg/pratyay, or determine the meaning change caused by adding these elements. Mastery here directly improves your performance in vocabulary, word categories, and reading comprehension sections.

Students must learn the common prefixes and suffixes in both Hindi and English, recognize how they modify the meaning or grammatical function of words, and practice forming new words systematically.

Key Concepts

• **Upsarg (Prefix)** is a meaningful element added **before** the root word (mool shabd). It changes the meaning but typically retains the original grammatical category. Example: अ + न्याय = अन्याय (injustice).

• **Pratyay (Suffix)** is added **after** the root word. It can change both meaning and the grammatical category of the word. Example: मीठा + आस = मिठास (sweetness — adjective becomes noun).

• Hindi prefixes come from three sources: **Sanskrit** (अ, अन, प्र, वि, उप, परा, अप, सु, दुर्), **Hindi origin** (अ, अन, भर, चौ, उन), and **Urdu/Persian/Arabic** (ब, बद, ला, खुश, हम, दर, कम).

• English prefixes indicate negation (un-, in-, dis-, mis-), repetition (re-), degree (super-, sub-, over-), or relationship (pre-, post-, anti-).

• Hindi pratyay are classified as **Krit pratyay** (added to verb roots — आई, आवट, आन, आव) and **Taddhit pratyay** (added to nouns/adjectives — ता, त्व, पन, आई, ई).

• English suffixes change word class: noun-forming (-tion, -ness, -ment), adjective-forming (-ful, -less, -able), verb-forming (-ize, -ify), and adverb-forming (-ly).

• Multiple prefixes or suffixes can attach to a single root, creating layered meanings. Example: dis + agree + ment = disagreement.

• Learning root words with their common prefix/suffix families accelerates vocabulary acquisition more efficiently than memorizing isolated words.

Formulas / Key Facts

### Hindi Upsarg (Prefixes)

| Upsarg | Meaning | Example | |--------|---------|---------| | अ | absence/negation | अ + धर्म = अधर्म (unrighteous) | | अन | negation (before vowel) | अन + आदर = अनादर (disrespect) | | प्र | forward/excess | प्र + गति = प्रगति (progress) | | वि | special/opposite | वि + ज्ञान = विज्ञान (science) | | उप | near/secondary | उप + मंत्री = उपमंत्री (deputy minister) | | सु | good | सु + पुत्र = सुपुत्र (good son) | | दुर्/दुस् | bad/difficult | दुर् + गम = दुर्गम (inaccessible) | | बद (Urdu) | bad | बद + नाम = बदनाम (infamous) | | ला (Urdu) | without | ला + पता = लापता (missing) |

### Hindi Pratyay (Suffixes)

| Pratyay | Usage | Example | |---------|-------|---------| | आई | noun from verb | लड़ + आई = लड़ाई (fight) | | आवट | noun from verb | सज + आवट = सजावट (decoration) | | ता | noun from adjective | सुंदर + ता = सुंदरता (beauty) | | पन | noun from adjective | बचपन + पन = बचपन (childhood) | | ई | adjective/noun | गरीब + ई = गरीबी (poverty) | | इक | adjective from noun | धर्म + इक = धार्मिक (religious) |

### English Prefixes

| Prefix | Meaning | Example | |--------|---------|---------| | un- | not | unhappy, unable | | re- | again | rewrite, rebuild | | dis- | opposite | disagree, disappear | | pre- | before | preview, prepaid | | mis- | wrongly | misunderstand, misplace | | over- | excessive | overwork, overcook | | sub- | under | submarine, subway |

### English Suffixes

| Suffix | Function | Example | |--------|----------|---------| | -tion/-sion | verb → noun | educate → education | | -ness | adjective → noun | kind → kindness | | -ful | noun → adjective | care → careful | | -less | without | hope → hopeless | | -able/-ible | can be done | read → readable | | -ly | adjective → adverb | quick → quickly | | -ment | verb → noun | develop → development |

Worked Examples

### Example 1: Hindi — Identify Upsarg and Mool Shabd **Question:** Identify the upsarg in "अनुशासन" and give its meaning.

**Solution:**

• Word: अनुशासन
• Upsarg: अनु (meaning: following/after)
• Mool Shabd: शासन (rule/governance)
• Combined meaning: discipline (following rules)

### Example 2: Hindi — Form Words Using Pratyay **Question:** Add appropriate pratyay to "मीठा" to form a noun.

**Solution:**

• Root: मीठा (sweet — adjective)
• Pratyay: आस
• New word: मिठास (sweetness — noun)
• Note the vowel change: मीठा becomes मिठ- when pratyay is added.

### Example 3: English — Prefix Identification **Question:** What prefix can change "possible" to its opposite? Form similar words.

**Solution:**

• Prefix: im- (used before 'p', 'b', 'm')
• Word: impossible
• Similar formations:
• im + patient = impatient
• im + mature = immature
• im + balance = imbalance
• Rule: The prefix "in-" becomes "im-" before p, b, m for ease of pronunciation.

### Example 4: English — Suffix Application **Question:** Change the verb "develop" into a noun using an appropriate suffix.

**Solution:**

• Verb: develop
• Suffix: -ment (used with verbs to form abstract nouns)
• Noun: development
• Other examples: govern → government, agree → agreement

Common Mistakes

• **Confusing अ and अन in Hindi:** Students use "अ" before vowels incorrectly. The correct rule is: अ is used before consonants (अधर्म), अन is used before vowels (अनादर). Fix: Check the first letter of the root word.

• **Ignoring spelling changes with suffixes:** When adding pratyay in Hindi, the root often changes (मीठा → मिठास, गरम → गरमी). Fix: Learn common root transformations alongside the suffix.

• **Mixing up im-/in-/il-/ir- in English:** Students write "inpossible" instead of "impossible." Fix: Remember the rule — im- before p/b/m, il- before l, ir- before r, in- elsewhere.

• **Treating all word parts as prefixes/suffixes:** Not every letter group at the start or end is a prefix/suffix. "Uncle" does not have prefix "un-". Fix: The remaining part after removing prefix/suffix must be a valid root word.

• **Confusing krit and taddhit pratyay:** Krit pratyay attaches to verb roots (धातु), while taddhit attaches to nouns/adjectives. Fix: First identify whether the base is a verb or noun/adjective.

Quick Reference

• **Upsarg = before root; Pratyay = after root**
• Hindi upsarg sources: Sanskrit (अ, वि, प्र), Hindi (भर, चौ), Urdu (बद, ला, बे)
• Krit pratyay → from verbs; Taddhit pratyay → from nouns/adjectives
• English negation prefixes: un-, in- (im-/il-/ir-), dis-, mis-, non-
• Adding suffix often changes grammatical category (verb → noun, adjective → adverb)
• Always verify that the remaining root is a valid word after removing prefix/suffix