ہَے (hai)
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ہے• (he) (Gurmukhi spellingਹੇ)
There are similar words in Old Hindi to mean "is",आहि(āhi),है(hai)—the source of this word—, andहोइ(hoi)—the source of the modern subjunctiveہو(ho), among others.होइ(hoi) is clearly fromSauraseni Prakrit𑀪𑁄𑀤𑀺(bhodi). The first two are possibly fromApabhramsa*अहहि(ahahi) or*अहै(*ahai), a thematic variant of thePrakrit root𑀅𑀲𑁆(as),[1] fromअस्(as), fromProto-Indo-European*h₁es-, making it a cognate toEnglishis andSpanishes. Though thes > h shift and the thematisation ofOld Indo-Aryan roots was common inMiddle Indo-Aryan, neither are noted by Prakrit grammarians forअस्(as), making this derivation dubious. They may otherwise be connected withSauraseni Prakrit𑀪𑁄𑀤𑀺(bhodi) andSanskritभवति(bhavati), or at least influenced by this root.
Cognate withMagahi𑂯𑂶(hai),Marathiआहे(āhe),Bengaliআছে(ache),Maithiliअछि(achi),Gujaratiછે(che).
Inherited fromPrakrit𑀳𑁂(he), fromSanskritहे(he).