"The birds are in the grass."

Translation: पक्षी घास में हैं ।

[mmarnee]

Can this be ordered घास में पक्षी हैं ?

[Zesul]

घास में पक्षी हैं would be "There are birds in the grass".

[Salp_]

I think it can.

Fridge mein doodh hai

Doodh fridge mein hai

Kitab bistar par hai

Bistar par kitab hai

I feel like it sounds natural either way around and both ought to be accepted

[Zesul]

Yes, they sound natural and are correct, but the paired sentences don't mean the same. You wouldn't usually say "Bistar par kitab hai" if you're asked "Kitab kahan hai?", right?

The sentences "The birds are in the grass." and "पक्षी घास में हैं।" refer to certain, already-known birds and give new information about where they are (i.e. "in the grass"), whereas in the sentences "There are birds in the grass". and घास में पक्षी हैं।", the location (grass) is known beforehand and the new information is about what is there in the grass (birds).

[Salp_]

Ah thanks okay

So just for clarity, is it like saying

The book is on the bed (kitab bistar par hai)

And

Bistar par kitab hai (there is a book on the bed)

I might be reading too much into it but does it mean in the first sentence the kitab is definite (definite article "the") and in the second the kitab is indefinite? (Indefinite article "a")

And in both sentences bistar has been definite, so would it be possible to make a sentence where the bistar is indefinite. "A book is on a bed" / "the boom is on a bed"?

[Zesul]

Yes to your first question.

Oh yes, those sentences are definitely possible. They don't mean the same as the aforementioned sentences though.

[SabbarishG]

Shouldn't it be "पक्षियों घास में हैं "? As the plural form of पक्षि is पक्षियों?

[Gita-ji]

Trick question, for पक्षी is masculine. And as the last letter is not ा, the plural stays the same.
(Even if it was feminine, e.g. बिल्ली (cat), the plural would be बिल्लियाँ, not बिल्लियों, for the latter is oblique case, and the postposition में which causes oblique case only refers to the grass, घास, and not to the subject of this sentence.)

[DavidSHoel]

The word bank on the screen is missing the word for bird and I can't move on. This problem is not listed oil the "report" section