सो (so)
verb/conjunction
Mainly the stem/imperative-adjacent form connected to सोना (sonaa, 'to sleep') seen in commands and set phrases; also a literary/archaic conjunction meaning 'so, therefore' still met in proverbs and old-style narration.
Sense
1
:
sleep (imperative/stem use)
verb, intransitive This bare form appears as an intimate/familiar imperative ('sleep!') and as the verb stem before endings like -ता, -ए, -एगा in the conjugation of सोना (sonaa); it is not a separate lemma in meaning, just the stem surfacing on its own in casual commands.
Synonyms: सोना (sonaa), निद्रा लेना (nidraa lenaa, literary)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: A mother telling a child सो जा (so jaa, 'go to sleep') is one of the most common bedtime lines in Hindi households; the plain सो (so) by itself feels a touch abrupt, so it is almost always softened with जाओ (jaao) or an endearment.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes treat सो (so) as a standalone polite request, but bare stem-imperatives like this are used only with people you are close to (children, siblings) -- सोइए (soie) or सो जाओ (so jaao) are the everyday polite/neutral options.
Sample Sentences:
सो जा, बेटा, बहुत रात हो गई है।
Go to sleep, son, it's very late already.
(so jaa, betaa, bahut raat ho gaii hai।)
चल, अब सो जाओ, सुबह स्कूल जाना है।
Come on, go to sleep now, you have school in the morning.
(chal, ab so jaao, subah skool jaanaa hai।)
सो!
Sleep!
(so!)
कृपया थोड़ी देर सो जाइए, आपको आराम की ज़रूरत है।
Please get some sleep for a while, you need rest.
(kripyaa thodii der so jaaie, aapko aaraam kii zaroorat hai।)
मुझे लगता है तुम्हें अभी सो जाना चाहिए।
I think you should go to sleep right now.
(mujhe lagtaa hai tumhen abhii so jaanaa chaahie।)
अगर तू अभी सो जाए तो सुबह उठने में आसानी होगी।
If you go to sleep now, it will be easier to wake up in the morning.
(agar too abhii so jaae to subah uthne men aasaanii hogii।)
बच्चों, सो जाओ वरना कल थकान रहेगी।
Kids, go to sleep or else you'll be tired tomorrow.
(bachchon, so jaao varnaa kal thakaan rahegii।)
सोना है तो सो जा, यहाँ बैठे-बैठे मत सोच।
If you want to sleep, go to sleep, don't just sit here brooding.
(sonaa hai to so jaa, yahaan baithe-baithe mat soch।)
अरे सो भी जाओ, इतनी रात तक जागना ठीक नहीं है।
Oh, just go to sleep already, it's not good to stay up this late.
(are so bhii jaao, itnii raat tak jaagnaa thiik nahiin hai।)
Sense
2
:
so, therefore, hence
conjunction Functions as a discourse connector at the start of a clause, linking a preceding reason or situation to its consequence, in the style of older narrative or proverbial Hindi.
Synonyms: इसलिए (islie), तो (to), अतः (atah, literary)
Frequency: literary
Cultural Note: This सो (so) turns up in proverbs and older written Hindi -- for instance in lines following the pattern 'X हुआ, सो Y हुआ' (X huaa, so Y huaa, 'X happened, so Y happened') -- but in everyday spoken Delhi Hindi it has been almost entirely replaced by इसलिए (islie) or तो (to).
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners meeting सो (so) in an old story or proverb sometimes read it as the verb stem for 'sleep' out of habit; here it is unrelated in meaning and works exactly like इसलिए (islie) or तो (to).
Sample Sentences:
वह बहुत थका था, सो वह जल्दी सो गया।
He was very tired, so he fell asleep early.
(vah bahut thakaa thaa, so vah jaldii so gayaa।)
समय बदल गया, सो रीति-रिवाज़ भी बदल गए।
Times changed, so the customs changed too.
(samay badal gayaa, so riiti-rivaaz bhii badal gae।)
राजा क्रोधित हुआ, सो प्रजा भयभीत हुई।
The king became angry, so the subjects grew afraid.
(raajaa krodhit huaa, so prajaa bhaybhiit huii।)
वर्षा नहीं हुई, सो खेत सूखे रह गए।
There was no rain, so the fields remained parched.
(varshaa nahiin huii, so khet sookhe rah gae।)
जो मन में था, सो कह दिया।
What was in my heart, that I said.
(jo man men thaa, so kah diyaa।)
धन नाशवान है, सो उसका मोह व्यर्थ है।
Wealth is perishable, so attachment to it is futile.
(dhan naashvaan hai, so uskaa moh vyarth hai।)
जैसा बीज बोया जाता है, सो वैसा ही फल पाया जाता है।
As the seed is sown, so is the fruit received.
(jaisaa biij boyaa jaataa hai, so vaisaa hii phal paayaa jaataa hai।)
यदि सत्य बोला जाए, सो सुनने वाले को भी सत्य सहना पड़े।
If the truth is spoken, then the listener too must bear that truth.
(yadi saty bolaa jaae, so sunne vaale ko bhii saty sahnaa pade।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
सो
(so)
infinitive oblique:
सने
(sane)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
सता
(sataa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
सते
(sate)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
सती
(satii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
सतीं
(satiin)
continuous (sg.m):
स रहा
(s rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
स रहे
(s rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
स रही
(s rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
स रहीं
(s rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
सा
(saa)
perfective (pl.m):
से
(se)
perfective (sg.f):
सी
(sii)
perfective (pl.f):
सीं
(siin)
imperative (informal):
स
(s)
imperative (neutral):
सो
(so)
imperative (formal):
सिए
(sie)
future (1sg.m):
सूँगा
(soongaa)
future (1sg.f):
सूँगी
(soongii)
future (1pl.m):
सेंगे
(senge)
future (1pl.f):
सेंगी
(sengii)
future (2sg.m):
सेगा
(segaa)
future (2sg.f):
सेगी
(segii)
future (2pl.m):
सोगे
(soge)
future (2pl.f):
सोगी
(sogii)
future (3sg.m):
सेगा
(segaa)
future (3sg.f):
सेगी
(segii)
future (3pl.m):
सेंगे
(senge)
future (3pl.f):
सेंगी
(sengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
सूँ
(soon)
subjunctive (1pl):
सें
(sen)
subjunctive (2sg):
से
(se)
subjunctive (2pl):
सो
(so)
subjunctive (3sg):
से
(se)
subjunctive (3pl):
सें
(sen)