लेकिन (lekin)
conjunction
A very common word for 'but' -- one straightforward sense, used constantly to contrast two ideas.
Sense
1
:
but, however
conjunction
Synonyms: मगर (magar), पर (par), किन्तु (kintu, literary), परन्तु (parantu, literary)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: लेकिन (lekin) is one of those words you'll hear in every single conversation, from a market haggle to a heartfelt apology -- 'मैं आना चाहता था, लेकिन...' (main aanaa chaahtaa thaa, lekin..., 'I wanted to come, but...') is basically the national excuse-starter. It sits comfortably in both casual chat and more careful speech, unlike its more literary cousins किन्तु (kintu) and परन्तु (parantu), which you'll mostly meet in writing or formal speeches.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often treat पर (par) and लेकिन (lekin) as interchangeable in every context, which is mostly true, but लेकिन (lekin) feels slightly more emphatic when the contrast is sharper or more surprising. 2) लेकिन (lekin) is placed at the start of the second clause, not mid-sentence like English 'however' sometimes is.
Sample Sentences:
मैं आना चाहता था, लेकिन बारिश बहुत तेज़ थी।
I wanted to come, but it was raining very hard.
(main aanaa chaahtaa thaa, lekin baarish bahut tez thii।)
खाना अच्छा है, लेकिन थोड़ा महंगा है।
The food is good, but it's a bit expensive.
(khaanaa achchhaa hai, lekin thodaa mahangaa hai।)
वह मेहनत तो करता है, लेकिन नतीजा नहीं मिलता।
He does work hard, but he doesn't get results.
(vah mehnat to kartaa hai, lekin natiijaa nahiin miltaa।)
कल मैं बहुत बीमार था, लेकिन फिर भी दफ़्तर गया।
I was very sick yesterday, but I still went to the office.
(kal main bahut biimaar thaa, lekin phir bhii daftar gayaa।)
कोशिश करो, लेकिन हार मत मानना।
Try, but don't give up.
(koshish karo, lekin haar mat maannaa।)
शायद वह आ जाए, लेकिन मुझे यक़ीन नहीं है।
Maybe he'll come, but I'm not sure.
(shaayad vah aa jaae, lekin mujhe yaqiin nahiin hai।)
अगर मेरे पास पैसे होते, लेकिन अफ़सोस मेरे पास नहीं थे।
If I had had the money, but alas, I didn't have any.
(agar mere paas paise hote, lekin afsos mere paas nahiin the।)
यह किताब मुझे दी गई थी, लेकिन मैंने अभी तक नहीं पढ़ी।
This book was given to me, but I haven't read it yet.
(yah kitaab mujhe dii gaii thii, lekin mainne abhii tak nahiin padhii।)
वह गा तो रही है, लेकिन उसका मन कहीं और है।
She's singing, but her mind is somewhere else.
(vah gaa to rahii hai, lekin uskaa man kahiin aur hai।)
हमने योजना बना ली है, लेकिन मंज़ूरी मिलनी अभी बाकी है।
We've made the plan, but approval is still pending.
(hamne yojnaa banaa lii hai, lekin manzoorii milnii abhii baakii hai।)