कल (kal)

adverb/noun One of Hindi's most useful time words: it means both 'yesterday' and 'tomorrow' (context tells you which), and separately, as a noun, it means 'peace/comfort/ease' (mostly seen in the idiom कल न पड़ना (kal n padnaa)).

Sense 1 : tomorrow

adverb

Frequency: high

Cultural Note: This dual meaning trips up almost every beginner at least once -- कल (kal) really can mean 'yesterday' or 'tomorrow' in the very same sentence shape, and Hindi speakers simply lean on the verb's tense to tell them which. If you want zero ambiguity, pair it with आने वाला (aane vaalaa, 'coming') or बीता हुआ (biitaa huaa, 'past') in careful speech, though in casual conversation people rarely bother.

Common Mistakes: 1) कल (kal) alone is ambiguous between 'yesterday' and 'tomorrow' -- native speakers rely entirely on the verb tense in the sentence to disambiguate, so listen for the tense, not the word. 2) Learners sometimes add a redundant time postposition; कल (kal) functions adverbially on its own and normally takes no postposition, e.g. कल आऊँगा (kal aaoongaa, 'I will come tomorrow'), not कल में (kal men).

Sample Sentences:

कल मेरी परीक्षा है। Tomorrow is my exam.

(kal merii pariikshaa hai।)

कल मैं दिल्ली जाऊँगा। Tomorrow I will go to Delhi.

(kal main dillii jaaoongaa।)

क्या तुम कल पार्टी में आओगी? Will you come to the party tomorrow?

(kyaa tum kal paartii men aaogii?)

कल तक यह काम पूरा हो जाना चाहिए। This work should be finished by tomorrow.

(kal tak yah kaam pooraa ho jaanaa chaahie।)

कल छुट्टी है, इसलिए स्कूल बंद रहेगा। Tomorrow is a holiday, so the school will remain closed.

(kal chhuttii hai, islie skool band rahegaa।)

कल का अखबार अभी नहीं आया है। Tomorrow's newspaper hasn't arrived yet.

(kal kaa akhbaar abhii nahiin aayaa hai।)

काश, कल की मीटिंग रद्द हो जाती। I wish tomorrow's meeting would get cancelled.

(kaash, kal kii miiting radd ho jaatii।)

कल आने वाले मेहमानों के लिए कमरा तैयार कर लो। Get the room ready for the guests coming tomorrow.

(kal aane vaale mehmaanon ke lie kamraa taiyaar kar lo।)

अगर कल बारिश हुई, तो हम पिकनिक नहीं जा पाएँगे। If it rains tomorrow, we won't be able to go on the picnic.

(agar kal baarish huii, to ham piknik nahiin jaa paaenge।)

कल की योजना पर कल ही चर्चा की जाएगी। Tomorrow's plan will be discussed only tomorrow.

(kal kii yojnaa par kal hii charchaa kii jaaegii।)

कल कौन जानता है क्या होगा। Who knows what tomorrow will bring.

(kal kaun jaantaa hai kyaa hogaa।)

Sense 2 : yesterday

adverb

Frequency: high

Cultural Note: Paired with the tomorrow-sense above; see that note for how Hindi speakers resolve the ambiguity through verb tense rather than through the word itself.

Sample Sentences:

कल मैं बाज़ार गया था। Yesterday I went to the market.

(kal main baazaar gayaa thaa।)

कल रात बहुत तेज़ बारिश हो रही थी। Last night it was raining very heavily.

(kal raat bahut tez baarish ho rahii thii।)

क्या तुम कल स्कूल गई थी? Did you go to school yesterday?

(kyaa tum kal skool gaii thii?)

कल का अख़बार अभी तक नहीं आया है। Yesterday's newspaper still hasn't arrived.

(kal kaa akhbaar abhii tak nahiin aayaa hai।)

अगर तुमने मुझे कल बता दिया होता, तो मैं तैयार रहता। If you had told me yesterday, I would have been ready.

(agar tumne mujhe kal bataa diyaa hotaa, to main taiyaar rahtaa।)

कल शाम को हमारी मुलाक़ात हुई थी। We met yesterday evening.

(kal shaam ko hamaarii mulaaqaat huii thii।)

कल जो हुआ, उसके लिए मुझे माफ़ कर दो। Forgive me for what happened yesterday.

(kal jo huaa, uske lie mujhe maaf kar do।)

कल यहाँ बहुत बड़ी सभा हुई थी। A very large gathering was held here yesterday.

(kal yahaan bahut badii sabhaa huii thii।)

कल तक मुझे इस बात का कुछ पता नहीं था। Until yesterday I knew nothing about this.

(kal tak mujhe is baat kaa kuchh pataa nahiin thaa।)

काश कल मैं वहाँ होता। If only I had been there yesterday.

(kaash kal main vahaan hotaa।)

कल की बात याद करके अभी भी हँसी आती है। Remembering yesterday's incident still makes me laugh.

(kal kii baat yaad karke abhii bhii hansii aatii hai।)

Sense 3 : peace, ease, comfort

noun, feminine Almost always seen in negative constructions, especially कल न पड़ना (kal n padnaa, 'to have no peace/rest') and चैन से कल न आना (chain se kal n aanaa).

Synonyms: आराम (aaraam), चैन (chain)

Frequency: low

Cultural Note: You'll mostly meet this कल (kal) in the idiom कल न पड़ना (kal n padnaa) -- something like 'I can't rest easy until...' -- which a worried mother might say about a child who hasn't called home, or a shopkeeper about an unpaid debt.

Common Mistakes: 1) This कल (kal) is a completely different word from the time-adverb sense, even though it looks identical -- it means 'peace' or 'rest,' not 'yesterday/tomorrow,' and only really surfaces in a small set of fixed phrases like मुझे कल नहीं पड़ती (mujhe kal nahiin padtii, 'I get no peace').

Sample Sentences:

जब तक बेटे का फ़ोन नहीं आता, माँ को कल नहीं पड़ता। Until her son's call comes, the mother cannot rest easy.

(jab tak bete kaa fon nahiin aataa, maan ko kal nahiin padtaa।)

जब तक पैसा वापस नहीं मिलता, दुकानदार को कल नहीं पड़ेगा। Until he gets his money back, the shopkeeper won't have any peace.

(jab tak paisaa vaapas nahiin miltaa, dukaandaar ko kal nahiin padegaa।)

बेटी की शादी होने तक बाबूजी को कल नहीं पड़ा। Until his daughter's wedding was done, father could not rest easy.

(betii kii shaadii hone tak baaboojii ko kal nahiin padaa।)

काश उसे थोड़ा कल मिलता, इतने बरसों की भागदौड़ के बाद। If only she got a little peace, after all these years of running around.

(kaash use thodaa kal miltaa, itne barson kii bhaagdaud ke baad।)

जब तक सच्चाई सामने नहीं आती, इस घर में किसी को कल नहीं पड़ेगा। Until the truth comes out, no one in this house will know any peace.

(jab tak sachchaaii saamne nahiin aatii, is ghar men kisii ko kal nahiin padegaa।)

उसे तब तक कल न पड़े, जब तक वह अपना कर्ज़ न चुका दे। May he not know any peace until he pays off his debt.

(use tab tak kal n pade, jab tak vah apnaa karz n chukaa de।)

मुनीम जी को तब तक कल नहीं पड़ता जब तक बही का हिसाब पूरा न हो जाए। The accountant cannot rest easy until the ledger's accounts are complete.

(muniim jii ko tab tak kal nahiin padtaa jab tak bahii kaa hisaab pooraa n ho jaae।)

हे प्रभु, इस भटकती आत्मा को कल दो। O Lord, grant peace to this wandering soul.

(he prabhu, is bhataktii aatmaa ko kal do।)

Morphology

Noun

(sg.f.direct): कल (kal)

(sg.f.oblique): कल (kal)

(pl.f.direct): कलें (kalen)

(pl.f.oblique): कलों (kalon)