ख़ूब (khoob)

adverb/adjective A versatile intensifier word covering 'a lot/thoroughly' (adverb of degree) and 'excellent/great' (adjective of praise); also survives as a stand-alone exclamation of approval or sarcasm.

Sense 1 : to a great extent, thoroughly, a lot

adverb

Synonyms: बहुत (bahut), अच्छी तरह (achchhii tarah), भरपूर (bharpoor)

Frequency: high

Cultural Note: You'll hear this constantly after a good meal or a good laugh: ख़ूब मज़ा आया (khoob mazaa aayaa, 'had a great time') or ख़ूब हँसे (khoob hanse, 'laughed a lot'). It carries a warmer, more satisfied tone than बहुत (bahut), almost like the English 'thoroughly enjoyed.'

Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for बहुत (bahut) by default; ख़ूब (khoob) is a very natural substitute before verbs when praising the manner or extent of an action, e.g. ख़ूब खाया (khoob khaayaa, 'ate really well/a lot') -- it leans slightly more appreciative than plain बहुत (bahut). 2) It modifies verbs and adjectives, not nouns directly the way बहुत (bahut) can (बहुत पैसा (bahut paisaa) works, ख़ूब पैसा (khoob paisaa) sounds odd).

Sample Sentences:

कल हम ख़ूब हँसे। We laughed a lot yesterday.

(kal ham khoob hanse।)

पार्टी में ख़ूब मज़ा आया। We had a great time at the party.

(paartii men khoob mazaa aayaa।)

वह रोज़ ख़ूब मेहनत करता है। He works really hard every day.

(vah roz khoob mehnat kartaa hai।)

आज तो ख़ूब बारिश हो रही है। It's really pouring today.

(aaj to khoob baarish ho rahii hai।)

कल हम ख़ूब घूमेंगे। Tomorrow we'll roam around a lot.

(kal ham khoob ghoomenge।)

पहले खाना ख़ूब खा लो, फिर निकलेंगे। Eat properly first, then we'll head out.

(pahle khaanaa khoob khaa lo, phir niklenge।)

अगर वक़्त मिलता तो हम ख़ूब घूमते। If we had gotten the time, we would have traveled a lot.

(agar vaqt miltaa to ham khoob ghoomte।)

उम्मीद है इस बार त्यौहार ख़ूब धूमधाम से मनाया जाए। Hopefully the festival is celebrated with great fanfare this time.

(ummiid hai is baar tyauhaar khoob dhoomdhaam se manaayaa jaae।)

उस मीटिंग में उसकी ख़ूब बेइज़्ज़ती हुई। He was thoroughly humiliated in that meeting.

(us miiting men uskii khoob beizztii huii।)

दोनों भाई ख़ूब झगड़ रहे थे जब मैं पहुँचा। The two brothers were fighting furiously when I arrived.

(donon bhaaii khoob jhagad rahe the jab main pahunchaa।)

बच्चों ने आज ख़ूब उछल-कूद की। The kids romped around a lot today.

(bachchon ne aaj khoob uchhal-kood kii।)

Sense 2 : excellent, fine, good (often used approvingly or sarcastically)

adjective

Synonyms: बढ़िया (badhiyaa), उम्दा (umdaa, somewhat formal), शानदार (shaandaar)

Frequency: medium

Cultural Note: Say ख़ूब! (khoob) with a flat or annoyed tone and you're saying the opposite of what it means -- like when someone breaks a plate and a parent says ख़ूब! (khoob, 'terrific, just terrific') dripping with sarcasm. This double life (sincere praise vs. sarcasm) is very common in everyday Delhi speech.

Common Mistakes: 1) As a standalone exclamation, ख़ूब! (khoob) can mean genuine praise ('well done!') or biting sarcasm ('oh, great job' -- meaning the opposite), and tone/context is the only way to tell -- learners often miss the sarcastic use entirely.

Sample Sentences:

वाह, ख़ूब! तुमने तो कमाल कर दिया। Wow, excellent! You've really pulled off something amazing.

(vaah, khoob! tumne to kamaal kar diyaa।)

ख़ूब! अब गिलास भी तोड़ दिया। Terrific! Now you've broken the glass too.

(khoob! ab gilaas bhii tod diyaa।)

यह विचार तो ख़ूब है, इस पर काम करना चाहिए। This idea is excellent; we should work on it.

(yah vichaar to khoob hai, is par kaam karnaa chaahie।)

उसका गाना सुनकर सब बोले, "ख़ूब, बहुत ख़ूब!" Hearing her song, everyone said, "Excellent, just excellent!"

(uskaa gaanaa sunkar sab bole, "khoob, bahut khoob!")

अगर यह योजना सफल होती, तो यह ख़ूब होता। If this plan had succeeded, that would have been excellent.

(agar yah yojnaa saphal hotii, to yah khoob hotaa।)

क्या ख़ूब शेर कहा है शायर ने! What a fine couplet the poet has composed!

(kyaa khoob sher kahaa hai shaayar ne!)

ख़ूब! तुम फिर देर से आए। Great, just great! You're late again.

(khoob! tum phir der se aae।)

उम्मीद है कि आपका यह नया उपन्यास भी ख़ूब हो। I hope your new novel turns out excellent too.

(ummiid hai ki aapkaa yah nayaa upanyaas bhii khoob ho।)

प्रस्तुति ख़ूब रही, दर्शकों ने खड़े होकर तालियाँ बजाईं। The performance was excellent; the audience gave a standing ovation.

(prastuti khoob rahii, darshkon ne khade hokar taaliyaan bajaaiin।)

इस बार का खाना सचमुच ख़ूब बना है, माँ। The food this time has really turned out excellent, Mom.

(is baar kaa khaanaa sachmuch khoob banaa hai, maan।)

Morphology

Adjective (invariant)

invariant: ख़ूब (khoob)