से (se)
postposition
A core postposition with a wide spread of meanings all built around the idea of a source or point of reference: 'from' (place/time/source), 'with/by means of' (instrument), 'than' (comparison), and 'with' (manner/accompaniment/emotion).
Sense
1
:
from (place, time, or source)
postposition Marks the point of origin: दिल्ली से (dillii se, 'from Delhi'), सुबह से (subah se, 'since morning').
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Note the neat overlap with English 'from' for both place and time, which makes this sense the easiest of से (se)'s jobs for a learner to grasp first.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often use से (se) for 'since [a point in time]' but then wrongly keep using perfective tense throughout, when Hindi actually needs the continuous/habitual structure to show an ongoing state ('मैं सुबह से यहाँ हूँ' (main subah se yahaan hoon, 'I have been here since morning'), not a simple past sentence. 2) Confusing से (se) 'from' with का (kaa) when expressing origin of a noun phrase, e.g. 'दिल्ली से आदमी' vs 'दिल्ली का आदमी' -- both are correct but mean subtly different things ('a man from Delhi, just arrived' vs 'a man belonging to/native of Delhi').
Sample Sentences:
मैं दिल्ली से हूँ।
I am from Delhi.
(main dillii se hoon।)
वह सुबह से यहाँ बैठा है।
He has been sitting here since morning.
(vah subah se yahaan baithaa hai।)
दुकान सोमवार से बंद रहेगी।
The shop will remain closed from Monday.
(dukaan somvaar se band rahegii।)
हम स्टेशन से सीधे घर आए।
We came straight home from the station.
(ham steshan se siidhe ghar aae।)
यह खबर कहाँ से आई?
Where did this news come from?
(yah khabar kahaan se aaii?)
बचपन से ही उसे किताबों का शौक था।
He had a love for books ever since childhood.
(bachpan se hii use kitaabon kaa shauk thaa।)
कृपया यहाँ से बाहर न जाइए।
Please do not go out from here.
(kripyaa yahaan se baahar n jaaie।)
अगर वह गाँव से न आया होता, तो हमें पता ही न चलता।
If he had not come from the village, we would never have found out.
(agar vah gaanv se n aayaa hotaa, to hamen pataa hii n chaltaa।)
यह पत्र किसी अनजान शहर से भेजा गया था।
This letter was sent from some unknown city.
(yah patr kisii anjaan shahar se bhejaa gayaa thaa।)
स्कूल सुबह आठ बजे से शुरू होता है।
School starts from eight o'clock in the morning.
(skool subah aath baje se shuroo hotaa hai।)
शायद वह जयपुर से आया हो।
Perhaps he has come from Jaipur.
(shaayad vah jaypur se aayaa ho।)
Sense
2
:
by means of, with (instrument)
postposition Marks the tool or means: चाकू से काटना (chaakoo se kaatnaa, 'to cut with a knife'), बस से जाना (bas se jaanaa, 'to go by bus').
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the sense you use dozens of times a day without noticing -- हाथ से खाना (haath se khaanaa, 'to eat with your hand') is a perfect everyday example of Hindi treating body parts as 'instruments' too.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes reach for के द्वारा (ke dvaaraa) for 'by means of' out of formal-writing habit, when spoken Hindi almost always just uses से (se) for instruments and modes of transport.
Sample Sentences:
वह हाथ से खाना खाता है।
He eats food with his hand.
(vah haath se khaanaa khaataa hai।)
कृपया चाबी से दरवाजा खोलिए।
Please open the door with the key.
(kripyaa chaabii se darvaajaa kholie।)
उसने चम्मच से दाल खाई।
She ate the lentils with a spoon.
(usne chammach se daal khaaii।)
यह चिट्ठी हाथ से लिखी गई है।
This letter was written by hand.
(yah chitthii haath se likhii gaii hai।)
अगर तुम्हारे पास पेन होता, तो तुम पेन से लिख पाते।
If you had a pen, you would have been able to write with it.
(agar tumhaare paas pen hotaa, to tum pen se likh paate।)
वह हर सुबह साइकिल से दफ्तर जाएगा।
He will go to the office by bicycle every morning.
(vah har subah saaikil se daphtar jaaegaa।)
बच्चे उंगलियों से गिनती सीख रहे हैं।
The children are learning to count with their fingers.
(bachche ungliyon se gintii siikh rahe hain।)
शायद यह काम हथौड़े से हो जाए।
Maybe this job can be done with a hammer.
(shaayad yah kaam hathaude se ho jaae।)
कृपया इस मुद्दे को शांति से सुलझाया जाए।
Please let this matter be resolved through peaceful means.
(kripyaa is mudde ko shaanti se suljhaayaa jaae।)
मूर्ति को संगमरमर से तराशा गया था।
The statue was carved with marble.
(moorti ko sangmarmar se taraashaa gayaa thaa।)
वह कुल्हाड़ी से लकड़ी काट रहा था।
He was cutting the wood with an axe.
(vah kulhaadii se lakdii kaat rahaa thaa।)
Sense
3
:
than (comparison)
postposition Attaches to the standard of comparison: वह मुझसे बड़ा है (vah mujhse badaa hai, 'he is bigger than me').
Synonyms: की तुलना में (kii tulnaa men, more formal/explicit)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This comparative use of से (se) is baked into daily speech -- 'ज़्यादा से ज़्यादा' (zyaadaa se zyaadaa, 'at most/maximum') and 'कम से कम' (kam se kam, 'at least') are two extremely common fixed phrases built on this very sense.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often try to build comparisons the English way with a separate word for 'than', forgetting से (se) itself carries that meaning -- there is no extra word needed. 2) मुझसे (mujhse) is the contracted oblique form of मैं (main) + से (se); learners sometimes mistakenly write मैं से (main se) as two separate words.
Sample Sentences:
यह किताब उस किताब से अच्छी है।
This book is better than that book.
(yah kitaab us kitaab se achchhii hai।)
राहुल अपने भाई से लंबा है।
Rahul is taller than his brother.
(raahul apne bhaaii se lambaa hai।)
मुझे कम से कम दो हज़ार रुपये चाहिए।
I need at least two thousand rupees.
(mujhe kam se kam do hazaar rupye chaahie।)
ज़्यादा से ज़्यादा हमें दो घंटे लगेंगे।
At most it will take us two hours.
(zyaadaa se zyaadaa hamen do ghante lagenge।)
पिछले साल की तुलना में इस साल बारिश ज़्यादा हुई, यानी इस साल पिछले साल से ज़्यादा बारिश हुई।
There was more rain this year compared to last year, that is, this year it rained more than last year.
(pichhle saal kii tulnaa men is saal baarish zyaadaa huii, yaanii is saal pichhle saal se zyaadaa baarish huii।)
काश मेरी तनख़्वाह उसकी तनख़्वाह से ज़्यादा होती।
I wish my salary were more than his salary.
(kaash merii tanakhvaah uskii tanakhvaah se zyaadaa hotii।)
क्या तुम्हारा घर मेरे घर से बड़ा नहीं है?
Isn't your house bigger than my house?
(kyaa tumhaaraa ghar mere ghar se badaa nahiin hai?)
उसे लगता है कि वह सबसे ज़्यादा जानता है, हालाँकि उसका ज्ञान बाकी सबसे कम है।
He thinks he knows the most, even though his knowledge is less than everyone else's.
(use lagtaa hai ki vah sabse zyaadaa jaantaa hai, haalaanki uskaa gyaan baakii sabse kam hai।)
यह समस्या जितनी दिखती है, उससे कहीं ज़्यादा जटिल है।
This problem is far more complex than it appears.
(yah samasyaa jitnii dikhtii hai, usse kahiin zyaadaa jatil hai।)
कृपया कोशिश करें कि आपका जवाब उम्मीद से बेहतर हो।
Please try to make your answer better than expected.
(kripyaa koshish karen ki aapkaa javaab ummiid se behtar ho।)
इस बार का प्रदर्शन पिछली बार से बेहतर माना गया।
This time's performance was considered better than the previous one.
(is baar kaa pradarshan pichhlii baar se behtar maanaa gayaa।)
सच से बड़ा कोई धर्म नहीं है।
There is no religion greater than truth.
(sach se badaa koii dharm nahiin hai।)
Sense
4
:
with (manner, emotion, or accompanying state)
postposition Marks the manner or emotional state accompanying an action: प्यार से बोलना (pyaar se bolnaa, 'to speak with love/affectionately'), डर से काँपना (dar se kaampnaa, 'to tremble with/from fear').
Synonyms: के साथ (ke saath, used more for accompaniment by people; से (se) covers manner/emotion)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This sense quietly does double duty for both 'manner' and 'cause' -- ध्यान से सुनो (dhyaan se suno, 'listen carefully/with attention') and गुस्से से चिल्लाया (gusse se chillaayaa, 'shouted out of/with anger') both use the same से (se), which is a very Hindi way of treating an emotion as the 'means' behind an action.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often confuse this से (se) with के साथ (ke saath); से (se) is used for the manner or the cause of an emotional/physical state, while के साथ (ke saath) is for accompanying another person or thing -- 'दोस्त के साथ जाना' (dost ke saath jaanaa, 'to go with a friend') versus 'खुशी से रोना' (khushii se ronaa, 'to cry with/from happiness').
Sample Sentences:
कृपया ध्यान से सुनो।
Please listen carefully.
(kripyaa dhyaan se suno।)
वह गुस्से से चिल्लाया।
He shouted with anger.
(vah gusse se chillaayaa।)
वह हमेशा प्यार से बात करती है।
She always speaks with love.
(vah hameshaa pyaar se baat kartii hai।)
बच्चा डर से काँप रहा था।
The child was trembling with fear.
(bachchaa dar se kaamp rahaa thaa।)
अगर तुम शांति से बात करते तो झगड़ा नहीं होता।
If you had spoken calmly, there wouldn't have been a fight.
(agar tum shaanti se baat karte to jhagdaa nahiin hotaa।)
यह काम बड़ी सावधानी से करना पड़ेगा।
This work will have to be done with great care.
(yah kaam badii saavdhaanii se karnaa padegaa।)
मुझे उम्मीद है कि वह खुशी से यह खबर सुनेगी।
I hope she'll hear this news with happiness.
(mujhe ummiid hai ki vah khushii se yah khabar sunegii।)
यह पत्र बड़े आदर से लिखा गया था।
This letter was written with great respect.
(yah patr bade aadar se likhaa gayaa thaa।)
वह हैरानी से मेरी तरफ देख रही थी।
She was looking at me with surprise.
(vah hairaanii se merii taraph dekh rahii thii।)
कृपया इस विषय पर गंभीरता से विचार करें।
Please consider this matter seriously.
(kripyaa is vishay par gambhiirtaa se vichaar karen।)
वह बड़े प्यार से बच्चों को कहानी सुनाता था।
He used to tell the children stories with great affection.
(vah bade pyaar se bachchon ko kahaanii sunaataa thaa।)