बस (bas)
noun/particle/interjection/verb
Covers two unrelated words that happen to share a spelling: बस (bas) the loanword for 'bus,' and बस (bas) the native particle/interjection meaning 'enough' or 'just, only,' plus its closely linked verb sense meaning 'to be within one's control.'
Sense
1
:
bus (vehicle)
noun, feminine
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is a straightforward English loanword, borrowed along with the vehicle itself; it behaves like any ordinary Hindi feminine noun. You will hear it everywhere: बस स्टॉप (bas stop, 'bus stop'), बस अड्डा (bas addaa, 'bus station').
Sample Sentences:
मैं रोज़ बस से दफ़्तर जाता हूँ।
I go to the office by bus every day.
(main roz bas se daftar jaataa hoon।)
बस अभी स्टॉप पर आ रही है।
The bus is arriving at the stop right now.
(bas abhii stop par aa rahii hai।)
हमने कल रात की बस पकड़ी थी।
We caught last night's bus.
(hamne kal raat kii bas pakdii thii।)
अगर तुम जल्दी निकलते तो बस मिल जाती।
If you had left early, you would have caught the bus.
(agar tum jaldii nikalte to bas mil jaatii।)
कृपया बस में चढ़ते समय धक्का न दें।
Please don't push while boarding the bus.
(kripyaa bas men chadhte samay dhakkaa n den।)
शायद यह बस दिल्ली तक जाए।
Maybe this bus goes all the way to Delhi.
(shaayad yah bas dillii tak jaae।)
बस स्टॉप पर बहुत भीड़ थी।
There was a huge crowd at the bus stop.
(bas stop par bahut bhiid thii।)
अगली बस दो घंटे बाद आएगी।
The next bus will come after two hours.
(aglii bas do ghante baad aaegii।)
बस को समय पर पहुँचाने की ज़िम्मेदारी ड्राइवर की होती है।
It's the driver's responsibility to get the bus there on time.
(bas ko samay par pahunchaane kii zimmedaarii draaivar kii hotii hai।)
टिकट काउंटर पर बस अड्डे जाने वाली सारी बसों की जानकारी मिल जाएगी।
You'll get information about all the buses going to the bus station at the ticket counter.
(tikat kaauntar par bas adde jaane vaalii saarii bason kii jaankaarii mil jaaegii।)
बस इतनी तेज़ी से चलाई जा रही थी कि सब डर गए।
The bus was being driven so fast that everyone got scared.
(bas itnii tezii se chalaaii jaa rahii thii ki sab dar gae।)
Sense
2
:
just, only, merely
particle Placed directly before the word or phrase it limits: बस इतना ही (bas itnaa hii, 'just this much').
Synonyms: सिर्फ़ (sirf), केवल (keval, slightly more formal), मात्र (maatr, formal)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This बस (bas) is unrelated to the 'bus' word above -- pure coincidence of sound. It is one of the most versatile small words in spoken Hindi, doing double duty as 'just/only' and, as its own interjection, as 'enough, stop.'
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for सिर्फ़ (sirf) in every case, but बस (bas) has a softer, more conversational feel and is extremely common in casual speech where सिर्फ़ (sirf) would sound a touch more deliberate. 2) बस (bas) can open a sentence on its own as a dismissive 'that's it' -- बस, हो गया (bas, ho gayaa, 'that's it, it's done') -- a standalone use that सिर्फ़ (sirf) cannot replicate.
Sample Sentences:
बस थोड़ा सा दूध बचा है।
Just a little milk is left.
(bas thodaa saa doodh bachaa hai।)
मुझे बस एक कप चाय चाहिए।
I just want one cup of tea.
(mujhe bas ek kap chaay chaahie।)
वह बस दस मिनट के लिए आया था।
He had come for just ten minutes.
(vah bas das minat ke lie aayaa thaa।)
बस यह काम पूरा कर लो, फिर छुट्टी है।
Just finish this one task, then you're free.
(bas yah kaam pooraa kar lo, phir chhuttii hai।)
अगर तुम बस मेहनत करते, तो सफलता मिल जाती।
If you had just worked hard, you would have gotten success.
(agar tum bas mehnat karte, to saphaltaa mil jaatii।)
शायद वह बस थका हुआ हो, कोई बड़ी बात नहीं।
Maybe he's just tired, it's nothing serious.
(shaayad vah bas thakaa huaa ho, koii badii baat nahiin।)
यह पत्र बस औपचारिकता के लिए भेजा गया है।
This letter has been sent merely as a formality.
(yah patr bas aupchaariktaa ke lie bhejaa gayaa hai।)
मैं बस यही सोचता रहता हूँ कि आगे क्या होगा।
I just keep thinking about what will happen next.
(main bas yahii sochtaa rahtaa hoon ki aage kyaa hogaa।)
वे बस देखते रह गए और कुछ न कर सके।
They just kept watching and couldn't do anything.
(ve bas dekhte rah gae aur kuchh n kar sake।)
बस जरा सी बात पर इतना गुस्सा मत करो।
Don't get so angry over just a small matter.
(bas jaraa sii baat par itnaa gussaa mat karo।)
मंज़िल तक पहुँचने के लिए बस एक कदम और चाहिए।
Just one more step is needed to reach the destination.
(manzil tak pahunchne ke lie bas ek kadam aur chaahie।)
Sense
3
:
enough! stop! that's it!
interjection
Synonyms: बहुत हुआ (bahut huaa, phrase variant), काफ़ी है (kaafii hai, phrase variant)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Say बस! (bas!) with a raised hand at a wedding buffet and everyone instantly understands 'no more, I'm full' -- it is the go-to word for politely (or firmly) shutting something down, whether it's food, a story, or a scolding.
Common Mistakes: 1) Used alone as a full utterance to cut off a conversation, an offer of more food, or an argument -- बस बस, मत बोलो (bas bas, mat bolo, 'enough, enough, stop talking') -- learners sometimes forget it can stand completely by itself with no verb attached.
Sample Sentences:
बस! अब और नहीं।
Enough! No more now.
(bas! ab aur nahiin।)
बस करो, बहुत हो गया!
Stop it, that's more than enough!
(bas karo, bahut ho gayaa!)
बस भी करो, सब लोग सुन रहे हैं।
Enough already, everyone is listening.
(bas bhii karo, sab log sun rahe hain।)
उसने हाथ उठाकर कहा, "बस!"
He raised his hand and said, "Enough!"
(usne haath uthaakar kahaa, "bas!")
मेहमान ने थाली आगे बढ़ाते हुए कहा, "बस, बस, इतना ही काफी है।"
Pushing the plate forward, the guest said, "Enough, enough, that's plenty."
(mehmaan ne thaalii aage badhaate hue kahaa, "bas, bas, itnaa hii kaaphii hai।")
अगर तुम बस बोलते रहे तो मैं कमरे से चला जाऊँगा।
If you keep going on like this, I'll walk out of the room -- enough is enough.
(agar tum bas bolte rahe to main kamre se chalaa jaaoongaa।)
काश वह वहीं बस कह देता, इतनी बड़ी लड़ाई न होती।
If only he had just said 'enough' right there, such a big fight wouldn't have happened.
(kaash vah vahiin bas kah detaa, itnii badii ladaaii n hotii।)
क्या मैं बस कह दूँ ताकि यह बहस यहीं खत्म हो जाए?
Should I just say 'enough' so this argument ends right here?
(kyaa main bas kah doon taaki yah bahas yahiin khatm ho jaae?)
माँ ने बच्चे को डाँटते हुए बीच में ही कहा, "बस! ज़्यादा बहाने मत बनाओ।"
Scolding the child, the mother cut in and said, "Enough! Don't make too many excuses."
(maan ne bachche ko daantte hue biich men hii kahaa, "bas! zyaadaa bahaane mat banaao।")
आप कृपया बस करें, अब मीटिंग खत्म होनी चाहिए।
Please stop now, the meeting should end here.
(aap kripyaa bas karen, ab miiting khatm honii chaahie।)
बहुत हो चुका, बस!
That's quite enough already, stop!
(bahut ho chukaa, bas!)
Sense
4
:
to be within one's control, to be manageable (usually negated)
verb, intransitive Almost always appears with a दिल पर, हाथ में (dil par, haath men) type phrase and a negation: मेरा दिल नहीं बसता (meraa dil nahiin bastaa) is not idiomatic -- the real frame is मेरे बस में नहीं है (mere bas men nahiin hai, 'it's not in my control'), where बस (bas) functions almost like a noun inside the fixed postpositional phrase के बस में (ke bas men).
Synonyms: क़ाबू में होना (qaaboo men honaa, phrase variant)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Related to बसना (basnaa, 'to settle, reside') and its causative बसाना (basaanaa) -- the idea underneath है 'in whose territory does this matter settle/rest,' which is a nice bridge to the vehicle-and-settling image behind the whole बस-family of words.
Common Mistakes: 1) This बस (bas) shows up almost exclusively inside the fixed phrase के बस में (होना/न होना) (ke bas men, 'to be (not) in someone's control') -- learners rarely need to conjugate it as a free-standing verb, so encountering it outside that frame can be confusing.
Sample Sentences:
यह मेरे बस की बात नहीं है।
This is not within my control.
(yah mere bas kii baat nahiin hai।)
उसके सामने मेरा कुछ बस नहीं चलता।
I have no power over him at all.
(uske saamne meraa kuchh bas nahiin chaltaa।)
काश मेरा बस चलता, तो मैं उसे रोक लेता।
If it had been in my power, I would have stopped him.
(kaash meraa bas chaltaa, to main use rok letaa।)
मौसम पर किसी का बस नहीं होता।
No one has any control over the weather.
(mausam par kisii kaa bas nahiin hotaa।)
अगर बस चले तो वह सारी दुनिया बदल दे।
If it were in his power, he would change the whole world.
(agar bas chale to vah saarii duniyaa badal de।)
यह बीमारी किसी के बस में नहीं है।
This disease is beyond anyone's control.
(yah biimaarii kisii ke bas men nahiin hai।)
उसका बस चलता तो वह नौकरी कभी नहीं छोड़ता।
If it had been up to him, he would never have left the job.
(uskaa bas chaltaa to vah naukrii kabhii nahiin chhodtaa।)
प्रकृति की शक्तियाँ मनुष्य के बस में नहीं हैं।
The forces of nature are not within human control.
(prakriti kii shaktiyaan manushy ke bas men nahiin hain।)
क्या यह सब हमारे बस में है?
Is all this within our control?
(kyaa yah sab hamaare bas men hai?)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
बस
(bas)
(sg.f.oblique):
बस
(bas)
(pl.f.direct):
बसें
(basen)
(pl.f.oblique):
बसों
(bason)
Verb
infinitive:
बस
(bas)
infinitive oblique:
बने
(bane)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
बता
(bataa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
बते
(bate)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
बती
(batii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
बतीं
(batiin)
continuous (sg.m):
ब रहा
(b rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
ब रहे
(b rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
ब रही
(b rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
ब रहीं
(b rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
बा
(baa)
perfective (pl.m):
बे
(be)
perfective (sg.f):
बी
(bii)
perfective (pl.f):
बीं
(biin)
imperative (informal):
ब
(b)
imperative (neutral):
बो
(bo)
imperative (formal):
बिए
(bie)
future (1sg.m):
बूँगा
(boongaa)
future (1sg.f):
बूँगी
(boongii)
future (1pl.m):
बेंगे
(benge)
future (1pl.f):
बेंगी
(bengii)
future (2sg.m):
बेगा
(begaa)
future (2sg.f):
बेगी
(begii)
future (2pl.m):
बोगे
(boge)
future (2pl.f):
बोगी
(bogii)
future (3sg.m):
बेगा
(begaa)
future (3sg.f):
बेगी
(begii)
future (3pl.m):
बेंगे
(benge)
future (3pl.f):
बेंगी
(bengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
बूँ
(boon)
subjunctive (1pl):
बें
(ben)
subjunctive (2sg):
बे
(be)
subjunctive (2pl):
बो
(bo)
subjunctive (3sg):
बे
(be)
subjunctive (3pl):
बें
(ben)