उलटना (ulatnaa)
verb
Covers both 'to turn over / capsize / topple' (intransitive) and 'to overturn / turn something inside out' (transitive); closely related to the transitive causative उलटाना (ultaanaa) and the adjective/adverb उलटा (ultaa).
Sense
1
:
to overturn, capsize, topple (something falls or flips over on its own)
verb, intransitive
Synonyms: पलटना (palatnaa), गिरना (girnaa, less precise, 'to fall')
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You will hear this constantly with कश्ती (kashtii) or नाव (naav) capsizing in a river, or a कड़ाही (kadaahii) or गिलास (gilaas) tipping over in the kitchen -- it is the everyday word for something flipping onto its other face.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for गिरना (girnaa) for anything that falls, but उलटना (ulatnaa) specifically implies flipping over onto the other side (a boat capsizing, a cup tipping), not just dropping. 2) As an intransitive verb it does not take ने (ne) in the past: नाव उलट गई (naav ulat gaii, 'the boat capsized'), not नाव ने उलटी (naav ne ultii).
Sample Sentences:
नाव अचानक उलट गई।
The boat suddenly capsized.
(naav achaanak ulat gaii।)
तेज़ लहरों में कश्ती उलट जाती है।
In strong waves, the boat capsizes.
(tez lahron men kashtii ulat jaatii hai।)
देखो, कड़ाही उलट रही है!
Look, the pan is tipping over!
(dekho, kadaahii ulat rahii hai!)
मेज़ पर रखा गिलास उलट गया और सारा पानी फैल गया।
The glass placed on the table tipped over and all the water spilled.
(mez par rakhaa gilaas ulat gayaa aur saaraa paanii phail gayaa।)
अगर तूफ़ान आया तो नाव उलट जाएगी।
If the storm comes, the boat will capsize.
(agar toofaan aayaa to naav ulat jaaegii।)
अगर वज़न ठीक से न बैठा होता तो कश्ती उलट जाती।
If the weight had not been balanced properly, the boat would have capsized.
(agar vazan thiik se n baithaa hotaa to kashtii ulat jaatii।)
बच्चे के धक्का देने से गिलास उलट सकता है, ध्यान रखना।
The glass might tip over from the child's push, be careful.
(bachche ke dhakkaa dene se gilaas ulat saktaa hai, dhyaan rakhnaa।)
नदी के बीच जाते ही नाव उलटने लगी।
As soon as it reached the middle of the river, the boat started to capsize.
(nadii ke biich jaate hii naav ulatne lagii।)
इतनी तेज़ हवा में हर छोटी नाव उलट सकती है।
In such strong wind, every small boat can capsize.
(itnii tez havaa men har chhotii naav ulat saktii hai।)
कड़ाही मत उलटने दो, वरना सारा तेल फैल जाएगा।
Don't let the pan tip over, otherwise all the oil will spill.
(kadaahii mat ulatne do, varnaa saaraa tel phail jaaegaa।)
Sense
2
:
to turn something over, turn inside out, invert
verb, transitive Takes a direct object and behaves as an ordinary transitive verb, requiring ने (ne) in the perfective: उसने कुर्सी उलट दी (usne kursii ulat dii, 'he turned the chair over').
Synonyms: पलटना (palatnaa), उलटाना (ultaanaa, more common causative form)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Think of उलटना (ulatnaa) here the way you'd use 'flip' for a pancake or 'turn inside out' for a sock -- कमीज़ उलटना (kamiiz ulatnaa, 'to turn a shirt inside out') is a very concrete, physical image Hindi speakers reach for.
Common Mistakes: 1) Many speakers prefer the derived causative उलटाना (ultaanaa) for this transitive meaning in everyday speech, and reserve plain उलटना (ulatnaa) mostly for the intransitive sense -- so learners should not be surprised to hear उलटाना (ultaanaa) more often when someone deliberately flips or inverts something.
Sample Sentences:
कृपया अपनी कमीज़ उलट लीजिए, वह गंदी हो गई है।
Please turn your shirt inside out, it has gotten dirty.
(kripyaa apnii kamiiz ulat liijie, vah gandii ho gaii hai।)
वह रोज़ सुबह पराठा उलटती है ताकि दोनों तरफ से सिक जाए।
She flips the paratha every morning so that it cooks on both sides.
(vah roz subah paraathaa ulattii hai taaki donon taraph se sik jaae।)
माँ ने मोज़े उलट दिए और उन्हें धूप में सुखा दिया।
Mother turned the socks inside out and dried them in the sun.
(maan ne moze ulat die aur unhen dhoop men sukhaa diyaa।)
रसोइया कढ़ाई में रखी मछली को धीरे से उलट रहा है।
The cook is slowly turning over the fish in the pan.
(rasoiyaa kadhaaii men rakhii machhlii ko dhiire se ulat rahaa hai।)
अगर तुम इस बर्तन को उलटोगे तो सारा पानी बह जाएगा।
If you turn this vessel over, all the water will spill out.
(agar tum is bartan ko ultoge to saaraa paanii bah jaaegaa।)
गद्दे को हवा देने के लिए हफ्ते में एक बार उलटना चाहिए।
One should turn the mattress over once a week to air it out.
(gadde ko havaa dene ke lie haphte men ek baar ulatnaa chaahie।)
उसने किताब का पन्ना उलटा और आगे की कहानी पढ़ने लगा।
He turned the page of the book and started reading the story ahead.
(usne kitaab kaa pannaa ultaa aur aage kii kahaanii padhne lagaa।)
दर्ज़ी ने पुराना कोट उलटकर नया सिल दिया।
The tailor turned the old coat inside out and stitched it anew.
(darzii ne puraanaa kot ulatkar nayaa sil diyaa।)
अगर वह गद्दा समय पर उलट देती, तो इतनी सीलन न आती।
If she had turned the mattress over on time, there wouldn't have been so much dampness.
(agar vah gaddaa samay par ulat detii, to itnii siilan n aatii।)
जब चादर उलटी जाती है, तब उसका दूसरा रंग नज़र आता है।
When the sheet is turned over, its other color becomes visible.
(jab chaadar ultii jaatii hai, tab uskaa doosraa rang nazar aataa hai।)
Sense
3
:
to vomit (colloquial)
verb, intransitive
Synonyms: उलटी करना (ultii karnaa, more common phrase), कै करना (kai karnaa, colloquial)
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: This sense is the root of the everyday noun-plus-verb phrase उलटी आना (ultii aanaa, 'to feel/be sick') that you'll hear far more often than the plain verb by itself.
Common Mistakes: 1) In this sense native speakers overwhelmingly say उलटी करना (ultii karnaa) or उलटी आना (ultii aanaa) rather than the bare verb उलटना (ulatnaa); using उलटना (ulatnaa) alone for vomiting sounds dated or regional to many listeners today.
Sample Sentences:
बच्चे ने सारा दूध उलट दिया।
The child threw up all the milk.
(bachche ne saaraa doodh ulat diyaa।)
उसे बस में उलटी आ गई।
She threw up on the bus.
(use bas men ultii aa gaii।)
मुझे लगता है मैं अभी उलट दूँगा।
I feel like I'm going to throw up right now.
(mujhe lagtaa hai main abhii ulat doongaa।)
इतनी तेज़ बदबू से मन उलटने लगता है।
Such a strong stench makes you feel like throwing up.
(itnii tez badboo se man ulatne lagtaa hai।)
उसे रोज़ सुबह उलटी आती है, शायद प्रेगनेंसी है।
She feels sick every morning, maybe it's pregnancy.
(use roz subah ultii aatii hai, shaayad pregnensii hai।)
बाथरूम जाकर उलट आओ, तबीयत ठीक हो जाएगी।
Go throw up in the bathroom, you'll feel better.
(baathroom jaakar ulat aao, tabiiyat thiik ho jaaegii।)
अगर तुम गाड़ी में यह खाना खाओगे, तो उलटी आ जाएगी।
If you eat this food in the car, you'll end up throwing up.
(agar tum gaadii men yah khaanaa khaaoge, to ultii aa jaaegii।)
काश उस दिन मैं इतना न खाता, वरना उलटना नहीं पड़ता।
I wish I hadn't eaten so much that day, otherwise I wouldn't have had to throw up.
(kaash us din main itnaa n khaataa, varnaa ulatnaa nahiin padtaa।)
जब से यह दवा खाई है, उसे बार-बार उलटी आ रही है।
Ever since she took this medicine, she's been throwing up repeatedly.
(jab se yah davaa khaaii hai, use baar-baar ultii aa rahii hai।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
उलटना
(ulatnaa)
infinitive oblique:
उलटने
(ulatne)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
उलटता
(ulattaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
उलटते
(ulatte)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
उलटती
(ulattii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
उलटतीं
(ulattiin)
continuous (sg.m):
उलट रहा
(ulat rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
उलट रहे
(ulat rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
उलट रही
(ulat rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
उलट रहीं
(ulat rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
उलटा
(ultaa)
perfective (pl.m):
उलटे
(ulte)
perfective (sg.f):
उलटी
(ultii)
perfective (pl.f):
उलटीं
(ultiin)
imperative (informal):
उलट
(ulat)
imperative (neutral):
उलटो
(ulto)
imperative (formal):
उलटिए
(ultie)
future (1sg.m):
उलटूँगा
(ultoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
उलटूँगी
(ultoongii)
future (1pl.m):
उलटेंगे
(ultenge)
future (1pl.f):
उलटेंगी
(ultengii)
future (2sg.m):
उलटेगा
(ultegaa)
future (2sg.f):
उलटेगी
(ultegii)
future (2pl.m):
उलटोगे
(ultoge)
future (2pl.f):
उलटोगी
(ultogii)
future (3sg.m):
उलटेगा
(ultegaa)
future (3sg.f):
उलटेगी
(ultegii)
future (3pl.m):
उलटेंगे
(ultenge)
future (3pl.f):
उलटेंगी
(ultengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
उलटूँ
(ultoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
उलटें
(ulten)
subjunctive (2sg):
उलटे
(ulte)
subjunctive (2pl):
उलटो
(ulto)
subjunctive (3sg):
उलटे
(ulte)
subjunctive (3pl):
उलटें
(ulten)