छँटना (chhantnaa)
verb
An intransitive verb meaning to be sorted/sifted out or thinned out, and by extension to clear up or disperse (as clouds, fog, or crowds); it is the intransitive partner of the transitive छाँटना (chhaantnaa, 'to sort/select/prune').
Sense
1
:
to thin out, disperse, clear up (crowd, clouds, fog, workforce)
verb, intransitive Frequently used with जाना (jaanaa) as a compound verb -- बादल छँट गए (baadal chhant gae, 'the clouds cleared') -- to mark the completed, resultant state.
Synonyms: छँट जाना (chhant jaanaa, common compound form), साफ़ होना (saaf honaa, for weather), कम होना (kam honaa)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You will hear this constantly in weather chat and traffic reports around Delhi: कोहरा छँट गया है (kohraa chhant gayaa hai, 'the fog has cleared') is practically a winter-morning ritual phrase on the news. The same word slides naturally into the corporate world for layoffs -- छंटनी (chhantnii) (retrenchment) is the noun built straight from this verb.
Common Mistakes: 1) When talking about layoffs or downsizing (staff being 'thinned out'), learners sometimes default to निकालना (nikaalnaa) or हटाना (hataanaa), which imply someone actively removing people; छँटना (chhantnaa) instead frames the workforce itself as thinning, useful when the agent is unclear or de-emphasized (compare English 'jobs were cut' vs 'the workforce thinned out').
Sample Sentences:
आज सुबह कोहरा छँट गया है।
This morning the fog has cleared.
(aaj subah kohraa chhant gayaa hai।)
शाम होते-होते बादल छँटने लगे।
By evening the clouds started to disperse.
(shaam hote-hote baadal chhantne lage।)
पुलिस के आते ही भीड़ छँटने लगी।
As soon as the police arrived, the crowd began to thin out.
(pulis ke aate hii bhiid chhantne lagii।)
उम्मीद है कि कल तक धुंध छँट जाएगी।
Hopefully the haze will clear up by tomorrow.
(ummiid hai ki kal tak dhundh chhant jaaegii।)
मंदी के दौरान कंपनी का आधा स्टाफ छँट गया।
During the recession, half the company's staff was thinned out.
(mandii ke dauraan kampnii kaa aadhaa staaph chhant gayaa।)
काश धुआँ जल्दी छँट जाता, तो सांस लेना आसान होता।
If only the smoke had cleared quickly, breathing would have been easier.
(kaash dhuaan jaldii chhant jaataa, to saans lenaa aasaan hotaa।)
पहाड़ों पर अक्सर दोपहर तक कोहरा छँट जाता है।
In the hills the fog usually clears by noon.
(pahaadon par aksar dopahar tak kohraa chhant jaataa hai।)
मेले की भीड़ धीरे-धीरे छँट रही थी।
The crowd at the fair was gradually thinning out.
(mele kii bhiid dhiire-dhiire chhant rahii thii।)
अफवाह है कि इस साल फिर से भारी छंटनी हो सकती है और बहुत सा स्टाफ छँट सकता है।
There's a rumor that there could be heavy layoffs again this year and a lot of staff might be thinned out.
(aphvaah hai ki is saal phir se bhaarii chhantnii ho saktii hai aur bahut saa staaph chhant saktaa hai।)
बारिश के बाद आसमान से बादल छँट गए और धूप निकल आई।
After the rain, the clouds cleared from the sky and the sun came out.
(baarish ke baad aasmaan se baadal chhant gae aur dhoop nikal aaii।)
Sense
2
:
to be sorted out / selected / weeded out
verb, intransitive
Synonyms: चुनना (chunnaa, intransitive use is rare, mostly transitive), अलग होना (alag honaa)
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: Think of grain being sifted in a village kitchen: the husk is 'छाँटा' (chhaantaa) by the person winnowing, but the good grain 'छँटता है' (chhanttaa hai) -- it separates out on its own, from the grain's point of view. This agentless framing is very Hindi: the process is described from the side of what happens, not who does it.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for छाँटना (chhaantnaa) here because it looks so similar -- but छाँटना (chhaantnaa) is the transitive act of *doing* the sorting, while छँटना (chhantnaa) describes the item itself *undergoing* the sorting, with no agent expressed. 2) Note the chandrabindu (nasalization) on छँटना (chhantnaa) versus its absence on छाँटना (chhaantnaa) -- easy to miss when typing or reading quickly.
Sample Sentences:
अच्छे बीज अपने आप छँट जाते हैं।
Good seeds get sorted out on their own.
(achchhe biij apne aap chhant jaate hain।)
गेहूँ से भूसी छँट रही है।
The husk is being sifted out from the wheat.
(gehoon se bhoosii chhant rahii hai।)
छँटने के बाद ही अनाज बोरी में भरा जाता है।
Only after being sorted is the grain filled into sacks.
(chhantne ke baad hii anaaj borii men bharaa jaataa hai।)
फसल कटने के बाद दाने खलिहान में छँटे थे।
After the harvest, the grains had been sorted out in the threshing yard.
(phasal katne ke baad daane khalihaan men chhante the।)
अगर सफाई से रखा जाए तो अनाज खुद ही छँट जाएगा।
If it's kept clean, the grain will sort itself out on its own.
(agar saphaaii se rakhaa jaae to anaaj khud hii chhant jaaegaa।)
काश दाल इतनी आसानी से छँट जाती।
If only the lentils would sort out this easily.
(kaash daal itnii aasaanii se chhant jaatii।)
पुराने कागज़ात धीरे-धीरे छँट रहे थे।
The old documents were slowly getting sorted out.
(puraane kaagzaat dhiire-dhiire chhant rahe the।)
जब तक चावल अच्छी तरह न छँट जाएँ, पकाना मत।
Don't cook it until the rice has been properly sorted out.
(jab tak chaaval achchhii tarah n chhant jaaen, pakaanaa mat।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
छँटना
(chhantnaa)
infinitive oblique:
छँटने
(chhantne)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
छँटता
(chhanttaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
छँटते
(chhantte)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
छँटती
(chhanttii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
छँटतीं
(chhanttiin)
continuous (sg.m):
छँट रहा
(chhant rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
छँट रहे
(chhant rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
छँट रही
(chhant rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
छँट रहीं
(chhant rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
छँटा
(chhantaa)
perfective (pl.m):
छँटे
(chhante)
perfective (sg.f):
छँटी
(chhantii)
perfective (pl.f):
छँटीं
(chhantiin)
imperative (informal):
छँट
(chhant)
imperative (neutral):
छँटो
(chhanto)
imperative (formal):
छँटिए
(chhantie)
future (1sg.m):
छँटूँगा
(chhantoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
छँटूँगी
(chhantoongii)
future (1pl.m):
छँटेंगे
(chhantenge)
future (1pl.f):
छँटेंगी
(chhantengii)
future (2sg.m):
छँटेगा
(chhantegaa)
future (2sg.f):
छँटेगी
(chhantegii)
future (2pl.m):
छँटोगे
(chhantoge)
future (2pl.f):
छँटोगी
(chhantogii)
future (3sg.m):
छँटेगा
(chhantegaa)
future (3sg.f):
छँटेगी
(chhantegii)
future (3pl.m):
छँटेंगे
(chhantenge)
future (3pl.f):
छँटेंगी
(chhantengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
छँटूँ
(chhantoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
छँटें
(chhanten)
subjunctive (2sg):
छँटे
(chhante)
subjunctive (2pl):
छँटो
(chhanto)
subjunctive (3sg):
छँटे
(chhante)
subjunctive (3pl):
छँटें
(chhanten)