बोलना (bolnaa)
verb
The everyday verb for speaking/talking, and by extension, saying something specific. Also appears in idioms about speaking up or being outspoken.
Sense
1
:
to speak, to talk
verb, intransitive
Synonyms: बात करना (baat karnaa), बतियाना (batiyaanaa, colloquial)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is one of the first verbs learners meet, and for good reason: हिंदी बोलिए (hindii bolie, 'please speak Hindi') is a phrase you will hear constantly if you are learning in India, often good-naturedly demanded by shopkeepers and auto drivers once they realize you know some.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for बात करना (baat karnaa) for 'to talk' in every context, but बोलना (bolnaa) is the more basic verb for the physical act of speaking (making sounds/words come out), while बात करना (baat karnaa) frames it as having a conversation. 2) हिंदी बोलना (hindii bolnaa, 'to speak Hindi') takes the language as a direct object with no postposition -- learners sometimes insert में (men) by analogy with English 'speak in Hindi'.
Sample Sentences:
क्या तुम हिंदी बोलते हो?
Do you speak Hindi?
(kyaa tum hindii bolte ho?)
हिंदी बोलिए, आपको अच्छी आती है।
Please speak Hindi, you're good at it.
(hindii bolie, aapko achchhii aatii hai।)
वह इतनी तेज़ बोल रही थी कि कोई समझ नहीं पाया।
She was speaking so fast that no one could understand.
(vah itnii tez bol rahii thii ki koii samajh nahiin paayaa।)
मीटिंग में सब लोग एक साथ बोल रहे हैं।
Everyone in the meeting is speaking at the same time.
(miiting men sab log ek saath bol rahe hain।)
अगर वह थोड़ा धीरे बोलता तो सब समझ जाते।
If he spoke a little slower, everyone would understand.
(agar vah thodaa dhiire boltaa to sab samajh jaate।)
बच्चा अभी तक ठीक से बोल नहीं पाता।
The child still can't speak properly.
(bachchaa abhii tak thiik se bol nahiin paataa।)
कृपया धीरे बोलें, यहाँ लोग सो रहे हैं।
Please speak softly, people are sleeping here.
(kripyaa dhiire bolen, yahaan log so rahe hain।)
उम्मीद है वह कार्यक्रम में अच्छी तरह बोलेगा।
Hopefully he will speak well at the event.
(ummiid hai vah kaaryakram men achchhii tarah bolegaa।)
हो सकता है वह गुस्से में बोले, बुरा मत मानना।
He might speak in anger, don't take it badly.
(ho saktaa hai vah gusse men bole, buraa mat maannaa।)
इस भाषा में यहाँ सदियों से बोला जाता है।
This language has been spoken here for centuries.
(is bhaashaa men yahaan sadiyon se bolaa jaataa hai।)
मैं जब भी विदेश जाता हूँ, अंग्रेज़ी बोलनी पड़ती है।
Whenever I go abroad, I have to speak English.
(main jab bhii videsh jaataa hoon, angrezii bolnii padtii hai।)
Sense
2
:
to say, to utter (something specific)
verb, transitive Takes a direct object (what is said) or reported speech, unlike the intransitive 'to speak' sense.
Synonyms: कहना (kahnaa)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: In everyday Delhi speech, kids and adults alike often use बोलना (bolnaa) interchangeably with कहना (kahnaa) for quoting someone -- क्या बोला उसने? (kyaa bolaa usne?, 'what did he say?') is extremely common and sounds more natural in casual conversation than the more bookish क्या कहा उसने?.
Common Mistakes: 1) कहना (kahnaa) and बोलना (bolnaa) overlap heavily in casual speech for 'to say', but कहना (kahnaa) is the more neutral reporting verb in writing, while बोलना (bolnaa) in this sense often carries a slightly blunter or more colloquial flavor, as in वो ऐसा बोला (vo aisaa bolaa, 'he said it like that'). 2) In this transitive sense with a direct quote, ने-marking applies normally in the perfective -- उसने बोला (usne bolaa, 'he said') -- which learners sometimes forget because they mentally file बोलना (bolnaa) as purely intransitive from its first sense.
Sample Sentences:
उसने क्या बोला?
What did he say?
(usne kyaa bolaa?)
मैंने उससे साफ़ बोल दिया कि मुझे देर हो जाएगी।
I told him clearly that I would be late.
(mainne usse saaf bol diyaa ki mujhe der ho jaaegii।)
वह हर बात सच बोलता है।
He tells the truth about everything.
(vah har baat sach boltaa hai।)
तुम मुझसे झूठ मत बोलो।
Don't lie to me.
(tum mujhse jhooth mat bolo।)
अगर उसने सच बोला होता, तो इतनी परेशानी नहीं होती।
If he had told the truth, there wouldn't have been so much trouble.
(agar usne sach bolaa hotaa, to itnii pareshaanii nahiin hotii।)
क्या तुम मेरी तरफ़ से उसे यह बोल सकते हो कि मीटिंग टल गई है?
Can you tell him on my behalf that the meeting has been postponed?
(kyaa tum merii taraf se use yah bol sakte ho ki miiting tal gaii hai?)
यह बात किसी से मत बोलना, वरना बात फैल जाएगी।
Don't tell this to anyone, or it will spread.
(yah baat kisii se mat bolnaa, varnaa baat phail jaaegii।)
मीटिंग में सबसे यह बोला गया कि प्रोजेक्ट अगले महीने शुरू होगा।
It was announced to everyone in the meeting that the project would start next month.
(miiting men sabse yah bolaa gayaa ki projekt agle mahiine shuroo hogaa।)
मैं चाहता हूँ कि तुम अपने पापा से यह बात खुद बोलो।
I want you to tell your father this yourself.
(main chaahtaa hoon ki tum apne paapaa se yah baat khud bolo।)
उसने ऐसी बात बोल दी कि सब हँसने लगे।
He said such a thing that everyone started laughing.
(usne aisii baat bol dii ki sab hansne lage।)
डॉक्टर ने जो बोला, वही करना ठीक रहेगा।
It would be best to do exactly what the doctor said.
(doktar ne jo bolaa, vahii karnaa thiik rahegaa।)
Sense
3
:
to be outspoken, to speak one's mind (idiomatic/figurative)
verb, intransitive
Synonyms: मुँह खोलना (munh kholnaa, 'to open one's mouth', idiom)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You will hear जो बोलना है बोल दो (jo bolnaa hai bol do, 'say whatever you have to say') when someone is being pressed to stop hesitating and just speak their mind -- it captures a very Indian social dynamic of hinting rather than confronting directly, and this phrase is the nudge to drop the hints.
Sample Sentences:
जो बोलना है बोल दो, डरो मत।
Say whatever you have to say, don't be afraid.
(jo bolnaa hai bol do, daro mat।)
वह कभी नहीं बोलती, चाहे कुछ भी हो जाए।
She never speaks up, no matter what happens.
(vah kabhii nahiin boltii, chaahe kuchh bhii ho jaae।)
मीटिंग में आखिरकार वह बोल पड़ा।
In the meeting, he finally spoke up.
(miiting men aakhirkaar vah bol padaa।)
अगर तुम नहीं बोलोगे तो कोई तुम्हारी बात नहीं सुनेगा।
If you don't speak up, no one will listen to you.
(agar tum nahiin bologe to koii tumhaarii baat nahiin sunegaa।)
काश वह अपने हक के लिए बोल पाती।
If only she could speak up for her rights.
(kaash vah apne hak ke lie bol paatii।)
अगर उस दिन तुम बोलते तो शायद बात बन जाती।
If you had spoken up that day, things might have worked out.
(agar us din tum bolte to shaayad baat ban jaatii।)
जब भी अन्याय हो, हमें बोलना चाहिए।
Whenever there is injustice, we should speak up.
(jab bhii anyaay ho, hamen bolnaa chaahie।)
दफ्तर में सच के लिए बोलना आसान नहीं है।
Speaking up for the truth at the office isn't easy.
(daphtar men sach ke lie bolnaa aasaan nahiin hai।)
मुझसे रहा नहीं गया, मैं बोल गई।
I couldn't hold back, and I spoke my mind.
(mujhse rahaa nahiin gayaa, main bol gaii।)
इस मुद्दे पर सबको बोलना चाहिए, चुप रहना ठीक नहीं।
Everyone should speak up on this issue, staying silent isn't right.
(is mudde par sabko bolnaa chaahie, chup rahnaa thiik nahiin।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
बोलना
(bolnaa)
infinitive oblique:
बोलने
(bolne)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
बोलता
(boltaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
बोलते
(bolte)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
बोलती
(boltii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
बोलतीं
(boltiin)
continuous (sg.m):
बोल रहा
(bol rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
बोल रहे
(bol rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
बोल रही
(bol rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
बोल रहीं
(bol rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
बोला
(bolaa)
perfective (pl.m):
बोले
(bole)
perfective (sg.f):
बोली
(bolii)
perfective (pl.f):
बोलीं
(boliin)
imperative (informal):
बोल
(bol)
imperative (neutral):
बोलो
(bolo)
imperative (formal):
बोलिए
(bolie)
future (1sg.m):
बोलूँगा
(boloongaa)
future (1sg.f):
बोलूँगी
(boloongii)
future (1pl.m):
बोलेंगे
(bolenge)
future (1pl.f):
बोलेंगी
(bolengii)
future (2sg.m):
बोलेगा
(bolegaa)
future (2sg.f):
बोलेगी
(bolegii)
future (2pl.m):
बोलोगे
(bologe)
future (2pl.f):
बोलोगी
(bologii)
future (3sg.m):
बोलेगा
(bolegaa)
future (3sg.f):
बोलेगी
(bolegii)
future (3pl.m):
बोलेंगे
(bolenge)
future (3pl.f):
बोलेंगी
(bolengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
बोलूँ
(boloon)
subjunctive (1pl):
बोलें
(bolen)
subjunctive (2sg):
बोले
(bole)
subjunctive (2pl):
बोलो
(bolo)
subjunctive (3sg):
बोले
(bole)
subjunctive (3pl):
बोलें
(bolen)