कम करना (kam karnaa)
verb
A verb phrase built from the adjective/adverb कम (kam, 'less') plus करना (karnaa, 'to do'), meaning 'to reduce' or 'to lessen' something. It has one core sense with everyday uses ranging from turning down a stove flame to cutting prices or easing pain.
Sense
1
:
to reduce, lessen, turn down
verb, transitive
Synonyms: घटाना (ghataanaa)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This phrase is a workhorse in daily Delhi life -- haggling at a market stall ("थोड़ा कम कर दो" (thodaa kam kar do, 'lower it a bit')), telling someone to turn down the TV, or a doctor advising you to cut down on salt. Its intransitive partner is कम होना (kam honaa, 'to decrease [on its own]'), which describes something reducing by itself rather than being reduced by an agent -- a classic Hindi pattern of pairing a करना (karnaa) causative-style verb with a होना (honaa) counterpart.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for घटाना (ghataanaa) as the only option, but कम करना (kam karnaa) is the everyday spoken choice in contexts like आवाज़ कम करो (aavaaz kam karo, 'turn the volume down') or गैस कम करो (gais kam karo, 'lower the flame') -- घटाना (ghataanaa) sounds slightly more formal or written. 2) As a transitive verb, this takes ने (ne) marking on the subject in the perfective: उसने कीमत कम की (usne kiimat kam kii, 'he/she reduced the price') -- note that करना (karnaa) agrees with कीमत (kiimat, feminine), not with कम (kam).
Sample Sentences:
भैया, दाम थोड़ा कम कर दो।
Brother, lower the price a bit.
(bhaiyaa, daam thodaa kam kar do।)
थोड़ी आवाज़ कम कर दो, बच्चा सो रहा है।
Turn down the volume a little, the child is sleeping.
(thodii aavaaz kam kar do, bachchaa so rahaa hai।)
डॉक्टर ने मुझे नमक कम करने की सलाह दी।
The doctor advised me to reduce my salt intake.
(doktar ne mujhe namak kam karne kii salaah dii।)
सरकार पेट्रोल की कीमतें कम करती रहती है जब चुनाव नज़दीक होते हैं।
The government keeps reducing petrol prices whenever elections are near.
(sarkaar petrol kii kiimten kam kartii rahtii hai jab chunaav nazdiik hote hain।)
कंपनी अगले महीने से स्टाफ की संख्या कम करेगी।
The company will reduce the staff count starting next month.
(kampnii agle mahiine se staaph kii sankhyaa kam karegii।)
अगर वह अपना खर्चा कम करता तो इतना कर्ज़ न होता।
If he had reduced his spending, there wouldn't be so much debt.
(agar vah apnaa kharchaa kam kartaa to itnaa karz n hotaa।)
मैं चाहता हूँ कि तुम अपनी स्क्रीन टाइम कम करो।
I want you to reduce your screen time.
(main chaahtaa hoon ki tum apnii skriin taaim kam karo।)
इस योजना के तहत प्रदूषण को काफी हद तक कम किया गया है।
Under this scheme, pollution has been reduced to a great extent.
(is yojnaa ke tahat pradooshan ko kaaphii had tak kam kiyaa gayaa hai।)
उसने गुस्से में स्पीकर की आवाज़ एकदम कम कर दी।
In anger, he suddenly turned the speaker's volume right down.
(usne gusse men spiikar kii aavaaz ekdam kam kar dii।)
कृपया गति कम करें, आगे स्कूल है।
Please reduce your speed, there's a school ahead.
(kripyaa gati kam karen, aage skool hai।)
शायद वह अपनी फीस थोड़ी कम कर दे।
Maybe he'll reduce his fee a little.
(shaayad vah apnii phiis thodii kam kar de।)
Morphology
Verb (irregular)
infinitive:
कम करना
(kam karnaa)
infinitive oblique:
कम करने
(kam karne)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
कम करता
(kam kartaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
कम करते
(kam karte)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
कम करती
(kam kartii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
कम करतीं
(kam kartiin)
continuous (sg.m):
कम कर रहा
(kam kar rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
कम कर रहे
(kam kar rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
कम कर रही
(kam kar rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
कम कर रहीं
(kam kar rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
कम किया
(kam kiyaa)
perfective (pl.m):
कम किए
(kam kie)
perfective (sg.f):
कम की
(kam kii)
perfective (pl.f):
कम कीं
(kam kiin)
imperative (informal):
कम कर
(kam kar)
imperative (neutral):
कम करो
(kam karo)
imperative (formal):
कम कीजिए
(kam kiijie)
future (1sg.m):
कम करूँगा
(kam karoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
कम करूँगी
(kam karoongii)
future (1pl.m):
कम करेंगे
(kam karenge)
future (1pl.f):
कम करेंगी
(kam karengii)
future (2sg.m):
कम करेगा
(kam karegaa)
future (2sg.f):
कम करेगी
(kam karegii)
future (2pl.m):
कम करोगे
(kam karoge)
future (2pl.f):
कम करोगी
(kam karogii)
future (3sg.m):
कम करेगा
(kam karegaa)
future (3sg.f):
कम करेगी
(kam karegii)
future (3pl.m):
कम करेंगे
(kam karenge)
future (3pl.f):
कम करेंगी
(kam karengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
कम करूँ
(kam karoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
कम करें
(kam karen)
subjunctive (2sg):
कम करे
(kam kare)
subjunctive (2pl):
कम करो
(kam karo)
subjunctive (3sg):
कम करे
(kam kare)
subjunctive (3pl):
कम करें
(kam karen)