छीलना (chhiilnaa)
verb
A concrete kitchen/craft verb meaning to peel or pare off an outer layer -- vegetables, fruit, skin, wood, pencils -- with a knife or similar tool. One core sense, used very literally.
Sense
1
:
to peel, pare, scrape off the outer skin/layer
verb, transitive
Synonyms: उतारना (utaarnaa, 'skin/layer removed', broader use)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Picture a mother in the kitchen with a thaali of आलू (aaloo) and a छुरी (chhurii, knife), छील-छील (chhiil-chhiil) कर सब्ज़ी बनाना -- peeling vegetables is one of the most everyday domestic images this word evokes. It also extends naturally to pencils (पेंसिल छीलना, pensil chhiilnaa, 'to sharpen a pencil' in casual speech) and to skinning fruit like आम (aam) or संतरा (santraa).
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes reach for खुरचना (khurachnaa) or उतारना (utaarnaa) when छीलना (chhiilnaa) is the natural word specifically for peeling skins -- potatoes, apples, cucumbers -- with a knife or peeler. 2) The object taking ने-marking in the perfective (उसने आलू छीले, usne aaloo chhiile, 'she peeled the potatoes') is standard transitive behavior, not an exception -- just flagging it since the peeled object agrees with the verb.
Sample Sentences:
माँ रोज़ सुबह आलू छीलती है।
Mother peels potatoes every morning.
(maan roz subah aaloo chhiiltii hai।)
Listen: F85
क्या तुम ज़रा यह संतरा छील दोगे?
Will you peel this orange for me?
(kyaa tum zaraa yah santraa chhiil doge?)
Listen: F85
छुरी से आलू छीलो, बहुत आसान है।
Peel the potatoes with the knife, it's very easy.
(chhurii se aaloo chhiilo, bahut aasaan hai।)
Listen: M85
उसने आम इतनी सफ़ाई से छीला कि एक भी टुकड़ा बर्बाद नहीं हुआ।
He peeled the mango so cleanly that not a single piece was wasted.
(usne aam itnii safaaii se chhiilaa ki ek bhii tukdaa barbaad nahiin huaa।)
Listen: M85
मैं शाम की सब्ज़ी के लिए आलू छील रही हूँ।
I am peeling potatoes for the evening's vegetable dish.
(main shaam kii sabzii ke lie aaloo chhiil rahii hoon।)
Listen: F85
पेंसिल छील दो, नोक टूट गई है।
Sharpen the pencil, the tip has broken.
(pensil chhiil do, nok toot gaii hai।)
Listen: F85
यदि सब्ज़ियाँ पहले से छील दी जातीं, तो खाना बनाने में इतना वक़्त न लगता।
If the vegetables had been peeled in advance, cooking wouldn't have taken so long.
(yadi sabziyaan pahle se chhiil dii jaatiin, to khaanaa banaane men itnaa vaqt n lagtaa।)
Listen: F85
आम को छीलने से पहले उसे अच्छी तरह धो लीजिए।
Before peeling the mango, please wash it thoroughly.
(aam ko chhiilne se pahle use achchhii tarah dho liijie।)
Listen: F85
बाज़ार में एक ठेले वाला संतरे छील-छीलकर बेच रहा था।
In the market, a vendor was peeling and selling oranges one after another.
(baazaar men ek thele vaalaa santre chhiil-chhiilkar bech rahaa thaa।)
Listen: M85
आलू ऐसे छीले जाते हैं कि छिलका बहुत पतला निकले।
Potatoes are peeled in such a way that the skin comes off very thin.
(aaloo aise chhiile jaate hain ki chhilkaa bahut patlaa nikle।)
Listen: F85
शायद उसने जल्दी में गाजर ठीक से न छीली हो।
Perhaps she didn't peel the carrot properly in her haste.
(shaayad usne jaldii men gaajar thiik se n chhiilii ho।)
Listen: F85
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
छीलना
(chhiilnaa)
infinitive oblique:
छीलने
(chhiilne)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
छीलता
(chhiiltaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
छीलते
(chhiilte)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
छीलती
(chhiiltii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
छीलतीं
(chhiiltiin)
continuous (sg.m):
छील रहा
(chhiil rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
छील रहे
(chhiil rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
छील रही
(chhiil rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
छील रहीं
(chhiil rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
छीला
(chhiilaa)
perfective (pl.m):
छीले
(chhiile)
perfective (sg.f):
छीली
(chhiilii)
perfective (pl.f):
छीलीं
(chhiiliin)
imperative (informal):
छील
(chhiil)
imperative (neutral):
छीलो
(chhiilo)
imperative (formal):
छीलिए
(chhiilie)
future (1sg.m):
छीलूँगा
(chhiiloongaa)
future (1sg.f):
छीलूँगी
(chhiiloongii)
future (1pl.m):
छीलेंगे
(chhiilenge)
future (1pl.f):
छीलेंगी
(chhiilengii)
future (2sg.m):
छीलेगा
(chhiilegaa)
future (2sg.f):
छीलेगी
(chhiilegii)
future (2pl.m):
छीलोगे
(chhiiloge)
future (2pl.f):
छीलोगी
(chhiilogii)
future (3sg.m):
छीलेगा
(chhiilegaa)
future (3sg.f):
छीलेगी
(chhiilegii)
future (3pl.m):
छीलेंगे
(chhiilenge)
future (3pl.f):
छीलेंगी
(chhiilengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
छीलूँ
(chhiiloon)
subjunctive (1pl):
छीलें
(chhiilen)
subjunctive (2sg):
छीले
(chhiile)
subjunctive (2pl):
छीलो
(chhiilo)
subjunctive (3sg):
छीले
(chhiile)
subjunctive (3pl):
छीलें
(chhiilen)