मंडराना (mandraanaa)
verb
A vivid verb meaning to hover or circle in the air, extended figuratively to a threat or danger looming over someone or something.
Sense
1
:
to hover, circle, or loiter around
verb, intransitive
Synonyms: चक्कर लगाना (chakkar lagaanaa, to circle around), घूमना (ghoomnaa, to wander/circle)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Picture a bird of prey or a kite (चील, chiil) circling slowly over a market -- that image is the heart of this word. It is also commonly used for a person 'hanging around' somewhere, often with a slightly suspicious or watchful implication, like someone मंडरा रहा है (mandraa rahaa hai, 'is loitering/hovering about') near a house.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for घूमना (ghoomnaa) for any circling motion, but मंडराना (mandraanaa) specifically evokes something lingering or circling with intent -- a bird over prey, a person loitering nearby with a purpose -- rather than neutral wandering.
Sample Sentences:
बाज़ार के ऊपर एक चील मंडरा रही थी।
A kite was circling over the market.
(baazaar ke oopar ek chiil mandraa rahii thii।)
कोई अजनबी घर के बाहर मंडरा रहा है।
Some stranger is loitering outside the house.
(koii ajanbii ghar ke baahar mandraa rahaa hai।)
गिद्ध लाशों के ऊपर मंडराते हैं।
Vultures circle over carcasses.
(giddh laashon ke oopar mandraate hain।)
वहाँ मत मंडराओ, कोई देख लेगा।
Don't loiter there, someone will see you.
(vahaan mat mandraao, koii dekh legaa।)
पुलिस को शक है कि कोई इलाके में मंडरा रहा है।
The police suspect that someone is hanging around the area.
(pulis ko shak hai ki koii ilaake men mandraa rahaa hai।)
अगर वह इतनी देर तक दुकान के पास मंडराता, तो दुकानदार पूछ ही लेता।
If he had hung around the shop for so long, the shopkeeper would surely have asked him something.
(agar vah itnii der tak dukaan ke paas mandraataa, to dukaandaar poochh hii letaa।)
छत के ऊपर कुछ कौवे मंडरा रहे थे।
Some crows were hovering above the roof.
(chhat ke oopar kuchh kauve mandraa rahe the।)
वह लड़का पूरे दिन गली में मंडराता रहा।
That boy kept loitering in the lane the whole day.
(vah ladkaa poore din galii men mandraataa rahaa।)
मुझे शक है कि कोई हमारे मोहल्ले में मंडरा रहा हो।
I suspect that someone might be lurking around our neighborhood.
(mujhe shak hai ki koii hamaare mohalle men mandraa rahaa ho।)
Sense
2
:
(of danger, death, threat) to loom over
verb, intransitive Takes पर (par) to mark the person or thing being threatened: खतरा उस पर मंडरा रहा है (khatraa us par mandraa rahaa hai, 'danger is looming over him').
Synonyms: छाना (chhaanaa, to spread/loom, of clouds or gloom), घेरना (ghernaa, to surround, transitive counterpart)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This is the same circling-bird image turned metaphorical: danger or death 'circles overhead' the way a vulture might circle something dying. You will hear this often in news reports -- मंडराता खतरा (mandraataa khatraa, 'looming danger') is a stock phrase in Hindi journalism.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes try to use ऊपर (oopar) where पर (par) alone is the natural marker for what the danger looms 'over'; 2) This sense pairs almost exclusively with abstract threats like खतरा (khatraa, danger), मौत (maut, death), or संकट (sankat, crisis) -- using it for a mundane worry can sound overly dramatic.
Sample Sentences:
शहर पर बड़ा खतरा मंडरा रहा है।
A great danger is looming over the city.
(shahar par badaa khatraa mandraa rahaa hai।)
कंपनी पर बंद होने का खतरा मंडरा रहा है।
The threat of shutting down looms over the company.
(kampnii par band hone kaa khatraa mandraa rahaa hai।)
उस पर मौत का साया मंडरा रहा था।
The shadow of death was looming over him.
(us par maut kaa saayaa mandraa rahaa thaa।)
पूरे इलाके पर मंडराता खतरा अब सबको दिख रहा है।
The looming danger over the whole area is now visible to everyone.
(poore ilaake par mandraataa khatraa ab sabko dikh rahaa hai।)
अगर हम सावधान न रहे, तो यह खतरा हमेशा हम पर मंडराता रहेगा।
If we don't stay careful, this danger will keep looming over us forever.
(agar ham saavdhaan n rahe, to yah khatraa hameshaa ham par mandraataa rahegaa।)
अगर सरकार समय पर कदम न उठाती, तो देश पर आर्थिक संकट मंडराता।
If the government hadn't acted in time, an economic crisis would have loomed over the country.
(agar sarkaar samay par kadam n uthaatii, to desh par aarthik sankat mandraataa।)
युद्ध का खतरा दोनों देशों पर मंडरा रहा है।
The threat of war is looming over both countries.
(yuddh kaa khatraa donon deshon par mandraa rahaa hai।)
ऐसा लगता है कि उसके सिर पर कोई अनजाना खतरा मंडरा रहा हो।
It seems as if some unknown danger might be looming over his head.
(aisaa lagtaa hai ki uske sir par koii anjaanaa khatraa mandraa rahaa ho।)
जब तक भ्रष्टाचार खत्म नहीं होता, गरीबी का खतरा जनता पर मंडराता रहेगा।
As long as corruption doesn't end, the threat of poverty will keep looming over the people.
(jab tak bhrashtaachaar khatm nahiin hotaa, gariibii kaa khatraa jantaa par mandraataa rahegaa।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
मंडराना
(mandraanaa)
infinitive oblique:
मंडराने
(mandraane)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
मंडराता
(mandraataa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
मंडराते
(mandraate)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
मंडराती
(mandraatii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
मंडरातीं
(mandraatiin)
continuous (sg.m):
मंडरा रहा
(mandraa rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
मंडरा रहे
(mandraa rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
मंडरा रही
(mandraa rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
मंडरा रहीं
(mandraa rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
मंडराया
(mandraayaa)
perfective (pl.m):
मंडराए
(mandraae)
perfective (sg.f):
मंडराई
(mandraaii)
perfective (pl.f):
मंडराईं
(mandraaiin)
imperative (informal):
मंडरा
(mandraa)
imperative (neutral):
मंडराओ
(mandraao)
imperative (formal):
मंडराइए
(mandraaie)
future (1sg.m):
मंडराऊँगा
(mandraaoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
मंडराऊँगी
(mandraaoongii)
future (1pl.m):
मंडराएँगे
(mandraaenge)
future (1pl.f):
मंडराएँगी
(mandraaengii)
future (2sg.m):
मंडराएगा
(mandraaegaa)
future (2sg.f):
मंडराएगी
(mandraaegii)
future (2pl.m):
मंडराओगे
(mandraaoge)
future (2pl.f):
मंडराओगी
(mandraaogii)
future (3sg.m):
मंडराएगा
(mandraaegaa)
future (3sg.f):
मंडराएगी
(mandraaegii)
future (3pl.m):
मंडराएँगे
(mandraaenge)
future (3pl.f):
मंडराएँगी
(mandraaengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
मंडराऊँ
(mandraaoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
मंडराएँ
(mandraaen)
subjunctive (2sg):
मंडराए
(mandraae)
subjunctive (2pl):
मंडराओ
(mandraao)
subjunctive (3sg):
मंडराए
(mandraae)
subjunctive (3pl):
मंडराएँ
(mandraaen)