गिरना (girnaa)
verb
The basic verb of physical falling (girnaa), with natural extensions into things like prices, health, and reputation 'falling' -- much as in English.
Sense
1
:
to fall, to fall down (physically)
verb, intransitive
Synonyms: गिर पड़ना (gir padnaa, compound form emphasizing suddenness), ढहना (dhahnaa, for structures collapsing), लुढ़कना (ludhaknaa, to tumble/roll down)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is one of the first 'body in trouble' verbs learners meet -- बच्चा गिर गया (bachchaa gir gayaa, 'the child fell') is something every Indian parent has said, often followed by concerned checking for चोट (chot, injury). Note the common compound-verb pairing गिर जाना (gir jaanaa), which adds a sense of completeness or suddenness to the fall.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes reach for गिराना (giraanaa) when they mean 'to fall' -- but that is the causative, 'to drop/knock down (something)'; गिरना (girnaa) itself is intransitive and describes the falling happening to the subject, not something done to an object. 2) Since गिरना (girnaa) is intransitive, it never takes ने (ne) in the perfective: वह गिरा (vah giraa, 'he fell'), not वह ने गिरा.
Sample Sentences:
बच्चा गिर गया।
The child fell down.
(bachchaa gir gayaa।)
सीढ़ियों से उतरते वक़्त वह गिर पड़ा।
He fell while going down the stairs.
(siidhiyon se utarte vaqt vah gir padaa।)
देखना, बर्फ़ पर फिसल कर गिर मत जाना।
Watch out, don't slip and fall on the ice.
(dekhnaa, barf par phisal kar gir mat jaanaa।)
अगर तुम इतनी तेज़ दौड़ोगे तो गिर जाओगे।
If you run this fast, you'll fall down.
(agar tum itnii tez daudoge to gir jaaoge।)
पेड़ से एक सूखी टहनी गिर रही थी।
A dry branch was falling from the tree.
(ped se ek sookhii tahnii gir rahii thii।)
अगर सीढ़ी ठीक से न लगाई जाती, तो वह ज़रूर गिर जाता।
If the ladder hadn't been set up properly, he would definitely have fallen.
(agar siidhii thiik se n lagaaii jaatii, to vah zaroor gir jaataa।)
बुज़ुर्गों को इतनी फिसलन वाली जगह पर नहीं गिरना चाहिए।
Elderly people shouldn't fall in such a slippery place.
(buzurgon ko itnii phislan vaalii jagah par nahiin girnaa chaahie।)
तेज़ हवा से पेड़ की कई शाखाएँ गिरा दी गईं।
Many branches of the tree were brought down by the strong wind.
(tez havaa se ped kii kaii shaakhaaen giraa dii gaiin।)
गिरते-गिरते उसने खंभा पकड़ लिया।
Just as he was about to fall, he grabbed the pole.
(girte-girte usne khambhaa pakad liyaa।)
बारिश में सड़क पर फिसल कर लोग गिरते रहते हैं।
People keep slipping and falling on the road during the rain.
(baarish men sadak par phisal kar log girte rahte hain।)
क्या तुम्हें चोट लगी जब तुम गिरे थे?
Did you get hurt when you fell?
(kyaa tumhen chot lagii jab tum gire the?)
साइकिल से गिरकर उसके घुटने में चोट लग गई।
He fell off the bicycle and hurt his knee.
(saaikil se girkar uske ghutne men chot lag gaii।)
Sense
2
:
to fall/drop (of prices, levels, temperature, etc.)
verb, intransitive
Synonyms: घटना (ghatnaa, to decrease), नीचे जाना (niiche jaanaa, to go down)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You will hear this constantly in everyday talk about money and weather: भाव गिर गए (bhaav gir gae, 'prices fell') or तापमान गिर रहा है (taapmaan gir rahaa hai, 'the temperature is falling'). It mirrors English 'fall' for prices almost exactly, which makes it an easy sense for learners to pick up quickly.
Sample Sentences:
आज सोने के भाव गिर गए।
Gold prices fell today.
(aaj sone ke bhaav gir gae।)
रात को तापमान बहुत गिर जाता है।
The temperature drops a lot at night.
(raat ko taapmaan bahut gir jaataa hai।)
शेयर बाजार में आज सुबह से भाव गिर रहे हैं।
Prices in the stock market have been falling since this morning.
(sheyar baajaar men aaj subah se bhaav gir rahe hain।)
अगर बारिश हुई तो तापमान और गिरेगा।
If it rains, the temperature will drop even more.
(agar baarish huii to taapmaan aur giregaa।)
पिछले महीने प्याज के दाम अचानक गिर गए थे।
Last month, onion prices had suddenly dropped.
(pichhle mahiine pyaaj ke daam achaanak gir gae the।)
यदि ब्याज दरें गिरती हैं तो लोग ज़्यादा कर्ज़ लेंगे।
If interest rates fall, people will take more loans.
(yadi byaaj daren girtii hain to log zyaadaa karz lenge।)
काश पेट्रोल के दाम थोड़े गिरते।
If only petrol prices would drop a bit.
(kaash petrol ke daam thode girte।)
मंदी की वजह से मुनाफा गिरा जा रहा है।
Because of the recession, profits are being made to fall.
(mandii kii vajah se munaaphaa giraa jaa rahaa hai।)
आपूर्ति बढ़ने से टमाटर के भाव गिर सकते हैं।
Tomato prices may fall due to increased supply.
(aapoorti badhne se tamaatar ke bhaav gir sakte hain।)
पहाड़ों पर बर्फबारी के बाद तापमान शून्य से नीचे गिर गया।
After the snowfall in the mountains, the temperature fell below zero.
(pahaadon par barphbaarii ke baad taapmaan shoony se niiche gir gayaa।)
रुपये की कीमत डॉलर के मुकाबले गिरती जा रही है।
The rupee's value keeps falling against the dollar.
(rupye kii kiimat dolar ke mukaable girtii jaa rahii hai।)
Sense
3
:
to decline (health, reputation, morale, standards)
verb, intransitive Often used with abstract subjects like इज़्ज़त (izzat, honor/reputation), सेहत (sehat, health), or स्तर (star, standard/level).
Synonyms: बिगड़ना (bigadnaa, to worsen/go bad), गिरावट आना (giraavat aanaa, noun+verb phrase, 'a decline to occur')
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This figurative extension is very much alive in everyday speech -- उसकी सेहत गिर रही है (uskii sehat gir rahii hai, 'his health is declining') or उसकी नज़रों में गिर गया (uskii nazron men gir gayaa, 'he fell in her estimation/eyes') both use the same falling logic as English, so it tends to feel intuitive rather than foreign.
Sample Sentences:
उसकी सेहत दिन-ब-दिन गिर रही है।
His health is declining day by day.
(uskii sehat din-b-din gir rahii hai।)
मेहनत न करने की वजह से उसका स्तर गिर गया।
Because he didn't work hard, his standard declined.
(mehnat n karne kii vajah se uskaa star gir gayaa।)
वह झूठ बोलकर मेरी नज़रों में गिर गया।
By lying, he fell in my estimation.
(vah jhooth bolkar merii nazron men gir gayaa।)
अगर तुम इस तरह काम करोगे तो कंपनी की साख गिरेगी।
If you work like this, the company's reputation will decline.
(agar tum is tarah kaam karoge to kampnii kii saakh giregii।)
काश उसकी सेहत इतनी न गिरती।
I wish his health hadn't declined so much.
(kaash uskii sehat itnii n girtii।)
शिक्षा का स्तर हर साल गिरता जा रहा है।
The standard of education keeps declining every year.
(shikshaa kaa star har saal girtaa jaa rahaa hai।)
सैनिकों का मनोबल युद्ध में गिर गया।
The soldiers' morale fell during the war.
(sainikon kaa manobal yuddh men gir gayaa।)
ऐसा मत करो, वरना तुम अपने ही परिवार की नज़रों में गिर जाओगे।
Don't do that, or you'll fall in your own family's estimation.
(aisaa mat karo, varnaa tum apne hii parivaar kii nazron men gir jaaoge।)
जब पैसों का लालच आ जाता है, तो इंसान का चरित्र गिर जाता है।
When greed for money takes over, a person's character declines.
(jab paison kaa laalach aa jaataa hai, to insaan kaa charitr gir jaataa hai।)
उसकी लोकप्रियता उस घटना के बाद बहुत गिरी।
His popularity fell a lot after that incident.
(uskii lokapriytaa us ghatnaa ke baad bahut girii।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
गिरना
(girnaa)
infinitive oblique:
गिरने
(girne)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
गिरता
(girtaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
गिरते
(girte)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
गिरती
(girtii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
गिरतीं
(girtiin)
continuous (sg.m):
गिर रहा
(gir rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
गिर रहे
(gir rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
गिर रही
(gir rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
गिर रहीं
(gir rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
गिरा
(giraa)
perfective (pl.m):
गिरे
(gire)
perfective (sg.f):
गिरी
(girii)
perfective (pl.f):
गिरीं
(giriin)
imperative (informal):
गिर
(gir)
imperative (neutral):
गिरो
(giro)
imperative (formal):
गिरिए
(girie)
future (1sg.m):
गिरूँगा
(giroongaa)
future (1sg.f):
गिरूँगी
(giroongii)
future (1pl.m):
गिरेंगे
(girenge)
future (1pl.f):
गिरेंगी
(girengii)
future (2sg.m):
गिरेगा
(giregaa)
future (2sg.f):
गिरेगी
(giregii)
future (2pl.m):
गिरोगे
(giroge)
future (2pl.f):
गिरोगी
(girogii)
future (3sg.m):
गिरेगा
(giregaa)
future (3sg.f):
गिरेगी
(giregii)
future (3pl.m):
गिरेंगे
(girenge)
future (3pl.f):
गिरेंगी
(girengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
गिरूँ
(giroon)
subjunctive (1pl):
गिरें
(giren)
subjunctive (2sg):
गिरे
(gire)
subjunctive (2pl):
गिरो
(giro)
subjunctive (3sg):
गिरे
(gire)
subjunctive (3pl):
गिरें
(giren)