तौलना (taulnaa)
verb
Basic transitive verb meaning 'to weigh' -- used literally for weighing goods on a scale, and figuratively for weighing up options, words, or people before deciding.
Sense
1
:
to weigh (a physical object)
verb, transitive
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Picture a सब्ज़ी वाला (sabzii vaalaa, 'vegetable seller') at a Delhi market putting tomatoes on an old-style तराज़ू (taraazoo, 'balance scale') and calling out the weight -- that everyday scene is exactly where this verb lives. It is a completely ordinary, high-frequency verb for any market or kitchen context involving a scale.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes confuse तौलना (taulnaa, 'to weigh something') with तुलना (tulnaa, 'comparison'), which look and sound similar but are unrelated in everyday use -- one is an action, the other is a noun for comparing things. 2) The shopkeeper doing the weighing is the one who 'तौलता है' (taultaa hai); the customer does not तौलना (taulnaa) the goods, they only watch or ask for weighing -- learners sometimes misassign the subject.
Sample Sentences:
दुकानदार टमाटर तौल रहा है।
The shopkeeper is weighing the tomatoes.
(dukaandaar tamaatar taul rahaa hai।)
पहले सामान तौलो, फिर पैसे लेना।
First weigh the goods, then take the money.
(pahle saamaan taulo, phir paise lenaa।)
उसने आलू तौले और थैले में डाल दिए।
He weighed the potatoes and put them in the bag.
(usne aaloo taule aur thaile men daal die।)
यह तराज़ू सामान सही तौलता है।
This scale weighs things correctly.
(yah taraazoo saamaan sahii taultaa hai।)
क्या आप कृपया इसे फिर से तौल सकते हैं?
Could you please weigh this again?
(kyaa aap kripyaa ise phir se taul sakte hain?)
सामान बाज़ार में तौला जाता है, तभी बिकता है।
The goods are weighed at the market, only then are they sold.
(saamaan baazaar men taulaa jaataa hai, tabhii biktaa hai।)
अगर तराज़ू खराब न होता, तो सेब ठीक से तौले जाते।
If the scale wasn't broken, the apples would have been weighed properly.
(agar taraazoo kharaab n hotaa, to seb thiik se taule jaate।)
कल मैं मंडी से अनाज तौलकर लाऊँगा।
Tomorrow I will weigh the grain at the wholesale market and bring it home.
(kal main mandii se anaaj taulkar laaoongaa।)
रसोई में हर मसाला बड़ी सावधानी से तौला जाता था।
Every spice used to be weighed very carefully in the kitchen.
(rasoii men har masaalaa badii saavdhaanii se taulaa jaataa thaa।)
सब्ज़ी वाला भाव बताने से पहले पालक तौलने लगा।
The vegetable seller started weighing the spinach before quoting the price.
(sabzii vaalaa bhaav bataane se pahle paalak taulne lagaa।)
सोना तौलने के लिए एक अलग, बहुत नाज़ुक तराज़ू होता है।
There is a separate, very delicate scale for weighing gold.
(sonaa taulne ke lie ek alag, bahut naazuk taraazoo hotaa hai।)
Sense
2
:
to weigh up, consider carefully (figurative)
verb, transitive Common object nouns in this figurative sense include बात (baat, 'words/matter'), शब्द (shabd, 'words'), आदमी or इंसान (insaan, 'a person'), as in सोच-समझकर बोलना पड़ता है, हर बात तौल के (har baat taul ke, 'every word must be weighed'), where तौलना (taulnaa) means choosing words carefully.
Synonyms: आँकना (aanknaa, to gauge/assess), जाँचना (jaanchnaa, to check/examine)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This is the verb behind the common piece of advice given to someone about to speak in a delicate situation: 'अपने शब्दों को तौल कर बोलो' (apne shabdon ko taul kar bolo, 'weigh your words before speaking'). It extends the market image of a scale to weighing a person's character or intentions, much like English 'sizing someone up.'
Common Mistakes: 1) This figurative sense is often paired with सोचना (sochnaa, 'to think') or समझना (samajhnaa, 'to understand') in set phrases like सोच-समझकर तौलना (soch-samajhkar taulnaa); using तौलना (taulnaa) alone can sound abrupt where a native speaker would add that cushioning phrase.
Sample Sentences:
बोलने से पहले अपने शब्दों को तौल लो।
Weigh your words before speaking.
(bolne se pahle apne shabdon ko taul lo।)
वह हर बात को बहुत ध्यान से तौलता है, फिर जवाब देता है।
He weighs every matter very carefully, then replies.
(vah har baat ko bahut dhyaan se taultaa hai, phir javaab detaa hai।)
मैं उसके शब्दों को तौल रही थी कि वह सच बोल रहा है या नहीं।
I was weighing his words to see whether he was telling the truth or not.
(main uske shabdon ko taul rahii thii ki vah sach bol rahaa hai yaa nahiin।)
फैसला लेने से पहले उसने सारे फायदे और नुकसान तौले।
Before making the decision, he weighed all the pros and cons.
(phaislaa lene se pahle usne saare phaayde aur nuksaan taule।)
अगर तुम हर किसी की बात इतनी सफाई से तौलोगे, तो कभी फैसला नहीं ले पाओगे।
If you weigh everyone's words so meticulously, you'll never be able to make a decision.
(agar tum har kisii kii baat itnii saphaaii se tauloge, to kabhii phaislaa nahiin le paaoge।)
काश मैंने उसकी नीयत को पहले ही तौल लिया होता।
If only I had sized up his intentions beforehand.
(kaash mainne uskii niiyat ko pahle hii taul liyaa hotaa।)
जरूरी है कि कोई भी बड़ा बयान देने से पहले उसके असर को तौला जाए।
It is necessary that the impact of any major statement be weighed before it is given.
(jaroorii hai ki koii bhii badaa bayaan dene se pahle uske asar ko taulaa jaae।)
मंत्री जी अपने हर बयान को राजनीतिक तराजू पर तौलते हैं।
The minister weighs every one of his statements on the political scale.
(mantrii jii apne har bayaan ko raajniitik taraajoo par taulte hain।)
एक अनुभवी वकील गवाह के हर शब्द को बारीकी से तौलता है।
An experienced lawyer scrutinizes and weighs every word of the witness closely.
(ek anubhvii vakiil gavaah ke har shabd ko baariikii se taultaa hai।)
पहली मुलाकात में ही उसने मुझे सिर से पैर तक तौल लिया था।
In our very first meeting, she had already sized me up from head to toe.
(pahlii mulaakaat men hii usne mujhe sir se pair tak taul liyaa thaa।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
तौलना
(taulnaa)
infinitive oblique:
तौलने
(taulne)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
तौलता
(taultaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
तौलते
(taulte)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
तौलती
(taultii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
तौलतीं
(taultiin)
continuous (sg.m):
तौल रहा
(taul rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
तौल रहे
(taul rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
तौल रही
(taul rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
तौल रहीं
(taul rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
तौला
(taulaa)
perfective (pl.m):
तौले
(taule)
perfective (sg.f):
तौली
(taulii)
perfective (pl.f):
तौलीं
(tauliin)
imperative (informal):
तौल
(taul)
imperative (neutral):
तौलो
(taulo)
imperative (formal):
तौलिए
(taulie)
future (1sg.m):
तौलूँगा
(tauloongaa)
future (1sg.f):
तौलूँगी
(tauloongii)
future (1pl.m):
तौलेंगे
(taulenge)
future (1pl.f):
तौलेंगी
(taulengii)
future (2sg.m):
तौलेगा
(taulegaa)
future (2sg.f):
तौलेगी
(taulegii)
future (2pl.m):
तौलोगे
(tauloge)
future (2pl.f):
तौलोगी
(taulogii)
future (3sg.m):
तौलेगा
(taulegaa)
future (3sg.f):
तौलेगी
(taulegii)
future (3pl.m):
तौलेंगे
(taulenge)
future (3pl.f):
तौलेंगी
(taulengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
तौलूँ
(tauloon)
subjunctive (1pl):
तौलें
(taulen)
subjunctive (2sg):
तौले
(taule)
subjunctive (2pl):
तौलो
(taulo)
subjunctive (3sg):
तौले
(taule)
subjunctive (3pl):
तौलें
(taulen)