पार करना (paar karnaa)

verb A compound verb built from पार (paar, 'across/other side') plus करना (karnaa, 'to do'); it means to cross something, and extends naturally to overcoming a difficulty or getting through a stretch of time.
Sense 1 : to cross (a physical space)
verb, transitive
Synonyms: पार जाना (paar jaanaa, intransitive variant), लांघना (laanghnaa, to leap/step across, less common)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You will hear this constantly in everyday instructions: सड़क पार करते वक्त देख लेना (sadak paar karte vakt dekh lenaa, 'look carefully while crossing the road') is something every Delhi parent says to a child before they step onto the road.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often say नदी में पार करना (nadii men paar karnaa) by analogy with 'in the river', but the correct marking is नदी पार करना (nadii paar karnaa) or सड़क पार करना (sadak paar karnaa) -- the thing crossed takes no postposition, just like a direct object. 2) Do not confuse with पार होना (paar honaa), which describes the same event from the intransitive side ('to get across'), not as something someone actively does to an object.
Sample Sentences:
सड़क पार करते वक्त देख लेना। Look carefully while crossing the road.
(sadak paar karte vakt dekh lenaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
वह रोज़ इस नदी को नाव से पार करता है। He crosses this river by boat every day.
(vah roz is nadii ko naav se paar kartaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
हम अभी चौराहा पार कर रहे हैं। We are crossing the intersection right now.
(ham abhii chauraahaa paar kar rahe hain।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
उसने सीमा पार कर ली और दूसरे देश में घुस गया। He crossed the border and entered the other country.
(usne siimaa paar kar lii aur doosre desh men ghus gayaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
कल हम यह पुल पार करेंगे। Tomorrow we will cross this bridge.
(kal ham yah pul paar karenge।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
अगर ट्रैफिक इतना ज़्यादा न होता तो हम सड़क आसानी से पार कर लेते। If the traffic weren't so heavy, we would have crossed the road easily.
(agar traiphik itnaa zyaadaa n hotaa to ham sadak aasaanii se paar kar lete।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Perfective -- Voice: Active
कृपया इस रेलवे लाइन को केवल निर्धारित स्थान से ही पार करें। Please cross this railway line only at the designated spot.
(kripyaa is relve laain ko keval nirdhaarit sthaan se hii paar karen।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
शायद वह जंगल पार करके गाँव तक पहुँच जाए। Maybe he'll cross the forest and reach the village.
(shaayad vah jangal paar karke gaanv tak pahunch jaae।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
यह नाला बिना पुल के पार नहीं किया जा सकता। This drain cannot be crossed without a bridge.
(yah naalaa binaa pul ke paar nahiin kiyaa jaa saktaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
सैनिकों ने रात के अंधेरे में नदी पार कर ली थी। The soldiers had crossed the river in the darkness of night.
(sainikon ne raat ke andhere men nadii paar kar lii thii।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
बच्चों, हाथ पकड़कर ही सड़क पार करना। Children, only cross the road while holding hands.
(bachchon, haath pakadkar hii sadak paar karnaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
Sense 2 : to get through/overcome (a difficulty, obstacle, or phase)
verb, transitive Takes an abstract object like मुसीबत (musiibat, 'trouble') or मुश्किल घड़ी (mushkil ghadii, 'difficult time') in place of the physical space of Sense 1.
Synonyms: निकल जाना (nikal jaanaa, to come out of a situation), पार लगना (paar lagnaa, intransitive, to be gotten through)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This is a natural metaphorical stretch from Sense 1: just as you physically cross a river, you figuratively 'cross' a hard patch of life -- मुश्किल का दौर पार करना (mushkil kaa daur paar karnaa, 'to get through a hard period') treats a difficulty as a stretch of terrain to be traversed, a very common way Hindi frames endurance.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes reach for पार करना (paar karnaa) where a native speaker would more naturally say झेलना (jhelnaa, 'to endure') or निकालना (nikaalnaa, 'to get through/spend (time)') -- पार करना works but leans slightly more formal/narrative in this figurative sense than in its literal one.
Sample Sentences:
हमने बड़ी मुश्किल से यह मुश्किल दौर पार किया। We got through this difficult phase with great difficulty.
(hamne badii mushkil se yah mushkil daur paar kiyaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
वह हर मुसीबत को पार करने की कोशिश करता है। He tries to overcome every trouble that comes his way.
(vah har musiibat ko paar karne kii koshish kartaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अगर हम मिलकर काम करें, तो यह संकट भी पार कर लेंगे। If we work together, we'll get through this crisis too.
(agar ham milkar kaam karen, to yah sankat bhii paar kar lenge।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
इस मुश्किल घड़ी को धीरे-धीरे पार किया जा रहा है। This difficult hour is slowly being overcome.
(is mushkil ghadii ko dhiire-dhiire paar kiyaa jaa rahaa hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
काश हम वह बुरा वक्त पहले ही पार कर लेते। I wish we had gotten through that hard time earlier.
(kaash ham vah buraa vakt pahle hii paar kar lete।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Perfective -- Voice: Active
जरा हिम्मत रखो, यह बीमारी का दौर भी पार कर लोगे। Just have some courage, you'll get through this illness too.
(jaraa himmat rakho, yah biimaarii kaa daur bhii paar kar loge।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
क्या तुम इस आर्थिक तंगी को पार कर पाओगे? Will you be able to get through this financial crunch?
(kyaa tum is aarthik tangii ko paar kar paaoge?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
देश ने कई युद्धों और महामारियों को पार किया है। The country has gotten through many wars and pandemics.
(desh ne kaii yuddhon aur mahaamaariyon ko paar kiyaa hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
शायद वह अपने जीवन का सबसे कठिन मोड़ पार कर रही हो। Perhaps she is getting through the hardest turn of her life.
(shaayad vah apne jiivan kaa sabse kathin mod paar kar rahii ho।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
मुश्किल का दौर पार करना कभी आसान नहीं होता। Getting through a hard period is never easy.
(mushkil kaa daur paar karnaa kabhii aasaan nahiin hotaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Verb (irregular)
infinitive: पार करना (paar karnaa)
infinitive oblique: पार करने (paar karne)
habitual/simple (sg.m): पार करता (paar kartaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m): पार करते (paar karte)
habitual/simple (sg.f): पार करती (paar kartii)
habitual/simple (pl.f): पार करतीं (paar kartiin)
continuous (sg.m): पार कर रहा (paar kar rahaa)
continuous (pl.m): पार कर रहे (paar kar rahe)
continuous (sg.f): पार कर रही (paar kar rahii)
continuous (pl.f): पार कर रहीं (paar kar rahiin)
perfective (sg.m): पार किया (paar kiyaa)
perfective (pl.m): पार किए (paar kie)
perfective (sg.f): पार की (paar kii)
perfective (pl.f): पार कीं (paar kiin)
imperative (informal): पार कर (paar kar)
imperative (neutral): पार करो (paar karo)
imperative (formal): पार कीजिए (paar kiijie)
future (1sg.m): पार करूँगा (paar karoongaa)
future (1sg.f): पार करूँगी (paar karoongii)
future (1pl.m): पार करेंगे (paar karenge)
future (1pl.f): पार करेंगी (paar karengii)
future (2sg.m): पार करेगा (paar karegaa)
future (2sg.f): पार करेगी (paar karegii)
future (2pl.m): पार करोगे (paar karoge)
future (2pl.f): पार करोगी (paar karogii)
future (3sg.m): पार करेगा (paar karegaa)
future (3sg.f): पार करेगी (paar karegii)
future (3pl.m): पार करेंगे (paar karenge)
future (3pl.f): पार करेंगी (paar karengii)
subjunctive (1sg): पार करूँ (paar karoon)
subjunctive (1pl): पार करें (paar karen)
subjunctive (2sg): पार करे (paar kare)
subjunctive (2pl): पार करो (paar karo)
subjunctive (3sg): पार करे (paar kare)
subjunctive (3pl): पार करें (paar karen)