बढ़ना (badhnaa)
verb
The core meaning is 'to increase, grow, advance' -- covering physical growth, numeric/quantity increase, and forward movement, all intransitive. A causative partner, बढ़ाना (badhaanaa, 'to increase something'), exists as its own lemma.
Sense
1
:
to increase, grow (in quantity, degree, or size)
verb, intransitive
Synonyms: बढ़ोतरी होना (badhotrii honaa, phrase), उभरना (ubharnaa, rare in this sense)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You'll hear this constantly in everyday talk about prices, weight, population, and traffic -- मेहंगाई बढ़ गई है (mehangaaii badh gaii hai, 'inflation has gone up') is a near-daily complaint in any Delhi household or market conversation. Paired with जाना (jaanaa) as in बढ़ जाना (badh jaanaa), it signals a completed, often noticeable jump in degree.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for बढ़ाना (badhaanaa) when they mean बढ़ना (badhnaa) -- use बढ़ना (badhnaa) when the subject itself is growing ('कीमत बढ़ रही है' (kiimat badh rahii hai, 'the price is increasing')), and बढ़ाना (badhaanaa) only when someone/something else causes the increase. 2) Being intransitive, it never takes ने (ne) in the perfective, even though the meaning feels active -- 'कीमत बढ़ी' (kiimat badhii, 'the price increased'), not 'कीमत ने बढ़ी'.
Sample Sentences:
इस महीने पेट्रोल के दाम फिर बढ़ गए हैं।
Petrol prices have gone up again this month.
(is mahiine petrol ke daam phir badh gae hain।)
गर्मियों में बिजली का बिल बहुत बढ़ जाता है।
The electricity bill increases a lot in summer.
(garmiyon men bijlii kaa bil bahut badh jaataa hai।)
पिछले साल दिल्ली की आबादी काफी बढ़ी थी।
Delhi's population increased quite a bit last year.
(pichhle saal dillii kii aabaadii kaaphii badhii thii।)
अगर तुम रोज़ ऐसे खाते रहे तो तुम्हारा वज़न और बढ़ेगा।
If you keep eating like this every day, your weight will increase even more.
(agar tum roz aise khaate rahe to tumhaaraa vazan aur badhegaa।)
दाम मत बढ़ाओ, वरना कोई ग्राहक नहीं आएगा।
Don't increase the price, or no customer will come.
(daam mat badhaao, varnaa koii graahak nahiin aaegaa।)
शायद ब्याज दर अगली बैठक में बढ़े।
The interest rate might increase in the next meeting.
(shaayad byaaj dar aglii baithak men badhe।)
अगर सरकार टैक्स न बढ़ाती तो महंगाई इतनी न बढ़ती।
If the government hadn't increased taxes, inflation wouldn't have gone up this much.
(agar sarkaar taiks n badhaatii to mahangaaii itnii n badhtii।)
शहर में ट्रैफिक दिन-प्रतिदिन बढ़ता जा रहा है।
Traffic in the city is increasing day by day.
(shahar men traiphik din-pratidin badhtaa jaa rahaa hai।)
कोरोना के बाद ऑनलाइन शॉपिंग का चलन बहुत बढ़ा है।
The trend of online shopping has increased a lot since Corona.
(koronaa ke baad onlaain shoping kaa chalan bahut badhaa hai।)
नई पॉलिसी से कंपनी का मुनाफ़ा बढ़ाया जा सकता है।
The company's profit can be increased with the new policy.
(naii polisii se kampnii kaa munaafaa badhaayaa jaa saktaa hai।)
मेहंगाई बढ़ गई है, अब घर चलाना मुश्किल हो गया है।
Inflation has gone up, now it's become hard to run the household.
(mehangaaii badh gaii hai, ab ghar chalaanaa mushkil ho gayaa hai।)
उत्पादन बढ़ाने के लिए फैक्ट्री में नई मशीनें लगाई गई हैं।
New machines have been installed in the factory to increase production.
(utpaadan badhaane ke lie phaiktrii men naii mashiinen lagaaii gaii hain।)
Sense
2
:
to move forward, advance (physically)
verb, intransitive Very frequently used with आगे (aage) to emphasize forward direction, as in आगे बढ़ो (aage badho, 'move ahead').
Synonyms: आगे बढ़ना (aage badhnaa, common fuller phrase), अग्रसर होना (agrsar honaa, literary)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You'll hear आगे बढ़ो (aage badho) shouted by conductors on crowded Delhi buses and metros, telling passengers to move further in -- a very physical, everyday use of this sense.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes confuse this with चलना (chalnaa, 'to walk/move') -- बढ़ना (badhnaa) carries a sense of progress or advancing past a point, not just generic movement.
Sample Sentences:
बस में आगे बढ़ो, पीछे जगह नहीं है।
Move forward in the bus, there's no room at the back.
(bas men aage badho, piichhe jagah nahiin hai।)
कंडक्टर चिल्ला रहा था, "आगे बढ़ो, आगे बढ़ो!"
The conductor was shouting, "Move forward, move forward!"
(kandaktar chillaa rahaa thaa, "aage badho, aage badho!")
भीड़ में वह धीरे-धीरे दरवाज़े की तरफ़ बढ़ा।
In the crowd, he slowly moved forward towards the door.
(bhiid men vah dhiire-dhiire darvaaze kii taraf badhaa।)
सेना धीरे-धीरे सीमा की ओर बढ़ रही है।
The army is slowly advancing towards the border.
(senaa dhiire-dhiire siimaa kii or badh rahii hai।)
जब भी लाइन में जगह खाली होती है, लोग तुरंत आगे बढ़ते हैं।
Whenever there's space in the line, people immediately move forward.
(jab bhii laain men jagah khaalii hotii hai, log turant aage badhte hain।)
अगर रास्ता साफ़ होता, तो जुलूस और आगे बढ़ता।
If the path had been clear, the procession would have moved further ahead.
(agar raastaa saaf hotaa, to juloos aur aage badhtaa।)
कृपया मेट्रो में गेट से हटकर अंदर बढ़ें।
Please move inside, away from the gate, in the metro.
(kripyaa metro men get se hatkar andar badhen।)
भीड़ इतनी थी कि कोई भी आगे नहीं बढ़ पा रहा था।
The crowd was so dense that no one was able to move forward.
(bhiid itnii thii ki koii bhii aage nahiin badh paa rahaa thaa।)
जुलूस अगले चौराहे तक बढ़ेगा और फिर रुकेगा।
The procession will move forward to the next intersection and then stop.
(juloos agle chauraahe tak badhegaa aur phir rukegaa।)
सैनिकों को दुश्मन की चौकी की तरफ़ बढ़ने का आदेश दिया गया।
The soldiers were given the order to advance towards the enemy post.
(sainikon ko dushman kii chaukii kii taraf badhne kaa aadesh diyaa gayaa।)
थोड़ा और बढ़ जाओ, पीछे वालों को भी चढ़ना है।
Move up a little more, the people behind also need to get on.
(thodaa aur badh jaao, piichhe vaalon ko bhii chadhnaa hai।)
Sense
3
:
to progress, advance (in life, career, development)
verb, intransitive
Synonyms: तरक्की करना (tarakkii karnaa, common phrase), उन्नति करना (unnti karnaa, formal)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Parents and teachers use this figurative sense a lot -- जीवन में बढ़ना (jiivan men badhnaa, 'to advance in life') echoes the same forward-motion image as the literal sense, showing how Hindi treats progress and physical advancing as the same underlying idea.
Sample Sentences:
अगर तुम मेहनत करो तो जीवन में बहुत आगे बढ़ोगे।
If you work hard, you will progress a lot in life.
(agar tum mehnat karo to jiivan men bahut aage badhoge।)
वह अपने करियर में तेज़ी से बढ़ रही है।
She is advancing rapidly in her career.
(vah apne kariyar men tezii se badh rahii hai।)
बेटा, ज़िंदगी में बढ़ने के लिए धैर्य ज़रूरी है।
Son, patience is necessary to progress in life.
(betaa, zindgii men badhne ke lie dhairy zaroorii hai।)
उसने पढ़ाई में इतना अच्छा किया कि जल्दी ही बढ़ गया।
He did so well in his studies that he advanced quickly.
(usne padhaaii men itnaa achchhaa kiyaa ki jaldii hii badh gayaa।)
अगर उसे मौका मिलता तो वह ज़रूर बढ़ता।
If he had gotten the chance, he would surely have progressed.
(agar use maukaa miltaa to vah zaroor badhtaa।)
बेटी, हमेशा आगे बढ़ती रहना, कभी हार मत मानना।
Daughter, always keep progressing, never accept defeat.
(betii, hameshaa aage badhtii rahnaa, kabhii haar mat maannaa।)
शायद वह इस नौकरी में और बढ़े।
Perhaps he will advance further in this job.
(shaayad vah is naukrii men aur badhe।)
समाज में उसकी प्रतिष्ठा धीरे-धीरे बढ़ती गई।
His standing in society gradually kept advancing.
(samaaj men uskii pratishthaa dhiire-dhiire badhtii gaii।)
गुरुजी कहते थे कि ज्ञान से ही मनुष्य जीवन में बढ़ता है।
The teacher used to say that only through knowledge does a person progress in life.
(gurujii kahte the ki gyaan se hii manushy jiivan men badhtaa hai।)
इस कंपनी में तरक़्क़ी करने के लिए उसे बहुत बढ़ना पड़ा।
To get promoted in this company, he had to advance a great deal.
(is kampnii men taraqqii karne ke lie use bahut badhnaa padaa।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
बढ़ना
(badhnaa)
infinitive oblique:
बढ़ने
(badhne)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
बढ़ता
(badhtaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
बढ़ते
(badhte)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
बढ़ती
(badhtii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
बढ़तीं
(badhtiin)
continuous (sg.m):
बढ़ रहा
(badh rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
बढ़ रहे
(badh rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
बढ़ रही
(badh rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
बढ़ रहीं
(badh rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
बढ़ा
(badhaa)
perfective (pl.m):
बढ़े
(badhe)
perfective (sg.f):
बढ़ी
(badhii)
perfective (pl.f):
बढ़ीं
(badhiin)
imperative (informal):
बढ़
(badh)
imperative (neutral):
बढ़ो
(badho)
imperative (formal):
बढ़िए
(badhie)
future (1sg.m):
बढ़ूँगा
(badhoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
बढ़ूँगी
(badhoongii)
future (1pl.m):
बढ़ेंगे
(badhenge)
future (1pl.f):
बढ़ेंगी
(badhengii)
future (2sg.m):
बढ़ेगा
(badhegaa)
future (2sg.f):
बढ़ेगी
(badhegii)
future (2pl.m):
बढ़ोगे
(badhoge)
future (2pl.f):
बढ़ोगी
(badhogii)
future (3sg.m):
बढ़ेगा
(badhegaa)
future (3sg.f):
बढ़ेगी
(badhegii)
future (3pl.m):
बढ़ेंगे
(badhenge)
future (3pl.f):
बढ़ेंगी
(badhengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
बढ़ूँ
(badhoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
बढ़ें
(badhen)
subjunctive (2sg):
बढ़े
(badhe)
subjunctive (2pl):
बढ़ो
(badho)
subjunctive (3sg):
बढ़े
(badhe)
subjunctive (3pl):
बढ़ें
(badhen)