सुधारना (sudhaarnaa)
verb
A transitive verb meaning 'to correct, fix, or improve' something -- a mistake, a situation, a habit, or a broken object. Related to the intransitive/passive-leaning verb सुधरना (sudharnaa, 'to improve, mend oneself'), which describes the same change happening on its own or to the subject itself.
Sense
1
:
to correct or fix a mistake/error
verb, transitive
Synonyms: ठीक करना (thiik karnaa), दुरुस्त करना (durust karnaa)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the word your teacher uses when marking homework: गलतियाँ सुधारो (galtiyaan sudhaaro, 'correct the mistakes') is a classic red-pen instruction in Indian classrooms.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for सुधरना (sudharnaa) when they mean सुधारना (sudhaarnaa) -- सुधरना (sudharnaa) is what happens when something improves by itself or someone reforms themselves, while सुधारना (sudhaarnaa) is used when you actively correct or fix something/someone else. 2) With ने (ne) marking, remember this verb is transitive, so the past tense takes ने (ne) on the subject: उसने गलती सुधारी (usne galtii sudhaarii, 'he/she corrected the mistake').
Sample Sentences:
अपनी गलतियाँ सुधारो।
Correct your mistakes.
(apnii galtiyaan sudhaaro।)
टीचर ने कहा कि सारी गलतियाँ सुधारो।
The teacher said, correct all the mistakes.
(tiichar ne kahaa ki saarii galtiyaan sudhaaro।)
मैंने अपने निबंध की गलतियाँ सुधार दी हैं।
I have corrected the mistakes in my essay.
(mainne apne nibandh kii galtiyaan sudhaar dii hain।)
वह हर हफ्ते अपनी उच्चारण की गलतियाँ सुधारता है।
He corrects his pronunciation mistakes every week.
(vah har haphte apnii uchchaaran kii galtiyaan sudhaartaa hai।)
मैं अपनी गलती सुधार रहा हूँ।
I am correcting my mistake.
(main apnii galtii sudhaar rahaa hoon।)
अगर तुम अभी अपनी गलती सुधार लो, तो कोई बात नहीं।
If you correct your mistake right now, it's fine.
(agar tum abhii apnii galtii sudhaar lo, to koii baat nahiin।)
अगर उसने अपनी गलती पहले सुधारी होती, तो नंबर नहीं कटते।
If he had corrected his mistake earlier, marks wouldn't have been deducted.
(agar usne apnii galtii pahle sudhaarii hotii, to nambar nahiin katte।)
परीक्षा में गलतियाँ सुधारने के लिए पूरा समय दिया जाएगा।
Full time will be given to correct the mistakes in the exam.
(pariikshaa men galtiyaan sudhaarne ke lie pooraa samay diyaa jaaegaa।)
गलती को समय पर सुधार लिया जाना चाहिए।
The mistake should be corrected in time.
(galtii ko samay par sudhaar liyaa jaanaa chaahie।)
कृपया अपनी वर्तनी की गलतियाँ सुधार लें।
Please correct your spelling mistakes.
(kripyaa apnii vartnii kii galtiyaan sudhaar len।)
कल तक मैं अपनी सारी गलतियाँ सुधार लूँगा।
By tomorrow I will have corrected all my mistakes.
(kal tak main apnii saarii galtiyaan sudhaar loongaa।)
Sense
2
:
to improve or fix a situation, system, or object
verb, transitive
Synonyms: बेहतर बनाना (behtar banaanaa), मरम्मत करना (marammat karnaa, for physical objects)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You'll hear this in civic and political talk constantly -- हालात सुधारना (haalaat sudhaarnaa, 'to improve the situation') or व्यवस्था सुधारना (vyavasthaa sudhaarnaa, 'to fix the system') are staples of news debates and neighborhood chai-time complaints about the government.
Sample Sentences:
सरकार को हालात सुधारने चाहिए।
The government should improve the situation.
(sarkaar ko haalaat sudhaarne chaahie।)
वे शहर की सड़कों को सुधार रहे हैं।
They are fixing the city's roads.
(ve shahar kii sadkon ko sudhaar rahe hain।)
पिछली सरकार ने शिक्षा व्यवस्था सुधारी थी।
The previous government had improved the education system.
(pichhlii sarkaar ne shikshaa vyavasthaa sudhaarii thii।)
अगर बजट होता तो हम अस्पताल की हालत सुधार देते।
If there had been budget, we would have improved the hospital's condition.
(agar bajat hotaa to ham asptaal kii haalat sudhaar dete।)
यह मशीन खराब है, इसे सुधार दो।
This machine is broken, fix it.
(yah mashiin kharaab hai, ise sudhaar do।)
हालात सुधारने के लिए बहुत मेहनत करनी पड़ेगी।
A lot of hard work will be needed to improve the situation.
(haalaat sudhaarne ke lie bahut mehnat karnii padegii।)
व्यवस्था तो जल्दी नहीं सुधरती, लेकिन कोशिश जारी रहनी चाहिए।
The system doesn't improve quickly, but efforts should continue.
(vyavasthaa to jaldii nahiin sudhartii, lekin koshish jaarii rahnii chaahie।)
नई नीति से व्यवस्था सुधारी जाएगी।
The system will be improved through the new policy.
(naii niiti se vyavasthaa sudhaarii jaaegii।)
चाय पर बैठे लोग हमेशा कहते हैं कि सरकार को हालात सुधारने चाहिए, पर करता कोई नहीं।
People sitting over chai always say the government should fix the situation, but no one actually does it.
(chaay par baithe log hameshaa kahte hain ki sarkaar ko haalaat sudhaarne chaahie, par kartaa koii nahiin।)
क्या तुम यह पुराना कंप्यूटर सुधार सकते हो?
Can you fix this old computer?
(kyaa tum yah puraanaa kampyootar sudhaar sakte ho?)
नगर निगम ने कहा है कि जल निकासी व्यवस्था जल्द सुधारी जाएगी।
The municipal corporation has said that the drainage system will soon be fixed.
(nagar nigam ne kahaa hai ki jal nikaasii vyavasthaa jald sudhaarii jaaegii।)
Sense
3
:
to reform or correct someone's behavior/character
verb, transitive
Synonyms: सही रास्ते पर लाना (sahii raaste par laanaa, to set right/reform)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This is the classic worried-parent verb -- उसे सुधारना पड़ेगा (use sudhaarnaa padegaa, 'he'll have to be straightened out') is something you might overhear about a child who's fallen into bad company. It carries a firm, almost disciplinary tone, distinct from gentler words for guidance.
Common Mistakes: 1) This sense takes a person as the object, which can feel presumptuous in English but is completely natural in Hindi: बेटे को सुधारना (bete ko sudhaarnaa, 'to reform/correct one's son') -- the को (ko) marks the person being corrected, not a location or recipient.
Sample Sentences:
माँ-बाप हमेशा यही सोचते हैं कि वे अपने बच्चे को सुधार सकते हैं।
Parents always think that they can straighten out their child.
(maan-baap hameshaa yahii sochte hain ki ve apne bachche ko sudhaar sakte hain।)
उसे सुधारना पड़ेगा, वरना वह बुरी संगत में और बिगड़ जाएगा।
He'll have to be straightened out, or he'll get even worse in bad company.
(use sudhaarnaa padegaa, varnaa vah burii sangat men aur bigad jaaegaa।)
पिता जी ने उसे डाँट-डाँट कर सुधारने की कोशिश की।
Father tried to reform him through repeated scolding.
(pitaa jii ne use daant-daant kar sudhaarne kii koshish kii।)
उसे सुधार दो, इससे पहले कि बहुत देर हो जाए।
Straighten him out before it's too late.
(use sudhaar do, isse pahle ki bahut der ho jaae।)
अगर स्कूल में सही ध्यान दिया जाता तो वह लड़का सुधर जाता।
If proper attention had been paid at school, that boy would have been reformed.
(agar skool men sahii dhyaan diyaa jaataa to vah ladkaa sudhar jaataa।)
क्या सख्त अनुशासन से हर बिगड़े बच्चे को सुधारा जा सकता है?
Can every spoiled child be reformed through strict discipline?
(kyaa sakht anushaasan se har bigde bachche ko sudhaaraa jaa saktaa hai?)
गुरु जी चाहते थे कि वह अपने चेले को सुधारे और सही रास्ते पर लाए।
The teacher wanted him to reform his disciple and bring him onto the right path.
(guru jii chaahte the ki vah apne chele ko sudhaare aur sahii raaste par laae।)
जेल में उसे सुधारने के लिए कई कार्यक्रम चलाए जाते हैं।
In prison, many programs are run to reform him.
(jel men use sudhaarne ke lie kaii kaaryakram chalaae jaate hain।)
दादी कहती थीं कि प्यार से भी लोग सुधर जाते हैं, डर से नहीं।
Grandmother used to say that people can be reformed with love too, not just with fear.
(daadii kahtii thiin ki pyaar se bhii log sudhar jaate hain, dar se nahiin।)
वह इतना जिद्दी है कि उसे सुधारना नामुमकिन लगता है।
He is so stubborn that reforming him seems impossible.
(vah itnaa jiddii hai ki use sudhaarnaa naamumkin lagtaa hai।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
सुधारना
(sudhaarnaa)
infinitive oblique:
सुधारने
(sudhaarne)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
सुधारता
(sudhaartaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
सुधारते
(sudhaarte)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
सुधारती
(sudhaartii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
सुधारतीं
(sudhaartiin)
continuous (sg.m):
सुधार रहा
(sudhaar rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
सुधार रहे
(sudhaar rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
सुधार रही
(sudhaar rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
सुधार रहीं
(sudhaar rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
सुधारा
(sudhaaraa)
perfective (pl.m):
सुधारे
(sudhaare)
perfective (sg.f):
सुधारी
(sudhaarii)
perfective (pl.f):
सुधारीं
(sudhaariin)
imperative (informal):
सुधार
(sudhaar)
imperative (neutral):
सुधारो
(sudhaaro)
imperative (formal):
सुधारिए
(sudhaarie)
future (1sg.m):
सुधारूँगा
(sudhaaroongaa)
future (1sg.f):
सुधारूँगी
(sudhaaroongii)
future (1pl.m):
सुधारेंगे
(sudhaarenge)
future (1pl.f):
सुधारेंगी
(sudhaarengii)
future (2sg.m):
सुधारेगा
(sudhaaregaa)
future (2sg.f):
सुधारेगी
(sudhaaregii)
future (2pl.m):
सुधारोगे
(sudhaaroge)
future (2pl.f):
सुधारोगी
(sudhaarogii)
future (3sg.m):
सुधारेगा
(sudhaaregaa)
future (3sg.f):
सुधारेगी
(sudhaaregii)
future (3pl.m):
सुधारेंगे
(sudhaarenge)
future (3pl.f):
सुधारेंगी
(sudhaarengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
सुधारूँ
(sudhaaroon)
subjunctive (1pl):
सुधारें
(sudhaaren)
subjunctive (2sg):
सुधारे
(sudhaare)
subjunctive (2pl):
सुधारो
(sudhaaro)
subjunctive (3sg):
सुधारे
(sudhaare)
subjunctive (3pl):
सुधारें
(sudhaaren)