अकेला (akelaa)
adjective/adverb
A common adjective meaning 'alone' or 'single,' with an extended sense meaning 'lonely'; also occasionally used as an adverb meaning 'alone, by oneself.'
Sense
1
:
alone, by oneself, unaccompanied
adjective
Synonyms: एकल (ekal, formal), तनहा (tanahaa)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You will hear this constantly in everyday life: वह अकेला रहता है (vah akelaa rahtaa hai, 'he lives alone') is a very ordinary sentence, since living alone is often remarked upon in a culture where joint families and shared homes are the norm. The word itself carries a faint echo of that social backdrop -- being अकेला (akelaa) is noteworthy precisely because togetherness is the default expectation.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often forget that this adjective agrees in gender and number with the noun it describes, so a woman alone is अकेली (akelii), not अकेला (akelaa). 2) Do not confuse with केवल (keval) or सिर्फ़ (sirf), which mean 'only' -- अकेला (akelaa) describes being physically or situationally unaccompanied, not exclusivity.
Sample Sentences:
वह अकेला रहता है।
He lives alone.
(vah akelaa rahtaa hai।)
मैं कल रात घर पर अकेली थी।
I was alone at home last night.
(main kal raat ghar par akelii thii।)
वह अकेला बैठा है।
He is sitting alone.
(vah akelaa baithaa hai।)
अकेले मत बैठो, हमारे साथ आ जाओ।
Don't sit alone, come join us.
(akele mat baitho, hamaare saath aa jaao।)
काश मैं अकेला न होता।
I wish I weren't alone.
(kaash main akelaa n hotaa।)
अगर वह अकेली होती, तो हम उसे बुला लेते।
If she were alone, we would have invited her over.
(agar vah akelii hotii, to ham use bulaa lete।)
बुढ़ापे में अकेले रहना बहुत मुश्किल होगा।
It will be very hard to live alone in old age.
(budhaape men akele rahnaa bahut mushkil hogaa।)
क्या तुम सच में यहाँ अकेली रह सकती हो?
Can you really live here alone?
(kyaa tum sach men yahaan akelii rah saktii ho?)
उसे शायद अकेले भेजा जाए, यह अभी तय नहीं है।
Perhaps he might be sent alone, it isn't decided yet.
(use shaayad akele bhejaa jaae, yah abhii tay nahiin hai।)
एक अकेली स्त्री का इतनी दूर यात्रा करना उस ज़माने में असामान्य माना जाता था।
For a lone woman to travel so far was considered unusual in those times.
(ek akelii strii kaa itnii door yaatraa karnaa us zamaane men asaamaany maanaa jaataa thaa।)
मेहमानों के जाने के बाद घर बिलकुल अकेला-सा लग रहा था।
After the guests left, the house felt completely empty and alone.
(mehmaanon ke jaane ke baad ghar bilkul akelaa-saa lag rahaa thaa।)
Sense
2
:
lonely, isolated (emotional sense)
adjective This figurative sense extends the physical 'alone' into an emotional register, describing a felt state of loneliness rather than mere physical solitude.
Synonyms: तनहा (tanahaa), उदास (udaas, sad rather than lonely, related mood)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: The line between 'alone' and 'lonely' in English is a single lexical split, but in Hindi अकेला (akelaa) carries both, and context or tone of voice usually signals which one is meant -- मुझे अकेला लगता है (mujhe akelaa lagtaa hai, 'I feel lonely') leans clearly emotional thanks to the दात्ive-subject frame with लगना (lagnaa).
Sample Sentences:
मुझे बहुत अकेला लगता है।
I feel very lonely.
(mujhe bahut akelaa lagtaa hai।)
पापा के जाने के बाद माँ को घर में अकेला लगता था।
After father left, mother used to feel lonely at home.
(paapaa ke jaane ke baad maan ko ghar men akelaa lagtaa thaa।)
शादी के बाद भी उसे अकेला लगता रहा।
Even after marriage, she kept feeling lonely.
(shaadii ke baad bhii use akelaa lagtaa rahaa।)
इतने लोगों के बीच भी वह अकेला महसूस कर रहा है।
Even amid so many people, he is feeling lonely.
(itne logon ke biich bhii vah akelaa mahsoos kar rahaa hai।)
क्या तुम कभी अकेला महसूस करते हो?
Do you ever feel lonely?
(kyaa tum kabhii akelaa mahsoos karte ho?)
अगर तुम इतना काम करोगे तो अकेला महसूस करोगे, दोस्तों के लिए भी वक़्त निकालो।
If you keep working this much you'll feel lonely, make time for friends too.
(agar tum itnaa kaam karoge to akelaa mahsoos karoge, doston ke lie bhii vaqt nikaalo।)
बुढ़ापे में इंसान को अकेला महसूस न हो, इसलिए बच्चों को साथ रहना चाहिए।
So that a person does not feel lonely in old age, children should live with them.
(budhaape men insaan ko akelaa mahsoos n ho, islie bachchon ko saath rahnaa chaahie।)
अगर मैं अपने अपार्टमेंट में अकेला न रहता, तो मुझे यह ख़ालीपन न सताता।
If I didn't live alone in my apartment, this emptiness wouldn't torment me.
(agar main apne apaartment men akelaa n rahtaa, to mujhe yah khaaliipan n sataataa।)
भरी दुनिया में भी दिल कभी-कभी अकेला हो जाता है।
Even in a crowded world, the heart sometimes becomes lonely.
(bharii duniyaa men bhii dil kabhii-kabhii akelaa ho jaataa hai।)
उसकी आँखों में एक अकेला-सा सन्नाटा झलक रहा था।
A lonely sort of silence was showing in her eyes.
(uskii aankhon men ek akelaa-saa sannaataa jhalak rahaa thaa।)
Sense
3
:
alone, single-handedly, on one's own
adverb Used adverbially to emphasize that an action was done without help or company, often in constructions like अकेला ही (akelaa hii, 'all by himself/alone').
Synonyms: तनहा (tanahaa)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This adverbial use often shows up in praise or complaint about someone shouldering a task without help -- वह अकेले सब कुछ संभालती है (vah akele sab kuchh sambhaaltii hai, 'she manages everything all by herself') is the kind of line you will hear about a hardworking mother or a struggling shopkeeper.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes reach for a separate adverb when Hindi simply reuses अकेला (akelaa) itself, still agreeing with the subject, e.g. उसने अकेले यह काम किया (usne akele yah kaam kiyaa, 'he did this work alone') where the oblique-like form अकेले (akele) is used adverbially.
Sample Sentences:
वह अकेले सब कुछ संभालती है।
She manages everything all by herself.
(vah akele sab kuchh sambhaaltii hai।)
मैंने अकेले ही यह पूरा प्रोजेक्ट पूरा किया।
I completed this entire project single-handedly.
(mainne akele hii yah pooraa projekt pooraa kiyaa।)
क्या तुम अकेले यह दुकान चला लोगे?
Will you be able to run this shop by yourself?
(kyaa tum akele yah dukaan chalaa loge?)
अकेले ही सारा बोझ मत उठाओ, हमें बताओ।
Don't carry the whole burden by yourself, tell us.
(akele hii saaraa bojh mat uthaao, hamen bataao।)
अगर वह अकेले यह काम करता तो अब तक थक चुका होता।
If he had done this work all by himself, he would have been exhausted by now.
(agar vah akele yah kaam kartaa to ab tak thak chukaa hotaa।)
पिताजी अकेले ही पूरे परिवार का खर्च उठा रहे हैं।
Father is bearing the whole family's expenses all on his own.
(pitaajii akele hii poore parivaar kaa kharch uthaa rahe hain।)
यह सारा सामान अकेले उठाया गया, किसी की मदद नहीं ली गई।
All this luggage was lifted single-handedly; no one's help was taken.
(yah saaraa saamaan akele uthaayaa gayaa, kisii kii madad nahiin lii gaii।)
शायद वह अकेले ही यह मुश्किल फैसला ले ले।
Perhaps he will make this difficult decision entirely on his own.
(shaayad vah akele hii yah mushkil phaislaa le le।)
उस औरत ने अकेले अपने तीन बच्चों को पाला और पढ़ाया।
That woman raised and educated her three children entirely on her own.
(us aurat ne akele apne tiin bachchon ko paalaa aur padhaayaa।)
एक अकेला आदमी इतनी बड़ी कंपनी कैसे संभाल सकता है?
How can a single person manage such a huge company all alone?
(ek akelaa aadmii itnii badii kampnii kaise sambhaal saktaa hai?)
Morphology
Adjective (variable)
(sg.m):
अकेला
(akelaa)
(pl.m):
अकेले
(akele)
(sg.f):
अकेली
(akelii)
(pl.f):
अकेली
(akelii)