पहला (pahlaa)

adjective The ordinal number 'first,' used as an adjective before nouns; it is one of the few Hindi ordinals with an irregular form (not built from एक (ek) the way most ordinals build from their cardinal).
Sense 1 : first (in order/sequence)
adjective
Synonyms: प्रथम (pratham, formal/literary)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You will hear पहला (pahlaa) constantly in daily life -- पहली बार (pahlii baar, 'first time') is one of the most common phrases in spoken Hindi, used whenever someone tries something new, from eating a new dish to visiting a new city. It also shows up in family talk, like पहला बच्चा (pahlaa bachchaa, 'first child'), which carries real emotional weight in Indian households.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often try to build this ordinal regularly from एक (ek), but पहला (pahlaa) is irregular and must simply be memorized as a separate word. 2) Like other -आ (aa) ending adjectives, it agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies (पहला लड़का (pahlaa ladkaa, first boy) vs. पहली लड़की (pahlii ladkii, first girl)) -- learners sometimes leave it frozen in the masculine singular form.
Sample Sentences:
यह मेरी पहली बार है। This is my first time.
(yah merii pahlii baar hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
मैंने पहली बार समुद्र देखा। I saw the sea for the first time.
(mainne pahlii baar samudr dekhaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
उनका पहला बच्चा अगले महीने होने वाला है। Their first child is due next month.
(unkaa pahlaa bachchaa agle mahiine hone vaalaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
पहली बस सुबह छह बजे निकलती है। The first bus leaves at six in the morning.
(pahlii bas subah chhah baje nikaltii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
पहला काम यह करो कि दरवाज़ा बंद कर दो। The first thing to do is close the door.
(pahlaa kaam yah karo ki darvaazaa band kar do।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
अगर मैं पहला होता तो इनाम मुझे मिलता। If I had come first, I would have gotten the prize.
(agar main pahlaa hotaa to inaam mujhe miltaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
उम्मीद है कि इस बार हमारी टीम पहला स्थान पाए। Hopefully our team gets first place this time.
(ummiid hai ki is baar hamaarii tiim pahlaa sthaan paae।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
पहला अध्याय पढ़ने के बाद कहानी समझ में आने लगी। After reading the first chapter, the story started making sense.
(pahlaa adhyaay padhne ke baad kahaanii samajh men aane lagii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
इस भवन की पहली मंज़िल पर पुस्तकालय स्थित है। The library is located on the first floor of this building.
(is bhavan kii pahlii manzil par pustkaalay sthit hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
देश का पहला संविधान 1950 में लागू किया गया था। The country's first constitution was implemented in 1950.
(desh kaa pahlaa sanvidhaan 1950 men laagoo kiyaa gayaa thaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
जब मैं पहली बार स्कूल गया था, तो बहुत डर लगा था। When I went to school for the first time, I was very scared.
(jab main pahlii baar skool gayaa thaa, to bahut dar lagaa thaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Adjective (variable)
(sg.m): पहला (pahlaa)
(pl.m): पहले (pahle)
(sg.f): पहली (pahlii)
(pl.f): पहली (pahlii)