तंग (tang)
adjective/verb
Primarily an adjective meaning 'narrow, tight' (of space or clothing) or, figuratively, 'troubled/distressed'; also lives in the common idiom तंग करना (tang karnaa) meaning 'to harass, pester.'
Sense
1
:
narrow, tight (physical space or fit)
adjective
Synonyms: सँकरा (sankraa), छोटा (chhotaa, when describing tight-fitting clothes)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Think of the winding lanes of Old Delhi (puraanii dillii) -- गलियाँ तंग हैं (galiyaan tang hain, 'the lanes are narrow') is exactly the kind of line a rickshaw driver might mutter as he squeezes through. The same word describes a shirt that has shrunk in the wash, so तंग (tang) covers both 'narrow space' and 'tight fit' without needing two different words the way English does.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for छोटा (chhotaa) to describe a tight-fitting garment, but तंग (tang) is the natural word for 'tight' when talking about clothes or shoes, not just 'small.' 2) For describing a narrow lane or street, तंग (tang) is the default choice over सँकरा (sankraa) in everyday speech, even though both are correct.
Sample Sentences:
यह गली बहुत तंग है।
This lane is very narrow.
(yah galii bahut tang hai।)
पुरानी दिल्ली की गलियाँ तंग हैं।
The lanes of Old Delhi are narrow.
(puraanii dillii kii galiyaan tang hain।)
यह कमीज़ धोने के बाद तंग हो गई।
This shirt became tight after washing.
(yah kamiiz dhone ke baad tang ho gaii।)
मेरे जूते बहुत तंग हैं, पैर दुखने लगते हैं।
My shoes are very tight, my feet start hurting.
(mere joote bahut tang hain, pair dukhne lagte hain।)
रिक्शा वाला तंग गली में से निकलने की कोशिश कर रहा था।
The rickshaw driver was trying to squeeze through the narrow lane.
(rikshaa vaalaa tang galii men se nikalne kii koshish kar rahaa thaa।)
अगर कमरा इतना तंग न होता तो हम आराम से बैठ सकते थे।
If the room weren't so narrow, we could have sat comfortably.
(agar kamraa itnaa tang n hotaa to ham aaraam se baith sakte the।)
कृपया इतना तंग पाजामा मत सिलवाइए, चलने में दिक्कत होगी।
Please don't get such a tight pajama stitched, it'll be hard to walk in.
(kripyaa itnaa tang paajaamaa mat silvaaie, chalne men dikkat hogii।)
यह रास्ता इतना तंग था कि गाड़ी मुश्किल से गुज़र पाई।
This path was so narrow that the car could barely pass.
(yah raastaa itnaa tang thaa ki gaadii mushkil se guzar paaii।)
शायद यह जगह इतनी तंग हो कि सामान रखने की जगह ही न बचे।
Perhaps this space is so narrow that there won't even be room to keep the luggage.
(shaayad yah jagah itnii tang ho ki saamaan rakhne kii jagah hii n bache।)
इस तंग सुरंग से होकर सैनिकों को गुज़ारा गया।
The soldiers were made to pass through this narrow tunnel.
(is tang surang se hokar sainikon ko guzaaraa gayaa।)
जींस इतनी तंग है कि बैठना भी मुश्किल हो जाता है।
These jeans are so tight that even sitting becomes difficult.
(jiins itnii tang hai ki baithnaa bhii mushkil ho jaataa hai।)
Sense
2
:
distressed, troubled, in financial or emotional difficulty
adjective Often appears in the set phrase तंग हाल (tang haal, 'in a bad/difficult state,' especially financially) and तंग आना (tang aanaa, 'to become fed up/exasperated').
Synonyms: परेशान (pareshaan), मुश्किल में (mushkil men, phrase: 'in difficulty')
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: मैं तंग आ गया हूँ (main tang aa gayaa hoon, 'I've become fed up') is something you'll hear from an exasperated parent or a shopkeeper dealing with a difficult customer -- it carries a sense of having reached one's limit, similar to 'I've had it' in English. तंग हाल (tang haal) meanwhile leans toward financial hardship, as in a family तंग हाल में गुज़ारा कर रहे हैं (tang haal men guzaaraa kar rahe hain, 'getting by in hard circumstances').
Common Mistakes: 1) तंग आना (tang aanaa) means 'to become fed up or exasperated,' not 'to arrive in a narrow place' -- learners sometimes misparse it literally. 2) In this sense तंग (tang) pairs with होना (honaa) or आना (aanaa), not करना (karnaa) -- तंग करना (tang karnaa) is a different, transitive idiom (see other sense) where तंग (tang) describes what is done *to* someone, not how someone feels.
Sample Sentences:
मैं इस मसले से तंग आ गया हूँ।
I've become fed up with this issue.
(main is masle se tang aa gayaa hoon।)
वह अपने पड़ोसी की शिकायतों से तंग आ चुकी है।
She's already had enough of her neighbor's complaints.
(vah apne padosii kii shikaayton se tang aa chukii hai।)
उनका परिवार तंग हाल में गुज़ारा कर रहा है।
Their family is getting by in hard financial circumstances.
(unkaa parivaar tang haal men guzaaraa kar rahaa hai।)
पैसों की तंगी ने उसे बहुत तंग कर दिया था।
The shortage of money had left him quite distressed.
(paison kii tangii ne use bahut tang kar diyaa thaa।)
अगर नौकरी न होती तो हम भी तंग हाल में होते।
If we didn't have a job, we would also be in financial hardship.
(agar naukrii n hotii to ham bhii tang haal men hote।)
कर्ज़ के बोझ तले वह हमेशा तंग रहता है।
Under the weight of debt, he's always distressed.
(karz ke bojh tale vah hameshaa tang rahtaa hai।)
इतनी शिकायतें मत करो, मैं वाकई तंग आ जाऊँगा।
Don't complain so much, I'll really end up fed up.
(itnii shikaayten mat karo, main vaakaii tang aa jaaoongaa।)
महोदय, हमारा परिवार पिछले कुछ वर्षों से तंग हाल में जीवन बिता रहा है।
Sir, our family has been living in dire financial straits for the past few years.
(mahoday, hamaaraa parivaar pichhle kuchh varshon se tang haal men jiivan bitaa rahaa hai।)
काश वे तंग हाल से बाहर निकल पाते।
If only they could get out of their hard circumstances.
(kaash ve tang haal se baahar nikal paate।)
इस बार की परेशानियों ने पूरे दफ़्तर को तंग कर दिया है।
This round of troubles has left the whole office distressed.
(is baar kii pareshaaniyon ne poore daftar ko tang kar diyaa hai।)
इतनी मुश्किलों में भी वह कभी तंग नहीं दिखा।
Even amid so many difficulties, he never appeared troubled.
(itnii mushkilon men bhii vah kabhii tang nahiin dikhaa।)
Sense
3
:
to harass, pester, trouble (someone)
verb, transitive This sense exists only as the compound तंग करना (tang karnaa) -- तंग (tang) does not function as a standalone verb; the transitivity given here belongs to the whole compound.
Synonyms: परेशान करना (pareshaan karnaa), सताना (sataanaa)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: बच्चे को तंग मत करो (bachche ko tang mat karo, 'don't pester the child') is a classic line an elder sibling hears from a parent. The neat pairing of तंग करना (tang karnaa, 'to pester someone') and तंग आना (tang aanaa, 'to become fed up') shows how Hindi builds a small family of idioms around one adjective, one active and one experiential.
Common Mistakes: 1) The object of harassment takes को (ko): वह मुझे तंग करता है (vah mujhe tang kartaa hai, 'he pesters me') -- learners sometimes drop को (ko) or use से (se) by analogy with English 'bother with.' 2) Do not confuse with तंग आना (tang aanaa) -- करना (karnaa) means someone is doing the harassing, while आना (aanaa) means someone is the one becoming exasperated.
Sample Sentences:
बच्चे को तंग मत करो।
Don't pester the child.
(bachche ko tang mat karo।)
मेरा भाई हमेशा मुझे तंग करता है।
My brother always pesters me.
(meraa bhaaii hameshaa mujhe tang kartaa hai।)
वो लड़का स्कूल में सबको तंग करता रहता है।
That boy keeps harassing everyone at school.
(vo ladkaa skool men sabko tang kartaa rahtaa hai।)
पड़ोसी हमें रात में शोर करके तंग कर रहे हैं।
The neighbors are harassing us by making noise at night.
(padosii hamen raat men shor karke tang kar rahe hain।)
उसने कल मुझे फोन करके बहुत तंग किया।
He really pestered me by calling yesterday.
(usne kal mujhe phon karke bahut tang kiyaa।)
अगर तुमने उसे फिर तंग किया, तो मैं टीचर को बता दूँगी।
If you pester him again, I'll tell the teacher.
(agar tumne use phir tang kiyaa, to main tiichar ko bataa doongii।)
काश वो मुझे इतना तंग न करता।
I wish he wouldn't pester me so much.
(kaash vo mujhe itnaa tang n kartaa।)
कर्मचारियों को अनावश्यक रूप से तंग नहीं किया जाना चाहिए।
Employees should not be harassed unnecessarily.
(karmchaariyon ko anaavashyak roop se tang nahiin kiyaa jaanaa chaahie।)
कार्यस्थल पर महिला को उसके सहकर्मी द्वारा लगातार तंग किया जाता था।
At the workplace, the woman was constantly harassed by her colleague.
(kaaryasthal par mahilaa ko uske sahkarmii dvaaraa lagaataar tang kiyaa jaataa thaa।)
क्या तुम मुझे तंग करने के लिए ही पैदा हुए हो?
Were you born just to pester me?
(kyaa tum mujhe tang karne ke lie hii paidaa hue ho?)
पुलिस को चाहिए कि निर्दोष लोगों को तंग न करे।
The police should not harass innocent people.
(pulis ko chaahie ki nirdosh logon ko tang n kare।)
Morphology
Adjective (invariant)
invariant:
तंग
(tang)
Verb
infinitive:
तंग
(tang)
infinitive oblique:
तंने
(tanne)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
तंता
(tantaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
तंते
(tante)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
तंती
(tantii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
तंतीं
(tantiin)
continuous (sg.m):
तं रहा
(tan rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
तं रहे
(tan rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
तं रही
(tan rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
तं रहीं
(tan rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
तंा
([[तंा]])
perfective (pl.m):
तंे
([[तंे]])
perfective (sg.f):
तंी
([[तंी]])
perfective (pl.f):
तंीं
([[तंीं]])
imperative (informal):
तं
(tan)
imperative (neutral):
तंो
([[तंो]])
imperative (formal):
तंिए
([[तंिए]])
future (1sg.m):
तंूँगा
([[तंूँगा]])
future (1sg.f):
तंूँगी
([[तंूँगी]])
future (1pl.m):
तंेंगे
([[तंेंगे]])
future (1pl.f):
तंेंगी
([[तंेंगी]])
future (2sg.m):
तंेगा
([[तंेगा]])
future (2sg.f):
तंेगी
([[तंेगी]])
future (2pl.m):
तंोगे
([[तंोगे]])
future (2pl.f):
तंोगी
([[तंोगी]])
future (3sg.m):
तंेगा
([[तंेगा]])
future (3sg.f):
तंेगी
([[तंेगी]])
future (3pl.m):
तंेंगे
([[तंेंगे]])
future (3pl.f):
तंेंगी
([[तंेंगी]])
subjunctive (1sg):
तंूँ
([[तंूँ]])
subjunctive (1pl):
तंें
([[तंें]])
subjunctive (2sg):
तंे
([[तंे]])
subjunctive (2pl):
तंो
([[तंो]])
subjunctive (3sg):
तंे
([[तंे]])
subjunctive (3pl):
तंें
([[तंें]])