पीला (piilaa)

adjective A basic color adjective meaning 'yellow'; also extends to describe a pale or sickly complexion.
Sense 1 : yellow (color)
adjective
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: पीला (piilaa) is the color of turmeric (haldii) and marigolds (gendaa), so it carries strong associations with Indian weddings and festivals like Basant Panchami, where wearing yellow is traditional.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often forget this adjective inflects like कड़ा (kadaa) -- it becomes पीले (piile) before a masculine plural or oblique noun, and पीली (piilii) for feminine nouns, e.g. पीली कमीज़ (piilii kamiiz, 'yellow shirt').
Sample Sentences:
उसने शादी में पीला सूट पहना था। She wore a yellow suit at the wedding.
(usne shaadii men piilaa soot pahnaa thaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
बसंत पंचमी पर लोग पीले कपड़े पहनते हैं। On Basant Panchami, people wear yellow clothes.
(basant panchmii par log piile kapde pahante hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
दीवार पर पीला रंग करा दो। Get the wall painted yellow.
(diivaar par piilaa rang karaa do।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
अगर मेरे पास पीला दुपट्टा होता, तो मैं वही पहनती। If I had a yellow scarf, I would wear that one.
(agar mere paas piilaa dupattaa hotaa, to main vahii pahantii।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
हल्दी लगने से हाथ पीले हो जाते हैं। The hands turn yellow from applying turmeric.
(haldii lagne se haath piile ho jaate hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
मुझे लगता है कि यह गमला पीले रंग में ज्यादा अच्छा लगेगा। I think this pot will look better in yellow.
(mujhe lagtaa hai ki yah gamlaa piile rang men jyaadaa achchhaa lagegaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
बगीचे में गेंदे के पीले फूल खिल रहे हैं। The yellow marigold flowers are blooming in the garden.
(bagiiche men gende ke piile phool khil rahe hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
क्या तुम्हें पीली साड़ी में कोई तस्वीर मिली? Did you find any photo of her in a yellow sari?
(kyaa tumhen piilii saadii men koii tasviir milii?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
शायद मुझे भी पीला कुर्ता खरीद लेना चाहिए। Maybe I should buy a yellow kurta too.
(shaayad mujhe bhii piilaa kurtaa khariid lenaa chaahie।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
यह मंदिर पीले फूलों से सजाया गया था। This temple was decorated with yellow flowers.
(yah mandir piile phoolon se sajaayaa gayaa thaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
पीला रंग सूर्य और समृद्धि का प्रतीक माना जाता है। The color yellow is considered a symbol of the sun and prosperity.
(piilaa rang soory aur samriddhi kaa pratiik maanaa jaataa hai।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
Sense 2 : pale, sickly-looking
adjective Used to describe a person's face or complexion when they look unwell, often with चेहरा (chehraa, 'face') or मुँह (munh, 'face/mouth') as the noun described.
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: When someone says उसका चेहरा पीला पड़ गया (uskaa chehraa piilaa pad gayaa, 'his face went pale'), it is a common way to describe fear, shock, or illness -- much like English 'turned pale,' but tied to the same word learners already know for the color yellow.
Sample Sentences:
डर के मारे उसका चेहरा पीला पड़ गया। His face went pale out of fear.
(dar ke maare uskaa chehraa piilaa pad gayaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
बुखार में उसका चेहरा पीला दिख रहा था। In his fever, his face looked pale.
(bukhaar men uskaa chehraa piilaa dikh rahaa thaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
तुम बहुत पीले लग रहे हो, क्या तबीयत ठीक नहीं है? You're looking really pale, aren't you feeling well?
(tum bahut piile lag rahe ho, kyaa tabiiyat thiik nahiin hai?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
खबर सुनकर उसका चेहरा पीला पड़ जाता है। On hearing the news, his face goes pale.
(khabar sunkar uskaa chehraa piilaa pad jaataa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अगर तुम्हें यह सच पता चलता, तो तुम्हारा चेहरा भी पीला पड़ जाता। If you had found out this truth, your face would have gone pale too.
(agar tumhen yah sach pataa chaltaa, to tumhaaraa chehraa bhii piilaa pad jaataa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Perfective -- Voice: Active
इतना काम मत करो, तुम्हारा रंग पीला हो जाएगा। Don't work so much, you'll turn pale.
(itnaa kaam mat karo, tumhaaraa rang piilaa ho jaaegaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
डॉक्टर ने कहा कि उसका पीला चेहरा खून की कमी का लक्षण है। The doctor said that his pale face is a symptom of anemia.
(doktar ne kahaa ki uskaa piilaa chehraa khoon kii kamii kaa lakshan hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
जब उसने दुर्घटना की खबर सुनी, तो उसका चेहरा पीला पड़ गया था। When she heard the news of the accident, her face had turned pale.
(jab usne durghatnaa kii khabar sunii, to uskaa chehraa piilaa pad gayaa thaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
काश उसका चेहरा इतना पीला न दिखता। If only his face didn't look so pale.
(kaash uskaa chehraa itnaa piilaa n dikhtaa।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
अस्पताल में लेटे मरीज़ का चेहरा पीला और थका हुआ लग रहा था। The patient lying in the hospital had a pale and tired-looking face.
(asptaal men lete mariiz kaa chehraa piilaa aur thakaa huaa lag rahaa thaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Adjective (variable)
(sg.m): पीला (piilaa)
(pl.m): पीले (piile)
(sg.f): पीली (piilii)
(pl.f): पीली (piilii)