तबाह (tabaah)
adjective
An invariant adjective meaning 'devastated, ruined' -- used for physical destruction (cities, homes, crops) and, very commonly, for emotional or financial ruin. Pairs constantly with the verb होना (honaa) and the compound तबाह करना (tabaah karnaa).
Sense
1
:
devastated, ruined (physically)
adjective
Synonyms: बर्बाद (barbaad), नष्ट (nasht, more formal/literary), खत्म (khatm, broader, 'finished/over')
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You will hear this constantly in news reports about floods, earthquakes, or storms -- शहर तबाह हो गया (shahar tabaah ho gayaa, 'the city was devastated') -- but it is just as at home in everyday exaggeration, the way English speakers say 'wrecked' or 'destroyed' about a bad day.
Common Mistakes: 1) तबाह (tabaah) is invariant -- learners sometimes try to inflect it like a variable adjective (adding -ई or -े); it never changes form regardless of gender or number. 2) It is almost always used predicatively with होना (honaa) or करना (karnaa), rarely as a plain attributive adjective before a noun in casual speech, though that use exists too (तबाह शहर (tabaah shahar, 'devastated city')).
Sample Sentences:
बाढ़ में पूरा गाँव तबाह हो गया।
The entire village was devastated in the flood.
(baadh men pooraa gaanv tabaah ho gayaa।)
भूकंप ने शहर को तबाह कर दिया।
The earthquake devastated the city.
(bhookamp ne shahar ko tabaah kar diyaa।)
तूफान से तटीय इलाके तबाह हो रहे हैं।
The coastal areas are being devastated by the storm.
(toophaan se tatiiy ilaake tabaah ho rahe hain।)
अगर बारिश ऐसे ही होती रही, तो पूरी फसल तबाह हो जाएगी।
If it keeps raining like this, the entire crop will be devastated.
(agar baarish aise hii hotii rahii, to poorii phasal tabaah ho jaaegii।)
अगर समय पर बांध न बनता, तो पूरा इलाका तबाह हो जाता।
If the dam hadn't been built in time, the whole area would have been devastated.
(agar samay par baandh n bantaa, to pooraa ilaakaa tabaah ho jaataa।)
यार, मेरा कमरा आज पूरी तरह तबाह है, पार्टी के बाद कुछ भी ठीक जगह पर नहीं है।
Dude, my room is totally wrecked today, nothing is in its right place after the party.
(yaar, meraa kamraa aaj poorii tarah tabaah hai, paartii ke baad kuchh bhii thiik jagah par nahiin hai।)
सूखे ने इस साल किसानों के खेत तबाह कर दिए हैं।
The drought has devastated the farmers' fields this year.
(sookhe ne is saal kisaanon ke khet tabaah kar die hain।)
जंगल की आग से हज़ारों एकड़ ज़मीन तबाह हो चुकी है।
Thousands of acres of land have already been devastated by the forest fire.
(jangal kii aag se hazaaron ekad zamiin tabaah ho chukii hai।)
सुनामी ने तटीय शहरों को पूरी तरह तबाह कर दिया था।
The tsunami had completely devastated the coastal towns.
(sunaamii ne tatiiy shahron ko poorii tarah tabaah kar diyaa thaa।)
युद्ध में यह पूरा शहर तबाह कर दिया गया था।
This entire city had been devastated during the war.
(yuddh men yah pooraa shahar tabaah kar diyaa gayaa thaa।)
भगवान करे, अगली बार तूफान से इतना नुकसान न हो और कोई शहर तबाह न हो।
God willing, may next time the storm not cause so much damage and may no city be devastated.
(bhagvaan kare, aglii baar toophaan se itnaa nuksaan n ho aur koii shahar tabaah n ho।)
Sense
2
:
ruined, wrecked (emotionally, financially, or in life circumstances)
adjective
Synonyms: बर्बाद (barbaad), बदहाल (badahaal, more about a wretched state than the act of ruin)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the sense you hear in filmi dialogue and heartbreak songs -- someone's ज़िंदगी (zindgii, 'life') or दिल (dil, 'heart') is 'तबाह' after a betrayal or loss. It carries real dramatic weight, so native speakers reach for it when 'upset' or 'sad' feels too weak.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach only for बर्बाद (barbaad) in emotional contexts and miss that तबाह (tabaah) is just as common and often stronger -- ज़िंदगी तबाह हो गई (zindgii tabaah ho gaii, 'life was ruined') is a very natural, dramatic thing to say.
Sample Sentences:
उसकी बेवफ़ाई ने मेरी ज़िंदगी तबाह कर दी।
Her infidelity ruined my life.
(uskii bevfaaii ne merii zindgii tabaah kar dii।)
इस धोखे ने उसका दिल तबाह कर दिया है।
This betrayal has left his heart shattered.
(is dhokhe ne uskaa dil tabaah kar diyaa hai।)
जब भी वह उसे याद करता है, वह अंदर से तबाह हो जाता है।
Whenever he remembers her, he becomes devastated inside.
(jab bhii vah use yaad kartaa hai, vah andar se tabaah ho jaataa hai।)
अगर वह मुझे छोड़ देती, तो मैं तबाह हो जाता।
If she had left me, I would have been ruined.
(agar vah mujhe chhod detii, to main tabaah ho jaataa।)
उसका करियर खत्म होने के बाद वह पूरी तरह तबाह महसूस कर रहा है।
After his career ended, he is feeling completely ruined.
(uskaa kariyar khatm hone ke baad vah poorii tarah tabaah mahsoos kar rahaa hai।)
इतना पैसा हार जाने के बाद वह आर्थिक रूप से तबाह हो गया।
After losing so much money, he was financially ruined.
(itnaa paisaa haar jaane ke baad vah aarthik roop se tabaah ho gayaa।)
मत तोड़ो उसका दिल, वरना वह तबाह हो जाएगी।
Don't break her heart, or she'll be devastated.
(mat todo uskaa dil, varnaa vah tabaah ho jaaegii।)
फ़िल्म के हीरो का दिल उसकी मौत से तबाह हो गया।
The film's hero was heartbroken by her death.
(film ke hiiro kaa dil uskii maut se tabaah ho gayaa।)
डर है कि यह झटका उसे पूरी तरह तबाह कर दे।
There's a fear that this shock might completely devastate him.
(dar hai ki yah jhatkaa use poorii tarah tabaah kar de।)
तलाक़ के बाद उसकी पूरी दुनिया तबाह हो गई थी।
After the divorce, her entire world had been shattered.
(talaaq ke baad uskii poorii duniyaa tabaah ho gaii thii।)
उसके जाने से मेरा दिल तबाह हो चुका है।
My heart is already ruined by her leaving.
(uske jaane se meraa dil tabaah ho chukaa hai।)
Morphology
Adjective (invariant)
invariant:
तबाह
(tabaah)