बेकार (bekaar)
adjective/adverb
A common Persian-origin compound (be- 'without' + kaar 'work') covering three related senses: 'useless/pointless' (adjective, the core everyday use), 'unemployed' (adjective, literal 'without work'), and 'uselessly/for nothing' (adverb).
Sense
1
:
useless, pointless, worthless
adjective
Synonyms: फ़िज़ूल (fizool), व्यर्थ (vyarth, formal), बेकाम (bekaam, rare)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the word you will hear a Delhi shopkeeper or auto driver use constantly to dismiss a bad product, a bad idea, or a wasted trip -- 'बेकार का सामान' (bekaar kaa saamaan, 'useless stuff'), 'बेकार की बात' (bekaar kii baat, 'pointless talk'). It carries a slightly exasperated, dismissive tone that is very natural in everyday griping.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for व्यर्थ (vyarth) in casual speech, but बेकार (bekaar) is the everyday choice -- व्यर्थ (vyarth) sounds bookish in conversation. 2) बेकार (bekaar) can describe both things ('यह चीज़ बेकार है', yah chiiz bekaar hai, 'this thing is useless') and situations/plans, not just objects -- learners sometimes restrict it to physical items only.
Sample Sentences:
यह फ़ोन बिल्कुल बेकार है।
This phone is absolutely useless.
(yah fon bilkul bekaar hai।)
यह तो बेकार की बात है, इस पर ध्यान मत दो।
That's just pointless talk, don't pay attention to it.
(yah to bekaar kii baat hai, is par dhyaan mat do।)
दुकानदार ने कहा कि यह मशीन बेकार निकली।
The shopkeeper said that this machine turned out to be useless.
(dukaandaar ne kahaa ki yah mashiin bekaar niklii।)
अगर तुम बेकार का सामान घर में भरते रहोगे, तो जगह कम पड़ जाएगी।
If you keep filling the house with useless stuff, you'll run out of space.
(agar tum bekaar kaa saamaan ghar men bharte rahoge, to jagah kam pad jaaegii।)
काश यह प्लान बेकार न होता, हमने कितनी मेहनत की थी।
If only this plan hadn't been useless, we had worked so hard on it.
(kaash yah plaan bekaar n hotaa, hamne kitnii mehnat kii thii।)
अरे यह सब बेकार है, फेंक दो!
Ugh, all this is useless, throw it away!
(are yah sab bekaar hai, phenk do!)
समिति ने प्रस्ताव को बेकार करार दिया।
The committee declared the proposal to be worthless.
(samiti ne prastaav ko bekaar karaar diyaa।)
हो सकता है कि यह सलाह बेकार साबित हो।
It's possible that this advice will prove to be useless.
(ho saktaa hai ki yah salaah bekaar saabit ho।)
यह पुरानी नीति अब बेकार समझी जाती है।
This old policy is now considered useless.
(yah puraanii niiti ab bekaar samjhii jaatii hai।)
ऑटो वाला बोला, इस रास्ते से जाना बेकार है, जाम लगा है।
The auto driver said, going this way is pointless, there's a jam.
(oto vaalaa bolaa, is raaste se jaanaa bekaar hai, jaam lagaa hai।)
इतनी बेकार फ़िल्म मैंने सालों में नहीं देखी थी।
I hadn't seen such a useless film in years.
(itnii bekaar film mainne saalon men nahiin dekhii thii।)
Sense
2
:
unemployed, without work
adjective
Synonyms: बेरोज़गार (berozgaar)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Literally 'without work' (be- + kaar), this sense overlaps with the 'useless' meaning in a way that can feel pointed in Hindi -- calling someone बेकार (bekaar) instead of बेरोज़गार (berozgaar) can sound like a dig at their worth, not just their job status, so context and affection matter.
Common Mistakes: 1) In this sense बेकार (bekaar) is largely interchangeable with बेरोज़गार (berozgaar), but बेरोज़गार (berozgaar) is the more precise and common word specifically for 'unemployed'; बेकार (bekaar) can sound like it's also implying the person is generally 'useless,' so tone matters.
Sample Sentences:
वह पिछले छह महीने से बेकार है।
He has been unemployed for the last six months.
(vah pichhle chhah mahiine se bekaar hai।)
कंपनी बंद होने के बाद वे सब बेकार हो गए।
After the company shut down, all of them became unemployed.
(kampnii band hone ke baad ve sab bekaar ho gae।)
अगर वह पढ़ाई पूरी नहीं करता तो आज बेकार बैठा होता।
If he hadn't finished his studies, he would be sitting unemployed today.
(agar vah padhaaii poorii nahiin kartaa to aaj bekaar baithaa hotaa।)
मुझे नहीं पता था कि तुम अभी बेकार हो, माफ़ करना।
I didn't know you were unemployed right now, sorry.
(mujhe nahiin pataa thaa ki tum abhii bekaar ho, maaf karnaa।)
अरे यार, इतना बेकार मत बैठा रह, कहीं काम ढूँढ़ ले।
Come on man, don't just sit around unemployed like this, go find some work.
(are yaar, itnaa bekaar mat baithaa rah, kahiin kaam dhoondh le।)
देश में लाखों नौजवान बेकार घूम रहे हैं।
Millions of young people in the country are wandering around unemployed.
(desh men laakhon naujvaan bekaar ghoom rahe hain।)
क्या तुम्हें डर नहीं लगता कि कहीं तुम भी बेकार न हो जाओ?
Aren't you scared that you might end up unemployed too?
(kyaa tumhen dar nahiin lagtaa ki kahiin tum bhii bekaar n ho jaao?)
सरकार चाहती है कि कोई भी योग्य व्यक्ति बेकार न रहे।
The government wants that no qualified person should remain unemployed.
(sarkaar chaahtii hai ki koii bhii yogy vyakti bekaar n rahe।)
वह बेकार होते हुए भी हर रोज़ सूट पहनकर घर से निकलता था।
Even while unemployed, he used to leave home every day dressed in a suit.
(vah bekaar hote hue bhii har roz soot pahankar ghar se nikaltaa thaa।)
बेकार लोगों को नौकरी दिलाने के लिए यह योजना बनाई गई थी।
This scheme was made to get jobs for unemployed people.
(bekaar logon ko naukrii dilaane ke lie yah yojnaa banaaii gaii thii।)
Sense
3
:
uselessly, for nothing, in vain
adverb Modifies a verb phrase, typically describing wasted effort, time, or money: 'बेकार समय बर्बाद मत करो' (bekaar samay barbaad mat karo, 'don't waste time for nothing').
Synonyms: फ़िज़ूल में (fizool men), व्यर्थ में (vyarth men, formal)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You'll hear this in complaints about wasted effort -- 'बेकार गया' (bekaar gayaa, 'it went to waste') is a classic phrase for a trip, a plan, or money that came to nothing.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes confuse this adverbial use with the adjective sense; here बेकार (bekaar) sits before a verb or verb phrase rather than describing a noun with है (hai) or था (thaa).
Sample Sentences:
मेरी सारी मेहनत बेकार गई।
All my hard work went to waste.
(merii saarii mehnat bekaar gaii।)
तुम बेकार में इतना परेशान हो रहे हो।
You're worrying so much for nothing.
(tum bekaar men itnaa pareshaan ho rahe ho।)
वह बेकार ही दिल्ली तक गया, मीटिंग कैंसल हो गई थी।
He went all the way to Delhi for nothing -- the meeting had been cancelled.
(vah bekaar hii dillii tak gayaa, miiting kainsal ho gaii thii।)
बेकार पैसे मत बहाओ, यह चीज़ काम की नहीं है।
Don't waste money on it for nothing, this thing is of no use.
(bekaar paise mat bahaao, yah chiiz kaam kii nahiin hai।)
अगर तुम पहले बता देते, तो मेरा पूरा दिन बेकार न जाता।
If you had told me earlier, my whole day wouldn't have gone to waste.
(agar tum pahle bataa dete, to meraa pooraa din bekaar n jaataa।)
क्यों बेकार बहस कर रहे हो, कोई फ़ायदा नहीं होगा।
Why are you arguing for nothing, it won't do any good.
(kyon bekaar bahas kar rahe ho, koii faaydaa nahiin hogaa।)
उम्मीद है यह प्रोजेक्ट बेकार न जाए।
Hopefully this project doesn't go to waste.
(ummiid hai yah projekt bekaar n jaae।)
सारा सामान बारिश में बेकार भीग गया।
All the goods got soaked for nothing in the rain.
(saaraa saamaan baarish men bekaar bhiig gayaa।)
उसकी सारी दलीलें बेकार साबित हुईं।
All his arguments proved to be for nothing.
(uskii saarii daliilen bekaar saabit huiin।)
जो पैसा बेकार खर्च हो जाता है, वह वापस नहीं आता।
The money that gets spent for nothing never comes back.
(jo paisaa bekaar kharch ho jaataa hai, vah vaapas nahiin aataa।)
बेकार समय बर्बाद करने से कोई मतलब नहीं निकलेगा।
Wasting time for nothing won't lead to any purpose.
(bekaar samay barbaad karne se koii matlab nahiin niklegaa।)
Morphology
Adjective (invariant)
invariant:
बेकार
(bekaar)