लँगड़ा (langdaa)
adjective/noun
Primarily an adjective meaning 'lame' or 'limping', describing a person or animal with an impaired leg; also used as a noun for a lame person, and colloquially/figuratively for something 'defective' or 'weak' (like an excuse or argument).
Sense
1
:
lame, limping (of a person or animal)
adjective
Synonyms: लंगड़ा (langdaa, variant spelling without chandrabindu), अपाहिज (apaahij, broader: disabled/handicapped)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This is everyday, blunt language you would hear in a market or among neighbors describing someone's gait, not a clinical or formal term -- a doctor or an official form would use अपाहिज (apaahij) or दिव्यांग (divyaang, differently-abled, the modern polite term) instead.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes reach for अपाहिज (apaahij) as a direct synonym, but अपाहिज (apaahij) covers general physical disability while लँगड़ा (langdaa) specifically means impaired in the leg/limping. 2) Using this word to describe a person directly in front of them can sound blunt or insensitive -- it is common in casual speech but not considered polite or formal vocabulary.
Sample Sentences:
उसका एक पैर लँगड़ा है।
One of his legs is lame.
(uskaa ek pair langdaa hai।)
वह बचपन से लँगड़ा है।
He has been lame since childhood.
(vah bachpan se langdaa hai।)
सड़क हादसे के बाद उसका कुत्ता लँगड़ा हो गया।
After the road accident, his dog became lame.
(sadak haadse ke baad uskaa kuttaa langdaa ho gayaa।)
गिरने से उसकी टाँग लँगड़ी हो जाएगी, डॉक्टर ने कहा।
The doctor said his leg will become lame from the fall.
(girne se uskii taang langdii ho jaaegii, doktar ne kahaa।)
अगर वह गिर जाता तो शायद लँगड़ा हो जाता।
If he had fallen, he might have become lame.
(agar vah gir jaataa to shaayad langdaa ho jaataa।)
वह लँगड़ा घोड़ा दौड़ में नहीं जीत सकता।
That lame horse can't win the race.
(vah langdaa ghodaa daud men nahiin jiit saktaa।)
अरे, उस लँगड़े आदमी को सड़क पार करने में मदद करो!
Hey, help that lame man cross the road!
(are, us langde aadmii ko sadak paar karne men madad karo!)
मोहल्ले वाले उसे लँगड़ा कहकर चिढ़ाते थे।
The neighborhood folks used to tease him by calling him lame.
(mohalle vaale use langdaa kahkar chidhaate the।)
बुढ़ापे में उसकी दोनों टाँगें लँगड़ी हो गई थीं।
In old age, both his legs had become lame.
(budhaape men uskii donon taangen langdii ho gaii thiin।)
Sense
2
:
a lame person
noun, masculine Functions as the adjective used substantively -- 'the lame one' -- inflecting the same way the adjective does.
Synonyms: अपाहिज (apaahij, broader: disabled person)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You will hear this used as a nickname or blunt descriptor in village or street speech, e.g. pointing someone out as लँगड़ा (langdaa) rather than by name -- it is casual and can feel unkind, so it is not a word to use carelessly about someone within earshot.
Sample Sentences:
उस गाँव में सब उसे लँगड़ा ही कहते थे।
In that village, everyone just called him 'the lame one.'
(us gaanv men sab use langdaa hii kahte the।)
वह लँगड़ा कोने में बैठा भीख माँग रहा है।
That lame man is sitting in the corner begging.
(vah langdaa kone men baithaa bhiikh maang rahaa hai।)
बाज़ार में एक लँगड़ा रोज़ अपनी रेहड़ी लगाता है।
A lame man sets up his cart in the market every day.
(baazaar men ek langdaa roz apnii rehdii lagaataa hai।)
उस लँगड़े को इस तरह मत बुलाओ, उसका नाम पूछो।
Don't call that lame man like that, ask his name.
(us langde ko is tarah mat bulaao, uskaa naam poochho।)
अगर वह लँगड़ा न होता, तो शायद फ़ौज में भर्ती हो जाता।
If he weren't a cripple, he might have joined the army.
(agar vah langdaa n hotaa, to shaayad fauj men bhartii ho jaataa।)
उस लँगड़े को गाँव वालों ने अपने घर में पनाह दी।
The villagers gave that cripple shelter in their home.
(us langde ko gaanv vaalon ne apne ghar men panaah dii।)
उस लँगड़े को नौकरी से यूँ ही निकाल दिया गया, यह सरासर अन्याय है।
That cripple was fired from his job for no reason -- it's outright injustice.
(us langde ko naukrii se yoon hii nikaal diyaa gayaa, yah saraasar anyaay hai।)
क्या यहाँ कोई लँगड़ा रहता है जो लोहे की छड़ी लेकर चलता है?
Does some lame man live here, one who walks with an iron cane?
(kyaa yahaan koii langdaa rahtaa hai jo lohe kii chhadii lekar chaltaa hai?)
हो सकता है वह लँगड़ा किसी दुर्घटना का शिकार रहा हो।
It's possible that lame man was a victim of some accident.
(ho saktaa hai vah langdaa kisii durghatnaa kaa shikaar rahaa ho।)
पुराने ज़माने में लँगड़े को अक्सर मज़ाक का निशाना बनाया जाता था।
In olden times, a cripple was often made the target of jokes.
(puraane zamaane men langde ko aksar mazaak kaa nishaanaa banaayaa jaataa thaa।)
Sense
3
:
weak, feeble, unconvincing (figurative, of an excuse, argument, or effort)
adjective
Synonyms: कमज़ोर (kamzor, weak, more general-purpose), बेदम (bedam, breathless/feeble, closer register match)
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: Just like English lets 'lame' slide from a physical limp to a lame joke or lame excuse, Hindi does the same with लँगड़ा (langdaa) -- you will hear लँगड़ी दलील (langdii daliil, 'a lame argument') in an animated family debate over dinner.
Common Mistakes: 1) This figurative sense closely mirrors English 'a lame excuse', which can tempt learners to overuse it -- in natural Hindi, कमज़ोर बहाना (kamzor bahaanaa, 'a weak excuse') is at least as common as लँगड़ा बहाना (langdaa bahaanaa, 'a lame excuse').
Sample Sentences:
उसकी दलील बहुत लँगड़ी थी।
His argument was very lame.
(uskii daliil bahut langdii thii।)
यह तो बड़ा लँगड़ा बहाना है, कोई भी पकड़ लेगा।
That's such a lame excuse, anyone will catch on.
(yah to badaa langdaa bahaanaa hai, koii bhii pakad legaa।)
मीटिंग में उसने जो तर्क दिए, वे सब लँगड़े निकले।
The arguments he gave in the meeting all turned out to be weak.
(miiting men usne jo tark die, ve sab langde nikle।)
इतनी लँगड़ी दलील मत दो, कुछ ठोस बताओ।
Don't give such a lame argument, tell me something solid.
(itnii langdii daliil mat do, kuchh thos bataao।)
अगर तुम्हारी योजना इतनी लँगड़ी न होती, तो बॉस मान जाता।
If your plan hadn't been so weak, the boss would have agreed.
(agar tumhaarii yojnaa itnii langdii n hotii, to bos maan jaataa।)
डिनर पर सब उसकी लँगड़ी दलील पर हँस रहे थे।
At dinner everyone was laughing at his lame argument.
(dinar par sab uskii langdii daliil par hans rahe the।)
क्या तुम्हें नहीं लगता कि यह सफ़ाई थोड़ी लँगड़ी है?
Don't you think this explanation is a bit weak?
(kyaa tumhen nahiin lagtaa ki yah safaaii thodii langdii hai?)
समिति ने कहा कि प्रस्ताव के तर्क लँगड़े हैं और उन्हें फिर से लिखा जाना चाहिए।
The committee said the proposal's arguments are weak and should be rewritten.
(samiti ne kahaa ki prastaav ke tark langde hain aur unhen phir se likhaa jaanaa chaahie।)
उसकी कोशिश इतनी लँगड़ी थी कि नतीजा पहले से ही तय लग रहा था।
His effort was so weak that the result already seemed decided.
(uskii koshish itnii langdii thii ki natiijaa pahle se hii tay lag rahaa thaa।)
Morphology
Adjective (variable)
(sg.m):
लँगड़ा
(langdaa)
(pl.m):
लँगड़े
(langde)
(sg.f):
लँगड़ी
(langdii)
(pl.f):
लँगड़ी
(langdii)
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
लँगड़ा
(langdaa)
(sg.m.oblique):
लँगड़े
(langde)
(pl.m.direct):
लँगड़े
(langde)
(pl.m.oblique):
लँगड़ों
(langdon)