बिस्तर (bistar)
noun
A concrete noun meaning 'bed' or 'bedding' -- the mattress-and-covers setup, not the furniture frame itself. One core sense with a couple of everyday extended uses tied to it.
Sense
1
:
bed / bedding (the mattress, sheets, and covers laid out to sleep on)
noun, masculine
Synonyms: शय्या (shayyaa, literary)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: In many Indian homes, especially outside big cities, बिस्तर (bistar) refers to bedding that gets rolled out on the floor at night and put away in the morning -- there may be no fixed 'bed' furniture at all, which is a very different mental picture from the Western built-in bed frame.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes reach for खाट (khaat) or पलंग (palang) thinking they mean the same thing -- पलंग (palang) is the bed frame/furniture itself, while बिस्तर (bistar) is the soft bedding on top of it (or spread on the floor); you can have a बिस्तर (bistar) without any पलंग (palang) at all, e.g. bedding rolled out on the floor. 2) बिस्तर लगाना (bistar lagaanaa) means 'to make/lay out the bed' -- learners sometimes try to translate 'make the bed' more literally with बनाना (banaanaa), which sounds off here.
Sample Sentences:
सुबह उठकर उसने अपना बिस्तर ठीक किया।
After waking up in the morning, he tidied his bed.
(subah uthkar usne apnaa bistar thiik kiyaa।)
मैं रोज़ रात को अपना बिस्तर बिछाती हूँ।
I lay out my bedding every night.
(main roz raat ko apnaa bistar bichhaatii hoon।)
बच्चा बिस्तर पर सो रहा है।
The child is sleeping on the bed.
(bachchaa bistar par so rahaa hai।)
कृपया मेरे लिए एक साफ़ बिस्तर लगा दीजिए।
Please set up a clean bed for me.
(kripyaa mere lie ek saaf bistar lagaa diijie।)
यह बिस्तर बहुत मुलायम है।
This bed is very soft.
(yah bistar bahut mulaayam hai।)
अगर मेरे पास जगह होती, तो मैं यहाँ बिस्तर बिछा देता।
If I had the space, I would have laid out a bed here.
(agar mere paas jagah hotii, to main yahaan bistar bichhaa detaa।)
मेहमान के लिए बिस्तर तैयार कर दिया गया था।
A bed had been prepared for the guest.
(mehmaan ke lie bistar taiyaar kar diyaa gayaa thaa।)
शायद उसने नया बिस्तर खरीदा हो।
Maybe he has bought a new bed.
(shaayad usne nayaa bistar khariidaa ho।)
गाँव में हम फ़र्श पर बिस्तर बिछाकर सोते थे।
In the village, we used to sleep by laying out bedding on the floor.
(gaanv men ham farsh par bistar bichhaakar sote the।)
वह थककर सीधे बिस्तर पर गिर पड़ा।
Exhausted, he fell straight onto the bed.
(vah thakkar siidhe bistar par gir padaa।)
क्या तुम अपना बिस्तर खुद बनाओगे?
Will you make your own bed yourself?
(kyaa tum apnaa bistar khud banaaoge?)
होटल के कमरे में दो बिस्तर लगे हुए थे।
There were two beds set up in the hotel room.
(hotal ke kamre men do bistar lage hue the।)
Sense
2
:
being bedridden / confined to bed (illness)
noun, masculine Occurs mainly in the fixed phrase बिस्तर पर होना (bistar par honaa, 'to be confined to bed') or बिस्तर से लगना (bistar se lagnaa, 'to become bedridden'), describing prolonged illness rather than ordinary sleep.
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Family members will often say कई दिनों से बिस्तर पर हैं (kaii dinon se bistar par hain, 'have been bedridden for several days') about an elderly relative -- it carries a note of concern and seriousness, more than just 'resting in bed.'
Common Mistakes: 1) बिस्तर से लग जाना (bistar se lag jaanaa) doesn't mean 'to touch the bed' -- it idiomatically means someone has fallen seriously ill and taken to bed for an extended period, which surprises learners who parse it word by word.
Sample Sentences:
दादाजी कई दिनों से बिस्तर पर हैं।
Grandfather has been bedridden for several days.
(daadaajii kaii dinon se bistar par hain।)
बुखार की वजह से वह पूरे हफ्ते बिस्तर पर पड़ी रही।
Because of the fever, she remained confined to bed the whole week.
(bukhaar kii vajah se vah poore haphte bistar par padii rahii।)
ऑपरेशन के बाद उन्हें कुछ हफ्तों तक बिस्तर पर रहना पड़ेगा।
After the operation, he will have to stay bedridden for a few weeks.
(opreshan ke baad unhen kuchh haphton tak bistar par rahnaa padegaa।)
अगर वह ठीक से दवा लेता तो इतने दिन बिस्तर पर न पड़ा होता।
If he had taken his medicine properly, he wouldn't have been stuck in bed for so many days.
(agar vah thiik se davaa letaa to itne din bistar par n padaa hotaa।)
बेचारी बूढ़ी माँ महीनों से बिस्तर पर पड़ी है, कोई देखने भी नहीं आता।
The poor old mother has been lying sick in bed for months, and no one even comes to see her.
(bechaarii boodhii maan mahiinon se bistar par padii hai, koii dekhne bhii nahiin aataa।)
डॉक्टर ने सलाह दी है कि मरीज़ को कम से कम एक हफ्ता बिस्तर पर ही रहना चाहिए।
The doctor has advised that the patient should stay in bed for at least a week.
(doktar ne salaah dii hai ki mariiz ko kam se kam ek haphtaa bistar par hii rahnaa chaahie।)
जब तक ताकत न आ जाए, बिस्तर से मत उठिए।
Don't get out of bed until your strength returns.
(jab tak taakat n aa jaae, bistar se mat uthie।)
पिछले साल की चोट के बाद वे तीन महीने बिस्तर पर बिता चुके हैं।
After last year's injury, he has already spent three months confined to bed.
(pichhle saal kii chot ke baad ve tiin mahiine bistar par bitaa chuke hain।)
इस बीमारी में मरीज़ अक्सर हफ्तों तक बिस्तर पर ही रहता है।
In this illness, the patient often remains bedridden for weeks at a time.
(is biimaarii men mariiz aksar haphton tak bistar par hii rahtaa hai।)
उनकी हालत इतनी बिगड़ गई थी कि उन्हें बिस्तर पर ही रखा गया।
His condition had deteriorated so much that he was kept confined to bed.
(unkii haalat itnii bigad gaii thii ki unhen bistar par hii rakhaa gayaa।)
Sense
3
:
packing up and leaving (idiomatic, 'to fold up one's bedding')
noun, masculine Lives in the idiom बिस्तर बाँधना (bistar baandhnaa, literally 'to tie up the bedding') or बिस्तर-गोल करना (bistar-gol karnaa, colloquial), meaning to pack up and leave, often for good, sometimes under pressure or defeat.
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You'll hear this in a joking or pointed tone -- अब यहाँ से बिस्तर बाँधो (ab yahaan se bistar baandho, 'now pack up and get out of here') -- it has a slightly dramatic, finality-tinged flavor, similar to English 'pack your bags.'
Common Mistakes: 1) बिस्तर बाँधना (bistar baandhnaa) is used figuratively even when no actual bedding is involved -- e.g. about someone being forced to quit a job or leave a place, so a learner shouldn't take it literally in most contexts.
Sample Sentences:
अब यहाँ से बिस्तर बाँधो।
Now pack up and get out of here.
(ab yahaan se bistar baandho।)
जब मैनेजर ने उसकी गलती पकड़ी, तो उसने वहीं बिस्तर बाँध लिया।
When the manager caught his mistake, he packed up and left right then and there.
(jab mainejar ne uskii galtii pakdii, to usne vahiin bistar baandh liyaa।)
अगर तुमने फिर झूठ बोला, तो समझ लो कि तुम्हारा बिस्तर यहाँ से बँध जाएगा।
If you lie again, consider it settled that you'll be packing up and getting out of here.
(agar tumne phir jhooth bolaa, to samajh lo ki tumhaaraa bistar yahaan se bandh jaaegaa।)
कंपनी घाटे में जा रही है, लगता है अब यहाँ सबका बिस्तर बँधने वाला है।
The company is going into losses -- it seems everyone here is about to be packed off.
(kampnii ghaate men jaa rahii hai, lagtaa hai ab yahaan sabkaa bistar bandhne vaalaa hai।)
बॉस ने कह दिया कि अगली बार गड़बड़ हुई तो बिस्तर बाँध देना।
The boss has said that if there's a mess-up next time, pack up and go.
(bos ne kah diyaa ki aglii baar gadbad huii to bistar baandh denaa।)
काश वह पहले ही अपना बिस्तर बाँध लेता, तो इतनी बदनामी न होती।
If only he had packed up and left earlier, there wouldn't have been so much disgrace.
(kaash vah pahle hii apnaa bistar baandh letaa, to itnii badnaamii n hotii।)
मालिक ने चेतावनी दी कि किराया न देने पर किरायेदार का बिस्तर बाहर कर दिया जाएगा।
The landlord warned that if the rent wasn't paid, the tenant's belongings would be thrown out and he'd be packed off.
(maalik ne chetaavnii dii ki kiraayaa n dene par kiraayedaar kaa bistar baahar kar diyaa jaaegaa।)
टीम की हार के बाद कोच का बिस्तर बँध गया।
After the team's defeat, the coach was sent packing.
(tiim kii haar ke baad koch kaa bistar bandh gayaa।)
पत्रकार ने मज़ाक में लिखा कि सरकार का भी अब बिस्तर बँधने वाला है।
The journalist wrote jokingly that even the government's days are numbered now.
(patrkaar ne mazaak men likhaa ki sarkaar kaa bhii ab bistar bandhne vaalaa hai।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
बिस्तर
(bistar)
(sg.m.oblique):
बिस्तर
(bistar)
(pl.m.direct):
बिस्तर
(bistar)
(pl.m.oblique):
बिस्तरों
(bistron)