दाम (daam)
noun
दाम (daam) is an everyday word for 'price' or 'cost,' used constantly in shops and markets; it also has a rarer literary/idiomatic sense of 'a snare or trap.'
Sense
1
:
price, cost
noun, masculine
Synonyms: कीमत (kiimat), मूल्य (mooly, formal), भाव (bhaav, often for market/commodity rates)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You'll hear दाम (daam) everywhere in a Delhi bazaar -- दाम बताओ (daam bataao, 'tell me the price') is the opening line of every bit of haggling. भाव (bhaav) is the word you'll hear more from vendors quoting daily rates for vegetables or gold, while दाम (daam) and कीमत (kiimat) are more general-purpose.
Common Mistakes: 1) दाम (daam) is usually treated as plural in set phrases like दाम बढ़ गए (daam badh gae, 'the prices went up') even when talking about a single item's cost -- learners often keep it singular by mistake. 2) Don't confuse with नाम (naam, 'name') -- similar sound but unrelated meaning.
Sample Sentences:
इस कमीज़ का दाम क्या है?
What is the price of this shirt?
(is kamiiz kaa daam kyaa hai?)
पहले दाम बताओ, फिर मैं सोचूँगा।
First tell me the price, then I'll think about it.
(pahle daam bataao, phir main sochoongaa।)
पिछले साल इस मोबाइल के दाम बहुत ज़्यादा थे।
Last year the prices of this mobile were very high.
(pichhle saal is mobaail ke daam bahut zyaadaa the।)
अगर दाम कम होते तो मैं यह घड़ी ज़रूर खरीदता।
If the price had been lower, I would definitely have bought this watch.
(agar daam kam hote to main yah ghadii zaroor khariidtaa।)
दुकानदार ने पेट्रोल के दाम बढ़ा दिए हैं।
The shopkeeper has raised the price of petrol.
(dukaandaar ne petrol ke daam badhaa die hain।)
सब्ज़ियों के दाम रोज़ बदलते रहते हैं।
The prices of vegetables keep changing every day.
(sabziyon ke daam roz badalte rahte hain।)
क्या आप इस साड़ी का सही दाम लगा सकते हैं?
Can you quote the right price for this sari?
(kyaa aap is saadii kaa sahii daam lagaa sakte hain?)
बाज़ार में हर चीज़ का दाम मोलभाव से तय होता है।
In the market, the price of everything is settled through bargaining.
(baazaar men har chiiz kaa daam molbhaav se tay hotaa hai।)
काश सोने के दाम इतने न बढ़ते।
If only the price of gold hadn't risen so much.
(kaash sone ke daam itne n badhte।)
सरकार ने ज़रूरी दवाओं के दाम कम करने का आदेश दिया है।
The government has ordered a reduction in the prices of essential medicines.
(sarkaar ne zaroorii davaaon ke daam kam karne kaa aadesh diyaa hai।)
उसने आधे दाम में पूरा सामान बेच दिया।
He sold all the goods at half price.
(usne aadhe daam men pooraa saamaan bech diyaa।)
Sense
2
:
snare, trap, net (figurative/literary)
noun, masculine Usually appears in fixed expressions like दाम में फँसना (daam men phansnaa, 'to be caught in a snare') rather than as a freestanding everyday noun.
Synonyms: जाल (jaal), फंदा (phandaa)
Frequency: literary
Cultural Note: This sense shares its spelling with the 'price' word but comes from a different root; you'll mostly meet it in older poetry or proverbs rather than in daily conversation, so don't expect a shopkeeper to use it this way.
Sample Sentences:
प्रेम के दाम में सारा जग बँधा है।
The whole world is bound in the snare of love.
(prem ke daam men saaraa jag bandhaa hai।)
माया ने अपना दाम फैलाया है।
Illusion has spread its trap.
(maayaa ne apnaa daam phailaayaa hai।)
कवि लिखता है कि मोह का दाम बड़ा गहरा होता है।
The poet writes that the trap of attachment runs very deep.
(kavi likhtaa hai ki moh kaa daam badaa gahraa hotaa hai।)
साधु उस दाम से बचकर निकल गया।
The sage escaped, saving himself from that snare.
(saadhu us daam se bachkar nikal gayaa।)
काश कोई इस संसार के दाम से मुक्त हो पाता।
If only someone could be freed from the trap of this world.
(kaash koii is sansaar ke daam se mukt ho paataa।)
हे प्रभु, मुझे इस मोह-दाम से बचाइए।
O lord, save me from this snare of delusion.
(he prabhu, mujhe is moh-daam se bachaaie।)
कहते हैं कि काल का दाम कोई नहीं टाल सकता।
It is said that no one can avoid the snare of death.
(kahte hain ki kaal kaa daam koii nahiin taal saktaa।)
यदि जीव इस दाम को समझ ले, तो मुक्त हो जाए।
If the soul were to understand this snare, it would become free.
(yadi jiiv is daam ko samajh le, to mukt ho jaae।)
पुराने दोहों में सांसारिक दाम का वर्णन बार-बार मिलता है।
In old couplets, one finds the description of the worldly snare again and again.
(puraane dohon men saansaarik daam kaa varnan baar-baar miltaa hai।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
दाम
(daam)
(sg.m.oblique):
दाम
(daam)
(pl.m.direct):
दाम
(daam)
(pl.m.oblique):
दामों
(daamon)