दोस्त (dost)

noun A friendly, everyday word for 'friend' -- one sense, used for people of any gender.
Sense 1 : friend
noun, masculine/feminine
Synonyms: मित्र (mitr, formal), यार (yaar, colloquial), सखा (sakhaa, literary)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: दोस्त (dost) is the warm, default word for 'friend' across Delhi-NCR, used from childhood friendships to office buddies; यार (yaar) is its casual cousin, thrown around constantly among close friends almost like 'dude' or 'man'. Note the gender is variable (m/f) depending on the friend being described, not on the speaker.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often try to make दोस्त (dost) agree with the speaker's own gender, but the word itself doesn't change form for a male or female friend -- only the accompanying adjective or verb agreement shifts, e.g. मेरी दोस्त अच्छी है (merii dost achchhii hai, 'my [female] friend is good') versus मेरा दोस्त अच्छा है (meraa dost achchhaa hai, 'my [male] friend is good'). 2) दोस्त (dost) is about friendship, not romance -- calling a romantic partner दोस्त (dost) alone can sound like you're downplaying the relationship; बॉयफ्रेंड (boyaphrend) or गर्लफ्रेंड (garlaphrend) are used for that.
Sample Sentences:
वो मेरा सबसे पुराना दोस्त है। He is my oldest friend.
(vo meraa sabse puraanaa dost hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
मेरी दोस्त कल शाम को घर आ रही है। My friend is coming home tomorrow evening.
(merii dost kal shaam ko ghar aa rahii hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
हम स्कूल के ज़माने से दोस्त हैं। We have been friends since our school days.
(ham skool ke zamaane se dost hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अगर वो मेरा दोस्त होता, तो वो मुझे कभी धोखा नहीं देता। If he were my friend, he would never betray me.
(agar vo meraa dost hotaa, to vo mujhe kabhii dhokhaa nahiin detaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
अपने दोस्तों का ख्याल रखना, ज़िंदगी में उन्हीं का साथ काम आता है। Take care of your friends -- in life, it's their support that really counts.
(apne doston kaa khyaal rakhnaa, zindgii men unhiin kaa saath kaam aataa hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
काश मेरा कोई सच्चा दोस्त होता जिससे मैं दिल की बात कह सकूँ। I wish I had a true friend to whom I could speak my heart.
(kaash meraa koii sachchaa dost hotaa jisse main dil kii baat kah sakoon।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
श्रीमान शर्मा जी मेरे पिताजी के पुराने दोस्त हैं। Mr. Sharma is an old friend of my father's.
(shriimaan sharmaa jii mere pitaajii ke puraane dost hain।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
उसने कॉलेज में बहुत सारे दोस्त बनाए। She made a lot of friends in college.
(usne kolej men bahut saare dost banaae।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
जब मुसीबत आए, तभी पता चलता है कि असली दोस्त कौन है। It's only when trouble comes that you find out who your real friend is.
(jab musiibat aae, tabhii pataa chaltaa hai ki aslii dost kaun hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अरे यार, तू तो मेरा सबसे अच्छा दोस्त है! Hey man, you're my best friend!
(are yaar, too to meraa sabse achchhaa dost hai!)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
एक अच्छे दोस्त की पहचान बुरे वक़्त में होती है। A good friend is recognized in hard times.
(ek achchhe dost kii pahchaan bure vaqt men hotii hai।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m/f.direct): दोस्त (dost)
(sg.m/f.oblique): दोस्त (dost)
(pl.m/f.direct): दोस्तें (dosten)
(pl.m/f.oblique): दोस्तों (doston)