इमारत (imaarat)

noun A straightforward noun meaning 'building' -- one core sense, used for everything from a house to a monument.
Sense 1 : building, structure
noun, feminine
Synonyms: भवन (bhavan, formal), बिल्डिंग (bilding, colloquial)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You will hear इमारत (imaarat) used for anything from a crumbling old haveli in Old Delhi to a shiny new office tower in Gurugram -- it is the go-to neutral word for 'building' in both spoken and written Hindi, unlike the more bookish भवन (bhavan), which shows up more on signboards and in formal writing (राष्ट्रपति भवन (raashtrapti bhavan, 'President's House'), संसद भवन (sansad bhavan, 'Parliament House')).
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes reach for घर (ghar) when they mean any large or official structure -- घर (ghar) is specifically 'home/house', while इमारत (imaarat) is the neutral word for a building as a physical structure, including offices, apartment blocks, or historic monuments. 2) The English loanword बिल्डिंग (bilding) is extremely common in casual speech for modern apartment/office blocks, but इमारत (imaarat) is preferred for older, grander, or more formal structures (a haveli, a government building, a historic fort).
Sample Sentences:
यह इमारत बहुत पुरानी है। This building is very old.
(yah imaarat bahut puraanii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
सामने वाली इमारत में मेरा दफ्तर है। My office is in the building across the street.
(saamne vaalii imaarat men meraa daphtar hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
उन्होंने इस जगह पर एक नई इमारत बनाई। They built a new building on this spot.
(unhonne is jagah par ek naii imaarat banaaii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
भूकंप के बाद कई इमारतें गिर गईं। Many buildings collapsed after the earthquake.
(bhookamp ke baad kaii imaarten gir gaiin।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
यह इमारत पिछले साल बनाई गई थी। This building was constructed last year.
(yah imaarat pichhle saal banaaii gaii thii।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
अगर पैसा होता, तो हम इतनी बड़ी इमारत खरीद लेते। If we had had the money, we would have bought such a big building.
(agar paisaa hotaa, to ham itnii badii imaarat khariid lete।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Perfective -- Voice: Active
कृपया इस इमारत के अंदर मत जाओ, यह खतरनाक है। Please don't go inside this building, it's dangerous.
(kripyaa is imaarat ke andar mat jaao, yah khatarnaak hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
गुरुग्राम में हर साल नई-नई इमारतें बन रही हैं। New buildings keep coming up in Gurugram every year.
(gurugraam men har saal naii-naii imaarten ban rahii hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
शायद यह इमारत सौ साल से ज़्यादा पुरानी हो। Perhaps this building is more than a hundred years old.
(shaayad yah imaarat sau saal se zyaadaa puraanii ho।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
पुरानी दिल्ली की वह हवेली अब एक जर्जर इमारत बन चुकी है। That haveli in Old Delhi has now become a crumbling building.
(puraanii dillii kii vah havelii ab ek jarjar imaarat ban chukii hai।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
इंजीनियर इमारत की मज़बूती की जांच करेगा। The engineer will check the building's structural strength.
(injiiniyar imaarat kii mazbootii kii jaanch karegaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct): इमारत (imaarat)
(sg.f.oblique): इमारत (imaarat)
(pl.f.direct): इमारतें (imaarten)
(pl.f.oblique): इमारतों (imaarton)