गला (galaa)
noun/verb
Primarily the noun meaning 'throat/neck' (galaa), source of many idioms about voice, strangling, and emotional choking; also a colloquial intransitive verb sense meaning 'to melt/dissolve' (from गलना, galnaa).
Sense
1
:
throat, neck
noun, masculine
Synonyms: कंठ (kanth, formal/literary), गर्दन (gardan, neck specifically)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Hindi builds a whole emotional vocabulary around गला (galaa): गला भर आना (galaa bhar aanaa, 'the throat fills up') for choking up with emotion, गला रुँधना (galaa rundhnaa, 'the throat gets clogged') for a voice thick with tears. Notice the body-as-agent pattern -- the throat does something to you, you don't just 'get a lump in your throat' as an object you possess.
Common Mistakes: 1) गला (galaa) refers to the throat/neck area generally, while गर्दन (gardan) is more specifically the neck as a body part you'd turn or crane -- for sore throat, hoarseness, or a hand at someone's throat, गला (galaa) is the natural word. 2) Learners often miss that गला (galaa) is grammatically masculine even though 'neck' body parts can feel feminine-coded in English framing.
Sample Sentences:
गला दुख रहा है, ठीक से बोला नहीं जा रहा।
My throat hurts, I can't speak properly.
(galaa dukh rahaa hai, thiik se bolaa nahiin jaa rahaa।)
उसकी बात सुनकर मेरा गला भर आया।
Hearing what he said, my throat choked up.
(uskii baat sunkar meraa galaa bhar aayaa।)
माँ की याद में उसका गला रुँध गया और वह कुछ बोल न सकी।
Remembering her mother, her throat got clogged with tears and she could not say anything.
(maan kii yaad men uskaa galaa rundh gayaa aur vah kuchh bol n sakii।)
सर्दी में गला खराब हो जाता है।
In winter, the throat gets sore.
(sardii men galaa kharaab ho jaataa hai।)
गला सूख रहा है, थोड़ा पानी दो।
My throat is drying up, give me some water.
(galaa sookh rahaa hai, thodaa paanii do।)
डॉक्टर ने कहा कि गले में इन्फेक्शन है।
The doctor said there is an infection in the throat.
(doktar ne kahaa ki gale men inphekshan hai।)
अगर तुम गला ढककर बाहर जाते तो सर्दी नहीं लगती।
If you had gone out with your throat covered, you wouldn't have caught a cold.
(agar tum galaa dhakkar baahar jaate to sardii nahiin lagtii।)
गले में हड्डी अटक गई है, लगता है डॉक्टर के पास जाना पड़ेगा।
A bone has gotten stuck in my throat, looks like I'll have to go to the doctor.
(gale men haddii atak gaii hai, lagtaa hai doktar ke paas jaanaa padegaa।)
गले में दुपट्टा डालकर वह मंदिर गई।
Putting a scarf around her neck, she went to the temple.
(gale men dupattaa daalkar vah mandir gaii।)
मरीज़ का गला जाँच के लिए खोला गया।
The patient's throat was examined for the check-up.
(mariiz kaa galaa jaanch ke lie kholaa gayaa।)
गला भरा हुआ हो तो शहद वाला पानी पी लो।
If your throat feels choked up, drink some honey water.
(galaa bharaa huaa ho to shahad vaalaa paanii pii lo।)
Sense
2
:
voice quality (singing/speaking)
noun, masculine Used especially of singers: अच्छा गला होना (achchhaa galaa honaa, 'to have a good voice/throat') praises singing ability specifically.
Synonyms: आवाज़ (aavaaz), स्वर (svar, literary/musical)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Ask about a classical singer in Delhi and you might hear उस्ताद का गला बहुत खुला हुआ है (ustaad kaa galaa bahut khulaa huaa hai, 'the maestro's voice is very open/free') -- गला (galaa) here stands in for the whole vocal instrument, much like English speaks of someone having 'pipes.'
Common Mistakes: 1) In music contexts, गला साफ़ करना (galaa saaf karnaa) means literally 'to clear one's throat' before singing/speaking, not a figurative idiom -- learners sometimes overtranslate it as something more dramatic.
Sample Sentences:
उस्ताद का गला बहुत खुला हुआ है।
The maestro's voice is very open and free.
(ustaad kaa galaa bahut khulaa huaa hai।)
उसका गला बहुत मीठा है।
She has a very sweet voice.
(uskaa galaa bahut miithaa hai।)
रियाज़ करने से गला और निखर जाएगा।
With practice, your voice will become even more refined.
(riyaaz karne se galaa aur nikhar jaaegaa।)
गाने से पहले गला थोड़ा साफ़ कर लो।
Clear your voice a little before singing.
(gaane se pahle galaa thodaa saaf kar lo।)
अगर उसका गला ठीक होता तो वह आज कॉन्सर्ट में गाता।
If her voice were fine, she would be singing at the concert today.
(agar uskaa galaa thiik hotaa to vah aaj konsart men gaataa।)
पुराने ज़माने के गायकों का गला अलग ही तरह से तैयार होता था।
The singers of old times had their voices trained in a completely different way.
(puraane zamaane ke gaaykon kaa galaa alag hii tarah se taiyaar hotaa thaa।)
क्या उसका गला सर्दियों में बैठ जाता है?
Does her voice go hoarse in winter?
(kyaa uskaa galaa sardiyon men baith jaataa hai?)
शायद रियाज़ की कमी से उसका गला बैठ गया हो।
Perhaps her voice has gone hoarse due to lack of practice.
(shaayad riyaaz kii kamii se uskaa galaa baith gayaa ho।)
इस घराने में गला साधने के लिए सालों तपस्या करनी पड़ती है।
In this musical tradition, one has to undergo years of rigorous discipline to master one's voice.
(is gharaane men galaa saadhne ke lie saalon tapasyaa karnii padtii hai।)
उस्ताद जी कहते हैं कि गला रोज़ाना साधा जाना चाहिए।
The maestro says that the voice should be practiced daily.
(ustaad jii kahte hain ki galaa rozaanaa saadhaa jaanaa chaahie।)
Sense
3
:
idiomatic 'throat' in fixed expressions (strangling, cutthroat competition, suppressing)
noun, masculine Common fixed phrases: गला घोंटना (galaa ghontnaa, 'to strangle'), गले की हड्डी (gale kii haddii, 'a bone in the throat' = a persistent problem), गला काटना (galaa kaatnaa, 'to cut throats' = ruthless/cutthroat, as in गला काट प्रतियोगिता, galaa kaat pratiyogitaa, 'cutthroat competition').
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: These idioms show how much emotional and social weight गला (galaa) carries in Hindi -- it's the seat of both literal survival (breathing, swallowing) and figurative vulnerability (being at someone's mercy), which is why so many idioms of threat and helplessness cluster here.
Common Mistakes: 1) गला काटना (galaa kaatnaa) is almost always figurative in modern speech (ruthless dealing, cutthroat business) rather than literal violence -- don't read menace into every use. 2) गले की हड्डी (gale kii haddii) describes a problem too awkward to swallow or spit out -- learners sometimes mistranslate it as simply 'a big problem' and miss the stuck-in-between nuance.
Sample Sentences:
बाजार में इतनी होड़ है कि हर दुकानदार दूसरे का गला काटने को तैयार है।
There's such cutthroat competition in the market that every shopkeeper is ready to slit the other's throat.
(baajaar men itnii hod hai ki har dukaandaar doosre kaa galaa kaatne ko taiyaar hai।)
यह तो शुद्ध गलाकाट प्रतियोगिता है, यहाँ किसी की दोस्ती नहीं चलती।
This is pure cutthroat competition -- friendship doesn't work here.
(yah to shuddh galaakaat pratiyogitaa hai, yahaan kisii kii dostii nahiin chaltii।)
सरकार ने विरोध की आवाज़ों का गला घोंटने की कोशिश की।
The government tried to strangle the voices of protest.
(sarkaar ne virodh kii aavaazon kaa galaa ghontne kii koshish kii।)
मालिक ने मज़दूरों की माँगों का गला घोंट दिया।
The owner throttled down the workers' demands.
(maalik ne mazdooron kii maangon kaa galaa ghont diyaa।)
अगर तुमने मुझे धोखा दिया, तो मैं तुम्हारा गला काट दूँगा।
If you betray me, I will cut your throat.
(agar tumne mujhe dhokhaa diyaa, to main tumhaaraa galaa kaat doongaa।)
उसका गला घोंटा जा रहा था, पर वह किसी तरह बच निकला।
He was being strangled, but somehow he escaped.
(uskaa galaa ghontaa jaa rahaa thaa, par vah kisii tarah bach niklaa।)
कर्ज़दार पूरी ज़िंदगी अपना गला कटवाता रहा।
The debtor kept letting himself be exploited (literally, kept getting his own throat cut) his whole life.
(karzdaar poorii zindgii apnaa galaa katvaataa rahaa।)
काश कोई मेरा गला न घोंटे, मैं सिर्फ़ अपनी बात कहना चाहता हूँ।
I wish no one would suppress my voice; I just want to say what I have to say.
(kaash koii meraa galaa n ghonte, main sirf apnii baat kahnaa chaahtaa hoon।)
अपने प्रतिस्पर्धियों का गला काटने से पहले एक बार सोच लो।
Think once before you go cutthroat on your competitors.
(apne pratispardhiyon kaa galaa kaatne se pahle ek baar soch lo।)
अगर वह सत्ता में होता, तो हर विरोधी का गला घोंट देता।
If he were in power, he would have strangled every opponent.
(agar vah sattaa men hotaa, to har virodhii kaa galaa ghont detaa।)
Sense
4
:
to melt, dissolve (colloquial variant of गलना)
verb, intransitive This verb use overlaps with the noun गला (galaa) only in spelling, not in meaning -- it is the ordinary verb गलना (galnaa) heard in casual speech with the final vowel dropped in some tenses/forms, not a separate lexical item.
Synonyms: गलना (galnaa, standard form), पिघलना (pighalnaa, more common for melting)
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: You may hear बर्फ़ गल गई (barf gal gaii, 'the ice melted') in casual speech where careful speakers would say गलना (galnaa) fully conjugated -- this is a minor pronunciation-driven variant, not a distinct word to actively study.
Common Mistakes: 1) This is essentially informal/dialectal shorthand for गलना (galnaa) and is not a common dictionary headword on its own -- learners are better served learning गलना (galnaa) directly; listed here only because गला (galaa) surfaces as a spoken form in some regional speech.
Sample Sentences:
बर्फ़ गल गई।
The ice melted.
(barf gal gaii।)
धूप में मोम गल जाता है।
Wax melts in the sun.
(dhoop men mom gal jaataa hai।)
गरम तवे पर मक्खन गल रहा है।
The butter is melting on the hot pan.
(garam tave par makkhan gal rahaa hai।)
अगर तुमने बर्फ़ बाहर रख दी तो वो गल जाएगी।
If you leave the ice outside, it'll melt.
(agar tumne barf baahar rakh dii to vo gal jaaegii।)
इतनी गर्मी में चॉकलेट गल जाती है।
In this much heat the chocolate melts.
(itnii garmii men choklet gal jaatii hai।)
फ्रिज से बाहर निकालते ही आइसक्रीम गलने लगी।
The moment it came out of the fridge, the ice cream started melting.
(phrij se baahar nikaalte hii aaisakriim galne lagii।)
अरे, जल्दी खा लो, आइसक्रीम गल जाएगी!
Hey, eat it quickly, the ice cream is going to melt!
(are, jaldii khaa lo, aaisakriim gal jaaegii!)
अगर धूप इतनी तेज़ न होती तो बर्फ़ इतनी जल्दी न गलती।
If the sun weren't so strong, the ice wouldn't melt this fast.
(agar dhoop itnii tez n hotii to barf itnii jaldii n galtii।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
गला
(galaa)
(sg.m.oblique):
गले
(gale)
(pl.m.direct):
गले
(gale)
(pl.m.oblique):
गलों
(galon)
Verb
infinitive:
गला
(galaa)
infinitive oblique:
गलने
(galne)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
गलता
(galtaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
गलते
(galte)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
गलती
(galtii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
गलतीं
(galtiin)
continuous (sg.m):
गल रहा
(gal rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
गल रहे
(gal rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
गल रही
(gal rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
गल रहीं
(gal rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
गला
(galaa)
perfective (pl.m):
गले
(gale)
perfective (sg.f):
गली
(galii)
perfective (pl.f):
गलीं
(galiin)
imperative (informal):
गल
(gal)
imperative (neutral):
गलो
(galo)
imperative (formal):
गलिए
(galie)
future (1sg.m):
गलूँगा
(galoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
गलूँगी
(galoongii)
future (1pl.m):
गलेंगे
(galenge)
future (1pl.f):
गलेंगी
(galengii)
future (2sg.m):
गलेगा
(galegaa)
future (2sg.f):
गलेगी
(galegii)
future (2pl.m):
गलोगे
(galoge)
future (2pl.f):
गलोगी
(galogii)
future (3sg.m):
गलेगा
(galegaa)
future (3sg.f):
गलेगी
(galegii)
future (3pl.m):
गलेंगे
(galenge)
future (3pl.f):
गलेंगी
(galengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
गलूँ
(galoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
गलें
(galen)
subjunctive (2sg):
गले
(gale)
subjunctive (2pl):
गलो
(galo)
subjunctive (3sg):
गले
(gale)
subjunctive (3pl):
गलें
(galen)