आधी रात (aadhii raat)

noun A fixed noun phrase meaning 'midnight' -- literally 'half night,' combining आधा (aadhaa, 'half,' agreeing in feminine form with रात) plus रात (raat, 'night').
Sense 1 : midnight, the middle of the night
noun, feminine Usually appears with को (ko) as a time marker -- आधी रात को (aadhii raat ko, 'at midnight') -- or with तक (tak) meaning 'until midnight.'
Synonyms: मध्यरात्रि (madhyraatri, formal/literary), निशा का मध्य (nishaa kaa madhy, rare)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: In everyday Delhi speech, आधी रात को (aadhii raat ko) is the go-to way to say 'in the middle of the night' -- think of a mother scolding, 'आधी रात को फोन करते हो?' (aadhii raat ko phon karte ho?, 'You call at midnight?'). It carries a mild connotation of lateness or unusualness, much like English 'in the dead of night.'
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes drop को (ko) and just say आधी रात (aadhii raat) to mean 'at midnight,' which sounds incomplete in a full sentence -- आधी रात को घर पहुँचा (aadhii raat ko ghar pahunchaa, 'reached home at midnight') is the natural form. 2) The feminine agreement आधी (aadhii) (not आधा aadhaa) is fixed because रात (raat) is feminine -- learners occasionally default to the masculine form out of habit.
Sample Sentences:
वो आधी रात को अचानक उठ बैठा। He suddenly sat up in the middle of the night.
(vo aadhii raat ko achaanak uth baithaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
आधी रात को फोन करते हो, क्या हुआ? You call at midnight, what happened?
(aadhii raat ko phon karte ho, kyaa huaa?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
मुझे आधी रात को अजीब सी आवाज़ सुनाई दी। I heard a strange sound in the middle of the night.
(mujhe aadhii raat ko ajiib sii aavaaz sunaaii dii।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
आधी रात तक मत जागो, कल स्कूल है। Don't stay awake till midnight, there's school tomorrow.
(aadhii raat tak mat jaago, kal skool hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
अगर आधी रात को बिजली चली जाए, तो हम मोमबत्ती जलाते हैं। If the power goes out at midnight, we light a candle.
(agar aadhii raat ko bijlii chalii jaae, to ham mombattii jalaate hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अगर वो आधी रात को घर आता, तो माँ ज़रूर जाग रही होती। If he had come home at midnight, mother would surely have been awake.
(agar vo aadhii raat ko ghar aataa, to maan zaroor jaag rahii hotii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Continuous -- Voice: Active
ट्रेन आधी रात को स्टेशन पर पहुँचेगी। The train will arrive at the station at midnight.
(tren aadhii raat ko steshan par pahunchegii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
आधी रात को दरवाज़ा किसने खटखटाया होगा? Who could have knocked on the door at midnight?
(aadhii raat ko darvaazaa kisne khatakhtaayaa hogaa?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
आधी रात को शहर में सन्नाटा छाया रहता है। At midnight, a hush settles over the city.
(aadhii raat ko shahar men sannaataa chhaayaa rahtaa hai।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
आधी रात को अकेले बाहर मत निकलना। Don't go out alone at midnight.
(aadhii raat ko akele baahar mat nikalnaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
उसे आधी रात को अस्पताल ले जाया गया। He was taken to the hospital in the middle of the night.
(use aadhii raat ko asptaal le jaayaa gayaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct): आधी रात (aadhii raat)
(sg.f.oblique): आधी रात (aadhii raat)
(pl.f.direct): आधी रातें (aadhii raaten)
(pl.f.oblique): आधी रातों (aadhii raaton)