ओला (olaa)

noun A concrete noun meaning 'hailstone'; usually met in its plural form ओले (ole) since hail rarely falls as a single stone.
Sense 1 : hailstone
noun, masculine
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: In Delhi-NCR, ओले (ole) are a springtime and pre-monsoon talking point -- a sudden hailstorm during wheat harvest season is genuine news because it can flatten a farmer's standing crop, so you'll hear older folks discuss ओले (ole) with real concern rather than just weather chit-chat. Kids, on the other hand, love running out to collect them like little prizes.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often use the singular ओला (olaa) when talking about a hailstorm in general, but native speakers almost always say ओले पड़ना (ole padnaa, 'for hail to fall') or ओले गिरना (ole girnaa, 'for hail to fall'), using the plural ओले (ole) since hail is rarely thought of as one stone. 2) The verb used with hail is पड़ना (padnaa) or गिरना (girnaa), not बरसना (barasnaa, which is reserved for rain).
Sample Sentences:
कल रात बहुत ओले पड़े। Last night a lot of hail fell.
(kal raat bahut ole pade।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
बच्चे बाहर भागकर ओले इकट्ठा कर रहे हैं। The children are running outside to collect hailstones.
(bachche baahar bhaagkar ole ikatthaa kar rahe hain।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
किसान डर रहे हैं कि ओलों से गेहूँ की फ़सल बर्बाद हो जाएगी। The farmers are afraid that the hail will ruin the wheat crop.
(kisaan dar rahe hain ki olon se gehoon kii fasal barbaad ho jaaegii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
अगर ओले पड़ते तो फ़सल का बहुत नुकसान होता। If hail had fallen, the crop would have suffered a lot of damage.
(agar ole padte to fasal kaa bahut nuksaan hotaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
हर मार्च में यहाँ कभी-कभी ओले पड़ते हैं। Every March, hail sometimes falls here.
(har maarch men yahaan kabhii-kabhii ole padte hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
देखो, छत पर कितने ओले जमा हो गए हैं! Look, how much hail has piled up on the roof!
(dekho, chhat par kitne ole jamaa ho gae hain!)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
समाचार में बताया गया कि ओलों से कई गाँवों की फ़सल तबाह हो गई। It was reported in the news that hail destroyed the crops of several villages.
(samaachaar men bataayaa gayaa ki olon se kaii gaanvon kii fasal tabaah ho gaii।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
बाहर मत जाओ, ओले पड़ रहे हैं। Don't go outside, hail is falling.
(baahar mat jaao, ole pad rahe hain।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
दादाजी चिंता से कह रहे थे कि इस बार ओलों ने पूरी फ़सल चौपट कर दी। Grandfather was worriedly saying that this time the hail had wrecked the entire crop.
(daadaajii chintaa se kah rahe the ki is baar olon ne poorii fasal chaupat kar dii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
शायद शाम तक ओले पड़ें, आसमान में काले बादल घिर आए हैं। Hail might fall by evening, dark clouds have gathered in the sky.
(shaayad shaam tak ole paden, aasmaan men kaale baadal ghir aae hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct): ओला (olaa)
(sg.m.oblique): ओले (ole)
(pl.m.direct): ओले (ole)
(pl.m.oblique): ओलों (olon)