सहकर्मी (sahkarmii)

noun A compound formed from सह (sah, 'co-, with') plus कर्मी (karmii, 'worker'), meaning 'colleague' or 'co-worker.' It has a single core sense used in office and workplace contexts.
Sense 1 : colleague, co-worker
noun, masculine/feminine
Synonyms: साथी (saathii, broader: 'companion' or 'partner' too), सहयोगी (sahyogii, also means 'collaborator/assistant')
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This is very much an office-register word, at home in emails, meetings, and LinkedIn-style professional talk in Delhi-NCR; among close colleagues who become friends, people often switch to साथी (saathii) or just first names once the relationship warms up. You'll also hear सहयोगी (sahyogii) used almost interchangeably, though it leans slightly more toward 'collaborator' or 'teammate on a task' than 'person who shares my workplace.'
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes use दोस्त (dost, 'friend') when they mean a work colleague who isn't necessarily a friend -- सहकर्मी (sahkarmii) is the neutral, professional term regardless of personal closeness. 2) The gender is fixed as masculine in form even when referring to a woman colleague, e.g. वह मेरी सहकर्मी है (vah merii sahkarmii hai, 'she is my colleague') -- the agreement shifts to feminine via मेरी (merii) and है (hai), not by changing सहकर्मी (sahkarmii) itself, so it behaves like an invariant noun for gender marking purposes even though it can refer to either sex.
Sample Sentences:
मेरे सहकर्मी बहुत मददगार हैं। My colleagues are very helpful.
(mere sahkarmii bahut madadgaar hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
कल मैंने अपने सहकर्मी के साथ मीटिंग की। Yesterday I had a meeting with my colleague.
(kal mainne apne sahkarmii ke saath miiting kii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
क्या आप इस रिपोर्ट को अपने सहकर्मियों के साथ साझा कर सकते हैं? Could you share this report with your colleagues?
(kyaa aap is riport ko apne sahkarmiyon ke saath saajhaa kar sakte hain?)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
प्रिय सहकर्मियों, कृपया इस ईमेल पर ध्यान दें। Dear colleagues, please pay attention to this email.
(priy sahkarmiyon, kripyaa is iimel par dhyaan den।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
अगर मेरे सहकर्मी समय पर आते तो प्रेजेंटेशन अच्छी तरह हो जाती। If my colleagues had come on time, the presentation would have gone well.
(agar mere sahkarmii samay par aate to prejenteshan achchhii tarah ho jaatii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
नई नौकरी में मुझे अभी तक कोई सहकर्मी नहीं मिला है जिससे मैं खुलकर बात कर सकूँ। In the new job, I haven't yet found a colleague I can talk to openly.
(naii naukrii men mujhe abhii tak koii sahkarmii nahiin milaa hai jisse main khulkar baat kar sakoon।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
यह फैसला सभी सहकर्मियों की सहमति से लिया गया। This decision was taken with the agreement of all colleagues.
(yah phaislaa sabhii sahkarmiyon kii sahamti se liyaa gayaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
काश मेरे सहकर्मी थोड़े और सहयोगी होते। I wish my colleagues were a bit more cooperative.
(kaash mere sahkarmii thode aur sahyogii hote।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
वह ऑफिस में अपने सहकर्मियों के साथ लंच कर रही है। She is having lunch with her colleagues at the office.
(vah ophis men apne sahkarmiyon ke saath lanch kar rahii hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
मैं चाहता हूँ कि हर सहकर्मी को प्रोजेक्ट की पूरी जानकारी हो। I want every colleague to have complete information about the project.
(main chaahtaa hoon ki har sahkarmii ko projekt kii poorii jaankaarii ho।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m/f.direct): सहकर्मी (sahkarmii)
(sg.m/f.oblique): सहकर्मी (sahkarmii)
(pl.m/f.direct): सहकर्मियाँ (sahkarmiyaan)
(pl.m/f.oblique): सहकर्मियों (sahkarmiyon)