पेंसिल (pensil)

noun A borrowed word from English 'pencil,' used in Hindi exactly as in English -- a single everyday noun with no other senses.
Sense 1 : pencil (writing instrument)
noun, feminine
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is one of hundreds of English loanwords that entered Hindi through the colonial-era school system and stayed put -- स्कूल (skool, 'school'), क्लास (klaas, 'class'), and पेंसिल (pensil) form the everyday vocabulary of any Hindi-medium or English-medium classroom in Delhi-NCR alike. You will hear kids ask पेंसिल दो (pensil do, 'give me the pencil') long before they learn the more 'proper' Hindi options for other stationery items.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes try to make it feminine by analogy with other borrowed nouns, but पेंसिल (pensil) is grammatically feminine in standard usage -- मेरी पेंसिल (merii pensil, 'my pencil'), not मेरा पेंसिल (meraa pensil).
Sample Sentences:
मुझे एक पेंसिल चाहिए। I need a pencil.
(mujhe ek pensil chaahie।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
पेंसिल दो। Give me the pencil.
(pensil do।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
उसकी पेंसिल टूट गई। Her pencil broke.
(uskii pensil toot gaii।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
बच्चा पेंसिल से चित्र बना रहा है। The child is drawing a picture with a pencil.
(bachchaa pensil se chitr banaa rahaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
स्कूल में हर बच्चे के पास एक पेंसिल होनी चाहिए। Every child at school should have a pencil.
(skool men har bachche ke paas ek pensil honii chaahie।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अगर मेरे पास पेंसिल होती, तो मैं अभी नोट्स बना लेता। If I had a pencil, I would take notes right now.
(agar mere paas pensil hotii, to main abhii nots banaa letaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
कल मैंने नई पेंसिल खरीदी थी। I bought a new pencil yesterday.
(kal mainne naii pensil khariidii thii।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
पेंसिल मेज़ पर रखी है। The pencil is lying on the table.
(pensil mez par rakhii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
परीक्षा में पेंसिल का इस्तेमाल नहीं किया जाता। Pencils are not used in the exam.
(pariikshaa men pensil kaa istemaal nahiin kiyaa jaataa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
क्या तुम मुझे अपनी पेंसिल दे सकते हो? Can you give me your pencil?
(kyaa tum mujhe apnii pensil de sakte ho?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अध्यापिका ने बच्चों से कहा कि कल अपनी पेंसिल ज़रूर लाएँ। The teacher told the children to be sure to bring their pencils tomorrow.
(adhyaapikaa ne bachchon se kahaa ki kal apnii pensil zaroor laaen।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct): पेंसिल (pensil)
(sg.f.oblique): पेंसिल (pensil)
(pl.f.direct): पेंसिलें (pensilen)
(pl.f.oblique): पेंसिलों (pensilon)