ठेला (thelaa)
noun
A handcart or pushcart, the wheeled cart used by street vendors (thelaa); it also names the vendor's stall/setup built on that cart.
Sense
1
:
handcart / pushcart used by street vendors
noun, masculine
Synonyms: गाड़ी (gaadii, broader term), रेहड़ी (rehdii, regional variant)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Walk through any Delhi market or gali (galii) and you will see ठेले (thele) loaded with everything from फल (phal, 'fruit') to गोलगप्पे (golgappe, 'golgappas') -- the ठेला is the backbone of India's informal street food and produce economy. A ठेलेवाला (thelevaalaa) is the person who pushes and runs one.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes confuse ठेला (thelaa) with गाड़ी (gaadii) -- गाड़ी (gaadii) covers any vehicle from car to cart, while ठेला (thelaa) specifically means the hand-pushed or cycle-pulled vendor's cart, never a car or motor vehicle.
Sample Sentences:
सड़क के किनारे एक ठेला खड़ा था।
A cart was standing at the side of the road.
(sadak ke kinaare ek thelaa khadaa thaa।)
वह हर सुबह अपना ठेला बाजार में लगाता है।
He sets up his cart in the market every morning.
(vah har subah apnaa thelaa baajaar men lagaataa hai।)
ठेलेवाला गली में ठेला धकेल रहा है।
The cart vendor is pushing his cart through the lane.
(thelevaalaa galii men thelaa dhakel rahaa hai।)
ठेला मत हटाओ, ग्राहक आ रहे हैं!
Don't move the cart, customers are coming!
(thelaa mat hataao, graahak aa rahe hain!)
अगर ठेला थोड़ा बड़ा होता तो ज़्यादा सामान रखा जा सकता।
If the cart were a bit bigger, more goods could be kept on it.
(agar thelaa thodaa badaa hotaa to zyaadaa saamaan rakhaa jaa saktaa।)
गोलगप्पे वाले का ठेला हमेशा स्कूल के बाहर मिलता है।
The golgappa seller's cart is always found outside the school.
(golgappe vaale kaa thelaa hameshaa skool ke baahar miltaa hai।)
पुलिस ने अवैध ठेलों को सड़क से हटा दिया।
The police removed the illegal carts from the road.
(pulis ne avaidh thelon ko sadak se hataa diyaa।)
शायद वह अपना ठेला किसी और गली में ले जाए।
Perhaps he will take his cart to some other lane.
(shaayad vah apnaa thelaa kisii aur galii men le jaae।)
बारिश की वजह से ठेला एक तरफ पलट गया था।
Because of the rain, the cart had overturned to one side.
(baarish kii vajah se thelaa ek taraph palat gayaa thaa।)
फल वाले का ठेला रंग-बिरंगे फलों से सजा हुआ था।
The fruit seller's cart was decorated with colorful fruits.
(phal vaale kaa thelaa rang-birange phalon se sajaa huaa thaa।)
इतने तंग रास्ते में ठेला कैसे निकाला जाए?
How is one supposed to get the cart through such a narrow path?
(itne tang raaste men thelaa kaise nikaalaa jaae?)
Sense
2
:
the vendor's stall/setup as a small business (metonymic extension)
noun, masculine Used when referring to the cart as a place of business rather than the physical vehicle, e.g. 'ठेले पर मिलता है' (thele par miltaa hai, 'you get it at the cart-stall') focuses on location and goods sold, not on the wheeled object itself.
Synonyms: दुकान (dukaan, shop, broader term)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: When someone says खोमचे या ठेले वाला (khomchevaalaa / thelevaalaa), they are talking about a whole micro-business identity -- a chaat (chaat) ठेला or फल (phal) ठेला is a known fixture in the neighborhood, often parked at the same spot every day and locally famous.
Sample Sentences:
मोड़ वाला ठेला बहुत मशहूर है, वहाँ की चाट का कोई जवाब नहीं।
The stall at the corner is very famous, there's no matching the chaat there.
(mod vaalaa thelaa bahut mashahoor hai, vahaan kii chaat kaa koii javaab nahiin।)
यह ठेला तीस साल से इसी गली में चल रहा है।
This stall has been running in this very lane for thirty years.
(yah thelaa tiis saal se isii galii men chal rahaa hai।)
उसने अपना ठेला बेचकर एक छोटी दुकान खोल ली।
He sold off his stall and opened a small shop.
(usne apnaa thelaa bechkar ek chhotii dukaan khol lii।)
अगर मैं जवान होता तो अपना ठेला ज़रूर खड़ा करता।
If I were young, I would definitely set up my own stall.
(agar main javaan hotaa to apnaa thelaa zaroor khadaa kartaa।)
उस फल वाले का ठेला हर सुबह बाज़ार के गेट पर लगता है।
That fruit vendor's stall sets up at the market gate every morning.
(us phal vaale kaa thelaa har subah baazaar ke get par lagtaa hai।)
नगर निगम वालों ने कल कई ठेले हटवा दिए।
The municipal corporation people got several stalls removed yesterday.
(nagar nigam vaalon ne kal kaii thele hatvaa die।)
काश उसका ठेला भी उतना चलता जितना बगल वाले का चलता है।
If only his stall did as well as the one next door does.
(kaash uskaa thelaa bhii utnaa chaltaa jitnaa bagal vaale kaa chaltaa hai।)
इस इलाके में हर ठेले का अपना एक तय ग्राहक तबका होता है।
In this area, every stall has its own fixed clientele.
(is ilaake men har thele kaa apnaa ek tay graahak tabkaa hotaa hai।)
पिताजी का सपना था कि बेटा अपना ठेला आगे बढ़ाए।
Father's dream was that his son would take the family stall forward.
(pitaajii kaa sapnaa thaa ki betaa apnaa thelaa aage badhaae।)
उसका ठेला इतना मशहूर हो गया कि अब लोग दूर-दूर से आते हैं।
His stall became so famous that people now come from far away.
(uskaa thelaa itnaa mashahoor ho gayaa ki ab log door-door se aate hain।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
ठेला
(thelaa)
(sg.m.oblique):
ठेले
(thele)
(pl.m.direct):
ठेले
(thele)
(pl.m.oblique):
ठेलों
(thelon)