बेरोज़गार (berozgaar)

adjective A single-sense word meaning 'unemployed' -- built from the negative prefix बे- (be-, 'without') plus रोज़गार (rozgaar, 'employment/livelihood').
Sense 1 : unemployed, jobless
adjective Also functions as a noun meaning 'an unemployed person' -- बेरोज़गार को नौकरी चाहिए (berozgaar ko naukrii chaahie, 'the unemployed person needs a job') -- without changing form.
Synonyms: बेकार (bekaar, also means 'useless', so context matters), निकम्मा (nikammaa, colloquial, implies laziness too)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: बेरोज़गारी (berozgaarii, 'unemployment') is a constant topic in Indian news and political speeches, so बेरोज़गार (berozgaar) is a word you will hear often outside casual conversation too -- on TV debates, in election promises, and in everyday complaints about the job market. Parents worry about a बेरोज़गार (berozgaar) son or daughter with real social weight behind the word, since employment is tightly tied to marriage prospects and family standing.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes confuse this with बेकार (bekaar); बेरोज़गार (berozgaar) is specifically about lacking a job, while बेकार (bekaar) more often means 'useless' or 'good-for-nothing' in general, though it can also mean jobless. 2) As an adjective ending in आ (aa), learners forget it still inflects normally for gender/number agreement like any other -आ adjective.
Sample Sentences:
वह पिछले दो साल से बेरोज़गार है। He has been unemployed for the last two years.
(vah pichhle do saal se berozgaar hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
इस शहर में हज़ारों इंजीनियर बेरोज़गार बैठे हैं। Thousands of engineers sit unemployed in this city.
(is shahar men hazaaron injiiniyar berozgaar baithe hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अगर उसने वह नौकरी छोड़ दी, तो वह फिर से बेरोज़गार हो जाएगा। If he quits that job, he will become unemployed again.
(agar usne vah naukrii chhod dii, to vah phir se berozgaar ho jaaegaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
माँ-बाप को अपने बेरोज़गार बेटे की शादी की चिंता सताती है। Parents are plagued by worry about their unemployed son's marriage.
(maan-baap ko apne berozgaar bete kii shaadii kii chintaa sataatii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
काश मैं बेरोज़गार न होता, तो अपने पैरों पर खड़ा होता। If only I weren't unemployed, I would be standing on my own feet.
(kaash main berozgaar n hotaa, to apne pairon par khadaa hotaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
नेता जी ने वादा किया कि एक भी युवा बेरोज़गार नहीं रहेगा। The leader promised that not a single youth would remain unemployed.
(netaa jii ne vaadaa kiyaa ki ek bhii yuvaa berozgaar nahiin rahegaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
देश में बेरोज़गार युवाओं की संख्या हर साल बढ़ती जा रही है। The number of unemployed youth in the country keeps increasing every year.
(desh men berozgaar yuvaaon kii sankhyaa har saal badhtii jaa rahii hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
क्या तुम अभी भी बेरोज़गार हो या कहीं लग गए? Are you still unemployed, or did you get placed somewhere?
(kyaa tum abhii bhii berozgaar ho yaa kahiin lag gae?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
सरकार को चाहिए कि वह बेरोज़गार नौजवानों के लिए नई योजनाएँ बनाए। The government should create new schemes for unemployed young people.
(sarkaar ko chaahie ki vah berozgaar naujvaanon ke lie naii yojnaaen banaae।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
बेरोज़गार होकर घर बैठे रहना उसे बिल्कुल पसंद नहीं था। Sitting idle at home while unemployed was something he absolutely disliked.
(berozgaar hokar ghar baithe rahnaa use bilkul pasand nahiin thaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
एक बेरोज़गार आदमी की तरह दिनभर गली में मत घूमो, कुछ काम ढूँढो। Don't wander the street all day like an unemployed man, find some work.
(ek berozgaar aadmii kii tarah dinbhar galii men mat ghoomo, kuchh kaam dhoondho।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Adjective (variable)
(sg.m): बेरोज़गार (berozgaar)
(pl.m): बेरोज़गारे (berozgaare)
(sg.f): बेरोज़गारी (berozgaarii)
(pl.f): बेरोज़गारी (berozgaarii)