शाम (shaam)

noun Means 'evening' -- the time of day between afternoon and night. Single common sense, used constantly in daily greetings and time expressions.
Sense 1 : evening
noun, feminine
Synonyms: सांझ (saanjh, literary)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: शाम (shaam) carries a gentle, almost cozy feeling in everyday Hindi -- चाय (chaay, 'tea') and शाम (shaam) go together the way coffee and morning do in English, and शाम को (shaam ko) is the default time Delhi families sit out on the balcony or head to the market as the heat breaks.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often say शाम में (shaam men) by analogy with English 'in the evening,' but the natural postposition is को (ko) -- शाम को (shaam ko, 'in the evening') -- or simply शाम (shaam) used adverbially without any postposition at all, as in शाम मिलते हैं (shaam milte hain, 'let's meet in the evening').
Sample Sentences:
आज शाम को बारिश होगी। It will rain this evening.
(aaj shaam ko baarish hogii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
हम शाम को चाय पीते हैं और बालकनी में बैठते हैं। We drink tea in the evening and sit on the balcony.
(ham shaam ko chaay piite hain aur baalaknii men baithte hain।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
कल शाम मैं बाज़ार गया था। I went to the market yesterday evening.
(kal shaam main baazaar gayaa thaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
शाम हो रही है, चलो घर चलते हैं। Evening is falling, let's head home.
(shaam ho rahii hai, chalo ghar chalte hain।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
शाम को बाहर मत निकलो, बहुत ठंड है। Don't go out in the evening, it's very cold.
(shaam ko baahar mat niklo, bahut thand hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
अगर मौसम अच्छा होता तो हम शाम को छत पर बैठते। If the weather were nice, we would sit on the roof in the evening.
(agar mausam achchhaa hotaa to ham shaam ko chhat par baithte।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
शायद वे शाम तक लौट आएँ। Maybe they'll be back by evening.
(shaayad ve shaam tak laut aaen।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
समारोह की शाम बहुत ही यादगार रही। The evening of the ceremony was truly memorable.
(samaaroh kii shaam bahut hii yaadgaar rahii।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
शाम ढल चुकी थी जब वह पहुँचा। The evening had already faded by the time he arrived.
(shaam dhal chukii thii jab vah pahunchaa।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
यह उपन्यास एक ऐसी शाम की कहानी है जो कभी खत्म नहीं होती। This novel is the story of an evening that never seems to end.
(yah upanyaas ek aisii shaam kii kahaanii hai jo kabhii khatm nahiin hotii।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
आजकल हर शाम बिजली काट दी जाती है। These days the power is cut off every evening.
(aajkal har shaam bijlii kaat dii jaatii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct): शाम (shaam)
(sg.f.oblique): शाम (shaam)
(pl.f.direct): शामें (shaamen)
(pl.f.oblique): शामों (shaamon)