मुमकिन (mumkin)
adjective/noun
A single-sense adjective meaning 'possible' -- an everyday Urdu-origin word used constantly alongside संभव (sambhav).
Sense
1
:
possible, feasible
adjective Very commonly paired with है/था/होगा in impersonal constructions: यह मुमकिन है (yah mumkin hai, 'this is possible') -- there is usually no grammatical subject doing the 'being possible,' the situation itself is possible.
Synonyms: संभव (sambhav), मुमकिन-सा (mumkin-saa, colloquial hedge, 'sort of possible')
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You'll hear जितना मुमकिन हो (jitnaa mumkin ho, 'as much as possible') all the time in everyday requests and instructions, like जितना मुमकिन हो जल्दी आना (jitnaa mumkin ho jaldii aanaa, 'come as soon as possible'). It sits comfortably in both casual chat and slightly formal speech, unlike its Sanskrit cousin संभव (sambhav), which leans a touch more formal/written.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners try to make मुमकिन (mumkin) agree in gender/number like a variable adjective (मुमकिना, मुमकिने) -- it never changes form, regardless of what noun it describes. 2) मुमकिन है कि (mumkin hai ki, 'it's possible that...') is often followed by a subjunctive verb, which learners forget to switch to: मुमकिन है वह आए (mumkin hai vah aae, 'it's possible he might come'), not the plain present.
Sample Sentences:
क्या ये काम आज ही होना मुमकिन है?
Is it possible for this work to get done today itself?
(kyaa ye kaam aaj hii honaa mumkin hai?)
जितना मुमकिन हो जल्दी आना।
Come as soon as possible.
(jitnaa mumkin ho jaldii aanaa।)
बिना उसकी मदद के ये प्रोजेक्ट पूरा करना मुमकिन नहीं था।
It wasn't possible to complete this project without his help.
(binaa uskii madad ke ye projekt pooraa karnaa mumkin nahiin thaa।)
अगर तुम मेरी बात मान लेते, तो सब कुछ मुमकिन हो जाता।
If you had listened to me, everything would have been possible.
(agar tum merii baat maan lete, to sab kuchh mumkin ho jaataa।)
हो सकता है कि इतने कम समय में ये मुमकिन न हो।
It might be that this isn't possible in such a short time.
(ho saktaa hai ki itne kam samay men ye mumkin n ho।)
कंपनी का कहना है कि जितना मुमकिन हो सके, ग्राहकों की शिकायतें जल्दी सुलझाई जाएँ।
The company says that customer complaints should be resolved as quickly as possible.
(kampnii kaa kahnaa hai ki jitnaa mumkin ho sake, graahkon kii shikaayten jaldii suljhaaii jaaen।)
इस मशीन से यह काम मुमकिन बनाया गया है।
This work has been made possible by this machine.
(is mashiin se yah kaam mumkin banaayaa gayaa hai।)
मुझे नहीं लगता कि इतनी जल्दी शादी की तैयारी मुमकिन होगी।
I don't think it will be possible to prepare for the wedding this quickly.
(mujhe nahiin lagtaa ki itnii jaldii shaadii kii taiyaarii mumkin hogii।)
जब तक सब लोग साथ नहीं देते, तब तक कुछ भी मुमकिन नहीं होता।
As long as everyone doesn't cooperate, nothing is possible.
(jab tak sab log saath nahiin dete, tab tak kuchh bhii mumkin nahiin hotaa।)
डॉक्टर ने कहा कि जितना मुमकिन हो, मरीज़ को आराम दिया जाए।
The doctor said that the patient should be given as much rest as possible.
(doktar ne kahaa ki jitnaa mumkin ho, mariiz ko aaraam diyaa jaae।)
Sense
2
:
the possible, that which is possible (abstract)
noun, masculine Used as an invariant masculine noun mainly in the fixed phrase हद तक मुमकिन (had tak mumkin, 'to the extent possible') or जो मुमकिन हो (jo mumkin ho, 'whatever is possible'), where it functions like a nominalized adjective rather than a true independent noun.
Synonyms: संभव (sambhav)
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: This use is fairly rare on its own -- most of the time मुमकिन (mumkin) is doing adjective work, and this nominal flavor only shows up folded into set phrases rather than standing alone as a countable noun.
Sample Sentences:
उसने हर मुमकिन करने की कोशिश की।
He tried to do everything possible.
(usne har mumkin karne kii koshish kii।)
डॉक्टरों ने हर मुमकिन किया, फिर भी मरीज़ नहीं बचा।
The doctors did everything possible, but still the patient couldn't be saved.
(doktron ne har mumkin kiyaa, phir bhii mariiz nahiin bachaa।)
मुमकिन की भी एक हद होती है।
Even the possible has a limit.
(mumkin kii bhii ek had hotii hai।)
हमें मुमकिन और नामुमकिन के बीच का फ़र्क़ समझना चाहिए।
We should understand the difference between the possible and the impossible.
(hamen mumkin aur naamumkin ke biich kaa farq samajhnaa chaahie।)
अगर वह हर मुमकिन करता, तो नतीजा शायद अलग होता।
If he had done everything possible, the result might have been different.
(agar vah har mumkin kartaa, to natiijaa shaayad alag hotaa।)
टीम हर मुमकिन कर रही है ताकि प्रोजेक्ट समय पर पूरा हो जाए।
The team is doing everything possible so that the project gets finished on time.
(tiim har mumkin kar rahii hai taaki projekt samay par pooraa ho jaae।)
सरकार की तरफ़ से हर मुमकिन किया जाएगा।
Everything possible will be done on behalf of the government.
(sarkaar kii taraf se har mumkin kiyaa jaaegaa।)
कवि ने मुमकिन और नामुमकिन के बीच की दुनिया को शब्दों में बांधा।
The poet bound in words the world that lies between the possible and the impossible.
(kavi ne mumkin aur naamumkin ke biich kii duniyaa ko shabdon men baandhaa।)
Morphology
Adjective (invariant)
invariant:
मुमकिन
(mumkin)
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
मुमकिन
(mumkin)
(sg.m.oblique):
मुमकिन
(mumkin)
(pl.m.direct):
मुमकिन
(mumkin)
(pl.m.oblique):
मुमकिनों
(mumkinon)