साला (saalaa)
interjection/noun
Literally 'wife's brother' (a real kinship term), but the word most learners encounter is its extremely common use as a coarse filler/abuse word -- these two senses are worlds apart in register.
Sense
1
:
coarse filler/mild abuse (roughly 'bastard', 'damn')
interjection Used both as a standalone exclamation and as an adjective-like intensifier before a noun, e.g. साला मौसम (saalaa mausam, 'this damn weather') -- in this use it has drifted entirely away from its literal kinship meaning.
Synonyms: कमीना (kamiinaa, stronger insult), हरामी (haraamii, stronger insult)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is one of Hindi cinema's most iconic mild curses -- practically every masala film has a character muttering साला (saalaa) in frustration. It sits at the 'safe for friends, risky for strangers' end of Hindi swearing, much milder than हरामी (haraamii) but still not polite speech.
Common Mistakes: 1) This word is genuinely rude in mixed company, formal settings, or with elders -- it is common in male peer speech and films but can seriously offend if used with or about someone's actual family in the literal sense. 2) Learners sometimes think it always targets a person; it is very often used about things or situations (साला ट्रैफिक, saalaa traiphik, 'this damn traffic') with no insult to any person at all.
Sample Sentences:
साला, आज फिर बस छूट गई!
Damn, I missed the bus again today!
(saalaa, aaj phir bas chhoot gaii!)
साला मोबाइल फिर हैंग हो गया।
Damn phone hung up again.
(saalaa mobaail phir haing ho gayaa।)
यार, साला ट्रैफिक कभी कम नहीं होता।
Man, the damn traffic never eases up.
(yaar, saalaa traiphik kabhii kam nahiin hotaa।)
साला, वो झूठ बोल रहा था और मुझे पता ही नहीं चला।
Bastard, he was lying and I didn't even realize it.
(saalaa, vo jhooth bol rahaa thaa aur mujhe pataa hii nahiin chalaa।)
साला, ये काम कल तक हो जाएगा या नहीं, पता नहीं।
Damn it, I don't know whether this work will get done by tomorrow or not.
(saalaa, ye kaam kal tak ho jaaegaa yaa nahiin, pataa nahiin।)
अगर वो साला टाइम पर आ जाता तो हमें इतना इंतज़ार न करना पड़ता।
If that bastard had come on time, we wouldn't have had to wait so long.
(agar vo saalaa taaim par aa jaataa to hamen itnaa intzaar n karnaa padtaa।)
साला, कहीं भी लाइन में खड़े हो जाओ, टाइम बर्बाद ही होता है।
Damn it, wherever you stand in line, it's just a waste of time.
(saalaa, kahiin bhii laain men khade ho jaao, taaim barbaad hii hotaa hai।)
साला, इतनी मेहनत की और रिजल्ट फिर भी खराब आया।
Damn, I worked so hard and the result still turned out bad.
(saalaa, itnii mehnat kii aur rijalt phir bhii kharaab aayaa।)
साला, ये लाइट बार-बार क्यों चली जाती है!
Damn it, why does the power keep going out again and again!
(saalaa, ye laait baar-baar kyon chalii jaatii hai!)
अरे साला, ज़रा संभल के, गिर जाएगा!
Hey, watch out, damn it, you'll fall!
(are saalaa, zaraa sambhal ke, gir jaaegaa!)
Sense
2
:
wife's brother (brother-in-law)
noun, masculine
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: In North Indian families, the साला-जीजा (saalaa-jiijaa) relationship is famously teasing and informal -- a man's साला (saalaa) is often his closest friend for joking, banter, and good-natured insults, which is part of why the word slid so easily into casual abuse (see the next sense).
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes use साला (saalaa) for any 'brother-in-law,' but Hindi kinship terms are precise: साला (saalaa) is specifically the wife's brother, while जीजा (jiijaa) is the sister's husband and देवर (devar) is the husband's younger brother -- they are not interchangeable.
Sample Sentences:
यह मेरा साला है, राजेश।
This is my brother-in-law, Rajesh.
(yah meraa saalaa hai, raajesh।)
मेरा साला और मैं हर वीकेंड क्रिकेट देखते हैं।
My brother-in-law and I watch cricket every weekend.
(meraa saalaa aur main har viikend kriket dekhte hain।)
साला-जीजा की जोड़ी शादी में सबको हँसाती रही।
The brother-in-law-and-brother-in-law duo kept making everyone laugh at the wedding.
(saalaa-jiijaa kii jodii shaadii men sabko hansaatii rahii।)
क्या तुम्हारा साला भी बारात में नाच रहा था?
Was your brother-in-law also dancing in the wedding procession?
(kyaa tumhaaraa saalaa bhii baaraat men naach rahaa thaa?)
मेरे साले ने मुझे कल फोन करके जूते छिपाने की धमकी दी।
My brother-in-law called me yesterday and threatened to hide my shoes.
(mere saale ne mujhe kal phon karke joote chhipaane kii dhamkii dii।)
अगर मेरा साला यहाँ होता, तो हम दोनों साथ में मज़ाक करते।
If my brother-in-law were here, the two of us would be joking around together.
(agar meraa saalaa yahaan hotaa, to ham donon saath men mazaak karte।)
साले साहब, आज तो आपको दुल्हा बनाने का जूता-चप्पी टैक्स देना पड़ेगा।
Dear brother-in-law, today you'll have to pay the shoe-hiding tax for making the groom pay up.
(saale saahab, aaj to aapko dulhaa banaane kaa jootaa-chappii taiks denaa padegaa।)
मेरी पत्नी का भाई, यानी मेरा साला, दिल्ली में रहता है।
My wife's brother, that is my brother-in-law, lives in Delhi.
(merii patnii kaa bhaaii, yaanii meraa saalaa, dillii men rahtaa hai।)
श्रीमान शर्मा ने अपने साले को व्यवसाय में साझेदार बनाया है।
Mr. Sharma has made his brother-in-law a partner in the business.
(shriimaan sharmaa ne apne saale ko vyavsaay men saajhedaar banaayaa hai।)
साले से इतना उधार लेना ठीक नहीं है, वापस करना पड़ता है।
Borrowing so much from your brother-in-law isn't right, you have to pay it back.
(saale se itnaa udhaar lenaa thiik nahiin hai, vaapas karnaa padtaa hai।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
साला
(saalaa)
(sg.m.oblique):
साले
(saale)
(pl.m.direct):
साले
(saale)
(pl.m.oblique):
सालों
(saalon)