ढेर (dher)
adjective/noun
Primarily a noun meaning 'a heap/pile,' but its everyday power comes from the adverbial/quantifier sense meaning 'a lot, tons of.'
Sense
1
:
a lot of, tons of (informal quantifier)
adjective Used before a noun like a quantifier, e.g. ढेर सारा काम (dher saaraa kaam, 'a ton of work'); often paired with सारा (saaraa) for extra emphasis.
Synonyms: बहुत (bahut), बहुत सारा (bahut saaraa), बहुत ज़्यादा (bahut zyaadaa)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the ढेर (dher) you hear constantly in casual Delhi speech -- ढेर सारा प्यार (dher saaraa pyaar, 'tons of love') is a classic way to sign off a warm message, much warmer and more colloquial than बहुत सारा (bahut saaraa).
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often forget that ढेर (dher) in this sense is usually followed by सारा (saaraa) before the noun -- ढेर सारा (dher saaraa) is the natural collocation, not ढेर (dher) alone in most casual speech. 2) Because सारा (saaraa) inflects for gender/number while ढेर (dher) itself stays fixed in this quantifier role, learners sometimes wrongly try to inflect ढेर (dher) too.
Sample Sentences:
उसने मुझे ढेर सारा प्यार भेजा।
She sent me tons of love.
(usne mujhe dher saaraa pyaar bhejaa।)
मेरे पास ढेर सारा काम है।
I have a ton of work.
(mere paas dher saaraa kaam hai।)
पार्टी में ढेर सारे लोग आते हैं।
Tons of people come to the party.
(paartii men dher saare log aate hain।)
अगर टाइम मिला तो मैं ढेर सारी फिल्में देखूँगा।
If I get time, I'll watch tons of movies.
(agar taaim milaa to main dher saarii philmen dekhoongaa।)
ढेर सारी मस्ती करो और एन्जॉय करो!
Have loads of fun and enjoy!
(dher saarii mastii karo aur enjoy karo!)
जन्मदिन की ढेर सारी शुभकामनाएँ!
Loads of birthday wishes!
(janmdin kii dher saarii shubhkaamnaaen!)
काश मेरे पास ढेर सारा पैसा होता।
I wish I had tons of money.
(kaash mere paas dher saaraa paisaa hotaa।)
उसकी बातों में ढेर सारी गलतियाँ निकाली गईं।
Tons of mistakes were pointed out in what he said.
(uskii baaton men dher saarii galtiyaan nikaalii gaiin।)
क्या तुम्हें यहाँ ढेर सारे दोस्त मिल गए?
Did you make tons of friends here?
(kyaa tumhen yahaan dher saare dost mil gae?)
शायद उसके पास ढेर सारे आइडिया हों।
Maybe he has tons of ideas.
(shaayad uske paas dher saare aaidiyaa hon।)
मैसेज के आखिर में उसने लिखा, ढेर सारा प्यार, तुम्हारी दोस्त।
At the end of the message she wrote, lots of love, your friend.
(maisej ke aakhir men usne likhaa, dher saaraa pyaar, tumhaarii dost।)
Sense
2
:
a heap, pile, mound
noun, masculine
Synonyms: राशि (raashi, formal), समूह (samooh, meaning scope: group/cluster)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Think of कचरे का ढेर (kachre kaa dher, 'a heap of garbage') -- a very common sight-based phrase in everyday Indian city life, or किताबों का ढेर (kitaabon kaa dher, 'a pile of books') on a student's desk.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes confuse ढेर (dher) 'heap' with ढेला (dhelaa) 'lump/clod,' which is a different, less common word.
Sample Sentences:
गली के कोने में कचरे का ढेर लगा हुआ है।
There is a heap of garbage piled up at the corner of the lane.
(galii ke kone men kachre kaa dher lagaa huaa hai।)
उसकी मेज़ पर किताबों का ढेर पड़ा था।
A pile of books lay on his desk.
(uskii mez par kitaabon kaa dher padaa thaa।)
कृपया कमरे के बीच में कपड़ों का ढेर मत लगाओ।
Please don't pile up a heap of clothes in the middle of the room.
(kripyaa kamre ke biich men kapdon kaa dher mat lagaao।)
हर सुबह सफ़ाईकर्मी पत्तों का ढेर इकट्ठा करते हैं।
Every morning the sweepers gather a pile of leaves.
(har subah safaaiikarmii patton kaa dher ikatthaa karte hain।)
मलबे का ढेर पूरी सड़क पर फैला हुआ है।
A heap of rubble is spread across the entire road.
(malbe kaa dher poorii sadak par phailaa huaa hai।)
अगर हर घर से कचरा अलग रखा जाए, तो सड़क पर ढेर नहीं लगेगा।
If garbage from every house were kept separately, a heap wouldn't pile up on the road.
(agar har ghar se kachraa alag rakhaa jaae, to sadak par dher nahiin lagegaa।)
अगर वह अपनी चीज़ें व्यवस्थित रखता, तो कमरे में इतना ढेर न होता।
If he kept his things organized, there wouldn't be such a heap in the room.
(agar vah apnii chiizen vyavasthit rakhtaa, to kamre men itnaa dher n hotaa।)
मज़दूर ईंटों का ढेर धीरे-धीरे लगा रहे थे।
The workers were slowly piling up a heap of bricks.
(mazdoor iinton kaa dher dhiire-dhiire lagaa rahe the।)
नगरपालिका द्वारा कचरे का ढेर हटाया गया।
The heap of garbage was removed by the municipality.
(nagarpaalikaa dvaaraa kachre kaa dher hataayaa gayaa।)
खेत के किनारे भूसे का एक बड़ा ढेर बना हुआ था।
A big mound of straw stood at the edge of the field.
(khet ke kinaare bhoose kaa ek badaa dher banaa huaa thaa।)
Morphology
Adjective (invariant)
invariant:
ढेर
(dher)
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
ढेर
(dher)
(sg.m.oblique):
ढेर
(dher)
(pl.m.direct):
ढेर
(dher)
(pl.m.oblique):
ढेरों
(dheron)