शहर (shahar)

noun A single, straightforward sense: 'city/town.' Common in everyday speech about places, travel, and identity (where someone is 'from').
Sense 1 : city, town
noun, masculine
Synonyms: नगर (nagar, formal), शहर (shahar)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: शहर (shahar) versus गाँव (gaanv) is a very live pair in Indian conversation -- people often introduce themselves by naming their शहर (shahar) and it carries real social meaning about upbringing, dialect, and lifestyle, much more than 'city' does in casual American English small talk. Delhi itself is often just called शहर (shahar) affectionately by people who live there, as in इस शहर में (is shahar men, 'in this city'), when the context makes clear which city is meant.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes use गाँव (gaanv, 'village') and शहर (shahar) loosely as opposites without realizing how central this village-versus-city distinction is in everyday Hindi conversation about background and identity -- e.g. आप गाँव से हैं या शहर से? (aap gaanv se hain yaa shahar se?, 'are you from a village or a city?'). 2) मेरा शहर (meraa shahar, 'my city') is the natural way to talk about your hometown, not मेरा घर शहर (meraa ghar shahar) or similar constructions learners sometimes try to build.
Sample Sentences:
दिल्ली एक बहुत बड़ा शहर है। Delhi is a very big city.
(dillii ek bahut badaa shahar hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
तुम किस शहर से हो? Which city are you from?
(tum kis shahar se ho?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
मुझे इस शहर में रहते हुए दस साल हो गए हैं। It's been ten years since I've been living in this city.
(mujhe is shahar men rahte hue das saal ho gae hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
गाँव छोड़कर वे शहर आ गए थे। They had left the village and come to the city.
(gaanv chhodkar ve shahar aa gae the।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
अगर मैं इस शहर में पैदा होता, तो हिंदी बेहतर बोलता। If I had been born in this city, I would speak Hindi better.
(agar main is shahar men paidaa hotaa, to hindii behtar boltaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
इस शहर की सड़कें रात में भी जागती रहती हैं। This city's streets stay awake even at night.
(is shahar kii sadken raat men bhii jaagtii rahtii hain।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
कृपया अगले शहर के लिए ट्रेन का समय बता दें। Please tell me the train timing for the next city.
(kripyaa agle shahar ke lie tren kaa samay bataa den।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
शायद वह किसी छोटे शहर में बस जाए। Maybe he'll settle down in some small town.
(shaayad vah kisii chhote shahar men bas jaae।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
इस शहर में बहुत कुछ बदल दिया गया है। A lot has been changed in this city.
(is shahar men bahut kuchh badal diyaa gayaa hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
मैं इस शहर का हूँ, इसलिए यहाँ की हर गली जानता हूँ। I'm from this city, so I know every lane here.
(main is shahar kaa hoon, islie yahaan kii har galii jaantaa hoon।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
वह शहर, जहाँ मेरा बचपन बीता, अब बहुत बदल गया है। That city, where my childhood passed, has changed a great deal now.
(vah shahar, jahaan meraa bachpan biitaa, ab bahut badal gayaa hai।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct): शहर (shahar)
(sg.m.oblique): शहर (shahar)
(pl.m.direct): शहर (shahar)
(pl.m.oblique): शहरों (shahron)