समय (samay)

noun The standard, everyday word for 'time' in both the abstract sense and the concrete sense of 'a particular moment/occasion'; also appears in fixed phrases about timeliness.

Sense 1 : time (as a general concept)

noun, masculine

Synonyms: वक़्त (vaqt), काल (kaal, literary)

Frequency: high

Cultural Note: You will hear this word constantly in daily life -- from समय पर आइए (samay par aaie, 'please come on time') at a family function to news anchors saying अब समय हो गया है (ab samay ho gayaa hai, 'now it is time'). It pairs naturally with पर (par) to mean 'on time', a value Indian families invoke often even as punctuality itself is treated flexibly in practice.

Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for घंटा (ghantaa) or देर (der) when they mean 'time' in general; घंटा (ghantaa) is specifically 'hour' and देर (der) is specifically 'delay/lateness', not time as a concept. 2) समय (samay) and वक़्त (vaqt) are freely interchangeable in most everyday speech -- there is no strong register split here despite वक़्त (vaqt) being of Persian origin.

Sample Sentences:

समय बहुत कीमती होता है। Time is very precious.

(samay bahut kiimtii hotaa hai।)

कृपया समय पर आइए। Please come on time.

(kripyaa samay par aaie।)

अब समय हो गया है, हमें निकलना चाहिए। Now it is time, we should leave.

(ab samay ho gayaa hai, hamen nikalnaa chaahie।)

उसके पास किसी के लिए भी समय नहीं है। He doesn't have time for anyone.

(uske paas kisii ke lie bhii samay nahiin hai।)

अगर मेरे पास समय होता, तो मैं ज़रूर आता। If I had time, I would definitely have come.

(agar mere paas samay hotaa, to main zaroor aataa।)

समय हमेशा एक जैसा नहीं रहता। Time doesn't always stay the same.

(samay hameshaa ek jaisaa nahiin rahtaa।)

समय बीतने के साथ सब कुछ बदल जाता है। With the passage of time, everything changes.

(samay biitne ke saath sab kuchh badal jaataa hai।)

समय रहते अपनी गलती सुधार लो। Fix your mistake while there's still time.

(samay rahte apnii galtii sudhaar lo।)

कहा जाता है कि समय किसी का इंतज़ार नहीं करता। It is said that time waits for no one.

(kahaa jaataa hai ki samay kisii kaa intzaar nahiin kartaa।)

शायद अभी बात करने का सही समय न हो। Maybe now isn't the right time to talk.

(shaayad abhii baat karne kaa sahii samay n ho।)

समय के साथ चलना ज़रूरी है। It's necessary to move with the times.

(samay ke saath chalnaa zaroorii hai।)

Sense 2 : a particular point/period, occasion

noun, masculine Used in phrases like उस समय (us samay, 'at that time') and इस समय (is samay, 'at this time/currently') to anchor an event to a specific moment or era.

Synonyms: मौका (maukaa, occasion/opportunity), दौर (daur, era/phase)

Frequency: high

Cultural Note: This sense shows up in storytelling and history-telling alike: a grandparent might begin a story with उस समय (us samay, 'in those days') the way an English speaker says 'back then'. It also appears in formal contexts like exam papers asking about a ऐतिहासिक समय (aitihaasik samay, 'historical period').

Common Mistakes: 1) उस समय (us samay) and तब (tab) both mean 'then/at that time', but उस समय (us samay) is more explicit and slightly more formal -- learners can use them somewhat interchangeably in speech.

Sample Sentences:

उस समय बिजली नहीं होती थी। In those days there was no electricity.

(us samay bijlii nahiin hotii thii।)

मुगल काल एक महत्वपूर्ण ऐतिहासिक समय था। The Mughal era was an important historical period.

(mugal kaal ek mahatvpoorn aitihaasik samay thaa।)

उस समय हम बहुत छोटे थे और गाँव में रहते थे। Back then we were very young and lived in a village.

(us samay ham bahut chhote the aur gaanv men rahte the।)

क्या तुम्हें वह समय याद है जब हम रोज़ छत पर खेलते थे? Do you remember that time when we used to play on the roof every day?

(kyaa tumhen vah samay yaad hai jab ham roz chhat par khelte the?)

यह वही समय है जब क्रांति की शुरुआत हुई थी। This is the very moment when the revolution began.

(yah vahii samay hai jab kraanti kii shuruaat huii thii।)

इतिहास के प्रश्नपत्र में ऐतिहासिक समय पर एक निबंध पूछा गया था। An essay on a historical period was asked in the history exam paper.

(itihaas ke prashnpatr men aitihaasik samay par ek nibandh poochhaa gayaa thaa।)

अगर वह समय दोबारा आता, तो मैं सब कुछ अलग तरह से करता। If that time came again, I would do everything differently.

(agar vah samay dobaaraa aataa, to main sab kuchh alag tarah se kartaa।)

काश उस समय कोई मुझे सही सलाह देता। If only someone had given me the right advice at that time.

(kaash us samay koii mujhe sahii salaah detaa।)

दादी अक्सर कहती हैं, 'उस समय ज़िंदगी बहुत सादी थी।' Grandma often says, 'In those days, life was very simple.'

(daadii aksar kahtii hain, 'us samay zindgii bahut saadii thii।')

आज़ादी के बाद का समय देश के लिए बेहद अहम रहा है। The period after independence has been extremely important for the country.

(aazaadii ke baad kaa samay desh ke lie behad aham rahaa hai।)

इस ऐतिहासिक समय को समझने के लिए पुराने दस्तावेज़ पढ़े जाएँ। In order to understand this historical period, the old documents should be read.

(is aitihaasik samay ko samajhne ke lie puraane dastaavez padhe jaaen।)

Morphology

Noun

(sg.m.direct): समय (samay)

(sg.m.oblique): समय (samay)

(pl.m.direct): समय (samay)

(pl.m.oblique): समयों (samyon)