परदा (pardaa)
noun
Basic sense is a physical curtain or screen; from there it extends to the social/cultural practice of veiling or seclusion, and figuratively to secrecy or concealment. Also commonly spelled पर्दा (pardaa) with a half-र.
Sense
1
:
curtain, screen
noun, masculine
Synonyms: चिलमन (chilman, literary)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Every Indian home has परदे (parde) on doors and windows rather than solid doors in many cases, so the word comes up constantly in daily domestic conversation, e.g. asking someone to close it against sun, dust, or prying eyes.
Common Mistakes: 1) Also refers to a cinema/projection screen, so फ़िल्म का परदा (film kaa pardaa, 'the film screen') and परदे पर आना (parde par aanaa, 'to appear on screen', of actors) are common extensions learners meet early, not separate slang.
Sample Sentences:
खिड़की का परदा हटाओ, बाहर बारिश देखनी है।
Move the window curtain aside, I want to see the rain outside.
(khidkii kaa pardaa hataao, baahar baarish dekhnii hai।)
धूप बहुत तेज़ है, परदा खींच दो।
The sunlight is very strong, pull the curtain shut.
(dhoop bahut tez hai, pardaa khiinch do।)
मैं हर साल दीवाली पर नए परदे लगाती हूँ।
I put up new curtains every year for Diwali.
(main har saal diivaalii par nae parde lagaatii hoon।)
दरवाज़े पर परदा टँगा है क्योंकि दरवाज़ा टूटा हुआ है।
There's a curtain hanging on the door because the door is broken.
(darvaaze par pardaa tangaa hai kyonki darvaazaa tootaa huaa hai।)
कल हवा से परदा उड़ रहा था और मुझे नींद नहीं आ रही थी।
Yesterday the curtain was fluttering in the wind and I couldn't fall asleep.
(kal havaa se pardaa ud rahaa thaa aur mujhe niind nahiin aa rahii thii।)
अगर परदे मोटे होते तो कमरे में इतनी रोशनी नहीं आती।
If the curtains were thicker, so much light wouldn't come into the room.
(agar parde mote hote to kamre men itnii roshnii nahiin aatii।)
प्लीज़ परदा बंद कर दो, पड़ोसी अंदर देख सकते हैं।
Please close the curtain, the neighbors can see inside.
(pliiz pardaa band kar do, padosii andar dekh sakte hain।)
शायद हमें बाथरूम के लिए एक नया परदा खरीदना चाहिए।
Maybe we should buy a new curtain for the bathroom.
(shaayad hamen baathroom ke lie ek nayaa pardaa khariidnaa chaahie।)
स्टेज पर परदा गिरते ही सब लोग तालियाँ बजाने लगे।
As soon as the curtain fell on the stage, everyone started clapping.
(stej par pardaa girte hii sab log taaliyaan bajaane lage।)
दुकान पर पुराने परदे सस्ते दाम में बेचे जा रहे थे।
Old curtains were being sold cheaply at the shop.
(dukaan par puraane parde saste daam men beche jaa rahe the।)
अगले हफ़्ते तक सारे कमरों में नए परदे लग जाएँगे।
By next week, new curtains will be put up in all the rooms.
(agle hafte tak saare kamron men nae parde lag jaaenge।)
Sense
2
:
veiling, seclusion of women (social practice)
noun, masculine Common in the phrase परदा करना (pardaa karnaa, 'to observe purdah/veiling') and परदे में रहना (parde men rahnaa, 'to stay in seclusion/veiled').
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This sense reflects a real historical and still-practiced social custom in parts of North India, where women veil their faces or stay behind screens/curtains before elders, in-laws, or strangers; the English loanword 'purdah' actually comes from this very word.
Common Mistakes: 1) परदा करना (pardaa karnaa) does not mean 'to make a curtain' -- it specifically means to observe the custom of veiling or staying secluded, so learners should not read करना (karnaa) literally here.
Sample Sentences:
गाँव में आज भी कुछ घरों में परदा प्रथा चलती है।
Even today, in some households in the village, the custom of purdah is practiced.
(gaanv men aaj bhii kuchh gharon men pardaa prathaa chaltii hai।)
ससुर के सामने आने पर बहू को परदा करना पड़ता था।
The daughter-in-law had to veil herself when coming in front of her father-in-law.
(sasur ke saamne aane par bahoo ko pardaa karnaa padtaa thaa।)
उस समाज में औरतें अजनबियों से परदा रखती थीं।
In that society, women observed purdah from strangers.
(us samaaj men aurten ajanbiyon se pardaa rakhtii thiin।)
क्या शहरों में भी परदे का रिवाज़ अब भी है?
Does the custom of purdah still exist in cities too?
(kyaa shahron men bhii parde kaa rivaaz ab bhii hai?)
अगर वह परदा न करती, तो बड़े-बुज़ुर्ग नाराज़ हो जाते।
If she had not observed purdah, the elders would have gotten upset.
(agar vah pardaa n kartii, to bade-buzurg naaraaz ho jaate।)
उस युग में परदा नारी की मर्यादा का प्रतीक माना जाता था।
In that era, purdah was considered a symbol of a woman's dignity.
(us yug men pardaa naarii kii maryaadaa kaa pratiik maanaa jaataa thaa।)
बेटी की शादी के बाद उसे ससुराल में परदा करना सिखाया गया।
After the daughter's wedding, she was taught to observe purdah in her in-laws' home.
(betii kii shaadii ke baad use sasuraal men pardaa karnaa sikhaayaa gayaa।)
कई सुधारकों ने परदा प्रथा का विरोध किया।
Many reformers opposed the custom of purdah.
(kaii sudhaarkon ne pardaa prathaa kaa virodh kiyaa।)
चाची कहती हैं कि उनके ज़माने में परदा बहुत सख्ती से निभाया जाता था।
Aunty says that in her time, purdah used to be observed very strictly.
(chaachii kahtii hain ki unke zamaane men pardaa bahut sakhtii se nibhaayaa jaataa thaa।)
काश उस दौर में औरतों को परदे में इतना बंद न रखा जाता।
If only women had not been kept so confined in purdah during that era.
(kaash us daur men aurton ko parde men itnaa band n rakhaa jaataa।)
Sense
3
:
secrecy, concealment (figurative)
noun, masculine Appears mainly in fixed idioms: परदा डालना (pardaa daalnaa, 'to cover up/hush up'), परदा उठाना/परदा फ़ाश करना (pardaa uthaanaa/pardaa faash karnaa, 'to lift the veil/expose a secret'), परदा रखना (pardaa rakhnaa, 'to keep something hidden').
Synonyms: छिपाव (chhipaav), गोपनीयता (gopniiytaa, formal)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This figurative sense is everywhere in news headlines and gossip -- राज़ पर परदा डालना (raaz par pardaa daalnaa, 'to cover up a secret') is the kind of phrase you'll hear about political scandals or family secrets alike, treating hidden truths as something literally covered by a curtain.
Common Mistakes: 1) परदा फ़ाश करना (pardaa faash karnaa) means 'to expose a secret/scandal' -- learners sometimes miss that फ़ाश (faash) here means 'exposed', not a verb of its own, so the whole phrase must be learned as a unit.
Sample Sentences:
मंत्री ने घोटाले पर परदा डालने की कोशिश की।
The minister tried to cover up the scandal.
(mantrii ne ghotaale par pardaa daalne kii koshish kii।)
इस मामले पर से परदा उठ चुका है।
The secrecy around this matter has already been lifted.
(is maamle par se pardaa uth chukaa hai।)
पुलिस उस हत्या के राज़ पर से परदा उठाने की कोशिश कर रही है।
The police are trying to uncover the secret behind that murder.
(pulis us hatyaa ke raaz par se pardaa uthaane kii koshish kar rahii hai।)
कंपनी अपने घाटे पर परदा डालने की पूरी कोशिश करेगी।
The company will make every effort to conceal its losses.
(kampnii apne ghaate par pardaa daalne kii poorii koshish karegii।)
काश वे इस भ्रष्टाचार पर परदा न डालते।
If only they hadn't covered up this corruption.
(kaash ve is bhrashtaachaar par pardaa n daalte।)
सच पर परदा मत डालो, सब कुछ बता दो।
Don't cover up the truth, tell everything.
(sach par pardaa mat daalo, sab kuchh bataa do।)
अगर उसने सबूत नहीं छिपाए होते, तो यह राज़ इतने सालों तक परदे में न रहता।
If he hadn't hidden the evidence, this secret wouldn't have stayed under cover for so many years.
(agar usne saboot nahiin chhipaae hote, to yah raaz itne saalon tak parde men n rahtaa।)
यह जांच परदे के पीछे ही चलती रहेगी, जब तक सच सामने न आए।
This investigation will keep going on behind the veil of secrecy, until the truth comes out.
(yah jaanch parde ke piichhe hii chaltii rahegii, jab tak sach saamne n aae।)
अफसरों ने रिपोर्ट में हेराफेरी पर परदा डाल दिया था।
The officials had covered up the manipulation in the report.
(aphasron ne riport men heraapherii par pardaa daal diyaa thaa।)
क्या यह मुमकिन है कि इतने बड़े झूठ पर इतने लंबे समय तक परदा पड़ा रहे?
Is it possible that such a big lie could remain covered up for so long?
(kyaa yah mumkin hai ki itne bade jhooth par itne lambe samay tak pardaa padaa rahe?)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
परदा
(pardaa)
(sg.m.oblique):
परदे
(parde)
(pl.m.direct):
परदे
(parde)
(pl.m.oblique):
परदों
(pardon)