शराबी (sharaabii)
noun/adjective
This word has two closely related senses: an adjective meaning 'drunk/alcoholic (habitual)' and a noun meaning 'a drunkard/alcoholic (person)'. Both derive from शराब (sharaab, 'liquor').
Sense
1
:
a drunkard, an alcoholic (person)
noun, masculine/feminine
Synonyms: पियक्कड़ (piyakkad, colloquial), नशेड़ी (nashedii, covers addiction to any intoxicant, not just alcohol)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Calling someone शराबी (sharaabii) is a real social judgment in India, not a neutral descriptor -- it marks a person as someone whose drinking has become a defining, often shameful, trait, frequently invoked in family arguments or in describing a neighborhood's problem drinker.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes use this as a one-off insult for someone who is merely drunk tonight; शराबी (sharaabii) implies a habitual drinker, not someone who just had too much at a party -- for the latter, नशे में (nashe men, 'intoxicated') or पिया हुआ (piyaa huaa, 'having drunk') is more accurate.
Sample Sentences:
वह गली का सबसे बड़ा शराबी है।
He is the biggest drunkard in the neighborhood.
(vah galii kaa sabse badaa sharaabii hai।)
उसका बाप शराबी था और सारा पैसा दारू में उड़ा देता था।
His father was a drunkard and used to blow all the money on liquor.
(uskaa baap sharaabii thaa aur saaraa paisaa daaroo men udaa detaa thaa।)
मोहल्ले वाले उसे शराबी कहकर बुलाते हैं।
The people of the neighborhood call him a drunkard.
(mohalle vaale use sharaabii kahkar bulaate hain।)
अगर वह शराबी न होता तो घर की हालत इतनी खराब न होती।
If he weren't a drunkard, the family's condition wouldn't be so bad.
(agar vah sharaabii n hotaa to ghar kii haalat itnii kharaab n hotii।)
एक शराबी अपनी बीवी-बच्चों की जिंदगी बर्बाद कर सकता है।
A drunkard can ruin his wife and children's life.
(ek sharaabii apnii biivii-bachchon kii jindgii barbaad kar saktaa hai।)
क्या तुम किसी शराबी से शादी करना चाहती हो?
Do you want to marry a drunkard?
(kyaa tum kisii sharaabii se shaadii karnaa chaahtii ho?)
समाज में शराबियों को हमेशा हिकारत की नज़र से देखा जाता है।
In society, drunkards are always looked upon with contempt.
(samaaj men sharaabiyon ko hameshaa hikaarat kii nazar se dekhaa jaataa hai।)
काश वह शराबी न बनता।
If only he hadn't become a drunkard.
(kaash vah sharaabii n bantaa।)
पुलिस ने शराबी को सड़क पर पड़ा हुआ पाया।
The police found the drunkard lying on the road.
(pulis ne sharaabii ko sadak par padaa huaa paayaa।)
उसे शराबी मत कहो, वो इलाज करवा रहा है।
Don't call him a drunkard, he's getting treatment.
(use sharaabii mat kaho, vo ilaaj karvaa rahaa hai।)
गाँव में एक मशहूर शराबी था जिसे सब लोग नाम से जानते थे।
There was a famous drunkard in the village whom everyone knew by name.
(gaanv men ek mashahoor sharaabii thaa jise sab log naam se jaante the।)
Sense
2
:
drunk, alcoholic (as a description of a person's character or state)
adjective
Synonyms: नशे में (nashe men, describes a temporary state rather than a habit)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: As an adjective, शराबी (sharaabii) baap (baap) or शराबी (sharaabii) पति (pati) are common phrases in everyday complaints and in Hindi film dialogue, painting a whole household picture -- the word does a lot of narrative work in just two syllables.
Sample Sentences:
उसका बाप शराबी है।
His father is a drunkard.
(uskaa baap sharaabii hai।)
मेरी पड़ोसन का शराबी पति रात भर चिल्लाता रहता है।
My neighbor's alcoholic husband keeps yelling all night.
(merii padosan kaa sharaabii pati raat bhar chillaataa rahtaa hai।)
फिल्म में हीरो का शराबी बाप पूरी कहानी में उसे तंग करता रहता है।
In the film, the hero's drunkard father keeps harassing him throughout the story.
(philm men hiiro kaa sharaabii baap poorii kahaanii men use tang kartaa rahtaa hai।)
शादी से पहले वह इतना शराबी नहीं था।
He wasn't this drunken before the marriage.
(shaadii se pahle vah itnaa sharaabii nahiin thaa।)
अगर उसका पति शराबी न होता, तो शायद घर की हालत इतनी बुरी न होती।
If her husband weren't an alcoholic, the state of the house probably wouldn't be this bad.
(agar uskaa pati sharaabii n hotaa, to shaayad ghar kii haalat itnii burii n hotii।)
डॉक्टर ने कहा कि इतना शराबी इंसान लंबे समय तक स्वस्थ नहीं रह सकता।
The doctor said that such an alcoholic person cannot stay healthy for long.
(doktar ne kahaa ki itnaa sharaabii insaan lambe samay tak svasth nahiin rah saktaa।)
क्या तुम सच में इतने शराबी हो गए हो कि अपने बच्चों को भी नहीं पहचान पाते?
Have you really become so drunken that you can't even recognize your own children?
(kyaa tum sach men itne sharaabii ho gae ho ki apne bachchon ko bhii nahiin pahchaan paate?)
गाँव में सब कहते हैं कि वह आदमी बहुत शराबी है, इसलिए उसकी बेटी की शादी में मुश्किल आ रही है।
Everyone in the village says that man is very alcoholic, so there is trouble arranging his daughter's marriage.
(gaanv men sab kahte hain ki vah aadmii bahut sharaabii hai, islie uskii betii kii shaadii men mushkil aa rahii hai।)
काश उसका बाप शराबी न होता, तो उसका बचपन इतना मुश्किल न होता।
If only his father hadn't been an alcoholic, his childhood wouldn't have been this hard.
(kaash uskaa baap sharaabii n hotaa, to uskaa bachpan itnaa mushkil n hotaa।)
यह बात सबको मालूम थी कि वह एक शराबी आदमी है, फिर भी उससे शादी करवाई गई।
Everyone knew that he was a drunken man, yet the marriage with him was arranged anyway.
(yah baat sabko maaloom thii ki vah ek sharaabii aadmii hai, phir bhii usse shaadii karvaaii gaii।)
इतने शराबी मत बनो कि परिवार तुमसे शर्मिंदा हो जाए।
Don't become so drunken that your family gets ashamed of you.
(itne sharaabii mat bano ki parivaar tumse sharmindaa ho jaae।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m/f.direct):
शराबी
(sharaabii)
(sg.m/f.oblique):
शराबी
(sharaabii)
(pl.m/f.direct):
शराबियाँ
(sharaabiyaan)
(pl.m/f.oblique):
शराबियों
(sharaabiyon)
Adjective (invariant)
invariant:
शराबी
(sharaabii)