बाहर (baahar)
adverb/adjective
Mainly an adverb/postposition-like word meaning 'outside/out', with a related noun-ish use in fixed phrases; one word, one core spatial idea extended in a few directions.
Sense
1
:
outside, out (location or direction)
adverb Often combines with से (se) 'from outside' or takes a following noun + की/के (kii/ke) to mean 'outside of X', e.g. घर के बाहर (ghar ke baahar, 'outside the house').
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: बाहर (baahar) and अंदर (andar) are a natural pair every learner should learn together -- think of a Delhi household where mothers call बाहर मत जाओ (baahar mat jaao, 'don't go outside') to kids playing in the gali. The word carries a strong sense of 'away from the safety/familiarity of home', not just neutral geography.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often say घर बाहर (ghar baahar) instead of the correct घर के बाहर (ghar ke baahar) -- बाहर needs के (ke) linking it to the noun it follows, similar to अंदर (andar). 2) Confusing बाहर (static/directional 'outside') with निकलना (nikalnaa, 'to exit/emerge') -- बाहर is where you are or go, not the act of leaving.
Sample Sentences:
बाहर मत जाओ, बारिश हो रही है।
Don't go outside, it's raining.
(baahar mat jaao, baarish ho rahii hai।)
बच्चे गली में बाहर खेल रहे हैं।
The kids are playing outside in the lane.
(bachche galii men baahar khel rahe hain।)
मैं शाम को बाहर जाता हूँ टहलने के लिए।
I go outside in the evening for a walk.
(main shaam ko baahar jaataa hoon tahalne ke lie।)
वह दरवाज़े के बाहर खड़ा है।
He is standing outside the door.
(vah darvaaze ke baahar khadaa hai।)
क्या तुम बाहर आ सकते हो एक मिनट के लिए?
Can you come outside for a minute?
(kyaa tum baahar aa sakte ho ek minat ke lie?)
अगर बिजली नहीं होती, तो हम बाहर बैठते।
If there were no power, we would sit outside.
(agar bijlii nahiin hotii, to ham baahar baithte।)
पुलिस ने सबको इमारत के बाहर निकाल दिया।
The police made everyone go outside the building.
(pulis ne sabko imaarat ke baahar nikaal diyaa।)
उम्मीद है कल मौसम अच्छा हो तो हम बाहर घूम सकें।
Hopefully the weather is good tomorrow so we can go out and roam around.
(ummiid hai kal mausam achchhaa ho to ham baahar ghoom saken।)
सामान गोदाम के बाहर रखा गया था।
The goods were kept outside the warehouse.
(saamaan godaam ke baahar rakhaa gayaa thaa।)
रात को घर से बाहर मत निकलना, यहाँ सुनसान रहता है।
Don't step outside the house at night, it stays deserted around here.
(raat ko ghar se baahar mat nikalnaa, yahaan sunsaan rahtaa hai।)
बाहर बहुत ठंड होगी, स्वेटर पहन लो।
It will be very cold outside, put on a sweater.
(baahar bahut thand hogii, svetar pahan lo।)
Sense
2
:
out of town, away (from one's usual place)
adverb Used with होना (honaa) or जाना (jaanaa) to describe someone being away from their home city, e.g. वो बाहर है (vo baahar hai, 'he/she is out of town').
Synonyms: बाहर गया हुआ (baahar gayaa huaa, phrase variant)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is a very everyday use -- when a Dilliwaala says मैं बाहर हूँ (main baahar hoon, 'I'm out of town'), it usually means away from Delhi-NCR, not literally standing outside a building. It is the standard way to explain absence on a phone call.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes default to शहर से बाहर (shahar se baahar) when just बाहर (baahar) alone is idiomatic and sufficient in casual speech to mean 'out of town' or 'traveling', with the city understood from context.
Sample Sentences:
मैं आजकल बाहर हूँ।
I'm out of town these days.
(main aajkal baahar hoon।)
वो पिछले हफ्ते से बाहर है।
He's been out of town since last week.
(vo pichhle haphte se baahar hai।)
पापा काम की वजह से बाहर गए हैं।
Dad has gone out of town for work.
(paapaa kaam kii vajah se baahar gae hain।)
अगले महीने मैं फिर बाहर रहूँगा।
I'll be out of town again next month.
(agle mahiine main phir baahar rahoongaa।)
अगर वो बाहर न होता, तो पार्टी में आता।
If he weren't out of town, he would have come to the party.
(agar vo baahar n hotaa, to paartii men aataa।)
क्या तुम इस वीकेंड बाहर रहोगे?
Will you be out of town this weekend?
(kyaa tum is viikend baahar rahoge?)
सर, माफ़ कीजिए, मैं अगले हफ्ते बाहर रहूँगा, इसलिए मीटिंग नहीं अटेंड कर पाऊँगा।
Sir, I'm sorry, I will be out of town next week, so I won't be able to attend the meeting.
(sar, maaf kiijie, main agle haphte baahar rahoongaa, islie miiting nahiin atend kar paaoongaa।)
वो अक्सर टूर पर बाहर रहती है।
She's often out of town on tours.
(vo aksar toor par baahar rahtii hai।)
मुझे लगता है वो बाहर होगा, फोन नहीं उठा रहा।
I think he must be out of town, he's not picking up the phone.
(mujhe lagtaa hai vo baahar hogaa, phon nahiin uthaa rahaa।)
जब मैं बाहर था, तब घर की सारी ज़िम्मेदारी उसने संभाली।
When I was out of town, she handled all the household responsibilities.
(jab main baahar thaa, tab ghar kii saarii zimmedaarii usne sambhaalii।)
Sense
3
:
outside, external, outer (as a modifier before a noun)
adjective As a bare modifier बाहर (baahar) is less common than its derived adjective बाहरी (baahrii); बाहर itself appears attributively mainly in fixed expressions like बाहर वाला (baahar vaalaa, 'the one outside/from outside').
Synonyms: बाहरी (baahrii, adjective form used before nouns)
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: This sense is a bridge to its cousin बाहरी (baahrii), which is the true adjective 'external/outsider'. Knowing this link helps explain why people from outside a community are sometimes called बाहरी लोग (baahrii log, 'outsiders').
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for बाहर (baahar) as a direct adjective before a noun (e.g. incorrectly बाहर आदमी) when बाहरी (baahrii) or a बाहर + वाला (vaalaa) construction is needed instead.
Sample Sentences:
बाहर वाला दरवाज़ा बंद कर दो।
Close the outer door.
(baahar vaalaa darvaazaa band kar do।)
बाहर की दीवार पर पेंट उखड़ गया है।
The paint on the outer wall has peeled off.
(baahar kii diivaar par pent ukhad gayaa hai।)
यह घर का बाहर वाला कमरा है, अंदर वाला नहीं।
This is the outer room of the house, not the inner one.
(yah ghar kaa baahar vaalaa kamraa hai, andar vaalaa nahiin।)
बाहर की परत हटाने के बाद ही असली फल दिखेगा।
The real fruit will only be visible after removing the outer layer.
(baahar kii parat hataane ke baad hii aslii phal dikhegaa।)
अगर बाहर वाली सीढ़ी टूटी न होती, तो हम जल्दी पहुँच जाते।
If the outer staircase hadn't been broken, we would have arrived quickly.
(agar baahar vaalii siidhii tootii n hotii, to ham jaldii pahunch jaate।)
किले की बाहर वाली दीवार सदियों पुरानी है।
The fort's outer wall is centuries old.
(kile kii baahar vaalii diivaar sadiyon puraanii hai।)
क्या तुम बाहर वाले गेट से आओगे या अंदर वाले से?
Will you come from the outer gate or the inner one?
(kyaa tum baahar vaale get se aaoge yaa andar vaale se?)
बाहर वाले हिस्से की मरम्मत हो चुकी है, अंदर वाले की बाकी है।
The repair of the outer part is done; the inner part's is still pending.
(baahar vaale hisse kii marammat ho chukii hai, andar vaale kii baakii hai।)
Morphology
Adjective (invariant)
invariant:
बाहर
(baahar)