बिल (bil)

noun Mainly the everyday 'bill' (restaurant/electricity/shop) borrowed from English; also has an older, unrelated sense meaning a hole or burrow (of a snake, rat, etc.).
Sense 1 : bill, invoice
noun, masculine
Synonyms: रसीद (rasiid, receipt), चालान (chaalaan, invoice/challan)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You'll hear this word constantly in Delhi restaurants and shops: 'बिल लाओ' (bil laao, 'bring the bill') is a standard way to signal you're done eating. It's also the everyday word for utility bills -- बिजली का बिल (bijlii kaa bil, 'electricity bill') and पानी का बिल (paanii kaa bil, 'water bill') are common household worries discussed at the dinner table.
Common Mistakes: 1) Don't confuse with बिल (bil) meaning 'burrow' -- context makes it obvious, but learners sometimes puzzle over headlines like 'साँप बिल में' (saamp bil men, 'the snake is in its hole') if they only know the invoice sense. 2) The verb typically used with this sense is भरना (bharnaa, to pay/fill) or चुकाना (chukaanaa, to settle) -- 'बिल देना' (bil denaa) means 'to give/hand over the bill', not 'to pay it'.
Sample Sentences:
वेटर, बिल लाओ। Waiter, bring the bill.
(vetar, bil laao।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
इस महीने बिजली का बिल बहुत ज़्यादा आया है। This month's electricity bill has come out very high.
(is mahiine bijlii kaa bil bahut zyaadaa aayaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
क्या आप पानी का बिल हर महीने ऑनलाइन भरते हैं? Do you pay the water bill online every month?
(kyaa aap paanii kaa bil har mahiine onlaain bharte hain?)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
मैं कल का बिल अभी तक नहीं भर पाया। I still haven't managed to pay yesterday's bill.
(main kal kaa bil abhii tak nahiin bhar paayaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
अगर बिल सही होता, तो मैं शिकायत नहीं करता। If the bill were correct, I wouldn't complain.
(agar bil sahii hotaa, to main shikaayat nahiin kartaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
कृपया सुनिश्चित करें कि बिल समय पर जमा किया जाए। Please make sure that the bill is submitted on time.
(kripyaa sunishchit karen ki bil samay par jamaa kiyaa jaae।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
रेस्टोरेंट में बिल देखकर मेरी आँखें खुली रह गईं। Seeing the bill at the restaurant, my eyes went wide.
(restorent men bil dekhkar merii aankhen khulii rah gaiin।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
दुकानदार बिल बना रहा है, थोड़ा इंतज़ार कीजिए। The shopkeeper is making the bill, please wait a bit.
(dukaandaar bil banaa rahaa hai, thodaa intzaar kiijie।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
सभी उपयोगिता बिलों का समय पर भुगतान किया जाना चाहिए। All utility bills should be paid on time.
(sabhii upyogitaa bilon kaa samay par bhugtaan kiyaa jaanaa chaahie।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
बिल में एक आइटम दो बार जोड़ दिया गया था। An item had been added twice in the bill.
(bil men ek aaitam do baar jod diyaa gayaa thaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
अगली बार बिल माँगते ही पैसे तैयार रखना। Next time, keep the money ready the moment you ask for the bill.
(aglii baar bil maangte hii paise taiyaar rakhnaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
Sense 2 : burrow, hole (of an animal)
noun, masculine
Synonyms: गड्ढा (gaddhaa, pit/hole, broader meaning), सुरंग (surang, tunnel, broader meaning)
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: This sense shows up in the famous idiom साँप निकल जाने पर बिल पीटना (saamp nikal jaane par bil piitnaa, 'to beat the burrow after the snake has already left') -- a vivid image for pointless action taken too late, roughly like 'closing the barn door after the horse has bolted.' It's a good example of how Hindi idioms often draw on rural, animal-world imagery.
Sample Sentences:
साँप उस बिल में रहता है। The snake lives in that burrow.
(saamp us bil men rahtaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
चूहा बिल में घुस गया। The mouse ran into its burrow.
(choohaa bil men ghus gayaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
खेत में जगह-जगह चूहों के बिल दिख रहे थे। Mice burrows were visible all over the field.
(khet men jagah-jagah choohon ke bil dikh rahe the।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
अब साँप निकल जाने पर बिल पीटने से क्या फायदा? What's the use of beating the burrow now that the snake has already left?
(ab saamp nikal jaane par bil piitne se kyaa phaaydaa?)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
बिल को मत छेड़ो, अंदर सांप हो सकता है। Don't poke at the burrow, there might be a snake inside.
(bil ko mat chhedo, andar saamp ho saktaa hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
यदि तुम बिल के पास जाते तो तुम्हें सांप दिख जाता। If you had gone near the burrow, you would have seen the snake.
(yadi tum bil ke paas jaate to tumhen saamp dikh jaataa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
किसान ने खरगोश का बिल खोद डाला। The farmer dug out the rabbit's burrow.
(kisaan ne khargosh kaa bil khod daalaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
बिल को इतनी बार खोदा गया कि जानवर वहाँ से भाग गया। The burrow was dug up so many times that the animal fled from there.
(bil ko itnii baar khodaa gayaa ki jaanvar vahaan se bhaag gayaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct): बिल (bil)
(sg.m.oblique): बिल (bil)
(pl.m.direct): बिल (bil)
(pl.m.oblique): बिलों (bilon)