खेती-बाड़ी (khetii-baadii)

noun A compound noun meaning 'farming/agriculture' as a whole way of life -- खेती (khetii, 'cultivation') paired with the echo-word बाड़ी (baadii) for rhythmic emphasis. One sense only.
Sense 1 : farming, agriculture (as an occupation/way of life)
noun, feminine
Synonyms: कृषि (krishi, formal), किसानी (kisaanii)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is a classic Hindi 'echo compound' (like किताब-वगैरह kitaab-vagairah or देखा-भाला dekhaa-bhaalaa) where a rhyming or semi-meaningless second word rounds out the first, giving a homely, everyday feel. You'll hear it constantly in conversations about village life, family land, or someone's occupation: खेती-बाड़ी करना (khetii-baadii karnaa, 'to do farming/be a farmer') is the natural way to say someone farms for a living, much warmer and more concrete than the official-sounding कृषि (krishi).
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often use कृषि (krishi) in casual speech where a native speaker would say खेती-बाड़ी (khetii-baadii) -- कृषि (krishi) sounds bookish/official (government schemes, news), while खेती-बाड़ी (khetii-baadii) is what people actually say at home or in the village about their work and life. 2) The second element बाड़ी (baadii) has no independent meaning of its own here -- it exists only to echo खेती (khetii) and add a sense of 'the whole business of it', so don't try to translate it separately.
Sample Sentences:
उसके पूरे परिवार का गुज़ारा खेती-बाड़ी से ही होता है। His entire family's livelihood comes from farming.
(uske poore parivaar kaa guzaaraa khetii-baadii se hii hotaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
मेरे दादा जी गाँव में खेती-बाड़ी करते थे। My grandfather used to farm in the village.
(mere daadaa jii gaanv men khetii-baadii karte the।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
शहर की नौकरी छोड़कर वह वापस खेती-बाड़ी में लग गया। Leaving his city job, he went back to farming.
(shahar kii naukrii chhodkar vah vaapas khetii-baadii men lag gayaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
अगर बारिश ठीक से हो तो इस साल खेती-बाड़ी अच्छी रहेगी। If the rain is proper, farming will be good this year.
(agar baarish thiik se ho to is saal khetii-baadii achchhii rahegii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
अगर पानी समय पर मिलता तो खेती-बाड़ी इतनी मुश्किल नहीं होती। If water were available on time, farming wouldn't be this difficult.
(agar paanii samay par miltaa to khetii-baadii itnii mushkil nahiin hotii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
खेत में जाकर थोड़ी खेती-बाड़ी देख आओ। Go to the field and take a look at how the farming's going.
(khet men jaakar thodii khetii-baadii dekh aao।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
सरकार किसानों की खेती-बाड़ी को बढ़ावा देने के लिए नई योजनाएँ ला रही है। The government is bringing new schemes to promote farmers' agriculture.
(sarkaar kisaanon kii khetii-baadii ko badhaavaa dene ke lie naii yojnaaen laa rahii hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
देश की अर्थव्यवस्था में खेती-बाड़ी का बहुत बड़ा योगदान है। Agriculture makes a very large contribution to the country's economy.
(desh kii arthavyvasthaa men khetii-baadii kaa bahut badaa yogdaan hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
उसने पूछा कि क्या तुम खेती-बाड़ी में मेरा हाथ बँटाओगे। He asked whether you would lend a hand with the farming.
(usne poochhaa ki kyaa tum khetii-baadii men meraa haath bantaaoge।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
खेती-बाड़ी करते-करते उसके हाथ मिट्टी से सने रहते हैं। From doing farming all the time, his hands stay caked with mud.
(khetii-baadii karte-karte uske haath mittii se sane rahte hain।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
पिछले साल सूखे की वजह से खेती-बाड़ी बुरी तरह चौपट हो गई थी। Last year, because of the drought, farming was badly ruined.
(pichhle saal sookhe kii vajah se khetii-baadii burii tarah chaupat ho gaii thii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct): खेती-बाड़ी ([[खेती-बाड़ी]])
(sg.f.oblique): खेती-बाड़ी ([[खेती-बाड़ी]])
(pl.f.direct): खेती-बाड़ियाँ ([[खेती-बाड़ियाँ]])
(pl.f.oblique): खेती-बाड़ियों ([[खेती-बाड़ियों]])