गली (galii)
noun
A single-sense everyday noun: a narrow lane or alley, especially the kind found in old neighborhoods and markets.
Sense
1
:
narrow lane, alley, street
noun, feminine
Synonyms: सड़क (sadak, wider road, not a close synonym), कूचा (koochaa, literary)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: गली (galii) is the word for the winding, narrow lanes of old city neighborhoods (think Chandni Chowk or any old mohalla (mohallaa)), often just wide enough for a scooter or a cart, lined with homes and small shops. It shows up constantly in everyday directions -- 'is gali mein' (is galii men, 'in this lane') -- and in the common idiom गली-गली (galii-galii, 'through every lane,' i.e. everywhere), and it also carries a slightly gritty, streetwise connotation in phrases like गली का कुत्ता (galii kaa kuttaa, 'street dog') or गली का लड़का (galii kaa ladkaa, 'a street kid/rough boy').
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for सड़क (sadak) for any 'street,' but गली (galii) specifically means a narrow, often residential lane -- use सड़क (sadak) for a proper road that takes traffic. 2) गली (galii) is feminine, so adjectives and verbs agreeing with it take feminine forms, e.g. तंग गली (tang galii, 'narrow lane'), not the masculine ending a learner might default to.
Sample Sentences:
हमारा घर इस गली के आखिर में है।
Our house is at the end of this lane.
(hamaaraa ghar is galii ke aakhir men hai।)
यह गली इतनी तंग है कि कार अंदर नहीं जा सकती।
This lane is so narrow that a car cannot go inside.
(yah galii itnii tang hai ki kaar andar nahiin jaa saktii।)
बचपन में हम इस गली में क्रिकेट खेलते थे।
In childhood, we used to play cricket in this lane.
(bachpan men ham is galii men kriket khelte the।)
अगली गली में मुड़ जाओ, दुकान वहीं मिल जाएगी।
Turn into the next lane, you'll find the shop right there.
(aglii galii men mud jaao, dukaan vahiin mil jaaegii।)
पुरानी दिल्ली की गलियों में खोना बहुत आसान है।
It's very easy to get lost in the lanes of Old Delhi.
(puraanii dillii kii galiyon men khonaa bahut aasaan hai।)
अगर यह गली इतनी सँकरी न होती, तो यहाँ ट्रैफिक जाम न लगता।
If this lane were not so narrow, there wouldn't be a traffic jam here.
(agar yah galii itnii sankrii n hotii, to yahaan traiphik jaam n lagtaa।)
जुलूस गली-गली से होकर निकाला गया।
The procession was taken out through every lane.
(juloos galii-galii se hokar nikaalaa gayaa।)
वह गली का कुत्ता पूरे मोहल्ले में घूमता रहता है।
That street dog keeps wandering around the whole neighborhood.
(vah galii kaa kuttaa poore mohalle men ghoomtaa rahtaa hai।)
मुमकिन है कि हलवाई की दुकान वाली गली में ही परचून की दुकान भी हो।
It's possible that the grocery shop is in the very same lane as the sweet shop.
(mumkin hai ki halvaaii kii dukaan vaalii galii men hii parchoon kii dukaan bhii ho।)
उस ज़माने में वह गली का लड़का समझा जाता था, पर आज बड़ा अफ़सर बन गया है।
Back in those days he was considered a street kid, but today he has become a big officer.
(us zamaane men vah galii kaa ladkaa samjhaa jaataa thaa, par aaj badaa afsar ban gayaa hai।)
चांदनी चौक की तंग गलियों में सदियों पुरानी हवेलियाँ अब भी खड़ी हैं।
In the narrow lanes of Chandni Chowk, centuries-old mansions still stand.
(chaandnii chauk kii tang galiyon men sadiyon puraanii haveliyaan ab bhii khadii hain।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
गली
(galii)
(sg.f.oblique):
गली
(galii)
(pl.f.direct):
गलियाँ
(galiyaan)
(pl.f.oblique):
गलियों
(galiyon)