गमला (gamlaa)

noun A simple, everyday noun: the flowerpot or plant container you see on balconies, windowsills, and verandas across Indian homes.
Sense 1 : flowerpot, plant pot
noun, masculine
Synonyms: गुलदान (guldaan, usually a decorative vase for cut flowers, not a planting pot)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Walk down almost any residential lane in Delhi-NCR and you'll see rows of गमले (gamle) lined up outside doors and on balconies, often with tulsi, money plant, or marigolds growing in them. Terracotta ones are still common and cheap, though plastic गमले (gamle) have become the everyday default in cities.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes reach for गुलदान (guldaan) when they mean a plant container; गुलदान (guldaan) is more for holding cut flowers in water, while गमला (gamlaa) is the earthen or plastic pot you actually grow a plant in.
Sample Sentences:
बालकनी में बहुत सारे गमले रखे हैं। There are a lot of flowerpots kept on the balcony.
(baalaknii men bahut saare gamle rakhe hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
मेरी दादी हर सुबह गमलों में पानी देती हैं। My grandmother waters the flowerpots every morning.
(merii daadii har subah gamlon men paanii detii hain।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
उस गमले में तुलसी लगी है। There's a tulsi plant growing in that flowerpot.
(us gamle men tulsii lagii hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
पड़ोसी का बच्चा गेंद खेलते हुए गमला तोड़ गया। The neighbor's kid broke a flowerpot while playing ball.
(padosii kaa bachchaa gend khelte hue gamlaa tod gayaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
क्या तुम बाज़ार से दो-तीन गमले ले आओगे? Will you bring two or three flowerpots from the market?
(kyaa tum baazaar se do-tiin gamle le aaoge?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
गमले को थोड़ी धूप वाली जगह पर रख दो। Put the flowerpot somewhere with a bit of sun.
(gamle ko thodii dhoop vaalii jagah par rakh do।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
अगर मेरे पास बालकनी होती, तो मैं उसमें ढेर सारे गमले सजाता। If I had a balcony, I would decorate it with lots of flowerpots.
(agar mere paas baalaknii hotii, to main usmen dher saare gamle sajaataa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
आजकल मिट्टी के गमलों की जगह प्लास्टिक के गमलों ने ले ली है। These days plastic flowerpots have taken the place of clay ones.
(aajkal mittii ke gamlon kii jagah plaastik ke gamlon ne le lii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
शायद यह गमला बहुत छोटा हो इस पौधे के लिए। Maybe this flowerpot is too small for this plant.
(shaayad yah gamlaa bahut chhotaa ho is paudhe ke lie।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
गमले साफ किए जा रहे हैं ताकि गमलों में नए पौधे लगाए जा सकें। The flowerpots are being cleaned so that new plants can be put in them.
(gamle saaph kie jaa rahe hain taaki gamlon men nae paudhe lagaae jaa saken।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
छत पर एक टूटा हुआ गमला पड़ा था, जिसमें बरसों से कुछ नहीं उगा था। A broken flowerpot lay on the roof, in which nothing had grown for years.
(chhat par ek tootaa huaa gamlaa padaa thaa, jismen barson se kuchh nahiin ugaa thaa।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct): गमला (gamlaa)
(sg.m.oblique): गमले (gamle)
(pl.m.direct): गमले (gamle)
(pl.m.oblique): गमलों (gamlon)