गड्ढा (gaddhaa)
noun
A concrete noun for a hole or pit in the ground, with a common figurative extension to a rut or difficult situation.
Sense
1
:
hole, pit (in the ground)
noun, masculine
Synonyms: खड्डा (khaddaa, variant form), गड्ढ (gaddh, rare)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Ask any Delhi driver about मानसून (maansoon, monsoon) and गड्ढा (gaddhaa) will come up within seconds -- potholed roads after the rains are a running civic complaint, and 'सड़क में गड्ढे हैं' (sadak men gaddhe hain, 'there are potholes in the road') is something you will hear constantly from July to September.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes reach for सुराख (suraakh) for any 'hole,' but सुराख (suraakh) is a small perforation (like in cloth or a wall), while गड्ढा (gaddhaa) is a dug-out depression in the ground -- a pothole, ditch, or pit. 2) The road-related sense (pothole) uses this same word, not a separate term: सड़क में गड्ढा (sadak men gaddhaa, 'a pothole in the road') is the everyday phrase, not गड्ढा-सड़क or similar compounds.
Sample Sentences:
सड़क में गड्ढे हैं।
There are potholes in the road.
(sadak men gaddhe hain।)
मानसून के बाद सड़कों पर बड़े-बड़े गड्ढे बन जाते हैं।
After the monsoon, big potholes form on the roads.
(maansoon ke baad sadkon par bade-bade gaddhe ban jaate hain।)
मजदूर सड़क के बीचोबीच एक गहरा गड्ढा खोद रहे हैं।
The laborers are digging a deep hole right in the middle of the road.
(majdoor sadak ke biichobiich ek gahraa gaddhaa khod rahe hain।)
कल रात मेरी गाड़ी का टायर गड्ढे में फँस गया।
Last night my car's tire got stuck in a pothole.
(kal raat merii gaadii kaa taayar gaddhe men phans gayaa।)
इस गली का गड्ढा इतना बड़ा है कि रात में दिखता ही नहीं।
This lane's pothole is so big that it just doesn't show up at night.
(is galii kaa gaddhaa itnaa badaa hai ki raat men dikhtaa hii nahiin।)
अगर नगर निगम इन गड्ढों को नहीं भरेगा, तो हादसे होते रहेंगे।
If the municipal corporation doesn't fill these potholes, accidents will keep happening.
(agar nagar nigam in gaddhon ko nahiin bharegaa, to haadse hote rahenge।)
गड्ढा देखकर धीरे चलो, वरना गिर जाओगे।
Watch out for the pothole and walk slowly, or you'll fall.
(gaddhaa dekhkar dhiire chalo, varnaa gir jaaoge।)
बच्चे बगीचे में एक गड्ढा खोदकर उसमें पानी भर रहे थे।
The children were digging a hole in the garden and filling it with water.
(bachche bagiiche men ek gaddhaa khodkar usmen paanii bhar rahe the।)
इस सड़क पर गड्ढे इस तरह भरे गए हैं कि दो दिन में फिर टूट गए।
The potholes on this road were filled in such a shoddy way that they broke apart again in two days.
(is sadak par gaddhe is tarah bhare gae hain ki do din men phir toot gae।)
काश सड़कों पर इतने गड्ढे न होते, तो सफर आसान होता।
If only there weren't so many potholes on the roads, the journey would be easier.
(kaash sadkon par itne gaddhe n hote, to saphar aasaan hotaa।)
कृपया सामने वाला गड्ढा ठीक करवा दें, वहाँ रोज़ जाम लगता है।
Please get that pothole up front fixed -- there's a jam there every day.
(kripyaa saamne vaalaa gaddhaa thiik karvaa den, vahaan roz jaam lagtaa hai।)
Sense
2
:
figurative pit/trouble, a difficult or ruinous situation
noun, masculine Common in the idiom गड्ढे में गिरना/धकेलना (gaddhe men girnaa/dhakelnaa, 'to fall into/push into a pit') used metaphorically for landing in or causing serious trouble.
Synonyms: मुसीबत (musiibat, trouble/difficulty, not a literal synonym), फँसाव (phansaav, being trapped)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This figurative use leans on the same body-and-space logic Hindi loves: trouble isn't just felt, it's a place you physically fall into or get shoved into, as in किसी को गड्ढे में धकेल देना (kisii ko gaddhe men dhakel denaa, 'to push someone into a pit,' meaning to ruin their prospects).
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often translate 'to get someone into trouble' word-for-word, missing that Hindi speakers naturally reach for the physical image of pushing someone into a गड्ढा (gaddhaa) rather than an abstract noun.
Sample Sentences:
उसने अपने झूठ से खुद को गड्ढे में डाल लिया।
He dug himself into a hole with his own lie.
(usne apne jhooth se khud ko gaddhe men daal liyaa।)
यह डील नहीं, गड्ढा है, इसमें मत फँसो।
This isn't a deal, it's a trap, don't get stuck in it.
(yah diil nahiin, gaddhaa hai, ismen mat phanso।)
गलत पार्टनर के साथ काम करना गड्ढे में कूदने जैसा है।
Working with the wrong partner is like jumping into a pit.
(galat paartnar ke saath kaam karnaa gaddhe men koodne jaisaa hai।)
उसके भाइयों ने साजिश करके उसे कर्ज़ के गड्ढे में धकेल दिया।
His brothers conspired and pushed him into a pit of debt.
(uske bhaaiyon ne saajish karke use karz ke gaddhe men dhakel diyaa।)
अगर मैं उस कंपनी में शामिल हो जाता तो अब तक किसी बड़े गड्ढे में होता।
If I had joined that company, I would be in some huge mess by now.
(agar main us kampnii men shaamil ho jaataa to ab tak kisii bade gaddhe men hotaa।)
सावधान रहना, वरना यह प्रोजेक्ट तुम्हें गड्ढे में ले जाएगा।
Be careful, or this project will drag you into a mess.
(saavdhaan rahnaa, varnaa yah projekt tumhen gaddhe men le jaaegaa।)
मुझे डर है कि यह सौदा किसी गड्ढे में न ले डूबे।
I fear this deal might drag us into some ruinous trouble.
(mujhe dar hai ki yah saudaa kisii gaddhe men n le doobe।)
कंपनी को घाटे के गड्ढे से निकालना अब लगभग नामुमकिन लग रहा है।
Pulling the company out of the pit of losses now seems almost impossible.
(kampnii ko ghaate ke gaddhe se nikaalnaa ab lagbhag naamumkin lag rahaa hai।)
उस नीति से पूरा देश एक बड़े आर्थिक गड्ढे में धकेल दिया गया।
That policy pushed the entire country into a huge economic pit.
(us niiti se pooraa desh ek bade aarthik gaddhe men dhakel diyaa gayaa।)
एक बार गड्ढे में गिर जाओ तो निकलना बहुत मुश्किल होता है।
Once you fall into that kind of mess, getting out is very hard.
(ek baar gaddhe men gir jaao to nikalnaa bahut mushkil hotaa hai।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
गड्ढा
(gaddhaa)
(sg.m.oblique):
गड्ढे
(gaddhe)
(pl.m.direct):
गड्ढे
(gaddhe)
(pl.m.oblique):
गड्ढों
(gaddhon)