Choosing between words a dictionary gives as identical
I can choose between near-synonyms by register and collocation
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
The food has come out great.
This is an excellent example.
He's talking nonsense.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
| कहना | to say, with se |
| बोलना | to speak, to utter; also 'to speak a language' |
| बताना | to tell, to inform, with ko |
| अच्छा | good, neutral, everywhere |
| बढ़िया | excellent, colloquial and warm |
| उत्तम | excellent, Sanskritic and formal |
| शानदार | splendid, Perso-Arabic, slightly showy |
Where two words share a meaning, they almost never share a register. उत्तम in conversation sounds like a certificate; बढ़िया in a report sounds like a market stall.
चाय बनाना but खाना पकाना; बात करना but बातें बनाना, which means to talk nonsense. A dictionary will not warn you.
Apply this grammar in C2 course exercises
Practice ExercisesChoosing a synonym by dictionary gloss rather than register.
Synonym chosen by gloss alone
Map the Russian four-step ladder onto the Hindi set.
Wrong collocation with a correct word
khana pakana, chay banana, baten banana.
The food has come out great.
barhiya is warm and colloquial.
This is an excellent example.
uttam belongs to writing, like prevoskhodnyy.
He's talking nonsense.
baten banana is not baat karna; collocation changes the meaning.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in C2 course exercises
Kamta Prasad Guru's grammar, the standard prescriptive reference for Hindi morphology and syntax.
R. S. McGregor's outline, the standard concise academic description of Hindi morphology.