शब्दावलीA1

Time Expressions

Days, clock time, कल = yesterday AND tomorrow

Learning Goal

Can tell time, name days of the week, and use कल/आज/परसों correctly with appropriate tense

Exam Skills:बोलनासुनना

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

कल मैं दिल्ली जाऊँगा।

Tomorrow I will go to Delhi.

कल बारिश हुई।

It rained yesterday.

साढ़े तीन बजे मिलते हैं।

Let's meet at 3:30.

शुक्रवार शाम को पार्टी है।

The party is on Friday evening.

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

समय के भाव — Time Expressions

Days: सोमवार, मंगलवार, बुधवार, गुरुवार, शुक्रवार, शनिवार, रविवार. All end in -वार.

Clock time: Use बजे = o'clock. दो बजे = 2 o'clock. साढ़े = half past: साढ़े तीन = 3:30. पौने = quarter to: पौने चार = 3:45. सवा = quarter past: सवा पाँच = 5:15.

Tricky pair: कल = both 'yesterday' AND 'tomorrow' — context/tense disambiguates! परसों = day before yesterday / day after tomorrow. आज = today.

HindiMeaning
सुबहmorning
दोपहरafternoon
शामevening
रातnight
The biggest trap is कल meaning BOTH yesterday and tomorrow. Only verb tense tells you which. 🇬🇧 English: English 'yesterday' and 'tomorrow' are distinct words. कल = both is deeply confusing. 🇩🇪 German: German 'gestern' vs 'morgen' are distinct. Hindi कल for both is a major source of errors.

कल मैं दिल्ली जाऊँगा।

Tomorrow I will go to Delhi.

कल + future tense (जाऊँगा) → 'tomorrow'.

कल बारिश हुई।

It rained yesterday.

कल + past tense (हुई) → 'yesterday'. Same word, different tense!

साढ़े तीन बजे मिलते हैं।

Let's meet at 3:30.

साढ़े = half past. साढ़े तीन = 3:30. बजे = o'clock.

शुक्रवार शाम को पार्टी है।

The party is on Friday evening.

शुक्रवार = Friday. शाम को = in the evening. को marks time.

Practice in course

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

A1 Course
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