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Synonyms & Antonyms
Say vs tell, see vs watch vs look, big vs large — where Hindi gets by with one word, English has several with different shades and registers.
Explained
Synonyms aren't always interchangeable in English. 'Say' and 'tell' differ in grammar; 'see', 'look', and 'watch' all relate to vision but mean different things. This lesson maps the most-confused pairs Hindi-speakers run into.
say / tell / speak / talk
| Word | Example |
|---|---|
| say voice words (no person required) कहना — बिना सुनने वाले के | She said she was tired. उसने कहा कि वो थकी हुई है। |
| tell say to a specific person बताना — किसी को | Tell me about your day. मुझे अपने दिन के बारे में बताओ। |
| speak use language भाषा बोलना | She speaks three languages. वो तीन भाषाएँ बोलती है। |
| talk have a conversation बातचीत करना | Let's talk after lunch. लंच के बाद बात करते हैं। |
see / look / watch
| Word | Example |
|---|---|
| see perceive with eyes (no effort) नज़र आना — अपने आप | I see a cat in the garden. मुझे बगीचे में एक बिल्ली दिख रही है। |
| look (at) direct your eyes deliberately देखना — ध्यान से | Look at this photo! इस फ़ोटो को देखो! |
| watch observe over time देखना — चलती हुई चीज़ को | We watched the cricket match. हमने क्रिकेट मैच देखा। |
Size: big / large / huge / tiny
| Word | Example |
|---|---|
| big of considerable size (everyday) बड़ा (आम) | He has a big family. उसका बड़ा परिवार है। |
| large of considerable size (slightly formal) बड़ा (थोड़ा औपचारिक) | A large coffee, please. एक लार्ज कॉफ़ी दीजिए। |
| huge very big बहुत बड़ा | There's a huge crowd at the stadium. स्टेडियम में बहुत बड़ी भीड़ है। |
| tiny very small बहुत छोटा | She has a tiny apartment. उसका बहुत छोटा फ़्लैट है। |
Speed & difficulty
| Word | Example |
|---|---|
| fast high speed (object/person) तेज़ | He's a fast runner. वो तेज़ दौड़ता है। |
| quick short in duration जल्दी / झटपट | Let me make a quick call. मुझे जल्दी एक कॉल करनी है। |
| hard difficult / firm मुश्किल / सख़्त | The exam was hard. परीक्षा मुश्किल थी। |
| difficult hard (slightly more formal) कठिन | This is a difficult situation. ये एक कठिन परिस्थिति है। |
Practise
1. She ___ me she was busy.
- said
- told
- spoke
- talked
Show the answer
told
2. I ___ a movie last night.
- saw
- watched
- looked
- noticed
Show the answer
watched
3. There was a ___ crowd at the rally.
- tiny
- small
- huge
- few
Show the answer
huge
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