शांत रहो
shaant raho
To say 'keep quiet' in Hindi, you use शांत रहो (shaant raho).
The phrase is used to tell someone to remain silent. You might use धीरे बोल if you want to suggest that someone speak more softly or quietly rather than asking them to be silent entirely.
Meaning: remain silent (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
शांत रहो (shaant raho) is composed of शांत (shaant), meaning 'quiet/calm' and रहो (raho), meaning 'stay/remain'.
Which one should you use?
शांत रहो is a calm way to ask for quiet, whereas चुप रहो (chup raho) is a more direct and often sharper way to tell someone to be quiet or to shut up. Additionally, खामोश रह can be used to mean 'stay silent'.
How does it change in a sentence?
To be polite or to speak to an elder, use the form शांत रहिए (shaant rahiye) instead of शांत रहो. If you are speaking to a very close friend or someone younger than you, you can use the informal शांत रह (shaant rah).
How do you pronounce it?
shaant raho
Did you know?
- The word शांत is a 'learned borrowing' from Sanskrit, meaning it was intentionally adopted into Hindi to maintain a higher register of language.
- In some contexts, शांत is used to describe the surface of water that is perfectly still and undisturbed.
- The phrase खामोश रह has a more poetic or literary feel, often found in Urdu-influenced songs or dramatic film dialogues.
Examples in context
- शांत रहिए, कृपया।Please stay quiet.
- चुप रहो, यार।Keep quiet, buddy.
- जब मैं बोलूँ, तब शांत रहो।jab main boloon, tab shaant raho.Keep quiet when I speak.
- परीक्षा के दौरान शांत रहो।pareeksha ke doraan shaant raho.Keep quiet during the exam.
Example conversation
Pooja and Aditya are in a library trying to study.
- पूजा Poojaआदित्य, थोड़ा शांत रहो।aditya, thoda shaant raho.Aditya, keep quiet a little.
- आदित्य Adityaसॉरी पूजा, मैं चुप हो जाता हूँ।sorry pooja, main chup ho jaata hoon.Sorry Pooja, I will be quiet.
- पूजा Poojaयहाँ बहुत शोर है।yahan bahut shor hai.It is very noisy here.
- आदित्य Adityaठीक है, अब शांत रहूँगा।theek hai, ab shaant rahoonga.Okay, I will be quiet now.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries शांत, CC BY-SA 4.0.
