कभी नहीं
kabhī nahī̃/kə.bʱiː nə.ɦĩː/word by word
The English phrase "never" is translated into Hindi as कभी नहीं (kabhī nahī̃).
कभी नहीं means "at no time (adv)". In Hindi, कभी नहीं is typically placed before the verb it modifies, similar to its position in English.
Meaning: at no time (adv)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of कभी (kabhī), meaning "ever" or "at any time" and नहीं (nahī̃), meaning "not".
How do you pronounce it?
kabhī nahī̃
Did you know?
- The word नहीं is a direct relative of the English word 'no' and the Latin 'non'. Both share a common ancestor in the Proto-Indo-European root *né.
- While कभी नहीं means 'never', adding the word कदापि (kadāpi) before it can make the statement sound extremely dramatic or formal, often used in high literature.
- In casual spoken Hindi, नहीं is frequently shortened or nasalized so heavily that the final 'i' sound almost disappears, sounding more like नहँ.
Examples in context
- मेरा भाई टेनिस मैं कभी नहीं हारा है।My brother has never lost at tennis.Tatoeba #940470 by thevikas, translation #1843429 by LanguageExpert
- कभी नहीं!Never!Tatoeba #11371071 by Sorcien, translation #6576508 by Eccles17
- तुमने मेरे परिवार के लिए जो किया, वह मैं कभी नहीं भूलूँगा।I will never forget what you did for my family.Tatoeba #12406386 by Saumya, translation #9634408 by abburns
- तुम उससे कभी नहीं बात करोगे।You will never talk to her.
- 18 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Vikas and Anjali are discussing their travel experiences.
- विकास Vikasक्या तुम कभी दिल्ली गए हो?Kya tum kabhi Delhi gaye ho?Have you ever been to Delhi?
- अंजलि Anjaliनहीं, मैं वहाँ कभी नहीं गई।Nahi, main vahan kabhi nahi gayi.No, I have never gone there.
- विकास Vikasतुम्हें एक बार ज़रूर जाना चाहिए।Tumhein ek baar zaroor jaana chahiye.You should definitely go once.
- अंजलि Anjaliहाँ, पर मैं अकेले कभी नहीं जाऊँगी।Haan, par main akele kabhi nahi jaungi.Yes, but I will never go alone.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “never” translations and entries कभी नहीं, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (कभी, नहीं) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries कभी, नहीं, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
