बोलना
bolnā/boːl.nɑː/
The Hindi verb for 'speak' is बोलना (bolnā).
बोलना is a broad verb used to mean speaking a language, saying something or telling someone something.
Meaning: to be able to communicate in a language (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
In the present tense, the verb changes based on the subject: बोलता है is used for a masculine singular subject, बोलती है is used for a feminine singular subject and बोलते हैं is used for masculine plural subjects or to show respect to a single person. For the past tense, use बोला to say 'spoke'.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /boːl.nɑː/ (bolnā). It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- Hindi uses causative forms like बोलवाना to express that you had someone else speak on your behalf. This allows the speaker to shift the action of speaking to another person grammatically.
- In Hindi, using the plural form बोलते हैं when referring to a single person is a social marker of respect. Using the singular form for an elder can be perceived as rude.
- The verb बोलना is closely related to the verb बुलाना, which means 'to call'. While 'to speak' focuses on the utterance, 'to call' focuses on the summons, yet they share a common linguistic ancestor.
Examples in context
- वह बोलना चाहती है।She wants to speak.This sentence uses the form बोलना to express a desire to speak.Tatoeba #3623906 by sabretou, translation #2883780 by AlanF_US
- वह दस भाषाएँ बोलना जानता है।He is able to speak ten languages.This sentence uses the form बोलना to describe the ability to speak multiple languages.Tatoeba #486062 by minshirui, translation #288348 by CK
- वह रूसी बोलना और लिखना दोनो जानता है।He can both speak and write Russian.This sentence uses the form बोलना to show the ability to both speak and write a language.Tatoeba #485918 by minshirui, translation #293370 by CN
- बताओ, तुम किस भाषा में बोलते हो?Tell me, which language do you speak?
- आज शाम को मैं तुमसे बात करना चाहता हूं।I want to speak with you tonight.
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Vikas and Pooja are meeting for the first time.
- विकास Vikasक्या आप हिंदी बोलना जानते हैं?Kya aap Hindi bolna jaante hain?Do you know how to speak Hindi?
- पूजा Poojaहाँ, मैं थोड़ा बोलना जानती हूँ।Haan, main thoda bolna jaanti hoon.Yes, I know how to speak a little.
- विकास Vikasयह बहुत अच्छी बात है!Yeh bahut achhi baat hai!That is very good!
- पूजा Poojaधन्यवाद, विकास!Dhanyavad, Vikas!Thank you, Vikas!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “speak” translations and entries बोलना, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries बोलना, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
