कल
kal/kəl/
The English word "yesterday" is translated into Hindi as कल (kal).
कल is used as a noun to mean the day before today, and it can also function as an adverb to mean "on the day before today".
Meaning: day before today (noun)
Which one should you use?
The word कल is ambiguous because it can mean both "yesterday" and "tomorrow". The distinction between these two meanings is determined by the tense of the verb used in the sentence.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To specifically express the meaning "yesterday", you must use कल in conjunction with a verb in the past tense.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /kəl/ (kal).
Did you know?
- The concept of 'yesterday' in Hindi is rooted in the ancient idea of 'dawn'. The Sanskrit ancestor कल्य (kalya) originally referred to the moment light breaks the darkness.
- Because कल can mean both 'yesterday' and 'tomorrow', a speaker might avoid using it alone to prevent confusion. They often add words like 'beeta hua' (passed) to specify the past.
Examples in context
- कल उसने क्या किया?What did he do yesterday?This sentence is useful for practicing the use of कल to ask about past actions.Tatoeba #12395867 by Saumya, translation #289686 by CK
- कल?Yesterday?This sentence shows how to use कल as a standalone question.Tatoeba #11371103 by Sorcien, translation #7910320 by adiante19
- वह कल मर गया।He died yesterday.This sentence demonstrates the use of कल with a past tense verb.Tatoeba #2038870 by sabretou, translation #296902 by CK
- कल रात क्या हुआ?What happened last night?
- मैंने कल परीक्षा दे दी थी।I took the exam yesterday.
- कल क्या किया था तूने?What did you do yesterday?
- हमने कल एक फिल्म देखी।We watched a movie yesterday.
- 69 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a movie they saw.
- पूजा Poojaक्या तुमने कल वह फिल्म देखी?kya tumne kal vah film dekhi?Did you see that movie yesterday?
- विकास Vikasहाँ, कल मैंने वह फिल्म देखी थी।haan, kal maine vah film dekhi thi.Yes, I saw that movie yesterday.
- पूजा Poojaवह कैसी थी?vah kaisi thi?How was it?
- विकास Vikasकल की फिल्म बहुत अच्छी थी।kal ki film bahut achchhi thi.Yesterday's movie was very good.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “yesterday” translations and entries कल, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries कल, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
