तुम बेवकूफ हो
tum bewakoof ho
In Hindi, the phrase 'you're dumb' is expressed as तुम बेवकूफ हो (tum bewakoof ho).
This phrase is used to tell someone that they lack intelligence or are acting foolishly. While it targets a lack of intelligence, it is distinct from saying someone is behaving irrationally or acting crazy, which would be तुम पागल हो.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase तुम बेवकूफ हो breaks down into tum (you), bewakoof (dumb/foolish) and ho (are).
Which one should you use?
The standard phrase तुम बेवकूफ हो targets a lack of intelligence, whereas तुम पागल हो is often used to describe someone acting crazy or irrational. You may also encounter तू गधा है, which literally means 'You're a donkey' and is used to indirectly imply someone is dumb.
How does it change in a sentence?
Grammar changes based on the level of intimacy or formality. Using the pronoun tu in तू बेवकूफ है makes the phrase much more intimate or highly insulting depending on the context. Conversely, using the pronoun aap and the verb hain in आप बेवकूफ हैं makes the phrase grammatically formal.
How do you pronounce it?
tum bewakoof ho
Did you know?
- While बेवकूफ means 'dumb', it is actually a loanword from Arabic and Persian that entered Hindi through the Mughal influence.
- In some Indian households, calling a child a gadha or 'donkey' is a common way to scold them for a silly mistake without being truly cruel.
- The verb ho can be traced back through Ashokan Prakrit and Sanskrit to the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰuH-, the same ancestor as the English verb 'be'.
Examples in context
- तुम बेवकूफ हो।tum bevakoof ho.You're dumb.
- नहीं, तुम बेवकूफ हो।nahin, tum bevakoof ho.No, you're dumb.
Example conversation
Two friends are arguing about a simple mistake.
- पूजा Poojaअमित, तुमने चाबियाँ फिर से खो दीं!Amit, tumne chaabiyan phir se kho dein!Amit, you lost the keys again!
- अमित Amitयह बस एक छोटी सी गलती थी।Yeh bas ek chhoti si galti thi.It was just a small mistake.
- पूजा Poojaसच में, तुम बेवकूफ हो!Sach mein, tum bevakoof ho!Seriously, you're dumb!
- अमित Amitऐसा मत कहो, पूजा।Aisa mat kaho, Pooja.Don't say that, Pooja.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries तुम, हो, CC BY-SA 4.0.
