For autodidact students of Hindi, अब (ab) is the everyday word for "now": the present moment, set against what came before and what will come after. It is an adverb of time (a कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण, kālavācak kriyāviśeṣaṇ), and it is invariable: it takes no gender, number or case, and it needs no postposition to do its work. It is also the same word in Urdu (اب), so a learner who knows it once knows it in both.
English "now" has two jobs, and so does अब. It marks the present as a point in time (अब बारिश रुक गई है, "the rain has stopped now"), and it marks a change: the present is different from what was true before (वह अब बड़ा हो गया है, "he has grown up now"). This second job is the heart of the word. अब almost always carries a quiet contrast with पहले (pahle, "before") and with what comes later. Where English leaves the contrast to context, Hindi often says अब and lets the word do it.
अब belongs to a small family of time words that learners should meet together. They all end in -ब, and they sort themselves like the pronouns यह / वह / जो / कौन: - अब (ab): now (near, the speaker's present) - तब (tab): then (far, that time) - जब (jab): when (relative, joins two clauses) - कब (kab): when? (interrogative)
They work in pairs: जब ... तब ... ("when ... then ..."), and अब answers कब. You will see this in example 51.11, and in the doha of Section F, whose two lines end on the rhyme अब / कब.
Do not confuse अब with अभी (abhī), "right now, this very moment", which is अब + ही and is also the word for "just now" and "not yet". We return to the difference in Section D.
FAQ: What does अब (ab) mean in Hindi? अब means "now." It is an invariable adverb: अब वह घर पर है = "He is at home now." With postpositions and particles it builds the common phrases अब तक (until now, so far), अब से (from now on), अब भी (still, even now), अब तो (now at any rate), and the question अब क्या? (now what?). It does not change for gender or number, and the verb is untouched by it.
In the following 15 examples you will meet अब across its main uses: the plain present, change of state, अब तक and अब से, अब भी, the sense of "no longer" with a negative, the correlation जब ... तब ... अब, and a proverb. The duplex interlinear format gives direct Devanagari-to-meaning access on line (a) and phonetic guidance on line (b).
Educational Note: Designed for English speakers learning Hindi through the Latinum Institute's proven interlinear method.
Key Takeaways: - अब = now; invariable, a time adverb - It usually stands early in the sentence, after the subject or at the very front, before the verb phrase - अब तक = until now; अब से = from now on; अब भी = still / even now; अब तो = now at least / by now - अब + negative usually means "no longer"; "not yet" and "not right now" are अभी नहीं - The family: अब (now), तब (then), जब (when), कब (when?)
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अब is written with two letters: अ (a), an independent vowel letter because the word begins with a vowel, and ब (ba), a consonant carrying the inherent vowel. On paper it looks like two syllables, अ-ब. In speech it is one: [əb]. The inherent -a at the end of a Hindi word is not pronounced (final schwa deletion), so ब is read as a bare b.
Key phonetic notes: - अ (a): the short neutral vowel [ə], like the first vowel of English "about", shorter and not rounded - ब (b): voiced, unaspirated bilabial stop [b]. Keep it apart from भ (bh), the aspirated form, and from व (v). These three look alike and sound alike to an ear that is new to Hindi - The word is one syllable: say "ub" with a short vowel, never "aba"
Common learner mistakes: - Pronouncing the final inherent vowel: *अबा (aba), instead of ab - Mixing अब (ab) with अभी (abhī). They are close in meaning but not interchangeable (Section D) - Swapping ब for व or भ: अब (now) is not अव or अभ, and अभी (right now) is a different word from अब
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51.1a अब now मैं I जा go रहा PROG-MASC हूँ am
51.1b (ab) now (maim̐) I (jā) go (rahā) PROG-MASC (hūm̐) am
51.2a अब now खाना food-MASC तैयार ready है is
51.2b (ab) now (khānā) food-MASC (taiyār) ready (hai) is
51.3a तुम you अब now कहाँ where जा go रहे PROG-MASC-PL हो are
51.3b (tum) you (ab) now (kahām̐) where (jā) go (rahe) PROG-MASC-PL (ho) are
51.4a अब now बारिश rain-FEM रुक stop गई went-FEM है is
51.4b (ab) now (bāriś) rain-FEM (ruk) stop (gaī) went-FEM (hai) is
51.5a अब now वह he बड़ा grown-up-MASC हो become गया went-MASC है is
51.5b (ab) now (vah) he (baṛā) grown-up-MASC (ho) become (gayā) went-MASC (hai) is
51.6a अब now तक until उसने he-ERG कोई any जवाब answer-MASC नहीं not दिया gave-MASC
51.6b (ab) now (tak) until (usne) he-ERG (koī) any (javāb) answer-MASC (nahīm̐) not (diyā) gave-MASC
51.7a अब now से from मैं I रोज़ every-day सुबह morning जल्दी early उठूँगा will-get-up-1SG-MASC
51.7b (ab) now (se) from (maim̐) I (roz) every-day (subah) morning (jaldī) early (uṭhūm̐gā) will-get-up-1SG-MASC
51.8a वह she अब now भी also वहीं there-EMPH रहती lives-FEM है is
51.8b (vah) she (ab) now (bhī) also (vahīm̐) there-EMPH (rahtī) lives-FEM (hai) is
51.9a अब now कोई anyone उसे him-ACC नहीं not पहचानता recognises-MASC
51.9b (ab) now (koī) anyone (use) him-ACC (nahīm̐) not (pahcāntā) recognises-MASC
51.10a अब now तो TOP आप you-HON मेरी my-FEM बात word-FEM मान accept लीजिए take-HON-IMP [COMP]
51.10b (ab) now (to) TOP (āp) you-HON (merī) my-FEM (bāt) word-FEM (mān) accept (lījie) take-HON-IMP [COMP]
51.11a जब when तुम you आए came-MASC-PL थे were तब then यहाँ here कुछ anything नहीं not था was-MASC अब now सब all कुछ something है is
51.11b (jab) when (tum) you (āe) came-MASC-PL (the) were (tab) then (yahām̐) here (kuch) anything (nahīm̐) not (thā) was-MASC (ab) now (sab) all (kuch) something (hai) is
51.12a पहले before वह he बहुत very शर्मीला shy-MASC था was पर but अब now हर every किसी someone-OBL से with खुलकर openly [CONV] बात talk-FEM करता does-MASC है is
51.12b (pahle) before (vah) he (bahut) very (śarmīlā) shy-MASC (thā) was (par) but (ab) now (har) every (kisī) someone-OBL (se) with (khulkar) openly [CONV] (bāt) talk-FEM (kartā) does-MASC (hai) is
51.13a अब now पछताए repenting [PTCP] होत happens [OLD] क्या what जब when चिड़िया bird-FEM चुग peck गई went-FEM [COMP] खेत field-MASC
51.13b (ab) now (pachtāe) repenting [PTCP] (hot) happens [OLD] (kyā) what (jab) when (ciṛiyā) bird-FEM (cug) peck (gaī) went-FEM [COMP] (khet) field-MASC
51.14a अब now चाहे even-if जो what हो be-SUBJ मैं I पीछे back नहीं not हटूँगा will-retreat-1SG-MASC
51.14b (ab) now (cāhe) even-if (jo) what (ho) be-SUBJ (maim̐) I (pīche) back (nahīm̐) not (haṭūm̐gā) will-retreat-1SG-MASC
51.15a अब now आप you-HON ही only बताइए tell-HON-IMP हमें us-DAT क्या what करना to-do चाहिए should
51.15b (ab) now (āp) you-HON (hī) only (batāie) tell-HON-IMP (hamem̐) us-DAT (kyā) what (karnā) to-do (cāhie) should
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51.1 अब मैं जा रहा हूँ। "I am going now."
51.2 अब खाना तैयार है। "The food is ready now."
51.3 तुम अब कहाँ जा रहे हो? "Where are you going now?"
51.4 अब बारिश रुक गई है। "The rain has stopped now."
51.5 अब वह बड़ा हो गया है। "He has grown up now."
51.6 अब तक उसने कोई जवाब नहीं दिया। "Until now he has given no answer."
51.7 अब से मैं रोज़ सुबह जल्दी उठूँगा। "From now on I will get up early every morning."
51.8 वह अब भी वहीं रहती है। "She still lives right there."
51.9 अब कोई उसे नहीं पहचानता। "Nobody recognises him any more."
51.10 अब तो आप मेरी बात मान लीजिए। "Now at least, please do take my word for it."
51.11 जब तुम आए थे, तब यहाँ कुछ नहीं था; अब सब कुछ है। "When you came, there was nothing here; now there is everything."
51.12 पहले वह बहुत शर्मीला था, पर अब हर किसी से खुलकर बात करता है। "Before, he was very shy, but now he talks openly with everyone."
51.13 अब पछताए होत क्या, जब चिड़िया चुग गई खेत। "What is the use of repenting now, when the birds have pecked the field clean?" (a proverb)
51.14 अब चाहे जो हो, मैं पीछे नहीं हटूँगा। "Whatever happens now, I will not step back."
51.15 अब आप ही बताइए, हमें क्या करना चाहिए? "Now you yourself tell us: what should we do?"
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51.1 अब मैं जा रहा हूँ।
51.2 अब खाना तैयार है।
51.3 तुम अब कहाँ जा रहे हो?
51.4 अब बारिश रुक गई है।
51.5 अब वह बड़ा हो गया है।
51.6 अब तक उसने कोई जवाब नहीं दिया।
51.7 अब से मैं रोज़ सुबह जल्दी उठूँगा।
51.8 वह अब भी वहीं रहती है।
51.9 अब कोई उसे नहीं पहचानता।
51.10 अब तो आप मेरी बात मान लीजिए।
51.11 जब तुम आए थे, तब यहाँ कुछ नहीं था; अब सब कुछ है।
51.12 पहले वह बहुत शर्मीला था, पर अब हर किसी से खुलकर बात करता है।
51.13 अब पछताए होत क्या, जब चिड़िया चुग गई खेत।
51.14 अब चाहे जो हो, मैं पीछे नहीं हटूँगा।
51.15 अब आप ही बताइए, हमें क्या करना चाहिए?
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These are the grammar rules for अब (ab) — "now":
Form. अब is a simple adverb of time and does not inflect. There is no feminine, plural or oblique form. The verb in the sentence agrees with the subject as usual, and अब plays no part in the agreement: अब वह जाता है / अब वह जाती है (now he goes / now she goes).
Position. The neutral place is early in the clause, after the subject or at the front, before the verb phrase and any object that is not emphasised: - मैं अब जा रहा हूँ — I am going now - अब मैं जा रहा हूँ — now I am going (the same, with the word "now" in front) Putting अब first sets the present moment against the previous one and is the usual way to open a new step in a story or an argument (अब आप ही बताइए, "now you tell us").
Tenses. अब is at home with several tenses: - Present and present progressive: अब मैं जा रहा हूँ (now I am going) - Perfect, which reports a new state: अब बारिश रुक गई है (the rain has stopped now) - Future, as a new plan: अब से मैं जल्दी उठूँगा (from now on I will get up early) - Imperative: अब चलो (now let's go) - Past, in narrative, for "now" inside the story: see Genre examples 51.16 and 51.23, where अब marks "at that point in the story" with a past-tense verb.
Phrases built on अब: - अब तक (ab tak): until now, so far. With a negative past it means "not yet": अब तक उसने जवाब नहीं दिया (he has not answered yet) - अब से (ab se): from now on - अब भी (ab bhī): still, even now - अब तो (ab to): by now, now at least; the तो adds a note of "at last" or "what more is there to ask" - अब क्या? (ab kyā?): now what? / what now? - अब कहाँ (ab kahām̐): "where now?", and also "not any more": अब वह बात कहाँ (that is no longer how things are)
अब and अभी. अभी is अब + ही, and it narrows "now" to this very moment: - अब वह स्कूल जाता है — he goes to school now (change: he did not before) - अभी वह स्कूल में है — he is at school right now / at this moment - अभी आया — I have just come - अभी नहीं — not yet / not right now The test is simple: if the point of the sentence is that things are different from before, use अब; if the point is "this very instant", or "not yet", use अभी.
अब and a negative. अब नहीं and अब कोई ... नहीं say "no longer": अब कोई उसे नहीं पहचानता (nobody recognises him any more). To answer "have you eaten?" with "not yet", say अभी नहीं, not अब नहीं.
The pairing with जब and तब. जब (when) opens the clause and तब (then) or अब (now) answers it, according to whether the speaker is looking at the past or at the present: जब तुम आए थे, तब यहाँ कुछ नहीं था; अब सब कुछ है (51.11).
अब and आजकल. For "nowadays", "these days", the usual word is आजकल (āj-kal); अब alone says "now" and brings the contrast with before, rather than a general description of the times.
Common Mistakes: - Pronouncing the final vowel: अब is [əb], one syllable - Using अब for "not yet": *अब नहीं means "no longer"; "not yet" is अभी नहीं - Using अब for a fixed moment in the past: for "then, at that time" say तब or उस वक़्त; अब belongs to the speaker's present, or to a present inside a story (Genre Section)
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अब is among the most frequent words in Hindi, and it is the word of decisions. It turns up at the moment when something has to be decided or done: अब चलें? ("shall we go now?"), अब चलता हूँ ("well, I'll be off now", a polite way of ending a visit), अब आगे क्या? ("what next?"). A guest who says अब चलता हूँ is not announcing an urgent departure; the अब softens it into a signal that the visit is coming to a natural end.
Idioms and sayings are full of it: अब या कभी नहीं ("now or never"); अब तो हद हो गई ("now it has gone too far"); and the proverb of example 51.13, अब पछताए होत क्या जब चिड़िया चुग गई खेत, which warns that regret after the harvest has been eaten is useless. A popular explanation for it is the story of lazy sons who put off reaping their field until the birds had eaten it. The same lesson, seen from the other side, is the doha of Kabir in Section F, which commands the listener to act while अब is still available.
अबकी (abkī), as in अबकी बार, means "this time round", as opposed to "last time". It is built on अब.
The word is the same in Urdu (اब), and the older literary languages, such as the Braj of Kabir's time, also have it, sometimes with a different spelling or ending. In poetry, अब is often the hinge of a poem: the point at which the poet turns from what was to what must be done.
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कबीर (Kabīr) — दोहा (Dohā)
Kabir is the weaver-poet and saint of fifteenth-century northern India whose short rhymed couplets (दोहे, dohe) are among the best known and most quoted verses in Hindi. His dates are traditionally given as 1398–1518 but are uncertain, and his verses were handed down orally and in several collections, so the spelling and small details of a given doha vary between printings. This doha, "काल करे सो आज कर", is printed under his name in the common anthologies and on the sites that carry them. It is chosen here because its whole argument is built on the rhyme of अब ("now") with कब ("when?"), and on a climb from काल (tomorrow) to आज (today) to अब (now).
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a काल tomorrow करे do-SUBJ सो that आज today कर do-IMP आज today करे do-SUBJ सो that अब now
F.1b (kāl) tomorrow (kare) do-SUBJ (so) that (āj) today (kar) do-IMP (āj) today (kare) do-SUBJ (so) that (ab) now
F.2a पल moment में in परलय dissolution होएगी will-be-FEM बहुरि again करेगा will-do-MASC कब when
F.2b (pal) moment (mem̐) in (paralay) dissolution (hoegī) will-be-FEM (bahuri) again (karegā) will-do-MASC (kab) when
F-B: Authentic Text with Translation
काल करे सो आज कर, आज करे सो अब। पल में परलय होएगी, बहुरि करेगा कब॥
"What you would do tomorrow, do today; what you would do today, do now. In a moment the great dissolution will come: when will you do it then?"
F-C: Authentic Text Only
काल करे सो आज कर, आज करे सो अब। पल में परलय होएगी, बहुरि करेगा कब॥
F-D: Grammar and Vocabulary Notes
काल (kāl): in older Hindi and in the sant poets' language, काल means both "yesterday" and "tomorrow", and the context decides. Here it is "tomorrow". Modern Hindi uses कल (kal) for both.
करे सो (kare so): करे is the subjunctive, "would do"; सो (so) is the old correlative "that", which links the relative clause "what you would do" to the command that follows. Modern Hindi would say जो काम तुम कल करोगे, वह आज करो. The doha says it in four words.
आज कर (āj kar): कर is the familiar imperative of करना, "do", used here to address the listener as तू/तुम.
अब (ab): the last word of the first line is the climax. The line does not rise from "tomorrow" to "today" and stop; it goes on to "now". The point is that अब is the only moment that the speaker owns.
परलय (paralay): the older, popular form of Sanskrit प्रलय (pralaya), "dissolution, the end of the world", also "catastrophe". Some printings write प्रलय; the sense is the same. होएगी (hoegī): a feminine future, an older and dialectal form of modern होगी. The feminine ending agrees with परलय, which the text treats as feminine, although the Sanskrit word is masculine: the sant poets' language has its own agreement and should not be corrected to the modern standard.
बहुरि (bahuri): an old Braj and Awadhi word, "again, afterwards". The second line asks, "and then, afterwards, when will you do it?"
करेगा कब (karegā kab): करेगा is the third-person future in its generic masculine form, addressed to anyone ("will you do it?"). कब (kab) is the question word of the same family as अब, and it rhymes with it. The poem does not answer the question. The first line has already answered it: अब.
F-E: Literary Commentary
The doha is a lesson in the order of time. Three times in the first line the verb is करना (do), and the time word moves closer to the speaker at each step: काल, आज, अब. The second line then takes everything away in a single पल (moment). The learner of Hindi should notice what happens to the word. In the first line अब is the end of a chain, the last stop on the way to the present. In the second line कब, which rhymes with it, is the question left open if the chain is not completed.
The doha is a complete argument built on two words from one small family. The word you have learned today is not a filler: it is the point at which a decision is made.
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Meera and her brother Arjun are late for their train. The adverb अब runs through the scene like a clock: each sentence moves the story one step nearer to the platform and the open door, and shows how Hindi marks a changed moment inside a story.
51.16a शाम evening के GEN-OBL छह six बज strike रहे PROG-MASC-PL थे were और and अब now स्टेशन station पर on बहुत much भीड़ crowd-FEM थी was-FEM
51.16b (śām) evening (ke) GEN-OBL (chah) six (baj) strike (rahe) PROG-MASC-PL (the) were (aur) and (ab) now (sṭeśan) station (par) on (bahut) much (bhīṛ) crowd-FEM (thī) was-FEM
51.17a मीरा Meera ने ERG घड़ी watch-FEM देखी saw-FEM और and बोली said-FEM अब now सिर्फ़ only दस ten मिनट minutes बचे remained-MASC-PL हैं are
51.17b (Mīrā) Meera (ne) ERG (ghaṛī) watch-FEM (dekhī) saw-FEM (aur) and (bolī) said-FEM (ab) now (sirf) only (das) ten (miniṭ) minutes (bace) remained-MASC-PL (haim̐) are
51.18a अर्जुन Arjun ने ERG कहा said-MASC अब now हमें us-DAT दौड़ना to-run पड़ेगा will-have-to-MASC
51.18b (Arjun) Arjun (ne) ERG (kahā) said-MASC (ab) now (hamem̐) us-DAT (dauṛnā) to-run (paṛegā) will-have-to-MASC
51.19a वे they दोनों both अब now प्लेटफ़ॉर्म platform नंबर number चार four की GEN-FEM तरफ़ direction-FEM भागने to-run-OBL लगे began-MASC-PL
51.19b (ve) they (donom̐) both (ab) now (pleṭform) platform (nambar) number (cār) four (kī) GEN-FEM (taraf) direction-FEM (bhāgne) to-run-OBL (lage) began-MASC-PL
51.20a प्लेटफ़ॉर्म platform पर on पहुँचकर having-reached [CONV] मीरा Meera ने ERG देखा saw-MASC कि that अब now ट्रेन train-FEM धीरे-धीरे slowly चलने to-move-OBL लगी began-FEM है is
51.20b (pleṭform) platform (par) on (pahum̐cakar) having-reached [CONV] (Mīrā) Meera (ne) ERG (dekhā) saw-MASC (ki) that (ab) now (ṭren) train-FEM (dhīre-dhīre) slowly (calne) to-move-OBL (lagī) began-FEM (hai) is
51.21a अर्जुन Arjun चिल्लाया shouted-MASC अब now भी also देर delay-FEM नहीं not हुई became-FEM है is ट्रेन train-FEM पकड़ catch लो take-IMP [COMP]
51.21b (Arjun) Arjun (cillāyā) shouted-MASC (ab) now (bhī) also (der) delay-FEM (nahīm̐) not (huī) became-FEM (hai) is (ṭren) train-FEM (pakaṛ) catch (lo) take-IMP [COMP]
51.22a मीरा Meera ने ERG अब now पूरी whole-FEM ताक़त strength-FEM से with दौड़ run-FEM लगाई applied-FEM
51.22b (Mīrā) Meera (ne) ERG (ab) now (pūrī) whole-FEM (tāqat) strength-FEM (se) with (dauṛ) run-FEM (lagāī) applied-FEM
51.23a डिब्बे carriage-OBL का GEN-MASC दरवाज़ा door-MASC अब now उसके her हाथ hand की GEN-FEM पहुँच reach-FEM में in था was-MASC
51.23b (ḍibbe) carriage-OBL (kā) GEN-MASC (darvāzā) door-MASC (ab) now (uske) her (hāth) hand (kī) GEN-FEM (pahum̐c) reach-FEM (mem̐) in (thā) was-MASC
51.24a अर्जुन Arjun ने ERG मीरा Meera का GEN-MASC हाथ hand-MASC पकड़ा caught-MASC और and अब now दोनों both डिब्बे carriage-OBL के GEN-OBL अंदर inside थे were
51.24b (Arjun) Arjun (ne) ERG (Mīrā) Meera (kā) GEN-MASC (hāth) hand-MASC (pakaṛā) caught-MASC (aur) and (ab) now (donom̐) both (ḍibbe) carriage-OBL (ke) GEN-OBL (andar) inside (the) were
51.25a अब now साँस breath-FEM लेना to-take भी even मुश्किल difficult हो be रहा PROG-MASC था was
51.25b (ab) now (sām̐s) breath-FEM (lenā) to-take (bhī) even (muśkil) difficult (ho) be (rahā) PROG-MASC (thā) was
51.26a अर्जुन Arjun हँसकर laughing [CONV] बोला said-MASC अब now हम we आराम ease से with बैठ sit सकते can-MASC-PL हैं are
51.26b (Arjun) Arjun (ham̐sakar) laughing [CONV] (bolā) said-MASC (ab) now (ham) we (ārām) ease (se) with (baiṭh) sit (sakte) can-MASC-PL (haim̐) are
51.27a मीरा Meera ने ERG पूछा asked-MASC अब now हमारी our-FEM सीट seat-FEM कहाँ where है is
51.27b (Mīrā) Meera (ne) ERG (pūchā) asked-MASC (ab) now (hamārī) our-FEM (sīṭ) seat-FEM (kahām̐) where (hai) is
51.28a टिकट ticket देखकर having-seen [CONV] पता knowledge चला became-MASC कि that उन्हें them-DAT अब now भी also तीन three डिब्बे carriages आगे ahead जाना to-go है is
51.28b (ṭikaṭ) ticket (dekhkar) having-seen [CONV] (patā) knowledge (calā) became-MASC (ki) that (unhem̐) them-DAT (ab) now (bhī) also (tīn) three (ḍibbe) carriages (āge) ahead (jānā) to-go (hai) is
51.29a दोनों both हँस laugh पड़े fell-MASC-PL [COMP] क्योंकि because अब now चिंता worry-FEM की GEN-FEM कोई any बात matter-FEM नहीं not थी was-FEM
51.29b (donom̐) both (ham̐s) laugh (paṛe) fell-MASC-PL [COMP] (kyom̐ki) because (ab) now (cintā) worry-FEM (kī) GEN-FEM (koī) any (bāt) matter-FEM (nahīm̐) not (thī) was-FEM
51.30a मीरा Meera ने ERG खिड़की window-FEM से from बाहर outside देखा saw-MASC अब now शहर city-MASC पीछे behind छूट be-left रहा PROG-MASC था was
51.30b (Mīrā) Meera (ne) ERG (khiṛkī) window-FEM (se) from (bāhar) outside (dekhā) saw-MASC (ab) now (śahar) city-MASC (pīche) behind (chūṭ) be-left (rahā) PROG-MASC (thā) was
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51.16 शाम के छह बज रहे थे और अब स्टेशन पर बहुत भीड़ थी। "It was six in the evening, and now the station was very crowded."
51.17 मीरा ने घड़ी देखी और बोली — अब सिर्फ़ दस मिनट बचे हैं। "Meera looked at her watch and said: Now only ten minutes are left."
51.18 अर्जुन ने कहा — अब हमें दौड़ना पड़ेगा। "Arjun said: Now we will have to run."
51.19 वे दोनों अब प्लेटफ़ॉर्म नंबर चार की तरफ़ भागने लगे। "The two of them now began to run towards platform number four."
51.20 प्लेटफ़ॉर्म पर पहुँचकर मीरा ने देखा कि अब ट्रेन धीरे-धीरे चलने लगी है। "Reaching the platform, Meera saw that the train had now begun to move slowly."
51.21 अर्जुन चिल्लाया — अब भी देर नहीं हुई है, ट्रेन पकड़ लो! "Arjun shouted: It is not too late even now — catch the train!"
51.22 मीरा ने अब पूरी ताक़त से दौड़ लगाई। "Meera now broke into a run with all her strength."
51.23 डिब्बे का दरवाज़ा अब उसके हाथ की पहुँच में था। "The carriage door was now within reach of her hand."
51.24 अर्जुन ने मीरा का हाथ पकड़ा और अब दोनों डिब्बे के अंदर थे। "Arjun caught Meera's hand, and now both were inside the carriage."
51.25 अब साँस लेना भी मुश्किल हो रहा था। "Now even breathing was becoming difficult."
51.26 अर्जुन हँसकर बोला — अब हम आराम से बैठ सकते हैं। "Arjun said, laughing: Now we can sit comfortably."
51.27 मीरा ने पूछा — अब हमारी सीट कहाँ है? "Meera asked: Now where is our seat?"
51.28 टिकट देखकर पता चला कि उन्हें अब भी तीन डिब्बे आगे जाना है। "Looking at the ticket, they found that they still had to go three carriages further."
51.29 दोनों हँस पड़े क्योंकि अब चिंता की कोई बात नहीं थी। "Both burst out laughing, because now there was nothing to worry about."
51.30 मीरा ने खिड़की से बाहर देखा — अब शहर पीछे छूट रहा था। "Meera looked out of the window: now the city was falling behind."
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51.16 शाम के छह बज रहे थे और अब स्टेशन पर बहुत भीड़ थी।
51.17 मीरा ने घड़ी देखी और बोली — अब सिर्फ़ दस मिनट बचे हैं।
51.18 अर्जुन ने कहा — अब हमें दौड़ना पड़ेगा।
51.19 वे दोनों अब प्लेटफ़ॉर्म नंबर चार की तरफ़ भागने लगे।
51.20 प्लेटफ़ॉर्म पर पहुँचकर मीरा ने देखा कि अब ट्रेन धीरे-धीरे चलने लगी है।
51.21 अर्जुन चिल्लाया — अब भी देर नहीं हुई है, ट्रेन पकड़ लो!
51.22 मीरा ने अब पूरी ताक़त से दौड़ लगाई।
51.23 डिब्बे का दरवाज़ा अब उसके हाथ की पहुँच में था।
51.24 अर्जुन ने मीरा का हाथ पकड़ा और अब दोनों डिब्बे के अंदर थे।
51.25 अब साँस लेना भी मुश्किल हो रहा था।
51.26 अर्जुन हँसकर बोला — अब हम आराम से बैठ सकते हैं।
51.27 मीरा ने पूछा — अब हमारी सीट कहाँ है?
51.28 टिकट देखकर पता चला कि उन्हें अब भी तीन डिब्बे आगे जाना है।
51.29 दोनों हँस पड़े क्योंकि अब चिंता की कोई बात नहीं थी।
51.30 मीरा ने खिड़की से बाहर देखा — अब शहर पीछे छूट रहा था।
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अब inside a past narrative (51.16, 51.23, 51.24, 51.25, 51.30). When the story is told in the past, अब does not mean "now" for the speaker; it means "now, at this point in the story". The verb is in the past (थी, था, थे, रहा था), and अब fixes a new stage of the scene: "now the station was crowded", "now both were inside". This is the same contrast with before that अब carries in the present, moved into the story's time. Hindi keeps अब here, where English narrators often switch to "then".
अब भी in narrative (51.28, 51.21). अब भी (still, even now) keeps its sense in a story. In 51.28, उन्हें अब भी तीन डिब्बे आगे जाना है is a report of what the ticket says, so it keeps the present है. In 51.21, अब भी देर नहीं हुई है says that the moment for action has not passed.
Obligation and ability with अब (51.18, 51.26). हमें दौड़ना पड़ेगा (we will have to run) uses the dative subject with the infinitive and पड़ना, which expresses an obligation that is imposed by circumstances. बैठ सकते हैं uses सकना (can) with the bare stem. In both, अब gives the sentence its date: now is the time for the necessary act.
Dative forms. उन्हें (51.28) is the dative of वे (they), and goes with जाना है: "they have to go". हमें (51.18) is the dative of हम. The dative subject is common whenever necessity, knowledge or feeling is expressed: हमें ..., उन्हें ..., मुझे ...
Compound verbs. हँस पड़े (51.29) is "burst out laughing" (पड़ना gives a sudden, uncontrolled start); भागने लगे (51.19) and चलने लगी है (51.20) are "began to run / to move" (the oblique infinitive with लगना). पकड़ लो (51.21) is the compound with लेना: "catch it (and have done)".
अब does not change with the tense of the story. Whatever tense the verb is in, अब stays what it is.
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अब (ab) — IPA: /əb/
- अ (a): short neutral vowel [ə], like the first sound of English "about" but shorter - ब (b): voiced unaspirated bilabial stop [b]; lips closed, voice on, no puff of breath - The word is one syllable: [əb]. The inherent -a at the end of ब is silent
Related words: - अभी /əbʱiː/ — right now, just now; the भ (bh) is a breathy, aspirated [bʱ] and the ई is long - तब /t̪əb/ — then - जब /d͡ʒəb/ — when - कब /kəb/ — when?
In phrases: - अब तक /əb t̪ək/ — until now - अब से /əb seː/ — from now on - अब भी /əb bʱiː/ — still; the first b closes the lips and the aspirated bh releases them, so the two run together almost as a single longer sound - अब तो /əb t̪oː/ — by now, now at least
Stress and intonation: at the front of a sentence, as in अब हमें दौड़ना पड़ेगा, अब is short and light, and the weight falls on the words that carry the news. At the end of a phrase, as in the doha's आज करे सो अब, it can be held a little longer, since it is the point of the line.
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