How to Use Collocations in English (With Hindi Meanings & Daily Examples)

🔹 Introduction (परिचय):
"मैं सुबह जल्दी उठता हूँ।" (Main subah jaldi uthta hoon.)
"हमने बहुत मज़े किए।" (Humne bahut maze kiye.)
"वह तेज़ी से भागा।" (Woh tezi se bhaga.)

हम Hindi में शब्दों को जोड़कर बोलते हैं जो एक साथ सही लगते हैं। (Hum Hindi mein shabdon ko jodkar bolte hain jo ek saath sahi lagte hain.) लेकिन क्या आपने सोचा कि English में भी ऐसा कैसे करें? (Lekin kya aapne socha ki English mein bhi aisa kaise karein?) Collocations in English—like "make a decision," "take a break," or "heavy rain"—are word pairs that go together naturally. For Indians, learning these can stop mistakes like saying “do a decision” and help you sound fluent.

In this ultimate guide on englishintohindi.in, we’ll teach you how to use collocations in English, with Hindi meanings to make it simple. Here’s what you’ll get:

  • A huge list of collocations with Hindi translations
  • Rules and types of collocations
  • Daily examples in past, present, and future tenses
  • Real-life Hindi-English conversations
  • Grammar tips, common mistakes, and fixes
  • Loads of exercises with answers
  • Practice ideas for Indian learners

By the end, you’ll use collocations naturally in English, with a Hindi twist. Let’s start!

🔹 What Are Collocations & Why Use Them? (कॉलोकेशन्स क्या हैं और क्यों?):
Collocations are words that “stick together” in English because native speakers use them that way. Here’s why they matter:

  1. Sound Natural: Say “strong tea,” not “powerful tea.”
  2. Avoid Mistakes: “Make a mistake,” not “do a mistake.”
  3. Improve Fluency: Speak and write smoothly.
  4. Boost Confidence: Sound like a pro in chats or exams.

For Indians, we might say "galti karna" in Hindi, but in English, “do a mistake” feels right—yet it’s wrong! Collocations fix this. Whether it’s work, travel, or daily talk, you’ll learn to pair words perfectly. Let’s dive into some examples!

🔹 Daily-Use Collocations (With Hindi Meanings):
Here’s a massive list of common collocations with Hindi translations—practice them!

English Collocation Hindi Meaning Category
Make a decision फैसला करना (Faisla karna) Action
Take a break ब्रेक लेना (Break lena) Action
Heavy rain तेज़ बारिश (Tez baarish) Weather
Strong tea गाढ़ी चाय (Gaadhi chai) Food/Drink
Catch a cold सर्दी पकड़ना (Sardi pakadna) Health
Pay attention ध्यान देना (Dhyan dena) Focus
Keep quiet चुप रहना (Chup rehna) Behavior
Run out of खत्म हो जाना (Khatm ho jaana) Quantity
Have fun मज़े करना (Maze karna) Emotion
Break a habit आदत तोड़ना (Aadat todna) Change
Fast food तेज़ खाना (Tez khaana) Food
Do homework होमवर्क करना (Homework karna) School/Work
Make friends दोस्त बनाना (Dost banana) Social
Take a photo फोटो लेना (Photo lena) Action
Bright future उज्जवल भविष्य (Ujjwal bhavishya) Hope
Lose weight वज़न कम करना (Wazan kam karna) Health
Save time समय बचाना (Samay bachaana) Efficiency
Give advice सलाह देना (Salaah dena) Help
Deep sleep गहरी नींद (Gehri neend) Rest
High hopes बड़ी उम्मीदें (Badi ummeedein) Expectation

📌 Practice Tip: Say each pair aloud: “Make a decision – फैसला करना…” Then try, “I need to make a decision.”

🔹 Types of Collocations:
Collocations come in different forms—here’s how they work, with Hindi examples.

✅ Verb + Noun:

  • "Take a shower" – नहाना (Nahana)
    • "I take a shower every morning." – मैं हर सुबह नहाता हूँ।

✅ Adjective + Noun:

  • "Heavy traffic" – भारी ट्रैफिक (Bhaari traffic)
    • "There’s heavy traffic today." – आज भारी ट्रैफिक है।

✅ Verb + Preposition:

  • "Run out of" – खत्म हो जाना (Khatm ho jaana)
    • "We ran out of sugar." – हमारा चीनी खत्म हो गया।

✅ Noun + Noun:

  • "Bus stop" – बस स्टॉप (Bus stop)
    • "The bus stop is nearby." – बस स्टॉप पास में है।

✅ Adverb + Verb:

  • "Quickly finish" – जल्दी खत्म करना (Jaldi khatm karna)
    • "I quickly finished my work." – मैंने अपना काम जल्दी खत्म किया।

🔹 Collocations in Sentences (With Hindi):
Here’s how to use them daily, with translations.

✅ Present Tense:

  • "I make a decision every day." – मैं हर दिन फैसला करता हूँ। (Main har din faisla karta hoon.)
  • "She takes a break at noon." – वह दोपहर में ब्रेक लेती है। (Woh dopahar mein break leti hai.)
  • "It’s heavy rain outside!" – बाहर तेज़ बारिश हो रही है! (Bahar tez baarish ho rahi hai!)

✅ Past Tense:

  • "He caught a cold yesterday." – उसने कल सर्दी पकड़ ली। (Usne kal sardi pakad li.)
  • "We had fun at the party." – हमने पार्टी में मज़े किए। (Humne party mein maze kiye.)
  • "I paid attention in class." – मैंने क्लास में ध्यान दिया। (Maine class mein dhyan diya.)

✅ Future Tense:

  • "They’ll save time tomorrow." – वे कल समय बचाएँगे। (We kal samay bachaayenge.)
  • "I’ll take a photo later." – मैं बाद में फोटो लूँगा। (Main baad mein photo loonga.)
  • "She’ll lose weight soon." – वह जल्दी वज़न कम करेगी। (Woh jaldi wazan kam karegi.)

🔹 Common Collocations List (With Hindi):
Here’s a bigger list for practice:

English Collocation Hindi Translation
Make a mistake गलती करना (Galti karna)
Take a chance जोखिम लेना (Jokhim lena)
Strong wind तेज़ हवा (Tez hawa)
Have a good time अच्छा समय बिताना (Achha samay bitaana)
Keep a secret राज़ रखना (Raaz rakhna)
Run late देर करना (Der karna)
Do well अच्छा करना (Achha karna)
Give a hug गले लगाना (Gale lagaana)
Bright idea शानदार विचार (Shandaar vichaar)
Deep breath गहरी साँस (Gehri saans)

🔹 Real-Life Conversation Examples (Hindi-English):
Here’s how collocations fit into daily talks.

🧍♂️ Scenario 1: At Home

  • A (English): “I need to make a decision about dinner.”
  • B (English): “Take a break first—you look tired!”
  • A (Hindi): “मुझे रात के खाने के बारे में फैसला करना है।” (Mujhe raat ke khaane ke baare mein faisla karna hai.)
  • B (Hindi): “पहले ब्रेक लो—तुम थके हुए लगते हो!” (Pehle break lo—tum thake hue lagte ho!)

🧍♀️ Scenario 2: At Work

  • A (English): “I ran out of paper yesterday.”
  • B (English): “Pay attention next time!”
  • A (Hindi): “मैं कल कागज़ से खत्म हो गया।” (Main kal kaagaz se khatm ho gaya.)
  • B (Hindi): “अगली बार ध्यान देना!” (Agli baar dhyan dena!)

🧍♂️ Scenario 3: With Friends

  • A (English): “We had fun at the movie!”
  • B (English): “Let’s make friends with that group.”
  • A (Hindi): “हमने फिल्म में मज़े किए!” (Humne film mein maze kiye!)
  • B (Hindi): “चलो उस ग्रुप से दोस्त बनाएँ।” (Chalo us group se dost banaayein.)

🧍♀️ Scenario 4: Shopping

  • A (English): “This is fast food, right?”
  • B (English): “Yes, take a photo of it!”
  • A (Hindi): “यह तेज़ खाना है, ना?” (Yeh tez khaana hai, na?)
  • B (Hindi): “हाँ, इसकी फोटो लो!” (Haan, iski photo lo!)

🧍♂️ Scenario 5: Health Talk

  • A (English): “I caught a cold last week.”
  • B (English): “Lose weight—it’ll help!”
  • A (Hindi): “मैंने पिछले हफ्ते सर्दी पकड़ ली।” (Maine pichhle hafte sardi pakad li.)
  • B (Hindi): “वज़न कम करो—यह मदद करेगा!” (Wazan kam karo—yeh madad karega!)

🔹 Grammar Tips for Collocations:

  1. Correct Verb:
    • Correct: "Make a plan."
    • Wrong: "Do a plan." – Use “make.”
  2. Prepositions:
    • Correct: "Run out of time."
    • Wrong: "Run out time." – Add “of.”
  3. Adjective Fit:
    • Correct: "Heavy rain."
    • Wrong: "Big rain." – “Heavy” fits rain.
  4. Tense Match:
    • "I took a break." – मैंने ब्रेक लिया। (Past tense “took.”)

🔹 Common Mistakes by Hindi Speakers:

Incorrect Sentence Correct Sentence Why?
I do a mistake. I make a mistake. Use “make” with “mistake.”
She takes a decision. She makes a decision. Use “make” with “decision.”
It’s strong rain. It’s heavy rain. “Heavy” fits “rain,” not “strong.”
I have a break. I take a break. Use “take” with “break.”
He pay a attention. He pays attention. No “a”—“attention” is uncountable.

🔹 Practice Exercises (60+ Examples):

✅ Fill in the Blanks:

  1. I need to ____ (make) a decision soon.
  2. Let’s ____ (take) a break now.
  3. It’s ____ (heavy) rain outside!
  4. She ____ (caught) a cold yesterday.
  5. We always ____ (have) fun together.
  6. Please ____ (pay) attention in class.
  7. I’ll ____ (save) time tomorrow.
  8. He wants to ____ (lose) weight.
  9. They ____ (took) a photo last week.
  10. What a ____ (bright) future!

✅ Translate into English:

  1. मैं हर दिन होमवर्क करता हूँ। (Main har din homework karta hoon.)
  2. वह तेज़ी से दोस्त बनाती है। (Woh tezi se dost banaati hai.)
  3. बाहर तेज़ बारिश हो रही है। (Bahar tez baarish ho rahi hai.)
  4. मैंने कल ब्रेक लिया। (Maine kal break liya.)
  5. हम मज़े करना चाहते हैं। (Hum maze karna chahte hain.)
  6. उसने ध्यान दिया। (Usne dhyan diya.)
  7. मैं समय बचाऊँगा। (Main samay bachaunga.)
  8. क्या गहरी नींद थी! (Kya gehri neend thi!)
  9. वह सलाह देता है। (Woh salaah deta hai.)
  10. हमने फोटो ली। (Humne photo li.)

✅ Write Sentences:
Write 25 sentences using collocations about your life, using at least 12 from the list and 3 tenses. Include Hindi translations.

✅ Answer Key:
Fill in the Blanks:

  1. make
  2. take
  3. heavy
  4. caught
  5. have
  6. pay
  7. save
  8. lose
  9. took
  10. bright

Translations:

  1. "I do homework every day."
  2. "She makes friends quickly."
  3. "It’s heavy rain outside."
  4. "I took a break yesterday."
  5. "We want to have fun."
  6. "He paid attention."
  7. "I’ll save time."
  8. "What a deep sleep it was!"
  9. "He gives advice."
  10. "We took a photo."

Sample Sentences (25):

  1. "I make a decision every morning." – मैं हर सुबह फैसला करता हूँ।
  2. "She took a break after lunch." – उसने दोपहर के खाने के बाद ब्रेक लिया।
  3. "It’s heavy rain today!" – आज तेज़ बारिश हो रही है!
  4. "He caught a cold last night." – उसने कल रात सर्दी पकड़ ली।
  5. "We have fun at parties." – हम पार्टियों में मज़े करते हैं।
  6. "I’ll pay attention tomorrow." – मैं कल ध्यान दूँगा।
  7. "She saved time by cooking fast." – उसने तेज़ी से खाना बनाकर समय बचाया।
  8. "He wants to lose weight soon." – वह जल्दी वज़न कम करना चाहता है।
  9. "I took a photo of the sunset." – मैंने सूर्यास्त की फोटो ली।
  10. "What a bright future we have!" – हमारा क्या उज्जवल भविष्य है!
  11. "I made a mistake yesterday." – मैंने कल गलती की।
  12. "They’ll take a chance next time." – वे अगली बार जोखिम लेंगे।
  13. "There was strong wind last night." – कल रात तेज़ हवा थी।
  14. "We had a good time at the park." – हमने पार्क में अच्छा समय बिताया।
  15. "She keeps a secret well." – वह राज़ अच्छे से रखती है।
  16. "I ran out of milk today." – मेरा दूध आज खत्म हो गया।
  17. "He’ll do well in the exam." – वह परीक्षा में अच्छा करेगा।
  18. "I gave a hug to my friend." – मैंने अपने दोस्त को गले लगाया।
  19. "What a bright idea this is!" – यह क्या शानदार विचार है!
  20. "She took a deep breath." – उसने गहरी साँस ली।
  21. "I have high hopes for this." – मेरे पास इसके लिए बड़ी उम्मीदें हैं।
  22. "We ate fast food yesterday." – हमने कल तेज़ खाना खाया।
  23. "He’ll make friends easily." – वह आसानी से दोस्त बनाएगा।
  24. "I broke a habit last month." – मैंने पिछले महीने एक आदत तोड़ी।
  25. "What a deep sleep I had!" – मेरी क्या गहरी नींद थी!

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🔹 Cultural Twist: Indian Collocations:

  • "Make a plan for Diwali." – दिवाली के लिए योजना बनाना।
  • "Take a break during chai time." – चाय के समय ब्रेक लेना।
  • "Heavy traffic in Mumbai!" – मुंबई में भारी ट्रैफिक!

🔹 Tips for Indians:

  • Memorize Pairs: Learn “make a decision,” not just “decision.”
  • Avoid Direct Translation: Don’t say “do fun”—use “have fun.”
  • Practice Daily: Use 5 collocations in your routine.

🔹 How to Practice Collocations:

  1. Daily Sentences: Write 5 sentences with collocations each day.
  2. Speak Aloud: Say them in front of a mirror.
  3. Chat with Friends: Use collocations in English talks.
  4. Record It: Record yourself using 10 collocations.
  5. Mix with Hindi: Translate them to Hindi, then back to English.

✅ Conclusion:
Collocations make your English natural and fluent. With this ultimate guide, you’ve got the pairs, examples, and practice to master them. अब आप English में सहजता से बोल सकते हैं! (Ab aap English mein sahajta se bol sakte hain!)

Start using collocations today—you’re on your way to sounding amazing!

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