साफ करना
to clean
Literalmente: clean to do
Use `साफ करना` for any general cleaning task, from tidying a room to clearing phone storage.
En 15 segundos
- The standard Hindi way to say 'to clean' or 'tidy up'.
- Combines the word for 'clean' with the verb 'to do'.
- Used for physical spaces, digital files, and even finishing food.
Significado
This phrase is your go-to way to say 'to clean' or 'to tidy up' in Hindi. It is incredibly versatile, covering everything from scrubbing a floor to deleting old photos on your phone.
Ejemplos clave
3 de 7Asking a roommate to tidy the kitchen
क्या तुम रसोई साफ कर सकते हो?
Can you clean the kitchen?
Telling a waiter the table is dirty
कृपया यह मेज़ साफ कर दीजिए।
Please clean this table.
Texting a friend about phone issues
मुझे अपना फोन साफ करना पड़ेगा, मेमोरी फुल है।
I will have to clean my phone; the memory is full.
Contexto cultural
Cleanliness is a major theme in Indian festivals, especially Diwali, where 'Safai' (cleaning) is a ritual to welcome good luck. The phrase gained even more prominence with the national 'Swachh Bharat' (Clean India) movement launched in 2014. In local slang, it can also humorously refer to someone eating all the food on a table or 'cleaning out' a shop.
The 'Finish Your Plate' Trick
If you want to impress an Indian host, tell them you will 'saaf' your plate. It shows you love the food!
Don't 'Saaf' Your Hands
While people will understand you, it's more natural to use 'Haath Dhona' (wash hands) since water is involved.
En 15 segundos
- The standard Hindi way to say 'to clean' or 'tidy up'.
- Combines the word for 'clean' with the verb 'to do'.
- Used for physical spaces, digital files, and even finishing food.
What It Means
साफ करना is a simple, hardworking phrase. It combines the adjective साफ (clean) with the verb करना (to do). Together, they mean the act of making something tidy or spotless. You can use it for physical objects like a table. You can also use it for abstract things like a 'clean' conscience. It is one of the first verbs you will need in a Hindi-speaking household.
How To Use It
Using this phrase is easy because साफ never changes. You only need to conjugate the verb करना. For example, if you are cleaning right now, you say साफ कर रहा हूँ. If you cleaned yesterday, you say साफ किया. It works with almost any object. Just put the object first, add the particle को if needed, and then say साफ करना. It is like a Swiss Army knife for chores. You will hear it in kitchens, offices, and even at the car wash.
When To Use It
Use it when you see dust on a shelf. Use it when your computer screen is smudged. It is perfect for telling a waiter to tidy the table. You can even use it when you finish every last crumb on your plate. In that context, it means you 'cleaned' the plate! It is also used in digital contexts. If your phone storage is full, you need to साफ करना your gallery. It is a very practical, everyday expression.
When NOT To Use It
Be careful not to confuse it with धोना (to wash). While साफ करना is general, धोना specifically involves water and soap. You धोना your clothes and your hands. You साफ करना your room. Also, avoid using it for 'cleaning' a person's reputation in a formal legal sense. There are more complex words for that. And don't use it to mean 'cleaning' as in 'purifying' a soul in a religious context. That usually requires the word शुद्ध (shuddh).
Cultural Background
In India, cleanliness has deep cultural and spiritual roots. There is a massive national campaign called 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' (Clean India Mission). You will see the word साफ on posters everywhere. Before the festival of Diwali, families spend weeks doing a deep साफ करना of their homes. This isn't just about dust; it is about welcoming prosperity. A clean house is seen as an invitation for the goddess Lakshmi to enter. So, when you use this phrase, you are tapping into a big part of Indian daily life.
Common Variations
You might also hear सफाई करना. This is very similar but feels a bit more like 'doing the cleaning' as a general task. साफ-सफाई is a fun rhyming pair that means 'general tidying up.' If someone says they are doing साफ-सफाई, they are probably busy for the whole afternoon. If you want to be very formal, you might use the word स्वच्छ (swachh) instead of साफ, but stick to साफ for daily conversations. It sounds much more natural and friendly.
Notas de uso
This is a neutral, all-purpose phrase. It is safe to use in any social or professional setting. Just remember to conjugate the verb 'karna' to match your subject and tense.
The 'Finish Your Plate' Trick
If you want to impress an Indian host, tell them you will 'saaf' your plate. It shows you love the food!
Don't 'Saaf' Your Hands
While people will understand you, it's more natural to use 'Haath Dhona' (wash hands) since water is involved.
Double the Fun
Indians love echo-words. Say 'Saaf-Safai' to sound like a local when talking about a big cleaning day.
Ejemplos
7क्या तुम रसोई साफ कर सकते हो?
Can you clean the kitchen?
A standard, polite request for a chore.
कृपया यह मेज़ साफ कर दीजिए।
Please clean this table.
Uses the polite 'deejiye' ending for a service context.
मुझे अपना फोन साफ करना पड़ेगा, मेमोरी फुल है।
I will have to clean my phone; the memory is full.
Shows the modern, digital use of the phrase.
मैंने पाँच मिनट में पूरी पिज्जा साफ कर दी!
I cleaned off the whole pizza in five minutes!
A humorous way to say you ate everything.
अपना कमरा साफ करो!
Clean your room!
A direct command using the informal 'karo'.
हमें अपनी गलतफहमी साफ करनी चाहिए।
We should clear up our misunderstanding.
A metaphorical use for emotional or social clarity.
हमें यह डेटा साफ करना होगा।
We will have to clean this data.
Used in a professional IT or analytical context.
Ponte a prueba
Choose the correct form of 'to clean' for 'I am cleaning'.
मैं अपना कमरा ___ रहा हूँ।
To say 'I am cleaning', you use the root 'साफ कर' followed by the continuous marker 'रहा हूँ'.
Which word completes the phrase to mean 'to clean'?
गाड़ी ___ करना बहुत ज़रूरी है।
'साफ करना' is the standard collocation for cleaning a car (गाड़ी).
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Ayudas visuales
Formality of 'साफ करना'
Used with friends for eating food or cleaning a room.
प्लेट साफ कर दी!
Standard daily use for chores and hygiene.
कमरा साफ करो।
Used in offices for data or professional environments.
फाइलें साफ करें।
Where to use 'साफ करना'
At Home
Cleaning the floor
At a Restaurant
Cleaning the table
Digital Life
Deleting old emails
Socially
Clearing a doubt
Preguntas frecuentes
10 preguntasNot at all! It means any kind of cleaning, whether you're using a cloth, a vacuum, or just your hands to tidy up.
Yes, you can use साफ करना for a car. If you are specifically using lots of water, धोना is also common.
Yes, it's a neutral phrase. Just ensure you use the formal verb ending, like साफ कर दीजिए (saaf kar deejiye).
साफ is everyday Hindi. स्वच्छ is more formal/Sanskritized, often seen on government signs or in speeches.
Yes, in slang, हाथ साफ करना (to clean one's hands) can mean to steal something or pickpocket.
You would say मैंने साफ किया (Maine saaf kiya). The verb करना becomes किया in the past tense.
सफाई is the noun (cleaning/cleanliness). You use it as सफाई करना to mean 'to perform cleaning'.
Yes, it is perfectly appropriate to say ज़ख्म साफ करना (zakhm saaf karna) in a medical context.
You can say एकदम साफ (ekdam saaf) or चकाचक (chakachak) for something that's super clean.
Yes, you can say कर्ज़ साफ करना (karz saaf karna) to mean paying off or clearing a debt.
Frases relacionadas
धोना
to wash (usually with water)
सफाई करना
to do the cleaning (general task)
झाड़ू लगाना
to sweep (specifically with a broom)
पोछा लगाना
to mop the floor
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