Distinguishing Intensifiers: Bah

In Hindi, bahut acts as an intensifier. It modifies adjectives, adverbs, and even nouns. When it modifies an adjective, it boosts the degree. For example, garam (hot) becomes bahut garam (very hot). When it modifies a noun, it indicates quantity. In this case, it means "many" or "much." Unlike many Hindi words, bahut is quite friendly. It does not change its form for gender or number. It stays bahut whether you are talking about one boy or ten girls. It is like a grammar traffic light that is always green. You can use it almost anywhere to add emphasis.

1. 1Using bahut is a straightforward process. Follow these simple steps to build your sentences:
2. 2Identify the word you want to intensify.
3. 3Place bahut directly before that word.
4. 4If you want extreme emphasis, add hi after bahut to make bahut hi.
5. 5For a vague but large quantity, add the suffix -sa to get bahut-sa.
6. 6Keep the rest of your sentence structure exactly the same.
7. 7Example: Khana swadisht hai (The food is tasty) becomes Khana bahut swadisht hai (The food is very tasty).

You will use bahut in almost every conversation. Use it when ordering food at a dhaba. Tell the waiter the food is bahut mirch (very spicy) or bahut achha (very good). Use it in job interviews to show enthusiasm. You might say you are bahut utsahit (very excited) about the role. Use it when asking for directions in a crowded city. You might complain that the destination is bahut door (very far). It is perfect for expressing physical sensations like being bahut thaka (very tired). It also works for abstract concepts like being bahut khush (very happy).

Even though it is versatile, do not overdo it. Avoid using bahut with adjectives that are already absolute. For instance, something cannot be "very unique" or "very dead." In Hindi, avoid using it with words that already imply intensity. Words like atyant (extremely) or behad (limitless) do the job alone. If you use bahut with these, you sound repetitive. Also, be careful in very formal writing. In a legal document or a PhD thesis, bahut might feel too casual. In those cases, use formal alternatives like atyant. Yes, even native speakers mess this up sometimes by being too dramatic!

A common mistake is trying to change bahut for gender. Do not say bahuti for feminine nouns. It is always bahut. Another mistake is placing it after the adjective. It must come before. Some learners also confuse bahut with zyada. While they are similar, zyada often implies "more" or "too much." If you say the tea is zyada garam, you might mean it is too hot to drink. If you say it is bahut garam, you are just saying it is very hot. Think of it like a seasoning. Too much of it in the wrong place ruins the dish!

You need to know how bahut differs from its cousins. Kaafi means "quite" or "enough." It is milder than bahut. If a movie is kaafi achhi, it is decent. If it is bahut achhi, you must see it! Then there is zyada. This focuses on comparison or excess. Use zyada when comparing two things. Atyant is the high-society cousin. It is used in literature and formal speeches. Finally, bahut hi is the dramatic sibling. Use it when you want to be extra expressive. It is like adding three exclamation marks to your sentence.