# Hindi-Urdu: flat



## amiramir

What words do you guys use for 'flat' as in 'not upright?' My dictionary says samtal, but I think I may recall having heard the word in the context of  'calm, peaceful' as in water (of a lake), but I am often very wrong. Is samtal used in everyday Hindi/Urdu speech?

A flat road - samtal saDak?

Keep the paper flat on the table -- mez par kaaGhaz samtal rakho?

Thank you.


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## Maharaj

We don't use 'samtal' in day to day conversations, it's used in written pieces only.
If the road is flat we say "Wahan ka road achchha hai"
For 'keep the paper flat on the table', we say: "Table par kaagaz faila ke rakho"


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## desi4life

^ Wouldn't "road" be a feminine noun since saRak is feminine? So your sentence should be "wahaaN kii road (saRak) achchhii hai". And in your second sentence the correct pronunciation is "phailaa" not "failaa".


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## Maharaj

@desi4life 

As a native Hindi/Urdu speaker I can say: No, road would not be feminine, we generally use it in masculine form.
As for the pronunciation yes you're right but sometimes - in 10% cases - we also use the less strong 'F' thanks for pointing it out


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## Dib

How about:
That's a flat road = us raaste par koii utar chaRhaav nahiiN hai


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## eskandar

For a flat road in Urdu I would also suggest *hamvaar *raasta/saRak.


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## aevynn

Perhaps सपाट सड़क _sapaat saDak_ could be another way of saying "flat road" in a slightly formal/literary register of Hindi.

Also, सीधी सड़क _siidhii saDak _is a pretty common expression which probably translates better as "straight road" in _most_ contexts, but it might be okay to use it to mean "flat road" if it's in obvious contrast with non-flat. For example, the following sounds okay to me at least.

यह सड़क बहुत ही ऊबड़-खाबड़ होती थी, पर अब बिलकुल सीधी कर दी गई है।
yeh saDak bahut hii uubaD-khaabaD hotii thii, par ab bilkul siidhii kar dii gaii hai.
This road used to be super bumpy, but it's been made completely flat now.​
Similarly, you can also use the fairly colloquial word बराबर _baraabar_ to mean "flat" or "level" — again, especially when it's in contrast with ऊबड़-खाबड़ _uubaD-khaabaD_. Here's a part of a poem by फ़िराक़ गोरखपुरी _Firaaq Gorakhpuri_ that uses बराबर _baraabar_ in this way (from गुले-नग़मा _gul-e-naGhma_).

करके बराबर रख देते हैं
ऊबड़-खाबड़ पेचो-ख़म
कड़े कोस नर्मा देते हैं
अपने धरती तोड़ क़दम

karke baraabar rakh dete haiN
uubaD-khaabaD pech-o-Kham
kaDe kos narmaa dete haiN
apne dhartii toD qadam​
I'm just absolutely terrible at translating poetry, so I hope you'll all forgive the following attempt at a translation.

Our footsteps level down
the rough and bumpy twists and turns,
they soften down the rigid miles
by breaking down the earth.​


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## Maharaj

Another sentence which is generally used in case of roads is *'plane'
*
"Bhopal se Sironj road ekdum plane ho gaya hai"


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## Alfaaz

Apart from many of the words mentioned above, there is also مسطّح - _musattaH _in Urdu.


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## littlepond

"road" is feminine, not masculine! Meanwhile, "sapaaT saRak" is an excellent suggestion by aevynn: in fact, "siidhii-sapaaT saRak" is also used if one needs to really establish the "straightness" and "flatness" of it. "siidhii saRak" alone, however, to my mind only conveys the information that the road is straight (doesn't bend or wind or crook or curve), not anything about its flatness.

For keeping paper flat on the table, one would say "kaagaz ko table/mej par chapTa kar ke rakho".

"samtal" can also be used, of course, but it's a bit less conversational.


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## akak

amiramir said:


> What words do you guys use for 'flat' as in 'not upright?' My dictionary says samtal, but I think I may recall having heard the word in the context of  'calm, peaceful' as in water (of a lake), but I am often very wrong. Is samtal used in everyday Hindi/Urdu speech?
> 
> A flat road - samtal saDak?
> 
> Keep the paper flat on the table -- mez par kaaGhaz samtal rakho?
> 
> Thank you.



"*bichhana*" -- to spread, can be used in that example -- mez par kaaGhaz bichhao

*Ondha* or *Aundha* is a word that means overturned, or prostrate, not upright.

And *baraabar*, as suggested above can men smooth or even. Another word that means smooth is *chikna*. People say "*chiknii saṛak*" -- though maybe in exaggeration.


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## Aryaved

Sapaat Sadak, as mentioned by many on this thread, is what I've heard utilized for conversational speech. Samtal Sadak can be used in professional/formal settings or is reserved mainly for writing.


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## amiramir

Belated thank you for all the wonderful suggestions. I have stricken samtal from my spoken Hindi and replaced it was sapaat!  (at least in terms of saDak.

Can I say, kaagaz ko mez par sapaat karke rakho for 'keep the paper flat on the table?"


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## Maharaj

akak said:


> "*bichhana*" -- to spread, can be used in that example -- mez par kaaGhaz bichhao



This is The word which I was not getting. I think @amiramir should be satisfied now.


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## Sheikh_14

Isn't the most commonly used term for flat chapTii? So how about chapTii saRak?


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## littlepond

Sheikh_14 said:


> So how about chapTii saRak?



No: being "chapTaa" is about thickness in a way.


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## Maharaj

Sheikh_14 said:


> So how about chapTii saRak?


It simply doesn't collocate.


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