हळूहळू / पुन्हा पुन्हा
Repeating Words
A repeated word keeps its form, and its meaning grows. A few pairs, such as घरोघरी, add -ो.
How It Works
Repeat a word to give more of its meaning. हळूहळू चाल. (Walk slowly.) पुन्हा पुन्हा सांग. (Say it again and again.)
| Repeated word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| हळूहळू | slowly, little by little |
| पुन्हा पुन्हा | again and again |
| थोडे थोडे | a little at a time |
| घरोघरी | in every house |
Most pairs repeat the same form. When a repeated describing word comes before a noun with an ending, both copies take the oblique form and only the noun takes the ending: मोठ्या मोठ्या शहरांत (in big cities). मी रोज थोडे थोडे वाचते. (A woman says she reads a little each day.) A man who studies slowly says: मी हळूहळू मराठी शिकतो.
The pattern also fits a verb: ती पुन्हा पुन्हा घड्याळ पाहत होती. (She kept looking at the clock again and again.)
Repeating also fits adjectives. लहान लहान मुले means "lots of little children", and मोठे मोठे आंबे means "lots of big mangoes".
Some pairs join with -ो between the two parts: घरोघरी means "in every house", and दारोदारी means "from door to door". These pairs belong to everyday and written Marathi.
Examples (5)
- हळूहळू चाल.
Walk slowly.
हळूहळू says how to walk.
- पुन्हा पुन्हा सांग.
Say it again and again.
पुन्हा पुन्हा shows the repeat.
- मी हळूहळू मराठी शिकतो.
I am learning Marathi little by little. A man is speaking.
हळूहळू shows steady, slow progress.
- मी रोज थोडे थोडे वाचते.
I read a little every day. A woman is speaking.
थोडे थोडे repeats थोडे to mean a little at a time.
- ती पुन्हा पुन्हा घड्याळ पाहत होती.
She kept looking at the clock again and again.
पुन्हा पुन्हा shows how often she looked.
Common Mistakes
Using the Hindi phrase धीरे धीरे.
धीरे धीरे चाल.हळूहळू चाल.धीरे धीरे is Hindi. Marathi says हळूहळू.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Doubling an adverb stresses it.
Related Patterns
- चहाबिहाEcho Words
An echo word repeats a word with a new first sound to mean "and the like".
Level 4 - -त जाणेDeveloping Step by Step
-त जाणे shows a change that grows step by step, which हळूहळू often goes with.
Level 4 - -त राहणेKeeping an Action Going
-त राहणे keeps an action going, as पुन्हा पुन्हा does.
Level 4 - नेहमी / रोज / कधी कधीHow Often
कधी कधी repeats कधी to mean "sometimes".
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice हळूहळू / पुन्हा पुन्हा in Bubblegum
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