What is the difference amongst: smart vs. clever vs. intelligent? Though they are synonyms there are differences – some very subtle.
First let’s talk about smart. Smart people have taken time to acquire knowledge. They learn quickly and have done the work to be knowledgeable.
Intelligence is innate. Intelligence is marked by mental quickness, someone who connects the dots, processes and analyzes info naturally and quickly.
Clever folks have creativity to their thoughts. They can work around challenges and tough situations with creative approaches to solving problems. Thus one who is clever has imagination.
The Hindi Words for Smart, Clever and Intelligent
The Hindi word for smart is the same word for intelligent: buddhimaan.
The thing is, that the word buddhimaan is not used as commonly in everyday conversational Hindi, as its Urdu counterpart: hooshyaar.
Clever, in Hindi, is chathoor.
I am teaching Hindi adjectives in some of my classes and my students asked me what the difference(s) are between smart vs. clever vs. intelligent so I thought it might be helpful to share it on the blog for everyone to benefit.
How To Use Smart vs. Clever vs. Intelligent in Hindi Sentences
She is smart. Vo hooshyaar hain.
She is intelligent. Vo budhimaan hain.
She is clever. Vo chathoor hain.
Quick Note About Vo vs. Vah
Technically “vah” is the correct subject pronoun for: he, she, it, they. However in conversational Hindi many use “vo”. To be honest, I originally taught “vah” to my students, since it is the grammatically correct term and I actually received comments/complaints from parents who said they’d never used that before, so I switched to “vo”.
Ready To Learn Conversational Hindi?
Sent. Thank you!
About Samta Aunty
Growing up in Orange County, California, I learned Hindi and Indian culture from my parents and the community. At one point, in addition to understanding Hindi, I developed an interest in speaking, and my parents encouraged me.
Friday night was date-night with my mom. We would eat parathas and watch Hindi movies together. I asked lots of questions and switched to speaking in Hindi at home.
That day, in high school, when my Chachi in Delhi said, “Tumhari Hindi bahut achi hain” is one of my favorite memories.
I started Virtual PreSkool to pay it forward. It’s fulfilling when a student comes to class and excitedly shares that they successfully connected with grandparents/relatives or when they were in India and knew how to ask for directions.
After completing undergrad at UC Irvine, I did my MBA at the USC Marshall School of Business. I’ve been an entrepreneur my entire career.
When I’m not teaching and creating lessons, I’m usually exercising, cooking vegan meals, or traveling. I love writing about travel on my blog PassportPages.
Dhanyavaad!
