लेना (lenaa)
verb
लेना (lenaa) is Hindi's basic verb for 'to take,' spanning physical taking/receiving, buying in the market, taking on responsibility, consuming food or medicine, conducting an exam or interview, and -- grammaticalized as a vector verb after another verb stem -- marking an action done to completion for oneself. It is the natural partner of देना (denaa, 'to give').
Sense
1
:
to take, receive, accept (something offered or handed over)
verb, transitive The person or place something is taken from is marked with से (se): मैंने उससे किताब ली (mainne usse kitaab lii, 'I took the book from him').
Synonyms: ग्रहण करना (grahan karnaa, formal), स्वीकार करना (sviikaar karnaa, formal)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This same sense covers respectful gestures like आशीर्वाद लेना (aashiirvaad lenaa, 'to take/receive blessings') when touching an elder's feet. The fixed idiom जन्म लेना (janm lenaa, 'to be born,' literally 'to take birth') also belongs here as a frozen expression rather than a separate meaning.
Common Mistakes: 1) Don't confuse लेना (the receiver's verb) with देना (denaa, the giver's verb) -- 'give me the book' is किताब दो (kitaab do), not किताब लो (kitaab lo). 2) The source takes से (se), not के पास (ke paas), even though के पास marks possession elsewhere.
Sample Sentences:
कृपया यह तोहफ़ा ले लीजिए।
Please take this gift.
(kripyaa yah tohfaa le liijie।)
उसने मेरे हाथ से किताब ले ली।
He took the book from my hand.
(usne mere haath se kitaab le lii।)
बच्चे रोज़ सुबह अपने दादा-दादी से आशीर्वाद लेते हैं।
The children take their grandparents' blessing every morning.
(bachche roz subah apne daadaa-daadii se aashiirvaad lete hain।)
उस महान आत्मा ने एक साधारण परिवार में जन्म लिया।
That great soul was born into a simple family.
(us mahaan aatmaa ne ek saadhaaran parivaar men janm liyaa।)
अगर वह मेरी मदद स्वीकार करता, तो शायद यह पैसे भी ले लेता।
If he had accepted my help, he might have taken this money too.
(agar vah merii madad sviikaar kartaa, to shaayad yah paise bhii le letaa।)
मैं चाहता हूँ कि तुम यह प्रस्ताव ले लो।
I want you to take this offer.
(main chaahtaa hoon ki tum yah prastaav le lo।)
मंदिर में जाकर सबने गुरुजी से आशीर्वाद लिया।
Going to the temple, everyone took the guru's blessing.
(mandir men jaakar sabne gurujii se aashiirvaad liyaa।)
यह चिट्ठी डाकिये से ले लीजिए, यह ज़रूरी है।
Please take this letter from the postman, it's important.
(yah chitthii daakiye se le liijie, yah zaroorii hai।)
जब भी वह विदेश जाता है, अपने माता-पिता का आशीर्वाद ज़रूर लेता है।
Whenever he goes abroad, he always takes his parents' blessing.
(jab bhii vah videsh jaataa hai, apne maataa-pitaa kaa aashiirvaad zaroor letaa hai।)
उपहार लिया जा रहा है, सब खुश हैं।
The gift is being taken, everyone is happy.
(upahaar liyaa jaa rahaa hai, sab khush hain।)
क्या तुम यह चाबी लोगे?
Will you take this key?
(kyaa tum yah chaabii loge?)
Sense
2
:
to buy, purchase
verb, transitive
Synonyms: ख़रीदना (khariidnaa, formal)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the verb of the sabzi mandi and the shop counter: ये कितने का है? (ye kitne kaa hai?, 'how much is this?') ... लूँगा (loongaa, 'I'll take it') is a classic bargaining exchange, and मैंने बाज़ार से सब्ज़ियाँ लीं (mainne baazaar se sabziyaan liin, 'I bought vegetables from the market') is everyday household talk.
Common Mistakes: 1) In bargaining, लूँगा (loongaa, 'I'll take [it]') is the standard way to say 'I'll buy it' -- learners often reach for ख़रीदूँगा (khariidoongaa) instead, which sounds stiffer at a market stall.
Sample Sentences:
मैंने बाज़ार से सब्ज़ियाँ लीं।
I bought vegetables from the market.
(mainne baazaar se sabziyaan liin।)
ये कितने का है? ठीक है, मैं यही लूँगा।
How much is this? Okay, I'll take this one.
(ye kitne kaa hai? thiik hai, main yahii loongaa।)
हर इतवार को हम राशन लेते हैं।
Every Sunday we buy groceries.
(har itvaar ko ham raashan lete hain।)
मैं इन दिनों नई कार लेने के बारे में सोच रहा हूँ।
These days I'm thinking about buying a new car.
(main in dinon naii kaar lene ke baare men soch rahaa hoon।)
अगर पैसे होते, तो मैं वह घड़ी ज़रूर लेता।
If I had had the money, I would definitely have bought that watch.
(agar paise hote, to main vah ghadii zaroor letaa।)
यह साड़ी बहुत सुंदर है, ले लो।
This sari is very pretty, go ahead and buy it.
(yah saadii bahut sundar hai, le lo।)
क्या तुमने वह किताब ले ली?
Did you buy that book?
(kyaa tumne vah kitaab le lii?)
शायद मैं दीवाली पर नए कपड़े लूँ।
Maybe I'll buy new clothes for Diwali.
(shaayad main diivaalii par nae kapde loon।)
यह मकान पिछले साल उन्होंने बहुत सस्ते में लिया था।
They had bought this house last year for very cheap.
(yah makaan pichhle saal unhonne bahut saste men liyaa thaa।)
कंपनी के लिए नया दफ़्तर लिया जाएगा।
A new office will be purchased for the company.
(kampnii ke lie nayaa daftar liyaa jaaegaa।)
Sense
3
:
completive/self-benefit vector verb (V-stem + लेना)
verb, transitive Attaches to the stem of a main verb (V + लेना) to mark an action as completed, often with the sense that the result benefits or stays with the subject: खा लिया (khaa liyaa, 'ate it up'), कर लेता है (kar letaa hai, 'gets it done [for himself]'), सीख लूँगा (siikh loongaa, 'I'll learn it [on my own]').
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: लेना and देना form Hindi's classic self-benefit vs. other-benefit pair of vector verbs: कर लेना (kar lenaa) suggests doing something for your own sake, while कर देना (kar denaa) suggests doing it as a favor for someone else -- a distinction English simply doesn't mark grammatically.
Common Mistakes: 1) The main verb must appear as a bare stem, not an infinitive: खा लिया (khaa liyaa) is correct, खाना लिया (khaanaa liyaa) is not. 2) Because लेना itself is transitive, ने-marking and object agreement in the perfective follow the whole compound as a unit, e.g. उसने किताब पढ़ ली (usne kitaab padh lii, 'she read the book [through]').
Sample Sentences:
मैं यह काम अभी कर लेता हूँ।
I do this work right away (for myself, as a habit).
(main yah kaam abhii kar letaa hoon।)
पहले मैं खाना खा लूँगा, फिर बाहर चलेंगे।
I'll finish eating first, then we'll go out.
(pahle main khaanaa khaa loongaa, phir baahar chalenge।)
उसने अपना सारा सामान पैक कर लिया है।
He has packed all his stuff (for himself).
(usne apnaa saaraa saamaan paik kar liyaa hai।)
ज़रा दरवाज़ा बंद कर लो, ठंड आ रही है।
Just shut the door (for your own comfort), it's getting cold.
(zaraa darvaazaa band kar lo, thand aa rahii hai।)
अगर वह थोड़ी मेहनत कर लेता, तो पास हो जाता।
If he had worked a bit hard (for himself), he would have passed.
(agar vah thodii mehnat kar letaa, to paas ho jaataa।)
मुझे लगता है कि उसे यह फैसला खुद ले लेना चाहिए।
I think he should make this decision himself (and settle it for his own sake).
(mujhe lagtaa hai ki use yah phaislaa khud le lenaa chaahie।)
मैं रोज़ सुबह थोड़ी देर टहल लेती हूँ।
I take a little walk every morning (for my own benefit).
(main roz subah thodii der tahal letii hoon।)
काम शुरू करने से पहले वह हमेशा थोड़ा आराम कर लेता है।
Before starting work, he always rests a bit first (for himself).
(kaam shuroo karne se pahle vah hameshaa thodaa aaraam kar letaa hai।)
यह रिपोर्ट कल तक पूरी कर ली जानी चाहिए।
This report should be finished off by tomorrow.
(yah riport kal tak poorii kar lii jaanii chaahie।)
बच्चे स्कूल से आकर पहले होमवर्क कर लेते हैं, फिर खेलने जाते हैं।
The kids finish their homework first after coming from school, then go out to play.
(bachche skool se aakar pahle homvark kar lete hain, phir khelne jaate hain।)
Sense
4
:
to take on, undertake (a decision, responsibility, or risk)
verb, transitive
Synonyms: उठाना (uthaanaa, especially for ज़िम्मेदारी उठाना)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This sense turns up in some of the most common abstract collocations in the language: फ़ैसला लेना (faislaa lenaa, 'to make a decision'), ज़िम्मेदारी लेना (zimmedaarii lenaa, 'to take responsibility'), and जोखिम लेना (jokhim lenaa, 'to take a risk').
Common Mistakes: 1) फ़ैसला लेना (faislaa lenaa) and फ़ैसला करना (faislaa karnaa) are both heard for 'to make a decision,' but लेना highlights the moment of choosing/committing rather than just the act of deciding.
Sample Sentences:
उसने आखिरकार फ़ैसला ले लिया।
He finally made the decision.
(usne aakhirkaar faislaa le liyaa।)
मैं इस गलती की ज़िम्मेदारी लेता हूँ।
I take responsibility for this mistake.
(main is galtii kii zimmedaarii letaa hoon।)
क्या तुम यह जोखिम लेने को तैयार हो?
Are you ready to take this risk?
(kyaa tum yah jokhim lene ko taiyaar ho?)
कंपनी को जल्दी ही यह फ़ैसला लेना होगा।
The company will have to make this decision soon.
(kampnii ko jaldii hii yah faislaa lenaa hogaa।)
अगर वह ज़िम्मेदारी लेता तो आज हालात अलग होते।
If he had taken responsibility, things would be different today.
(agar vah zimmedaarii letaa to aaj haalaat alag hote।)
यह फ़ैसला बोर्ड की मीटिंग में लिया गया।
This decision was taken in the board meeting.
(yah faislaa bord kii miiting men liyaa gayaa।)
बिना सोचे-समझे जोखिम मत लो।
Don't take risks without thinking it through.
(binaa soche-samjhe jokhim mat lo।)
मुझे लगता है कि उसे यह ज़िम्मेदारी ले लेनी चाहिए।
I think he should take on this responsibility.
(mujhe lagtaa hai ki use yah zimmedaarii le lenii chaahie।)
सरकार इस मामले में कोई बड़ा फ़ैसला ले रही है।
The government is making a major decision on this matter.
(sarkaar is maamle men koii badaa faislaa le rahii hai।)
उसने अपनी माँ की देखभाल की पूरी ज़िम्मेदारी ले ली थी।
He had taken on complete responsibility for his mother's care.
(usne apnii maan kii dekhbhaal kii poorii zimmedaarii le lii thii।)
Sense
5
:
to take, have, consume (food, drink, or medicine)
verb, transitive
Synonyms: खाना (khaanaa, for food specifically), पीना (piinaa, for drinks specifically)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the verb of Indian hospitality: a host almost always says चाय लीजिए (chaay liijie, 'please have some tea') or कुछ और ले लीजिए (kuchh aur le liijie, 'do take a bit more'), and a polite first refusal is expected before you accept.
Common Mistakes: 1) दवा लेना (davaa lenaa) is the more natural way to say 'to take medicine' in most registers, even though दवा खाना (davaa khaanaa) is also heard. 2) चाय लीजिए (chaay liijie) or खाना लीजिए (khaanaa liijie) is the polite hospitality offer -- learners sometimes reach for खाइए (khaaie) here, which can sound blunter.
Sample Sentences:
कुछ और ले लीजिए, थोड़ा और खा लीजिए।
Do take a bit more, eat a little more.
(kuchh aur le liijie, thodaa aur khaa liijie।)
मैं रोज़ सुबह दो गोली लेता हूँ।
I take two pills every morning.
(main roz subah do golii letaa hoon।)
वह अभी दवाई ले रही है।
She is having her medicine right now.
(vah abhii davaaii le rahii hai।)
मैंने नाश्ते में सिर्फ जूस लिया।
I only had juice for breakfast.
(mainne naashte men sirph joos liyaa।)
क्या आप कॉफ़ी लेंगे या चाय?
Will you have coffee or tea?
(kyaa aap kofii lenge yaa chaay?)
अगर मुझे भूख होती तो मैं कुछ ले लेता।
If I had been hungry, I would have had something.
(agar mujhe bhookh hotii to main kuchh le letaa।)
डॉक्टर ने कहा कि खाने के बाद यह दवा लें।
The doctor said to take this medicine after eating.
(doktar ne kahaa ki khaane ke baad yah davaa len।)
पहली बार मेज़बान के कहने पर मिठाई लेने से इनकार करना ही शिष्टाचार है, फिर मान लीजिए।
It's polite manners to first refuse the sweet when the host offers it, and then to accept.
(pahlii baar mezbaan ke kahne par mithaaii lene se inkaar karnaa hii shishtaachaar hai, phir maan liijie।)
बच्चे को दूध पिलाने से पहले थोड़ा शहद भी लेने दिया जाता है।
Before giving the child milk, he is also let to have a little honey.
(bachche ko doodh pilaane se pahle thodaa shahad bhii lene diyaa jaataa hai।)
Sense
6
:
to conduct, administer (an exam, interview, or class)
verb, transitive
Synonyms: आयोजित करना (aayojit karnaa, formal)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Teachers परीक्षा लेते हैं (pariikshaa lete hain, 'administer the exam') while students परीक्षा देते हैं (pariikshaa dete hain, 'sit the exam') -- the same लेना/देना logic that runs through so much of this verb's range shows up again here.
Common Mistakes: 1) The subject of लेना here is the examiner or instructor, not the student: परीक्षा लेना (pariikshaa lenaa) means 'to administer an exam,' while परीक्षा देना (pariikshaa denaa) means 'to sit/take an exam' as a student -- learners frequently mix these two up.
Sample Sentences:
आज मैडम हमारी हिंदी की परीक्षा लेंगी।
Today the teacher will administer our Hindi exam.
(aaj maidam hamaarii hindii kii pariikshaa lengii।)
प्रोफेसर साहब हर हफ्ते एक क्लास लेते हैं।
The professor conducts one class every week.
(prophesar saahab har haphte ek klaas lete hain।)
कंपनी कल उम्मीदवारों का इंटरव्यू ले रही है।
The company is conducting the candidates' interviews tomorrow.
(kampnii kal ummiidvaaron kaa intravyoo le rahii hai।)
क्या आप मेरा मौखिक परीक्षा ले सकते हैं?
Could you conduct my oral exam?
(kyaa aap meraa maukhik pariikshaa le sakte hain?)
उन्होंने पिछले साल हमारी अंतिम परीक्षा ली थी।
They had administered our final exam last year.
(unhonne pichhle saal hamaarii antim pariikshaa lii thii।)
कृपया मेरी क्लास आज दोपहर लें।
Please take my class this afternoon.
(kripyaa merii klaas aaj dopahar len।)
अगर वो थोड़ा और मेहनत करते तो प्रिंसिपल उनसे इंटरव्यू लेते।
If he had worked a little harder, the principal would have taken his interview.
(agar vo thodaa aur mehnat karte to prinsipal unse intravyoo lete।)
हर सेमेस्टर के अंत में परीक्षा ली जाती है।
At the end of every semester, the exam is administered.
(har semestar ke ant men pariikshaa lii jaatii hai।)
उम्मीद है कि इस बार साक्षात्कार कोई अनुभवी अधिकारी ले।
It's hoped that some experienced officer will conduct the interview this time.
(ummiid hai ki is baar saakshaatkaar koii anubhvii adhikaarii le।)
Morphology
Verb (irregular)
infinitive:
लेना
(lenaa)
infinitive oblique:
लेने
(lene)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
लेता
(letaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
लेते
(lete)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
लेती
(letii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
लेतीं
(letiin)
continuous (sg.m):
ले रहा
(le rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
ले रहे
(le rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
ले रही
(le rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
ले रहीं
(le rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
लिया
(liyaa)
perfective (pl.m):
लिए
(lie)
perfective (sg.f):
ली
(lii)
perfective (pl.f):
लीं
(liin)
imperative (informal):
ले
(le)
imperative (neutral):
लो
(lo)
imperative (formal):
लीजिए
(liijie)
future (1sg.m):
लूँगा
(loongaa)
future (1sg.f):
लूँगी
(loongii)
future (1pl.m):
लेंगे
(lenge)
future (1pl.f):
लेंगी
(lengii)
future (2sg.m):
लेगा
(legaa)
future (2sg.f):
लेगी
(legii)
future (2pl.m):
लोगे
(loge)
future (2pl.f):
लोगी
(logii)
future (3sg.m):
लेगा
(legaa)
future (3sg.f):
लेगी
(legii)
future (3pl.m):
लेंगे
(lenge)
future (3pl.f):
लेंगी
(lengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
लूँ
(loon)
subjunctive (1pl):
लें
(len)
subjunctive (2sg):
ले
(le)
subjunctive (2pl):
लो
(lo)
subjunctive (3sg):
ले
(le)
subjunctive (3pl):
लें
(len)