चुकना (chuknaa)
verb
Two connected uses: (1) as a completive auxiliary attached to a verb stem meaning 'to have already done X', and (2) as an independent intransitive verb meaning 'to run out / be used up / be settled (of money, debt, energy, time)'. Its causative counterpart, meaning 'to pay off/settle', is the separate lemma चुकाना (chukaanaa).
Sense
1
:
completive auxiliary: 'to have already done (something)'
verb Attaches directly to a verb stem (stem + चुकना, e.g. खा चुकना (khaa chuknaa, 'to have already eaten')) and is almost always used in perfective forms: खा चुका हूँ (khaa chukaa hoon, 'I have already eaten'). It marks that an action is fully completed, often before or in contrast to another event.
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is one of Hindi's neat ways of marking 'already-ness' without a separate word like English 'already' -- मैं खाना खा चुका हूँ (main khaanaa khaa chukaa hoon, 'I have already eaten my food') quietly does the work that 'already' does in English. You'll hear it a lot in polite refusals at the dinner table, e.g. जब आप बुलाते हैं तो लोग कहते हैं, 'मैं खा चुका हूँ, शुक्रिया' (main khaa chukaa hoon, shukriyaa, 'I've already eaten, thanks').
Common Mistakes: 1) Confusing this with सकना (saknaa): both attach to a bare verb stem and look similar in shape, but खा सकता हूँ (khaa saktaa hoon) means 'I can eat' while खा चुका हूँ (khaa chukaa hoon) means 'I have already eaten' -- ability versus completion. 2) Learners sometimes try to use it in the plain present (चुकता है) to mean 'finishes,' when in natural speech it almost always shows up in perfective/past forms describing a completed action.
Sample Sentences:
मैं खाना खा चुका हूँ, शुक्रिया।
I've already eaten, thanks.
(main khaanaa khaa chukaa hoon, shukriyaa।)
जब तक तुम पहुँचे, मैं सारा काम कर चुकी थी।
By the time you arrived, I had already finished all the work.
(jab tak tum pahunche, main saaraa kaam kar chukii thii।)
जब तुम यह पढ़ोगे, मैं जा चुका होऊँगा।
By the time you read this, I will have already left.
(jab tum yah padhoge, main jaa chukaa hooongaa।)
अगर वह पहले ही बता चुका होता, तो हमें इतनी परेशानी न होती।
If he had already told us, we wouldn't have had so much trouble.
(agar vah pahle hii bataa chukaa hotaa, to hamen itnii pareshaanii n hotii।)
क्या तुम अपना होमवर्क कर चुके हो?
Have you already finished your homework?
(kyaa tum apnaa homvark kar chuke ho?)
यह फ़िल्म मैं पहले भी देख चुका हूँ, फिर भी दोबारा देखूँगा।
I've already seen this film before, but I'll watch it again anyway.
(yah film main pahle bhii dekh chukaa hoon, phir bhii dobaaraa dekhoongaa।)
समिति यह प्रस्ताव पहले ही अस्वीकार कर चुकी है।
The committee has already rejected this proposal.
(samiti yah prastaav pahle hii asviikaar kar chukii hai।)
उससे पहले कि तुम कुछ कहो, वह जवाब दे चुका था।
Before you could say anything, he had already replied.
(usse pahle ki tum kuchh kaho, vah javaab de chukaa thaa।)
मुझे लगता है वे यह किताब पढ़ चुके होंगे।
I think they must have already read this book.
(mujhe lagtaa hai ve yah kitaab padh chuke honge।)
इतिहास बार-बार यह साबित कर चुका है कि सत्ता का घमंड टिकता नहीं।
History has already proven time and again that the arrogance of power does not last.
(itihaas baar-baar yah saabit kar chukaa hai ki sattaa kaa ghamand tiktaa nahiin।)
Sense
2
:
to run out, be used up, be settled/cleared (of money, debt, patience, time)
verb, intransitive
Synonyms: ख़त्म होना (khatm honaa), समाप्त होना (samaapt honaa, formal)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This is the lexical root behind the completive auxiliary sense: something 'chuk jaataa hai' when it has been fully used up or discharged. Its transitive partner चुकाना (chukaanaa) is what you do to a debt -- कर्ज़ चुकाना (karz chukaanaa, 'to pay off a debt') -- while कर्ज़ चुकना (karz chuknaa) describes the debt itself becoming settled.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes reach for ख़त्म होना (khatm honaa) in every context, but चुकना (chuknaa) is the natural choice specifically for money, debts, or limited resources running out or being settled, as in पैसे चुक गए (paise chuk gae, 'the money ran out') or कर्ज़ चुक गया (karz chuk gayaa, 'the debt is cleared').
Sample Sentences:
मेरा सारा कर्ज़ चुक गया है।
All my debt has been cleared.
(meraa saaraa karz chuk gayaa hai।)
राशन खत्म होते-होते पैसे भी चुक गए।
By the time the rations ran out, the money had run out too.
(raashan khatm hote-hote paise bhii chuk gae।)
उम्मीद है कि इस महीने के आखिर तक हिसाब चुक जाएगा।
Hopefully by the end of this month the account will be settled.
(ummiid hai ki is mahiine ke aakhir tak hisaab chuk jaaegaa।)
अगर वक़्त पर मदद मिल जाती, तो कर्ज़ कभी का चुक चुका होता।
If help had come in time, the debt would have been settled long ago.
(agar vaqt par madad mil jaatii, to karz kabhii kaa chuk chukaa hotaa।)
उसका सब्र चुकने लगा था, फिर भी वह चुप रही।
Her patience was beginning to run out, yet she stayed quiet.
(uskaa sabr chukne lagaa thaa, phir bhii vah chup rahii।)
जब तक सारा हिसाब न चुक जाए, यह मामला बंद नहीं होगा।
Until the whole account is settled, this matter won't be closed.
(jab tak saaraa hisaab n chuk jaae, yah maamlaa band nahiin hogaa।)
पुराने ज़माने में गाँव के महाजन का कर्ज़ पीढ़ियों तक नहीं चुकता था।
In the old days, a debt to the village moneylender wouldn't be settled for generations.
(puraane zamaane men gaanv ke mahaajan kaa karz piidhiyon tak nahiin chuktaa thaa।)
बैंक का हिसाब चुकाया जा रहा है, इसलिए थोड़ा वक़्त लगेगा।
The bank account is being settled, so it will take a little time.
(baink kaa hisaab chukaayaa jaa rahaa hai, islie thodaa vaqt lagegaa।)
ईंधन चुकने से पहले गाड़ी किसी तरह पेट्रोल पंप तक पहुँच गई।
Before the fuel ran out, the car somehow made it to the petrol pump.
(iindhan chukne se pahle gaadii kisii tarah petrol pamp tak pahunch gaii।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
चुकना
(chuknaa)
infinitive oblique:
चुकने
(chukne)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
चुकता
(chuktaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
चुकते
(chukte)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
चुकती
(chuktii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
चुकतीं
(chuktiin)
continuous (sg.m):
चुक रहा
(chuk rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
चुक रहे
(chuk rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
चुक रही
(chuk rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
चुक रहीं
(chuk rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
चुका
(chukaa)
perfective (pl.m):
चुके
(chuke)
perfective (sg.f):
चुकी
(chukii)
perfective (pl.f):
चुकीं
(chukiin)
imperative (informal):
चुक
(chuk)
imperative (neutral):
चुको
(chuko)
imperative (formal):
चुकिए
(chukie)
future (1sg.m):
चुकूँगा
(chukoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
चुकूँगी
(chukoongii)
future (1pl.m):
चुकेंगे
(chukenge)
future (1pl.f):
चुकेंगी
(chukengii)
future (2sg.m):
चुकेगा
(chukegaa)
future (2sg.f):
चुकेगी
(chukegii)
future (2pl.m):
चुकोगे
(chukoge)
future (2pl.f):
चुकोगी
(chukogii)
future (3sg.m):
चुकेगा
(chukegaa)
future (3sg.f):
चुकेगी
(chukegii)
future (3pl.m):
चुकेंगे
(chukenge)
future (3pl.f):
चुकेंगी
(chukengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
चुकूँ
(chukoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
चुकें
(chuken)
subjunctive (2sg):
चुके
(chuke)
subjunctive (2pl):
चुको
(chuko)
subjunctive (3sg):
चुके
(chuke)
subjunctive (3pl):
चुकें
(chuken)