पीटना (piitnaa)
verb
A physical verb meaning to hit or beat someone/something; also extends to the idiomatic sense of 'beating' a drum or one's chest, and figuratively to 'flogging' or overusing something like a topic.
Sense
1
:
to beat, hit, thrash (a person or animal)
verb, transitive
Synonyms: मारना (maarnaa), धुनना (dhunnaa, colloquial), ठोकना (thoknaa, colloquial)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the word you will hear in stories about strict school teachers or angry parents -- बच्चे को पीटना (bachche ko piitnaa, 'to beat a child') is a phrase that comes up constantly in conversations about old-school Indian discipline, often followed by a rueful joke about how common it used to be.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for मारना (maarnaa) for any kind of hitting; पीटना (piitnaa) specifically implies repeated or sustained blows -- like a thrashing -- rather than a single strike, so it fits contexts like parents beating children or a mob beating someone. 2) The person being beaten takes को (ko), e.g. उसे पीटा (use piitaa, 'beat him'), which learners sometimes forget in favor of a direct object without a postposition.
Sample Sentences:
मेरे ज़माने में टीचर बच्चों को खुलेआम पीटते थे।
In my time, teachers used to beat children openly.
(mere zamaane men tiichar bachchon ko khuleaam piitte the।)
वह अपने कुत्ते को डंडे से पीट रहा था।
He was beating his dog with a stick.
(vah apne kutte ko dande se piit rahaa thaa।)
गुस्से में आकर बाप ने बेटे को बहुत पीटा।
Flying into a rage, the father beat his son badly.
(gusse men aakar baap ne bete ko bahut piitaa।)
उस बच्चे को स्कूल में इतना पीटा गया कि वह डर के मारे रोने लगा।
That child was beaten so much at school that he started crying out of fear.
(us bachche ko skool men itnaa piitaa gayaa ki vah dar ke maare rone lagaa।)
उसे मत पीटो, वह गलती से टूट गया होगा।
Don't beat him, it must have broken by mistake.
(use mat piito, vah galtii se toot gayaa hogaa।)
अगर वह फिर से झूठ बोलेगा तो मैं उसे पीटूँगा।
If he lies again, I will beat him.
(agar vah phir se jhooth bolegaa to main use piitoongaa।)
काश उन दिनों टीचर बच्चों को इतना न पीटते।
I wish teachers hadn't beaten children so much back then.
(kaash un dinon tiichar bachchon ko itnaa n piitte।)
अगर मास्टर जी और सख्त होते तो हर रोज़ किसी न किसी को पीटते।
If the teacher had been stricter, he would have beaten someone every day.
(agar maastar jii aur sakht hote to har roz kisii n kisii ko piitte।)
जानवरों को पीटना कानूनन जुर्म है।
Beating animals is legally a crime.
(jaanavron ko piitnaa kaanoonan jurm hai।)
मुझे लगता है कि उसने नौकर को बिना वजह पीटा होगा।
I think he must have beaten the servant without reason.
(mujhe lagtaa hai ki usne naukar ko binaa vajah piitaa hogaa।)
पुराने ज़माने में अगर बच्चा शरारत करता तो उसे पीट दिया जाता था।
In the old days, if a child misbehaved, he would be beaten.
(puraane zamaane men agar bachchaa sharaarat kartaa to use piit diyaa jaataa thaa।)
Sense
2
:
to beat/bang (a drum, door, etc.)
verb, transitive Commonly used with ताली (taalii, 'clap') and ढोल (dhol, 'drum') as objects -- ताली पीटना (taalii piitnaa, 'to clap loudly') and ढोल पीटना (dhol piitnaa) both literally invoke repeated striking.
Synonyms: बजाना (bajaanaa, used for musical instruments specifically), ठोकना (thoknaa, for banging on a surface)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: ढोल पीटना (dhol piitnaa, 'to beat the drum') is also used figuratively to mean loudly announcing or publicizing something, much like the English 'to trumpet' -- you'll hear it in sentences like अपनी तारीफ़ का ढोल पीटना (apnii taariif kaa dhol piitnaa, 'to sing one's own praises').
Common Mistakes: 1) ताली पीटना (taalii piitnaa) sounds more forceful and folksy than the more neutral ताली बजाना (taalii bajaanaa) -- both mean 'to clap' but पीटना (piitnaa) suggests vigorous or sustained clapping, which learners often use interchangeably without noticing the difference in intensity.
Sample Sentences:
वह ढोल पीट रहा है।
He is beating the drum.
(vah dhol piit rahaa hai।)
किसी ने ज़ोर से दरवाज़ा पीटा।
Someone banged on the door loudly.
(kisii ne zor se darvaazaa piitaa।)
वह हमेशा अपनी तारीफ़ का ढोल पीटता रहता है।
He is always singing his own praises.
(vah hameshaa apnii taariif kaa dhol piittaa rahtaa hai।)
दरवाज़ा मत पीटो, घंटी बजाओ।
Don't bang on the door, ring the bell.
(darvaazaa mat piito, ghantii bajaao।)
गाँव में ढोल पीटकर सबको सभा की खबर दी गई।
The drum was beaten in the village and everyone was informed about the meeting.
(gaanv men dhol piitkar sabko sabhaa kii khabar dii gaii।)
अगर बिजली चली गई तो हम बर्तन पीटकर शोर मचाएँगे।
If the power goes out, we'll bang on pots to make noise.
(agar bijlii chalii gaii to ham bartan piitkar shor machaaenge।)
काश वह अपनी उपलब्धियों का ढोल न पीटता।
I wish he wouldn't trumpet his achievements so much.
(kaash vah apnii uplabdhiyon kaa dhol n piittaa।)
जुलूस में लोग ढोल-नगाड़े पीट रहे थे।
People were beating drums and cymbals in the procession.
(juloos men log dhol-nagaade piit rahe the।)
क्या तुमने कभी तबला पीटा है?
Have you ever played the tabla by banging on it hard?
(kyaa tumne kabhii tablaa piitaa hai?)
नेता जी अपनी योजनाओं का ढोल पीटते रहते हैं, पर काम कुछ नहीं होता।
The leader keeps trumpeting his plans, but nothing actually gets done.
(netaa jii apnii yojnaaon kaa dhol piitte rahte hain, par kaam kuchh nahiin hotaa।)
Sense
3
:
to harp on, go on about (a topic), figuratively
verb, transitive Used with एक ही बात (ek hii baat, 'the same thing') or a topic as the object, in a mildly exasperated or dismissive tone about someone who keeps repeating themselves.
Synonyms: रटना (ratnaa, more about repeating/memorizing), दोहराना (dohraanaa, to repeat)
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: This figurative extension mirrors the English idiom 'to beat a dead horse' -- both languages reach for physical beating to describe tiresome repetition, which is a nice parallel to point out to learners.
Common Mistakes: 1) This figurative sense -- as in वही बात पीटना (vahii baat piitnaa, 'to keep beating the same point') -- is casual and slightly critical in tone; learners sometimes use it in neutral contexts where दोहराना (dohraanaa) would sound more appropriate and less judgmental.
Sample Sentences:
वह हर मीटिंग में वही राग पीटता है।
He harps on the same tune in every meeting.
(vah har miiting men vahii raag piittaa hai।)
बस भी करो, कब तक यही बात पीटते रहोगे?
Enough already, how long will you keep harping on the same thing?
(bas bhii karo, kab tak yahii baat piitte rahoge?)
मम्मी पूरे दिन एक ही शिकायत पीटती रहती हैं।
Mom keeps going on about the same complaint all day.
(mammii poore din ek hii shikaayat piittii rahtii hain।)
वे लोग पिछले हफ्ते से वही मुद्दा पीट रहे हैं।
Those people have been harping on the same issue since last week.
(ve log pichhle haphte se vahii muddaa piit rahe hain।)
उसने फिर वही पुरानी बात पीट दी।
He harped on the same old thing again.
(usne phir vahii puraanii baat piit dii।)
यह मरा हुआ घोड़ा मत पीटो, अब कुछ नया सोचो।
Don't beat this dead horse, think of something new now.
(yah maraa huaa ghodaa mat piito, ab kuchh nayaa socho।)
अगर वह हर बार यही राग पीटता तो कोई उसकी बात नहीं सुनता।
If he harped on the same tune every time, nobody would listen to him.
(agar vah har baar yahii raag piittaa to koii uskii baat nahiin suntaa।)
क्या ज़रूरत है बार-बार उसी बात को पीटने की?
What's the need to keep harping on the same thing again and again?
(kyaa zaroorat hai baar-baar usii baat ko piitne kii?)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
पीटना
(piitnaa)
infinitive oblique:
पीटने
(piitne)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
पीटता
(piittaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
पीटते
(piitte)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
पीटती
(piittii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
पीटतीं
(piittiin)
continuous (sg.m):
पीट रहा
(piit rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
पीट रहे
(piit rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
पीट रही
(piit rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
पीट रहीं
(piit rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
पीटा
(piitaa)
perfective (pl.m):
पीटे
(piite)
perfective (sg.f):
पीटी
(piitii)
perfective (pl.f):
पीटीं
(piitiin)
imperative (informal):
पीट
(piit)
imperative (neutral):
पीटो
(piito)
imperative (formal):
पीटिए
(piitie)
future (1sg.m):
पीटूँगा
(piitoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
पीटूँगी
(piitoongii)
future (1pl.m):
पीटेंगे
(piitenge)
future (1pl.f):
पीटेंगी
(piitengii)
future (2sg.m):
पीटेगा
(piitegaa)
future (2sg.f):
पीटेगी
(piitegii)
future (2pl.m):
पीटोगे
(piitoge)
future (2pl.f):
पीटोगी
(piitogii)
future (3sg.m):
पीटेगा
(piitegaa)
future (3sg.f):
पीटेगी
(piitegii)
future (3pl.m):
पीटेंगे
(piitenge)
future (3pl.f):
पीटेंगी
(piitengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
पीटूँ
(piitoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
पीटें
(piiten)
subjunctive (2sg):
पीटे
(piite)
subjunctive (2pl):
पीटो
(piito)
subjunctive (3sg):
पीटे
(piite)
subjunctive (3pl):
पीटें
(piiten)