थूकना (thooknaa)
verb
A concrete physical verb meaning 'to spit,' used both literally and in a common figurative idiom about going back on one's word.
Sense
1
:
to spit (saliva)
verb, intransitive
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Spitting in public -- especially of paan or tobacco juice -- is a common enough sight in India that थूकना (thooknaa) comes up more in everyday warnings and civic signage (थूकना मना है, thooknaa manaa hai, 'spitting is prohibited') than you might expect for such a basic verb.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes forget this is intransitive when there's no object mentioned -- मैं थूका (main thookaa, 'I spat') takes no ने, unlike थूकना's transitive use with an object such as थूक थूकना (thook thooknaa, 'to spit saliva') which does take ने in the perfective. 2) Don't confuse with छींकना (chhiinknaa, 'to sneeze') -- both are bodily-expulsion verbs but mean very different things.
Sample Sentences:
यहाँ थूकना मना है।
Spitting here is prohibited.
(yahaan thooknaa manaa hai।)
वह सड़क पर थूकता है।
He spits on the street.
(vah sadak par thooktaa hai।)
उसने दीवार पर थूक दिया।
He spat on the wall.
(usne diivaar par thook diyaa।)
यहाँ मत थूको!
Don't spit here!
(yahaan mat thooko!)
अगर वह यहाँ थूकेगा, तो जुर्माना लगेगा।
If he spits here, he will be fined.
(agar vah yahaan thookegaa, to jurmaanaa lagegaa।)
वह पिछले आधे घंटे से बार-बार थूक रहा है।
He has been spitting again and again for the last half hour.
(vah pichhle aadhe ghante se baar-baar thook rahaa hai।)
सार्वजनिक स्थान पर थूकना अच्छी आदत नहीं है।
Spitting in a public place is not a good habit.
(saarvajnik sthaan par thooknaa achchhii aadat nahiin hai।)
अगर वह वहाँ थूकता तो उसे डांट पड़ती।
If he had spat there, he would have been scolded.
(agar vah vahaan thooktaa to use daant padtii।)
कृपया इधर-उधर न थूकें।
Please do not spit here and there.
(kripyaa idhar-udhar n thooken।)
सड़क पर थूका नहीं जाना चाहिए।
One should not spit on the street.
(sadak par thookaa nahiin jaanaa chaahie।)
Sense
2
:
to spit (something) out, expel from the mouth
verb, transitive Takes a direct object -- what is being spat out -- and behaves as an ordinary transitive verb with ने-marking in the perfective.
Synonyms: उगलना (ugalnaa, to spit/cough up)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You'll hear this with चबाया हुआ पान थूकना (chabaayaa huaa paan thooknaa, 'to spit out chewed paan') or बीज थूकना (biij thooknaa, 'to spit out a seed') -- the object being expelled is what distinguishes this from the plain intransitive sense of just spitting.
Sample Sentences:
उसने अंगूर का बीज थूक दिया।
He spat out the grape seed.
(usne angoor kaa biij thook diyaa।)
कृपया चबाया हुआ पान यहाँ मत थूकिए।
Please don't spit out the chewed paan here.
(kripyaa chabaayaa huaa paan yahaan mat thookie।)
बच्चा दवाई थूक देता है, निगलता नहीं।
The child spits out the medicine, he doesn't swallow it.
(bachchaa davaaii thook detaa hai, nigaltaa nahiin।)
वह मुँह में जो कुछ भी बुरा लगे, थूक रहा है।
He's spitting out whatever tastes bad in his mouth.
(vah munh men jo kuchh bhii buraa lage, thook rahaa hai।)
अगर खाना खराब हो तो उसे थूक दो, मत खाओ।
If the food is spoiled then spit it out, don't eat it.
(agar khaanaa kharaab ho to use thook do, mat khaao।)
डॉक्टर ने कहा कि खून का नमूना मुँह से थूककर शीशी में भरो।
The doctor said to spit the blood sample out of the mouth and fill it into the vial.
(doktar ne kahaa ki khoon kaa namoonaa munh se thookkar shiishii men bharo।)
यदि वह जहरीली गोली थूक न देता, तो शायद बच न पाता।
If he hadn't spat out the poisoned pill, he probably wouldn't have survived.
(yadi vah jahriilii golii thook n detaa, to shaayad bach n paataa।)
गुठली थूकते समय ध्यान रखना कि किसी पर न गिरे।
While spitting out the pit, be careful that it doesn't fall on someone.
(guthlii thookte samay dhyaan rakhnaa ki kisii par n gire।)
उसने कड़वी दवा थूक दी क्योंकि वह उससे बरदाश्त नहीं हो रही थी।
She spat out the bitter medicine because she couldn't bear it.
(usne kadvii davaa thook dii kyonki vah usse bardaasht nahiin ho rahii thii।)
बीज को थूक दिया जाना चाहिए, निगलना ठीक नहीं।
The seed should be spat out; swallowing it isn't good.
(biij ko thook diyaa jaanaa chaahie, nigalnaa thiik nahiin।)
Sense
3
:
figurative: to go back on one's word, retract a promise (as in थूक कर चाटना)
verb, transitive Lives almost entirely in the fixed idiom थूक कर चाटना (thook kar chaatnaa, 'to spit and then lick it up') -- describing someone who breaks a promise and then shamelessly returns to it.
Synonyms: मुकरना (mukarnaa, to renege)
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: थूक कर चाटना (thook kar chaatnaa, 'to spit and lick it up') is a vivid, slightly earthy insult used for someone who shamelessly reverses a firm public stance -- the image of licking up your own spit captures the disgust better than any English equivalent.
Common Mistakes: 1) This meaning doesn't stand alone as a normal transitive sentence -- it's really only recognized inside the idiom थूक कर चाटना (thook kar chaatnaa); using थूकना (thooknaa) alone won't convey 'go back on one's word' to a listener.
Sample Sentences:
वह अपनी बात पर थूक कर चाट गया।
He shamelessly went back on his own word.
(vah apnii baat par thook kar chaat gayaa।)
नेता लोग अक्सर अपने वादों पर थूक कर चाट जाते हैं।
Politicians often go back on their promises shamelessly.
(netaa log aksar apne vaadon par thook kar chaat jaate hain।)
तुम कल जो कह गए थे, आज उस पर थूक रहे हो।
You're now going back on what you said yesterday.
(tum kal jo kah gae the, aaj us par thook rahe ho।)
अगर वह अपनी बात पर थूकेगा, तो कोई उस पर भरोसा नहीं करेगा।
If he goes back on his word, no one will trust him.
(agar vah apnii baat par thookegaa, to koii us par bharosaa nahiin karegaa।)
इतने बड़े वादे पर थूक कर चाटना शर्म की बात है।
Going back on such a big promise is a shameful thing.
(itne bade vaade par thook kar chaatnaa sharm kii baat hai।)
मत थूको अपनी बात पर, जो कहा है वो करो।
Don't go back on your word, do what you've said.
(mat thooko apnii baat par, jo kahaa hai vo karo।)
यह सुनकर मुझे लगा कि वह जरूर अपने वचन पर थूक कर चाट जाएगा।
Hearing this, I felt he would surely go back on his own pledge.
(yah sunkar mujhe lagaa ki vah jaroor apne vachan par thook kar chaat jaaegaa।)
काश वह अपनी बात पर न थूकता, तो लोग उसे इतना बुरा न कहते।
If only he hadn't gone back on his word, people wouldn't have spoken so badly of him.
(kaash vah apnii baat par n thooktaa, to log use itnaa buraa n kahte।)
सबके सामने वादा करके फिर उस पर थूक जाना कोई मामूली बात नहीं है।
Making a promise in front of everyone and then going back on it is no small thing.
(sabke saamne vaadaa karke phir us par thook jaanaa koii maamoolii baat nahiin hai।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
थूकना
(thooknaa)
infinitive oblique:
थूकने
(thookne)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
थूकता
(thooktaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
थूकते
(thookte)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
थूकती
(thooktii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
थूकतीं
(thooktiin)
continuous (sg.m):
थूक रहा
(thook rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
थूक रहे
(thook rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
थूक रही
(thook rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
थूक रहीं
(thook rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
थूका
(thookaa)
perfective (pl.m):
थूके
(thooke)
perfective (sg.f):
थूकी
(thookii)
perfective (pl.f):
थूकीं
(thookiin)
imperative (informal):
थूक
(thook)
imperative (neutral):
थूको
(thooko)
imperative (formal):
थूकिए
(thookie)
future (1sg.m):
थूकूँगा
(thookoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
थूकूँगी
(thookoongii)
future (1pl.m):
थूकेंगे
(thookenge)
future (1pl.f):
थूकेंगी
(thookengii)
future (2sg.m):
थूकेगा
(thookegaa)
future (2sg.f):
थूकेगी
(thookegii)
future (2pl.m):
थूकोगे
(thookoge)
future (2pl.f):
थूकोगी
(thookogii)
future (3sg.m):
थूकेगा
(thookegaa)
future (3sg.f):
थूकेगी
(thookegii)
future (3pl.m):
थूकेंगे
(thookenge)
future (3pl.f):
थूकेंगी
(thookengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
थूकूँ
(thookoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
थूकें
(thooken)
subjunctive (2sg):
थूके
(thooke)
subjunctive (2pl):
थूको
(thooko)
subjunctive (3sg):
थूके
(thooke)
subjunctive (3pl):
थूकें
(thooken)