बजना (bajnaa)
verb
The intransitive partner of बजाना (bajaanaa, 'to play/ring something'); बजना (bajnaa) describes a sound-making instrument, bell, or alarm sounding on its own, and also the clock striking a given hour.
Sense
1
:
to ring, sound (of an instrument, bell, alarm)
verb, intransitive
Synonyms: गूँजना (goonjnaa, to resound/echo)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Think of बजना (bajnaa) and बजाना (bajaanaa) as a classic transitive/intransitive pair, much like खुलना (khulnaa)/खोलना (kholnaa): कोई तबला बजाता है (koii tablaa bajaataa hai, 'someone plays the tabla'), but तबला खुद बजता नहीं (tablaa khud bajtaa nahiin, 'the tabla doesn't ring by itself') -- so बजना (bajnaa) is what happens when the sound just occurs, with no player mentioned.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for बजाना (bajaanaa) when the subject is the instrument itself doing the sounding, not a person playing it -- घंटी बज रही है (ghantii baj rahii hai, 'the bell is ringing') takes बजना (bajnaa), not बजाना (bajaanaa), because no one is named as the player. 2) Since बजना (bajnaa) is intransitive, its subject never takes ने (ne) in the past: घंटी बजी (ghantii bajii, 'the bell rang'), not a ने-marked form.
Sample Sentences:
घंटी बज रही है, कोई दरवाज़े पर है।
The bell is ringing, someone is at the door.
(ghantii baj rahii hai, koii darvaaze par hai।)
सुबह-सुबह मेरा अलार्म बजता है और मैं उठ जाता हूँ।
My alarm rings early in the morning and I wake up.
(subah-subah meraa alaarm bajtaa hai aur main uth jaataa hoon।)
कल रात अचानक फोन बजा तो मैं डर गया।
Last night the phone suddenly rang and I got scared.
(kal raat achaanak phon bajaa to main dar gayaa।)
जब तक घंटी न बजे, कक्षा से बाहर मत जाना।
Don't leave the classroom until the bell rings.
(jab tak ghantii n baje, kakshaa se baahar mat jaanaa।)
अगर सायरन बजता, तो सब लोग बाहर निकल आते।
If the siren had rung, everyone would have come outside.
(agar saayran bajtaa, to sab log baahar nikal aate।)
मंदिर में शाम को घंटियाँ बजती हैं और माहौल पवित्र हो जाता है।
In the evening the temple bells ring and the atmosphere becomes sacred.
(mandir men shaam ko ghantiyaan bajtii hain aur maahaul pavitr ho jaataa hai।)
स्कूल की छुट्टी की घंटी अभी नहीं बजी है।
The school's dismissal bell hasn't rung yet.
(skool kii chhuttii kii ghantii abhii nahiin bajii hai।)
जैसे ही घंटी बजेगी, बच्चे भाग कर बाहर आएँगे।
As soon as the bell rings, the children will run outside.
(jaise hii ghantii bajegii, bachche bhaag kar baahar aaenge।)
पूरे शहर में सायरन बजाया गया और फिर वह देर तक बजता रहा।
The siren was sounded across the whole city and then it kept ringing for a long time.
(poore shahar men saayran bajaayaa gayaa aur phir vah der tak bajtaa rahaa।)
उस पुराने घर में रात को अपने आप घंटी बज उठती थी, लोग कहते थे।
In that old house the bell would suddenly ring on its own at night, people used to say.
(us puraane ghar men raat ko apne aap ghantii baj uthtii thii, log kahte the।)
फ़ोन बज रहा है, ज़रा उठा लो।
The phone is ringing, please pick it up.
(fon baj rahaa hai, zaraa uthaa lo।)
Sense
2
:
to strike (of a clock, indicating time)
verb, intransitive Used impersonally with a time expression as subject: तीन बज गए हैं (tiin baj gae hain, 'it has struck three / it's three o'clock').
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This sense is really the clock-striking meaning extended to everyday timekeeping -- Hindi treats the hour itself as the thing doing the striking, so आठ बज गए (aath baj gae, 'it's eight o'clock') literally means 'eight have struck', a nice example of Hindi framing time as something that happens rather than something that simply is.
Common Mistakes: 1) Telling time in Hindi uses बजना (bajnaa) where English uses 'to be': कितने बजे हैं? (kitne baje hain?, 'what time is it?') literally asks 'how many have struck', which feels backwards to English speakers expecting a form of 'to be'.
Sample Sentences:
अभी आठ बजे हैं।
It's eight o'clock right now.
(abhii aath baje hain।)
जब मैं स्टेशन पहुँचा, तब नौ बज चुके थे।
By the time I reached the station, it was already nine o'clock.
(jab main steshan pahunchaa, tab nau baj chuke the।)
देखते-देखते दस बज गए और हमें पता ही नहीं चला।
Before we knew it, it was ten o'clock and we didn't even realize.
(dekhte-dekhte das baj gae aur hamen pataa hii nahiin chalaa।)
जब पाँच बजेंगे, तो हम निकल पड़ेंगे।
When it strikes five, we'll set out.
(jab paanch bajenge, to ham nikal padenge।)
अगर अभी सात बजते, तो हम अभी भी दफ्तर में होते।
If it were seven o'clock right now, we'd still be at the office.
(agar abhii saat bajte, to ham abhii bhii daphtar men hote।)
रोज़ इस समय तक साढ़े छह बज जाते हैं।
By this time every day, it's already half past six.
(roz is samay tak saadhe chhah baj jaate hain।)
कृपया समय देखिए, शायद बारह बज गए हों।
Please check the time, it might have struck twelve already.
(kripyaa samay dekhie, shaayad baarah baj gae hon।)
साहब, अभी कितने बजे हैं?
Sir, what time is it right now?
(saahab, abhii kitne baje hain?)
ग्यारह बजते ही दुकान बंद हो जाती है।
The shop closes the moment it strikes eleven.
(gyaarah bajte hii dukaan band ho jaatii hai।)
चार बजने में अभी दस मिनट बाकी हैं।
There are still ten minutes left before it strikes four.
(chaar bajne men abhii das minat baakii hain।)
उस दिन ठीक दो बजे मीटिंग शुरू हुई थी।
That day, the meeting had started exactly at two o'clock.
(us din thiik do baje miiting shuroo huii thii।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
बजना
(bajnaa)
infinitive oblique:
बजने
(bajne)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
बजता
(bajtaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
बजते
(bajte)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
बजती
(bajtii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
बजतीं
(bajtiin)
continuous (sg.m):
बज रहा
(baj rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
बज रहे
(baj rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
बज रही
(baj rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
बज रहीं
(baj rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
बजा
(bajaa)
perfective (pl.m):
बजे
(baje)
perfective (sg.f):
बजी
(bajii)
perfective (pl.f):
बजीं
(bajiin)
imperative (informal):
बज
(baj)
imperative (neutral):
बजो
(bajo)
imperative (formal):
बजिए
(bajie)
future (1sg.m):
बजूँगा
(bajoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
बजूँगी
(bajoongii)
future (1pl.m):
बजेंगे
(bajenge)
future (1pl.f):
बजेंगी
(bajengii)
future (2sg.m):
बजेगा
(bajegaa)
future (2sg.f):
बजेगी
(bajegii)
future (2pl.m):
बजोगे
(bajoge)
future (2pl.f):
बजोगी
(bajogii)
future (3sg.m):
बजेगा
(bajegaa)
future (3sg.f):
बजेगी
(bajegii)
future (3pl.m):
बजेंगे
(bajenge)
future (3pl.f):
बजेंगी
(bajengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
बजूँ
(bajoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
बजें
(bajen)
subjunctive (2sg):
बजे
(baje)
subjunctive (2pl):
बजो
(bajo)
subjunctive (3sg):
बजे
(baje)
subjunctive (3pl):
बजें
(bajen)