बजाना (bajaanaa)
verb
The causative of बजना (bajnaa, 'to sound/ring on its own'): बजाना (bajaanaa) means to make something sound -- playing an instrument, ringing a bell, or (idiomatically) sounding someone out or making a mess of things.
Sense
1
:
to play a musical instrument
verb, transitive
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Ask any Hindi speaker and they'll tell you तबला बजाना (tablaa bajaanaa, 'to play the tabla') or ढोलक बजाना (dholak bajaanaa, 'to play the dholak') before they mention a guitar -- this verb is deeply at home in the world of classical and folk music, weddings, and bhajans.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often try to use खेलना (khelnaa, 'to play a game/sport') for instruments -- Hindi keeps the two strictly separate: games use खेलना (khelnaa), instruments use बजाना (bajaanaa). 2) The instrument is the direct object taking ने (ne) in the perfective: उसने गिटार बजाया (usne gitaar bajaayaa, 'he played the guitar'), not an intransitive-style sentence.
Sample Sentences:
वह हर शाम तबला बजाता है।
He plays the tabla every evening.
(vah har shaam tablaa bajaataa hai।)
मेरी बहन बहुत अच्छा सितार बजाती है।
My sister plays the sitar very well.
(merii bahan bahut achchhaa sitaar bajaatii hai।)
शादी में ढोलक बजा रहे हैं।
They are playing the dholak at the wedding.
(shaadii men dholak bajaa rahe hain।)
कल रात उसने पूरे दो घंटे हारमोनियम बजाया।
Last night he played the harmonium for a full two hours.
(kal raat usne poore do ghante haarmoniyam bajaayaa।)
क्या तुम गिटार बजाना जानते हो?
Do you know how to play the guitar?
(kyaa tum gitaar bajaanaa jaante ho?)
भजन के दौरान मंजीरा तुम बजाओ।
You play the cymbals during the bhajan.
(bhajan ke dauraan manjiiraa tum bajaao।)
काश मैं भी वीणा बजा पाता।
I wish I could play the veena too.
(kaash main bhii viinaa bajaa paataa।)
अगर वह बचपन से तबला बजाता, तो आज उस्ताद होता।
If he had played the tabla since childhood, he would be a master today.
(agar vah bachpan se tablaa bajaataa, to aaj ustaad hotaa।)
संगीत समारोह में कई वाद्य यंत्र बजाए जाएँगे।
Many musical instruments will be played at the music festival.
(sangiit samaaroh men kaii vaady yantr bajaae jaaenge।)
मंदिर में हर सुबह ढोलक और मंजीरे बजाए जाते हैं।
The dholak and cymbals are played every morning at the temple.
(mandir men har subah dholak aur manjiire bajaae jaate hain।)
शायद वह आज महफ़िल में बांसुरी बजाए।
Perhaps he will play the flute at the gathering today.
(shaayad vah aaj mahfil men baansurii bajaae।)
उस्ताद जी से निवेदन है कि वे कल के कार्यक्रम में सारंगी बजाएँ।
It is requested that the maestro play the sarangi at tomorrow's program.
(ustaad jii se nivedan hai ki ve kal ke kaaryakram men saarangii bajaaen।)
Sense
2
:
to ring/sound (a bell, alarm, horn)
verb, transitive
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: घंटी बजाना (ghantii bajaanaa, 'to ring the doorbell/bell') is what you do at a temple or at someone's front door -- the same verb covers a school bell, a car horn (हॉर्न बजाना, horn bajaanaa), and a temple bell, all framed as 'making it sound' rather than just 'ringing.'
Sample Sentences:
कृपया दरवाज़े की घंटी बजाइए।
Please ring the doorbell.
(kripyaa darvaaze kii ghantii bajaaie।)
स्कूल में हर पीरियड के बाद घंटी बजती है।
In school, the bell rings after every period.
(skool men har piiriyad ke baad ghantii bajtii hai।)
मत बजाओ हॉर्न, बच्चा सो रहा है!
Don't honk the horn, the baby is sleeping!
(mat bajaao horn, bachchaa so rahaa hai!)
मंदिर में पुजारी ने आरती के समय घंटी बजाई।
The priest rang the bell during the aarti at the temple.
(mandir men pujaarii ne aartii ke samay ghantii bajaaii।)
अगर कोई खतरा हो, तो अलार्म बजाना।
If there's any danger, sound the alarm.
(agar koii khatraa ho, to alaarm bajaanaa।)
ड्राइवर लगातार हॉर्न बजा रहा था।
The driver was continuously honking the horn.
(draaivar lagaataar horn bajaa rahaa thaa।)
कल सुबह मंदिर की घंटी नहीं बजाई जाएगी क्योंकि मरम्मत चल रही है।
Tomorrow morning the temple bell will not be rung because repairs are underway.
(kal subah mandir kii ghantii nahiin bajaaii jaaegii kyonki marammat chal rahii hai।)
अगर मुझे खतरा दिखता, तो मैं फौरन अलार्म बजाता।
If I had seen danger, I would have sounded the alarm immediately.
(agar mujhe khatraa dikhtaa, to main phauran alaarm bajaataa।)
स्टेशन पर हर ट्रेन के आने से पहले घंटी बजाई जाती है।
At the station, the bell is rung before every train's arrival.
(steshan par har tren ke aane se pahle ghantii bajaaii jaatii hai।)
उसने गुस्से में इतनी देर तक हॉर्न बजाया कि सब लोग बाहर आ गए।
He honked the horn so long in anger that everyone came outside.
(usne gusse men itnii der tak horn bajaayaa ki sab log baahar aa gae।)
क्या तुमने घंटी बजाई थी?
Did you ring the bell?
(kyaa tumne ghantii bajaaii thii?)
Sense
3
:
to mess up, ruin, expose (idiomatic, often reflexive/negative)
verb, transitive Common in fixed idiomatic phrases like बैंड बजाना (baind bajaanaa, colloquial, 'to thrash/mess someone up') and अपनी इज़्ज़त बजाना (apnii izzat bajaanaa, 'to ruin one's own reputation').
Synonyms: बिगाड़ना (bigaadnaa), भांडा फोड़ना (bhaandaa phodnaa, idiomatic, 'to expose')
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You'll hear this in casual banter among friends -- something like उसकी तो बजा दी (uskii to bajaa dii, 'we really messed him up/showed him up') -- it's got that same cheeky, informal energy as English slang like 'we wrecked him.'
Common Mistakes: 1) This sense is heavily idiomatic and colloquial -- learners should recognize it in set phrases rather than trying to construct new sentences with it, since the literal 'play/sound' meaning doesn't map onto 'ruin' in any predictable way.
Sample Sentences:
उसकी तो बजा दी यार!
We really wrecked him, man!
(uskii to bajaa dii yaar!)
कल मैच में उसकी अच्छी बजा दी गई।
Yesterday in the match, he was really shown up.
(kal maich men uskii achchhii bajaa dii gaii।)
अगर तूने फिर बकवास की, तो तेरी बजा दूँगा।
If you talk nonsense again, I'll mess you up.
(agar toone phir bakvaas kii, to terii bajaa doongaa।)
सबके सामने उसकी बजा दो, फिर देखते हैं वो कैसे बोलता है।
Expose him in front of everyone, then let's see how he talks.
(sabke saamne uskii bajaa do, phir dekhte hain vo kaise boltaa hai।)
वो हर बार अपनी ही बजा लेता है, बेचारा।
He messes himself up every single time, poor guy.
(vo har baar apnii hii bajaa letaa hai, bechaaraa।)
अगर वो वहाँ झूठ बोलता, तो उसकी बजती।
If he had lied there, he would have been exposed.
(agar vo vahaan jhooth boltaa, to uskii bajtii।)
पूरी क्लास के सामने सर ने उसकी बजा दी।
The teacher totally embarrassed him in front of the whole class.
(poorii klaas ke saamne sar ne uskii bajaa dii।)
देख लेना, इस बार उसकी असली बजने वाली है।
Just watch, this time he's really going to get exposed.
(dekh lenaa, is baar uskii aslii bajne vaalii hai।)
इतना झूठ मत बोल, वरना कभी न कभी तेरी बज ही जाएगी।
Don't lie so much, or sooner or later you'll get exposed.
(itnaa jhooth mat bol, varnaa kabhii n kabhii terii baj hii jaaegii।)
उम्मीद है इस बार उसकी न बजे, बेचारा पहले से ही परेशान है।
Hopefully he doesn't get shown up this time, the poor guy is already stressed.
(ummiid hai is baar uskii n baje, bechaaraa pahle se hii pareshaan hai।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
बजाना
(bajaanaa)
infinitive oblique:
बजाने
(bajaane)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
बजाता
(bajaataa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
बजाते
(bajaate)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
बजाती
(bajaatii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
बजातीं
(bajaatiin)
continuous (sg.m):
बजा रहा
(bajaa rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
बजा रहे
(bajaa rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
बजा रही
(bajaa rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
बजा रहीं
(bajaa rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
बजाया
(bajaayaa)
perfective (pl.m):
बजाए
(bajaae)
perfective (sg.f):
बजाई
(bajaaii)
perfective (pl.f):
बजाईं
(bajaaiin)
imperative (informal):
बजा
(bajaa)
imperative (neutral):
बजाओ
(bajaao)
imperative (formal):
बजाइए
(bajaaie)
future (1sg.m):
बजाऊँगा
(bajaaoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
बजाऊँगी
(bajaaoongii)
future (1pl.m):
बजाएँगे
(bajaaenge)
future (1pl.f):
बजाएँगी
(bajaaengii)
future (2sg.m):
बजाएगा
(bajaaegaa)
future (2sg.f):
बजाएगी
(bajaaegii)
future (2pl.m):
बजाओगे
(bajaaoge)
future (2pl.f):
बजाओगी
(bajaaogii)
future (3sg.m):
बजाएगा
(bajaaegaa)
future (3sg.f):
बजाएगी
(bajaaegii)
future (3pl.m):
बजाएँगे
(bajaaenge)
future (3pl.f):
बजाएँगी
(bajaaengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
बजाऊँ
(bajaaoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
बजाएँ
(bajaaen)
subjunctive (2sg):
बजाए
(bajaae)
subjunctive (2pl):
बजाओ
(bajaao)
subjunctive (3sg):
बजाए
(bajaae)
subjunctive (3pl):
बजाएँ
(bajaaen)