पता चलना (pataa chalnaa)
verb
A common conjunct expression built from पता (pataa, 'clue/trace/address') plus चलना (chalnaa, 'to move'), meaning 'to find out' or 'to come to know' -- it frames knowledge as something that arrives to you rather than something you actively acquire.
Sense
1
:
to find out, come to know
verb, intransitive The knower is marked with को, and पता (pataa) agrees as the grammatical subject with चलना (chalnaa): मुझे पता चला (mujhe pataa chalaa, 'I found out'), not the person as subject.
Synonyms: जानना (jaannaa, to know, active), मालूम होना (maaloom honaa)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is a classic dative-subject construction, like लगना (lagnaa) or अच्छा लगना (achchhaa lagnaa) -- Hindi treats discovering something as an event that happens *to* you, not an action you perform. You'll hear this constantly in gossip and news contexts: अभी पता चला (abhii pataa chalaa, 'I just found out') is a staple reaction line in everyday conversation.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners try to make the person the subject as in English ('I found out') and say मैं पता चला (main pataa chalaa) -- wrong; it must be मुझे पता चला (mujhe pataa chalaa). 2) The thing found out is usually expressed as a कि-clause or with का/की, not as a direct object: उसे मेरी शादी का पता चला (use merii shaadii kaa pataa chalaa, 'he found out about my wedding'). 3) Confusing पता चलना (pataa chalnaa, the moment of discovery) with पता होना (pataa honaa, the state of already knowing) -- मुझे पता है (mujhe pataa hai, 'I know') versus मुझे पता चला (mujhe pataa chalaa, 'I found out just now').
Sample Sentences:
मुझे अभी पता चला कि वो शादी कर रहा है।
I just found out that he's getting married.
(mujhe abhii pataa chalaa ki vo shaadii kar rahaa hai।)
Listen: F85
जब उसे सच्चाई का पता चलेगा, तो वो बहुत दुखी होगी।
When she finds out the truth, she'll be very sad.
(jab use sachchaaii kaa pataa chalegaa, to vo bahut dukhii hogii।)
Listen: F85
मुझे रोज़ किसी न किसी बात का पता चलता रहता है।
I find out something new every day.
(mujhe roz kisii n kisii baat kaa pataa chaltaa rahtaa hai।)
Listen: M85
अगर मुझे पहले पता चलता, तो मैं वहाँ नहीं जाता।
If I had found out earlier, I wouldn't have gone there.
(agar mujhe pahle pataa chaltaa, to main vahaan nahiin jaataa।)
Listen: F85
ज़रा पता तो चले कि आखिर हुआ क्या था।
Let's just find out what actually happened.
(zaraa pataa to chale ki aakhir huaa kyaa thaa।)
Listen: M85
पुलिस जाँच कर रही है ताकि असली वजह का पता चल सके।
The police are investigating so that the real reason can be found out.
(pulis jaanch kar rahii hai taaki aslii vajah kaa pataa chal sake।)
Listen: M85
उसे अपनी गलती का पता चल गया है।
He has found out about his mistake.
(use apnii galtii kaa pataa chal gayaa hai।)
Listen: M85
क्या तुम्हें उसके प्रमोशन के बारे में पता चला?
Did you find out about his promotion?
(kyaa tumhen uske pramoshan ke baare men pataa chalaa?)
Listen: M85
जांच अधिकारियों को यह जानकारी गुप्त सूत्रों से पता चली।
The investigating officers found out this information from secret sources.
(jaanch adhikaariyon ko yah jaankaarii gupt sootron se pataa chalii।)
Listen: F85
काश मुझे पहले ही पता चल जाता।
I wish I had found out earlier.
(kaash mujhe pahle hii pataa chal jaataa।)
Listen: M85
अरे, तुझे कैसे पता चला कि मैं यहाँ हूँ?
Hey, how did you find out I'm here?
(are, tujhe kaise pataa chalaa ki main yahaan hoon?)
Listen: M85
Sense
2
:
to become known/apparent, to turn out (that...)
verb, intransitive Often used impersonally with a following कि (ki, 'that') clause, without any को-marked experiencer stated: पता चला कि वह नहीं आएगा (pataa chalaa ki vah nahiin aaegaa, 'it turned out that he wouldn't come').
Synonyms: साबित होना (saabit honaa, to be proven, when result-oriented), ज़ाहिर होना (zaahir honaa, to become evident)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You'll hear बाद में पता चला (baad men pataa chalaa, 'later it turned out') used to narrate plot twists in stories, gossip, or news retellings -- it's the Hindi equivalent of the dramatic reveal in a conversation.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes add an unnecessary को-experiencer when the sentence is meant as a general, impersonal revelation of fact (like news) rather than one person's personal discovery -- both are grammatical, but the impersonal version without को reads more like 'as it turned out' or 'apparently'.
Sample Sentences:
बाद में पता चला कि पूरी कहानी झूठी थी।
Later it turned out that the whole story was false.
(baad men pataa chalaa ki poorii kahaanii jhoothii thii।)
Listen: F85
जांच में पता चलता है कि गड़बड़ी कहाँ हुई थी।
The investigation reveals where the fault occurred.
(jaanch men pataa chaltaa hai ki gadabdii kahaan huii thii।)
Listen: M85
देखते हैं, आगे चलकर क्या पता चलता है।
Let's see what turns out to be true as things go forward.
(dekhte hain, aage chalkar kyaa pataa chaltaa hai।)
Listen: M85
रिपोर्ट आने पर पता चलेगा कि नुकसान कितना बड़ा है।
Once the report comes, it will become clear how big the damage is.
(riport aane par pataa chalegaa ki nuksaan kitnaa badaa hai।)
Listen: M85
अगर वह ईमानदार न होता तो शायद पता न चलता कि पैसा कहाँ गया।
If he weren't honest, it might never have turned out where the money went.
(agar vah iimaandaar n hotaa to shaayad pataa n chaltaa ki paisaa kahaan gayaa।)
Listen: M85
मुमकिन है जांच पूरी होने पर कुछ और भी पता चले।
It's possible that something more will turn out once the inquiry is complete.
(mumkin hai jaanch poorii hone par kuchh aur bhii pataa chale।)
Listen: M85
जैसे-जैसे लोग बोलते गए, असली कहानी पता चलती गई।
As people kept talking, the real story kept becoming clear.
(jaise-jaise log bolte gae, aslii kahaanii pataa chaltii gaii।)
Listen: M85
जांच के दौरान यह भी पता चला कि दस्तावेज़ नकली थे।
During the investigation, it also turned out that the documents were fake.
(jaanch ke dauraan yah bhii pataa chalaa ki dastaavez naklii the।)
Listen: F85
अरे यार, आखिर में पता चला कि वो सब मज़ाक था!
Oh man, it turned out in the end that all of it was a joke!
(are yaar, aakhir men pataa chalaa ki vo sab mazaak thaa!)
Listen: F85
कहा जाता है कि सच्चाई देर-सबेर पता चल ही जाती है।
It is said that the truth always comes out sooner or later.
(kahaa jaataa hai ki sachchaaii der-saber pataa chal hii jaatii hai।)
Listen: F85
फिल्म के अंत में पता चलता है कि हीरो ही असली खलनायक था।
At the end of the film, it turns out that the hero himself was the real villain.
(philm ke ant men pataa chaltaa hai ki hiiro hii aslii khalnaayak thaa।)
Listen: M85
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
पता चलना
(pataa chalnaa)
infinitive oblique:
पता चलने
(pataa chalne)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
पता चलता
(pataa chaltaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
पता चलते
(pataa chalte)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
पता चलती
(pataa chaltii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
पता चलतीं
(pataa chaltiin)
continuous (sg.m):
पता चल रहा
(pataa chal rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
पता चल रहे
(pataa chal rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
पता चल रही
(pataa chal rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
पता चल रहीं
(pataa chal rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
पता चला
(pataa chalaa)
perfective (pl.m):
पता चले
(pataa chale)
perfective (sg.f):
पता चली
(pataa chalii)
perfective (pl.f):
पता चलीं
(pataa chaliin)
imperative (informal):
पता चल
(pataa chal)
imperative (neutral):
पता चलो
(pataa chalo)
imperative (formal):
पता चलिए
(pataa chalie)
future (1sg.m):
पता चलूँगा
(pataa chaloongaa)
future (1sg.f):
पता चलूँगी
(pataa chaloongii)
future (1pl.m):
पता चलेंगे
(pataa chalenge)
future (1pl.f):
पता चलेंगी
(pataa chalengii)
future (2sg.m):
पता चलेगा
(pataa chalegaa)
future (2sg.f):
पता चलेगी
(pataa chalegii)
future (2pl.m):
पता चलोगे
(pataa chaloge)
future (2pl.f):
पता चलोगी
(pataa chalogii)
future (3sg.m):
पता चलेगा
(pataa chalegaa)
future (3sg.f):
पता चलेगी
(pataa chalegii)
future (3pl.m):
पता चलेंगे
(pataa chalenge)
future (3pl.f):
पता चलेंगी
(pataa chalengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
पता चलूँ
(pataa chaloon)
subjunctive (1pl):
पता चलें
(pataa chalen)
subjunctive (2sg):
पता चले
(pataa chale)
subjunctive (2pl):
पता चलो
(pataa chalo)
subjunctive (3sg):
पता चले
(pataa chale)
subjunctive (3pl):
पता चलें
(pataa chalen)