लौटाना (lautaanaa)

verb Means 'to give back / return something' or 'to send someone back' -- the causative counterpart of लौटना (lautnaa, 'to return, come back'). One core sense covers both objects and people.
Sense 1 : to return, give back (an object, money, favor)
verb, transitive
Synonyms: वापस करना (vaapas karnaa), वापस देना (vaapas denaa)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the everyday word for giving back borrowed money, books, or favors -- पैसे लौटाना (paise lautaanaa, 'to pay back money') comes up constantly among friends and shopkeepers. It's built on लौटना (lautnaa, 'to come back'), so think of it literally as 'making something come back.'
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes confuse this with लौटना (lautnaa, 'to return' -- intransitive, used for the subject itself coming back); लौटाना (lautaanaa) is the causative and needs an object being sent back. 2) The person to whom something is returned takes को (ko): किताब उसे लौटा दी (kitaab use lautaa dii, 'returned the book to him/her').
Sample Sentences:
कृपया मेरी किताब कल तक लौटा दो। Please return my book by tomorrow.
(kripyaa merii kitaab kal tak lautaa do।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
उसने मुझे उधार के पैसे लौटा दिए। He gave me back the borrowed money.
(usne mujhe udhaar ke paise lautaa die।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
मैं हर महीने की पहली तारीख को उसका कर्ज़ लौटाता हूँ। I pay back his loan on the first of every month.
(main har mahiine kii pahlii taariikh ko uskaa karz lautaataa hoon।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अगर तुम मेरा एहसान लौटाना चाहते हो, तो सिर्फ खुश रहो। If you want to return my favor, just be happy.
(agar tum meraa ehsaan lautaanaa chaahte ho, to sirph khush raho।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
क्या तुम मेरी साइकिल शाम तक लौटा सकते हो? Can you return my bicycle by evening?
(kyaa tum merii saaikil shaam tak lautaa sakte ho?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
दुकानदार ने ग्राहक के अतिरिक्त पैसे लौटा दिए। The shopkeeper returned the customer's extra money.
(dukaandaar ne graahak ke atirikt paise lautaa die।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
अगली बार तक मैं तुम्हारा सामान ज़रूर लौटा दूँगा। I will definitely return your things by next time.
(aglii baar tak main tumhaaraa saamaan zaroor lautaa doongaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
यह रकम ग्राहकों को पूरी तरह लौटाई जाएगी। This amount will be fully returned to the customers.
(yah rakam graahkon ko poorii tarah lautaaii jaaegii।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Passive
काश मैंने वह किताब समय पर लौटा दी होती। I wish I had returned that book on time.
(kaash mainne vah kitaab samay par lautaa dii hotii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Perfective -- Voice: Active
बैंक ने ग्राहक की जमा राशि ब्याज के साथ लौटा दी। The bank returned the customer's deposit along with interest.
(baink ne graahak kii jamaa raashi byaaj ke saath lautaa dii।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
वह हमेशा वादा करता है कि पैसे लौटा देगा, पर कभी नहीं लौटाता। He always promises he'll return the money, but he never does.
(vah hameshaa vaadaa kartaa hai ki paise lautaa degaa, par kabhii nahiin lautaataa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
Sense 2 : to send back, turn away (a person)
verb, transitive
Synonyms: वापस भेजना (vaapas bhejnaa)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You'll hear this at hospital gates, immigration counters, or exam halls -- ऑफिस से लौटा दिया (ophis se lautaa diyaa, 'turned back from the office') -- it carries a slight sting of rejection or bureaucratic refusal.
Common Mistakes: 1) Used when someone in authority sends a person away without letting them proceed, e.g. at a border or door -- गार्ड ने उसे लौटा दिया (gaard ne use lautaa diyaa, 'the guard sent him back'); learners may default to भेजना (bhejnaa) here, missing the 'back' nuance that लौटाना (lautaanaa) carries.
Sample Sentences:
गार्ड ने उसे गेट से ही लौटा दिया। The guard turned him back right from the gate.
(gaard ne use get se hii lautaa diyaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
बिना टिकट वालों को स्टेशन से लौटा दिया जाता है। Those without tickets are turned back from the station.
(binaa tikat vaalon ko steshan se lautaa diyaa jaataa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
दफ़्तर से लौटा दिया गया, कागज़ पूरे नहीं थे। I was turned back from the office, the papers weren't complete.
(daftar se lautaa diyaa gayaa, kaagaz poore nahiin the।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
कृपया बिना पहचान पत्र आए हुए लोगों को लौटा दें। Please turn away people who have come without an ID card.
(kripyaa binaa pahchaan patr aae hue logon ko lautaa den।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
इमिग्रेशन वाले उसे वापस लौटा सकते हैं अगर वीज़ा सही नहीं है। Immigration can send him back if the visa isn't in order.
(imigreshan vaale use vaapas lautaa sakte hain agar viizaa sahii nahiin hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अगर मेरे पास सही डॉक्यूमेंट होते तो मुझे लौटाया न जाता। If I had had the right documents, I wouldn't have been turned back.
(agar mere paas sahii dokyooment hote to mujhe lautaayaa n jaataa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Passive
परीक्षा हॉल से देर से आने वालों को लौटाया जा रहा था। Latecomers were being turned away from the exam hall.
(pariikshaa hol se der se aane vaalon ko lautaayaa jaa rahaa thaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
अस्पताल वालों ने कहा बेड नहीं है, मरीज़ को लौटा दिया। The hospital staff said there was no bed and sent the patient back.
(asptaal vaalon ne kahaa bed nahiin hai, mariiz ko lautaa diyaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
सर, प्लीज़ मुझे यहाँ से मत लौटाइए, बहुत दूर से आया हूँ। Sir, please don't turn me back from here, I've come from very far.
(sar, pliiz mujhe yahaan se mat lautaaie, bahut door se aayaa hoon।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Verb
infinitive: लौटाना (lautaanaa)
infinitive oblique: लौटाने (lautaane)
habitual/simple (sg.m): लौटाता (lautaataa)
habitual/simple (pl.m): लौटाते (lautaate)
habitual/simple (sg.f): लौटाती (lautaatii)
habitual/simple (pl.f): लौटातीं (lautaatiin)
continuous (sg.m): लौटा रहा (lautaa rahaa)
continuous (pl.m): लौटा रहे (lautaa rahe)
continuous (sg.f): लौटा रही (lautaa rahii)
continuous (pl.f): लौटा रहीं (lautaa rahiin)
perfective (sg.m): लौटाया (lautaayaa)
perfective (pl.m): लौटाए (lautaae)
perfective (sg.f): लौटाई (lautaaii)
perfective (pl.f): लौटाईं (lautaaiin)
imperative (informal): लौटा (lautaa)
imperative (neutral): लौटाओ (lautaao)
imperative (formal): लौटाइए (lautaaie)
future (1sg.m): लौटाऊँगा (lautaaoongaa)
future (1sg.f): लौटाऊँगी (lautaaoongii)
future (1pl.m): लौटाएँगे (lautaaenge)
future (1pl.f): लौटाएँगी (lautaaengii)
future (2sg.m): लौटाएगा (lautaaegaa)
future (2sg.f): लौटाएगी (lautaaegii)
future (2pl.m): लौटाओगे (lautaaoge)
future (2pl.f): लौटाओगी (lautaaogii)
future (3sg.m): लौटाएगा (lautaaegaa)
future (3sg.f): लौटाएगी (lautaaegii)
future (3pl.m): लौटाएँगे (lautaaenge)
future (3pl.f): लौटाएँगी (lautaaengii)
subjunctive (1sg): लौटाऊँ (lautaaoon)
subjunctive (1pl): लौटाएँ (lautaaen)
subjunctive (2sg): लौटाए (lautaae)
subjunctive (2pl): लौटाओ (lautaao)
subjunctive (3sg): लौटाए (lautaae)
subjunctive (3pl): लौटाएँ (lautaaen)