मना करना (manaa karnaa)

verb A compound verb meaning 'to refuse' or 'to forbid' -- मना (manaa) is a borrowed adjective-like element meaning 'forbidden/refused' that only ever appears with करना (karnaa) or होना (honaa); it has no independent life outside this pairing.
Sense 1 : to refuse (to do something)
verb, transitive The thing refused is usually expressed with an infinitive plus के लिए (ke lie) or simply as an infinitive object; the person refusing takes ने (ne) in the perfective.
Synonyms: इनकार करना (inkaar karnaa)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the phrase you will hear constantly in family life -- a mother saying मैंने मना किया था (mainne manaa kiyaa thaa, 'I had said no/forbidden it') when a child does something she'd already warned against. It carries a slightly gentler, more domestic tone than a flat 'no.'
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for इनकार करना (inkaar karnaa) as if it were interchangeable in every context, but मना करना (manaa karnaa) is the everyday, default choice in speech while इनकार करना (inkaar karnaa) feels a touch more formal or emphatic. 2) When refusing someone's request (rather than refusing to do something), the person being refused takes को (ko): उसने मुझे मना कर दिया (usne mujhe manaa kar diyaa, 'he refused me').
Sample Sentences:
मैंने उसकी मदद करने से मना कर दिया। I refused to help him.
(mainne uskii madad karne se manaa kar diyaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
वह हमेशा खाने के लिए मना कर देती है, फिर भी थोड़ा खा लेती है। She always refuses to eat, but then eats a little anyway.
(vah hameshaa khaane ke lie manaa kar detii hai, phir bhii thodaa khaa letii hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
मैंने मना किया था, पर उसने मेरी बात नहीं सुनी। I had said no, but he didn't listen to me.
(mainne manaa kiyaa thaa, par usne merii baat nahiin sunii।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
कृपया मना मत करो, यह मेरी तरफ से है। Please don't refuse, this is from me.
(kripyaa manaa mat karo, yah merii taraph se hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
अगर वह मना कर देगा तो हम किसी और को बुला लेंगे। If he refuses, we'll call someone else.
(agar vah manaa kar degaa to ham kisii aur ko bulaa lenge।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
उसके प्रस्ताव को साफ़ मना कर दिया गया। His proposal was flatly refused.
(uske prastaav ko saaf manaa kar diyaa gayaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
काश वह इस बार मना न करे। I wish he wouldn't refuse this time.
(kaash vah is baar manaa n kare।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
अगर मैं उसकी जगह होता, तो मैं भी मना करता। If I were in his place, I would refuse too.
(agar main uskii jagah hotaa, to main bhii manaa kartaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
समिति ने आवेदन को मना कर दिया है। The committee has refused the application.
(samiti ne aavedan ko manaa kar diyaa hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
वह मना करता रहा, लेकिन आखिर में मान गया। He kept refusing, but finally agreed.
(vah manaa kartaa rahaa, lekin aakhir men maan gayaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
पैसे लेने से मना करना उसकी आदत है। Refusing to take money is his habit.
(paise lene se manaa karnaa uskii aadat hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
Sense 2 : to forbid, prohibit (someone from doing something)
verb, transitive Takes a dative-marked person (को (ko)) plus an infinitive-plus-से (se) or infinitive-plus-के-लिए (ke lie) construction: उसे जाने से मना किया (use jaane se manaa kiyaa, 'forbade him from going').
Synonyms: रोकना (roknaa, to stop/prevent), निषेध करना (nishedh karnaa, formal)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the sense behind every doctor's or elder's instruction -- डॉक्टर ने मुझे मना किया है (doktar ne mujhe manaa kiyaa hai, 'the doctor has forbidden me') is a very common way Hindi speakers explain dietary or lifestyle restrictions without sounding harsh.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes drop से (se) after the infinitive when forbidding an action, producing an unnatural sentence -- डॉक्टर ने उसे मीठा खाने से मना किया (doktar ne use miithaa khaane se manaa kiyaa, 'the doctor forbade him from eating sweets') needs that से (se) to mark what's being prohibited.
Sample Sentences:
डॉक्टर ने मुझे मीठा खाने से मना किया है। The doctor has forbidden me from eating sweets.
(doktar ne mujhe miithaa khaane se manaa kiyaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
माँ बच्चों को सड़क पर खेलने से मना करती है। Mother forbids the children from playing on the street.
(maan bachchon ko sadak par khelne se manaa kartii hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
उसे रात को बाहर जाने से मना किया गया था। He was forbidden from going out at night.
(use raat ko baahar jaane se manaa kiyaa gayaa thaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
टीचर उसे क्लास में बोलने से मना कर रही थी। The teacher was forbidding him from talking in class.
(tiichar use klaas men bolne se manaa kar rahii thii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
उसे भारी सामान उठाने से मना कीजिए। Please forbid him from lifting heavy things.
(use bhaarii saamaan uthaane se manaa kiijie।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
अगर वह ज़्यादा नमक खाता तो डॉक्टर उसे मना करता। If he ate too much salt, the doctor would forbid him.
(agar vah zyaadaa namak khaataa to doktar use manaa kartaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
हो सकता है कि पापा उसे कार चलाने से मना करें। It's possible that dad might forbid him from driving the car.
(ho saktaa hai ki paapaa use kaar chalaane se manaa karen।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
सरकार ने उस इलाके में पटाखे जलाने से मना कर दिया है। The government has forbidden the bursting of firecrackers in that area.
(sarkaar ne us ilaake men pataakhe jalaane se manaa kar diyaa hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
क्या तुम्हें कभी किसी काम से मना किया गया है? Have you ever been forbidden from doing some work?
(kyaa tumhen kabhii kisii kaam se manaa kiyaa gayaa hai?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
बुज़ुर्गों ने हमें अकेले पहाड़ों पर जाने से मना किया था। The elders had forbidden us from going to the mountains alone.
(buzurgon ne hamen akele pahaadon par jaane se manaa kiyaa thaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
डॉक्टर ने उसे शराब पीने से सख़्ती से मना किया है। The doctor has strictly forbidden him from drinking alcohol.
(doktar ne use sharaab piine se sakhtii se manaa kiyaa hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Verb (irregular)
infinitive: मना करना (manaa karnaa)
infinitive oblique: मना करने (manaa karne)
habitual/simple (sg.m): मना करता (manaa kartaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m): मना करते (manaa karte)
habitual/simple (sg.f): मना करती (manaa kartii)
habitual/simple (pl.f): मना करतीं (manaa kartiin)
continuous (sg.m): मना कर रहा (manaa kar rahaa)
continuous (pl.m): मना कर रहे (manaa kar rahe)
continuous (sg.f): मना कर रही (manaa kar rahii)
continuous (pl.f): मना कर रहीं (manaa kar rahiin)
perfective (sg.m): मना किया (manaa kiyaa)
perfective (pl.m): मना किए (manaa kie)
perfective (sg.f): मना की (manaa kii)
perfective (pl.f): मना कीं (manaa kiin)
imperative (informal): मना कर (manaa kar)
imperative (neutral): मना करो (manaa karo)
imperative (formal): मना कीजिए (manaa kiijie)
future (1sg.m): मना करूँगा (manaa karoongaa)
future (1sg.f): मना करूँगी (manaa karoongii)
future (1pl.m): मना करेंगे (manaa karenge)
future (1pl.f): मना करेंगी (manaa karengii)
future (2sg.m): मना करेगा (manaa karegaa)
future (2sg.f): मना करेगी (manaa karegii)
future (2pl.m): मना करोगे (manaa karoge)
future (2pl.f): मना करोगी (manaa karogii)
future (3sg.m): मना करेगा (manaa karegaa)
future (3sg.f): मना करेगी (manaa karegii)
future (3pl.m): मना करेंगे (manaa karenge)
future (3pl.f): मना करेंगी (manaa karengii)
subjunctive (1sg): मना करूँ (manaa karoon)
subjunctive (1pl): मना करें (manaa karen)
subjunctive (2sg): मना करे (manaa kare)
subjunctive (2pl): मना करो (manaa karo)
subjunctive (3sg): मना करे (manaa kare)
subjunctive (3pl): मना करें (manaa karen)