जँभाई लेना (jambhaaii lenaa)
verb
A fixed verb-noun combination meaning 'to yawn' -- जँभाई (jambhaaii) is the noun 'yawn' and लेना (lenaa) 'to take' supplies the action; the two words are almost never used apart in this sense.
Sense
1
:
to yawn
verb, transitive Functions as a light-verb pairing: जँभाई (jambhaaii) is the object noun and लेना (lenaa) carries the conjugation, so the whole phrase inflects like an ordinary transitive verb with लेना (lenaa) at its head.
Synonyms: उबासी लेना (ubaasii lenaa, variant form)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You will hear this most in cozy, informal moments -- a mother telling a sleepy child to go to bed because वह जँभाई ले रहा है (vah jambhaaii le rahaa hai, 'he is yawning'), or someone stifling a yawn in a boring meeting. उबासी लेना (ubaasii lenaa) is the common everyday alternative and is heard just as often in Delhi speech.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes try to say just जँभाई (jambhaaii) as if it were a verb on its own -- you always need लेना (lenaa) (or आना (aanaa) in the related sense) to complete the action. 2) Because जँभाई (jambhaaii) is grammatically the object, the verb लेना (lenaa) takes ने-marking on the subject in the perfective, e.g. उसने जँभाई ली (usne jambhaaii lii, 'he/she yawned') -- easy to forget since 'yawn' feels intransitive in English.
Sample Sentences:
वह बार-बार जँभाई ले रहा है, उसे नींद आ रही है।
He keeps yawning again and again, he's feeling sleepy.
(vah baar-baar jambhaaii le rahaa hai, use niind aa rahii hai।)
मीटिंग इतनी उबाऊ थी कि मैंने कई बार जँभाई ली।
The meeting was so boring that I yawned several times.
(miiting itnii ubaaoo thii ki mainne kaii baar jambhaaii lii।)
बच्चा जँभाई ले रहा है, उसे सुला दो।
The child is yawning, put him to bed.
(bachchaa jambhaaii le rahaa hai, use sulaa do।)
जँभाई ले-लेकर वह अपनी थकान छिपाने की कोशिश कर रही थी।
Yawning again and again, she was trying to hide her tiredness.
(jambhaaii le-lekar vah apnii thakaan chhipaane kii koshish kar rahii thii।)
क्लास में जँभाई मत लो, टीचर देख लेगी।
Don't yawn in class, the teacher will notice.
(klaas men jambhaaii mat lo, tiichar dekh legii।)
अगर तुम रातभर जागोगे तो सुबह जँभाई लेते रहोगे।
If you stay up all night, you'll keep yawning in the morning.
(agar tum raatbhar jaagoge to subah jambhaaii lete rahoge।)
अगर उसे नींद न आ रही होती, तो वह जँभाई क्यों लेता?
If he weren't feeling sleepy, why would he be yawning?
(agar use niind n aa rahii hotii, to vah jambhaaii kyon letaa?)
थकान इतनी थी कि हर कोई जँभाई ले रहा था।
The tiredness was such that everyone was yawning.
(thakaan itnii thii ki har koii jambhaaii le rahaa thaa।)
शायद वह बोर हो रहा हो, इसलिए बार-बार जँभाई ले रहा हो।
Maybe he's getting bored, that's why he might be yawning again and again.
(shaayad vah bor ho rahaa ho, islie baar-baar jambhaaii le rahaa ho।)
सभा में बोलते हुए वक्ता को देखकर कुछ लोग जँभाई लेने लगे।
Watching the speaker talk at the gathering, some people began to yawn.
(sabhaa men bolte hue vaktaa ko dekhkar kuchh log jambhaaii lene lage।)
Morphology
Verb (irregular)
infinitive:
जँभाई लेना
(jambhaaii lenaa)
infinitive oblique:
जँभाई लेने
(jambhaaii lene)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
जँभाई लेता
(jambhaaii letaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
जँभाई लेते
(jambhaaii lete)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
जँभाई लेती
(jambhaaii letii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
जँभाई लेतीं
(jambhaaii letiin)
continuous (sg.m):
जँभाई ले रहा
(jambhaaii le rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
जँभाई ले रहे
(jambhaaii le rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
जँभाई ले रही
(jambhaaii le rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
जँभाई ले रहीं
(jambhaaii le rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
जँभाई लिया
(jambhaaii liyaa)
perfective (pl.m):
जँभाई लिए
(jambhaaii lie)
perfective (sg.f):
जँभाई ली
(jambhaaii lii)
perfective (pl.f):
जँभाई लीं
(jambhaaii liin)
imperative (informal):
जँभाई ले
(jambhaaii le)
imperative (neutral):
जँभाई लो
(jambhaaii lo)
imperative (formal):
जँभाई लीजिए
(jambhaaii liijie)
future (1sg.m):
जँभाई लूँगा
(jambhaaii loongaa)
future (1sg.f):
जँभाई लूँगी
(jambhaaii loongii)
future (1pl.m):
जँभाई लेंगे
(jambhaaii lenge)
future (1pl.f):
जँभाई लेंगी
(jambhaaii lengii)
future (2sg.m):
जँभाई लेगा
(jambhaaii legaa)
future (2sg.f):
जँभाई लेगी
(jambhaaii legii)
future (2pl.m):
जँभाई लोगे
(jambhaaii loge)
future (2pl.f):
जँभाई लोगी
(jambhaaii logii)
future (3sg.m):
जँभाई लेगा
(jambhaaii legaa)
future (3sg.f):
जँभाई लेगी
(jambhaaii legii)
future (3pl.m):
जँभाई लेंगे
(jambhaaii lenge)
future (3pl.f):
जँभाई लेंगी
(jambhaaii lengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
जँभाई लूँ
(jambhaaii loon)
subjunctive (1pl):
जँभाई लें
(jambhaaii len)
subjunctive (2sg):
जँभाई ले
(jambhaaii le)
subjunctive (2pl):
जँभाई लो
(jambhaaii lo)
subjunctive (3sg):
जँभाई ले
(jambhaaii le)
subjunctive (3pl):
जँभाई लें
(jambhaaii len)