लौटना (lautnaa)

verb A common intransitive verb meaning 'to return, to come/go back'; it also has a related transitive causative partner लौटाना (lautaanaa, 'to give back, return something') which is a separate lemma.
Sense 1 : to return, come back / go back
verb, intransitive
Synonyms: वापस आना (vaapas aanaa, 'to come back'), वापस जाना (vaapas jaanaa, 'to go back'), लौट आना (laut aanaa, compound verb variant)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the word you'll hear at railway stations and airports -- वापसी (vaapsii) announcements, or a mother asking कब लौटोगे? (kab lautoge?, 'when will you be back?'). It's also common figuratively, as in होश में लौटना (hosh men lautnaa, 'to come back to one's senses').
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes reach for वापस जाना (vaapas jaanaa) or वापस आना (vaapas aanaa) as the default, not realizing लौटना (lautnaa) alone already carries the full 'return' meaning without needing वापस (vaapas) -- adding it is common and fine, but not required. 2) As an intransitive motion verb, it takes plain subject agreement (no ने (ne)) in the perfective: वह लौटा (vah lautaa, 'he returned'), not वह ने लौटा; learners who've internalized ने-marking from transitive verbs sometimes overapply it here.
Sample Sentences:
वह हर शाम आठ बजे तक घर लौटता है। He returns home by eight o'clock every evening.
(vah har shaam aath baje tak ghar lauttaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
माँ ने पूछा, तुम कब लौटोगे? Mother asked, when will you be back?
(maan ne poochhaa, tum kab lautoge?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
वह पिछले हफ्ते दिल्ली से लौटी। She returned from Delhi last week.
(vah pichhle haphte dillii se lautii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
जल्दी लौट आना, अंधेरा होने से पहले। Come back soon, before it gets dark.
(jaldii laut aanaa, andheraa hone se pahle।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
यात्रीगण कृपया ध्यान दें, ट्रेन अगले स्टेशन से वापस लौटेगी। Attention passengers, the train will return from the next station.
(yaatriigan kripyaa dhyaan den, tren agle steshan se vaapas lautegii।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
दुर्घटना के बाद वह धीरे-धीरे होश में लौट रहा था। After the accident, he was slowly coming back to his senses.
(durghatnaa ke baad vah dhiire-dhiire hosh men laut rahaa thaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
अगर वह समय पर लौटता, तो हम साथ खाना खाते। If he had returned on time, we would have eaten together.
(agar vah samay par lauttaa, to ham saath khaanaa khaate।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
काश मैं अभी अपने गाँव लौट पाता। If only I could return to my village right now.
(kaash main abhii apne gaanv laut paataa।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
यात्रा का सामान वापसी की उड़ान से पहले जमा किया जाना चाहिए। The luggage should be deposited before the return flight.
(yaatraa kaa saamaan vaapsii kii udaan se pahle jamaa kiyaa jaanaa chaahie।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
सैनिक कई महीनों बाद अपने घर लौट आया है। The soldier has returned home after many months.
(sainik kaii mahiinon baad apne ghar laut aayaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
बचपन के वे दिन अब कभी नहीं लौटेंगे, पर उनकी याद हमेशा रहेगी। Those days of childhood will never return now, but their memory will always remain.
(bachpan ke ve din ab kabhii nahiin lautenge, par unkii yaad hameshaa rahegii।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
Sense 2 : to recur, come back (of a state, season, feeling)
verb, intransitive Used with abstract or non-human subjects -- seasons, feelings, health, situations -- rather than people physically returning somewhere.
Synonyms: फिर से आना (phir se aanaa, 'to come again'), वापस आना (vaapas aanaa)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You'll hear this with the seasons -- बहार लौट आई (bahaar laut aaii, 'spring has returned') -- or with health and mood, as in रौनक लौटना (raunak lautnaa, 'liveliness returning' to a place or person), a favorite in Hindi film dialogue and news headlines alike.
Sample Sentences:
सर्दियों के बाद फिर बहार लौट आई है। After winter, spring has returned again.
(sardiyon ke baad phir bahaar laut aaii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
इलाज के बाद उसके चेहरे पर रौनक लौट आई। After the treatment, liveliness returned to her face.
(ilaaj ke baad uske chehre par raunak laut aaii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
बाज़ार में फिर से वही पुरानी रौनक लौट रही है। The old liveliness is returning to the market again.
(baazaar men phir se vahii puraanii raunak laut rahii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
हर साल यह मौसम इसी वक़्त लौटता है। Every year, this season returns at this very time.
(har saal yah mausam isii vaqt lauttaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
काश उसकी पुरानी हिम्मत फिर लौट आती। If only his old courage would come back again.
(kaash uskii puraanii himmat phir laut aatii।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
अगर उसका आत्मविश्वास लौट आए, तो वह फिर से गा सकेगी। If her confidence comes back, she will be able to sing again.
(agar uskaa aatmvishvaas laut aae, to vah phir se gaa sakegii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
उम्मीद है कि जल्द ही उसकी सेहत लौट आएगी। It is hoped that his health will return soon.
(ummiid hai ki jald hii uskii sehat laut aaegii।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
त्योहारों के मौसम में शहर में रौनक लौट आती है। During festival season, liveliness returns to the city.
(tyohaaron ke mausam men shahar men raunak laut aatii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
बरसों बाद उसकी ज़िंदगी में खुशियाँ लौटी हैं। After years, happiness has returned to his life.
(barson baad uskii zindgii men khushiyaan lautii hain।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
नई फ़सल के साथ गाँव में समृद्धि लौट आई है। With the new harvest, prosperity has returned to the village.
(naii fasal ke saath gaanv men samriddhi laut aaii hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Verb
infinitive: लौटना (lautnaa)
infinitive oblique: लौटने (lautne)
habitual/simple (sg.m): लौटता (lauttaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m): लौटते (lautte)
habitual/simple (sg.f): लौटती (lauttii)
habitual/simple (pl.f): लौटतीं (lauttiin)
continuous (sg.m): लौट रहा (laut rahaa)
continuous (pl.m): लौट रहे (laut rahe)
continuous (sg.f): लौट रही (laut rahii)
continuous (pl.f): लौट रहीं (laut rahiin)
perfective (sg.m): लौटा (lautaa)
perfective (pl.m): लौटे (laute)
perfective (sg.f): लौटी (lautii)
perfective (pl.f): लौटीं (lautiin)
imperative (informal): लौट (laut)
imperative (neutral): लौटो (lauto)
imperative (formal): लौटिए (lautie)
future (1sg.m): लौटूँगा (lautoongaa)
future (1sg.f): लौटूँगी (lautoongii)
future (1pl.m): लौटेंगे (lautenge)
future (1pl.f): लौटेंगी (lautengii)
future (2sg.m): लौटेगा (lautegaa)
future (2sg.f): लौटेगी (lautegii)
future (2pl.m): लौटोगे (lautoge)
future (2pl.f): लौटोगी (lautogii)
future (3sg.m): लौटेगा (lautegaa)
future (3sg.f): लौटेगी (lautegii)
future (3pl.m): लौटेंगे (lautenge)
future (3pl.f): लौटेंगी (lautengii)
subjunctive (1sg): लौटूँ (lautoon)
subjunctive (1pl): लौटें (lauten)
subjunctive (2sg): लौटे (laute)
subjunctive (2pl): लौटो (lauto)
subjunctive (3sg): लौटे (laute)
subjunctive (3pl): लौटें (lauten)