दोष लगाना (dosh lagaanaa)

verb A compound phrase meaning 'to blame' or 'to accuse' -- built from दोष (dosh, 'fault/blame') plus लगाना (lagaanaa, 'to apply/attach'), literally 'to attach a fault (to someone).'
Sense 1 : to blame, to accuse (someone of a fault)
verb, transitive Takes the person blamed with पर (par): X पर दोष लगाना (X par dosh lagaanaa, 'to blame X').
Synonyms: इल्ज़ाम लगाना (ilzaam lagaanaa), दोष देना (dosh denaa), आरोप लगाना (aarop lagaanaa, more formal/legal)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: In everyday Delhi speech, this phrase and its cousin दोष देना (dosh denaa) are used interchangeably in domestic arguments -- a mother might say तुम हमेशा दूसरों पर दोष लगाते हो (tum hameshaa doosron par dosh lagaate ho, 'you always blame others'). इल्ज़ाम लगाना (ilzaam lagaanaa) has a slightly sharper, more accusatory flavor (often legal or dramatic), while दोष लगाना (dosh lagaanaa) feels a touch more everyday and moralizing, closer to pointing out a flaw or shortcoming.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often use को (ko) for the person being blamed by analogy with other verbs, but this phrase takes पर (par): किसी पर दोष लगाना (kisii par dosh lagaanaa, 'to blame someone'), not किसी को (kisii ko). 2) दोष देना (dosh denaa) is a close synonym but pairs the person with को (ko) instead -- मुझे दोष मत दो (mujhe dosh mat do, 'don't blame me') -- so swapping the postposition when swapping the verb is a common slip.
Sample Sentences:
वह हमेशा दूसरों पर दोष लगाता है। He always blames others.
(vah hameshaa doosron par dosh lagaataa hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
मुझ पर झूठा दोष मत लगाओ। Don't put a false blame on me.
(mujh par jhoothaa dosh mat lagaao।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
उसने अपनी गलती का दोष अपने भाई पर लगा दिया। He put the blame for his own mistake on his brother.
(usne apnii galtii kaa dosh apne bhaaii par lagaa diyaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
अगर काम बिगड़ेगा तो सब मुझ पर दोष लगाएँगे। If the work goes wrong, everyone will blame me.
(agar kaam bigdegaa to sab mujh par dosh lagaaenge।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
क्यों न तुम खुद अपनी कमियों को देखो, दूसरों पर दोष लगाने के बजाय? Why not look at your own shortcomings, instead of blaming others?
(kyon n tum khud apnii kamiyon ko dekho, doosron par dosh lagaane ke bajaay?)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अगर वह थोड़ा समझदार होता तो दूसरों पर दोष न लगाता। If he were a little wiser, he wouldn't blame others.
(agar vah thodaa samajhdaar hotaa to doosron par dosh n lagaataa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
माँ बच्चों से कहती रहती है कि तुम हमेशा दूसरों पर दोष लगाते हो। Mom keeps telling the kids, 'you always blame others.'
(maan bachchon se kahtii rahtii hai ki tum hameshaa doosron par dosh lagaate ho।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
बेवजह किसी पर दोष लगाना ठीक नहीं होता। It's not right to blame someone without reason.
(bevjah kisii par dosh lagaanaa thiik nahiin hotaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
उस पर बेईमानी का दोष लगाया गया था, पर बाद में सच सामने आ गया। He was accused of dishonesty, but the truth came out later.
(us par beiimaanii kaa dosh lagaayaa gayaa thaa, par baad men sach saamne aa gayaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Passive
पड़ोसी बिना सोचे-समझे मेरे बेटे पर दोष लगा रही थी। The neighbor was blaming my son without thinking it through.
(padosii binaa soche-samjhe mere bete par dosh lagaa rahii thii।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Verb
infinitive: दोष लगाना (dosh lagaanaa)
infinitive oblique: दोष लगाने (dosh lagaane)
habitual/simple (sg.m): दोष लगाता (dosh lagaataa)
habitual/simple (pl.m): दोष लगाते (dosh lagaate)
habitual/simple (sg.f): दोष लगाती (dosh lagaatii)
habitual/simple (pl.f): दोष लगातीं (dosh lagaatiin)
continuous (sg.m): दोष लगा रहा (dosh lagaa rahaa)
continuous (pl.m): दोष लगा रहे (dosh lagaa rahe)
continuous (sg.f): दोष लगा रही (dosh lagaa rahii)
continuous (pl.f): दोष लगा रहीं (dosh lagaa rahiin)
perfective (sg.m): दोष लगाया (dosh lagaayaa)
perfective (pl.m): दोष लगाए (dosh lagaae)
perfective (sg.f): दोष लगाई (dosh lagaaii)
perfective (pl.f): दोष लगाईं (dosh lagaaiin)
imperative (informal): दोष लगा (dosh lagaa)
imperative (neutral): दोष लगाओ (dosh lagaao)
imperative (formal): दोष लगाइए (dosh lagaaie)
future (1sg.m): दोष लगाऊँगा (dosh lagaaoongaa)
future (1sg.f): दोष लगाऊँगी (dosh lagaaoongii)
future (1pl.m): दोष लगाएँगे (dosh lagaaenge)
future (1pl.f): दोष लगाएँगी (dosh lagaaengii)
future (2sg.m): दोष लगाएगा (dosh lagaaegaa)
future (2sg.f): दोष लगाएगी (dosh lagaaegii)
future (2pl.m): दोष लगाओगे (dosh lagaaoge)
future (2pl.f): दोष लगाओगी (dosh lagaaogii)
future (3sg.m): दोष लगाएगा (dosh lagaaegaa)
future (3sg.f): दोष लगाएगी (dosh lagaaegii)
future (3pl.m): दोष लगाएँगे (dosh lagaaenge)
future (3pl.f): दोष लगाएँगी (dosh lagaaengii)
subjunctive (1sg): दोष लगाऊँ (dosh lagaaoon)
subjunctive (1pl): दोष लगाएँ (dosh lagaaen)
subjunctive (2sg): दोष लगाए (dosh lagaae)
subjunctive (2pl): दोष लगाओ (dosh lagaao)
subjunctive (3sg): दोष लगाए (dosh lagaae)
subjunctive (3pl): दोष लगाएँ (dosh lagaaen)