तुतलाना (tutlaanaa)

verb A single-sense verb describing speech that comes out lisped or babyishly mispronounced, most often heard describing small children still learning to talk clearly.
Sense 1 : to lisp / to speak with baby-talk mispronunciation
verb, intransitive
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Picture a two-year-old at a family gathering saying 'दादा' as something like 'दादा' with the consonants softened -- relatives will laugh and say वह तुतलाता है (vah tutlaataa hai, 'he talks in baby-talk'), and it's treated as an endearing, temporary phase rather than a flaw. Don't confuse it with हकलाना (haklaanaa, 'to stutter'), which is a distinct and less lightly-treated topic.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes reach for तुतलाना (tutlaanaa) to mean 'stammer' or 'stutter', but that is हकलाना (haklaanaa) -- a different speech issue involving repetition/blocking rather than mispronounced sounds. 2) This verb is almost always used about someone else's speech (typically a toddler's), not as a self-description in ordinary conversation.
Sample Sentences:
छोटी बच्ची अभी तुतलाती है। The little girl still lisps right now.
(chhotii bachchii abhii tutlaatii hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
मेरा बेटा जब बात करता है, तो तुतलाता है, बहुत प्यारा लगता है। When my son talks, he lisps, and it looks so cute.
(meraa betaa jab baat kartaa hai, to tutlaataa hai, bahut pyaaraa lagtaa hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
वह अभी तुतला रही है, देखो कैसे 'था' को 'ता' बोल रही है। She is lisping right now, look how she's saying 'ta' instead of 'tha'.
(vah abhii tutlaa rahii hai, dekho kaise 'thaa' ko 'taa' bol rahii hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
पहले वह तुतलाता था, अब सही बोलने लगा है। He used to lisp before, now he's started speaking properly.
(pahle vah tutlaataa thaa, ab sahii bolne lagaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
जब मैं छोटा था, तो मैं भी तुतलाता था। When I was little, I used to lisp too.
(jab main chhotaa thaa, to main bhii tutlaataa thaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
बच्चा कल पहली बार 'मामा' बोलते हुए तुतलाया। The child lisped yesterday while saying 'mama' for the first time.
(bachchaa kal pahlii baar 'maamaa' bolte hue tutlaayaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
अगर वह अभी भी तुतलाता, तो डॉक्टर को दिखाना पड़ता। If he still lisped, we would have had to show him to a doctor.
(agar vah abhii bhii tutlaataa, to doktar ko dikhaanaa padtaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
तू यूँ मत तुतला, ठीक से बोल! Don't lisp like that, speak properly!
(too yoon mat tutlaa, thiik se bol!)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
शायद वह थोड़ा तुतलाए, क्योंकि उसके दूध के दांत अभी टूट रहे हैं। He might lisp a little, because his baby teeth are falling out right now.
(shaayad vah thodaa tutlaae, kyonki uske doodh ke daant abhii toot rahe hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
जब बच्चा तुतलाता है, तो पूरा परिवार हंस पड़ता है। When the child lisps, the whole family bursts out laughing.
(jab bachchaa tutlaataa hai, to pooraa parivaar hans padtaa hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Verb
infinitive: तुतलाना (tutlaanaa)
infinitive oblique: तुतलाने (tutlaane)
habitual/simple (sg.m): तुतलाता (tutlaataa)
habitual/simple (pl.m): तुतलाते (tutlaate)
habitual/simple (sg.f): तुतलाती (tutlaatii)
habitual/simple (pl.f): तुतलातीं (tutlaatiin)
continuous (sg.m): तुतला रहा (tutlaa rahaa)
continuous (pl.m): तुतला रहे (tutlaa rahe)
continuous (sg.f): तुतला रही (tutlaa rahii)
continuous (pl.f): तुतला रहीं (tutlaa rahiin)
perfective (sg.m): तुतलाया (tutlaayaa)
perfective (pl.m): तुतलाए (tutlaae)
perfective (sg.f): तुतलाई (tutlaaii)
perfective (pl.f): तुतलाईं (tutlaaiin)
imperative (informal): तुतला (tutlaa)
imperative (neutral): तुतलाओ (tutlaao)
imperative (formal): तुतलाइए (tutlaaie)
future (1sg.m): तुतलाऊँगा (tutlaaoongaa)
future (1sg.f): तुतलाऊँगी (tutlaaoongii)
future (1pl.m): तुतलाएँगे (tutlaaenge)
future (1pl.f): तुतलाएँगी (tutlaaengii)
future (2sg.m): तुतलाएगा (tutlaaegaa)
future (2sg.f): तुतलाएगी (tutlaaegii)
future (2pl.m): तुतलाओगे (tutlaaoge)
future (2pl.f): तुतलाओगी (tutlaaogii)
future (3sg.m): तुतलाएगा (tutlaaegaa)
future (3sg.f): तुतलाएगी (tutlaaegii)
future (3pl.m): तुतलाएँगे (tutlaaenge)
future (3pl.f): तुतलाएँगी (tutlaaengii)
subjunctive (1sg): तुतलाऊँ (tutlaaoon)
subjunctive (1pl): तुतलाएँ (tutlaaen)
subjunctive (2sg): तुतलाए (tutlaae)
subjunctive (2pl): तुतलाओ (tutlaao)
subjunctive (3sg): तुतलाए (tutlaae)
subjunctive (3pl): तुतलाएँ (tutlaaen)