हारना (haarnaa)

verb The core meaning is 'to lose' -- a game, a fight, an election -- and by extension 'to give up/admit defeat' emotionally or mentally.
Sense 1 : to lose (a game, match, election, argument, war)
verb, intransitive
Synonyms: मात खाना (maat khaanaa, idiomatic), पराजित होना (paraajit honaa, formal)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You'll hear this constantly around cricket season -- टीम मैच हार गई (tiim maich haar gaii, 'the team lost the match') is standard sports-page language. Note it behaves grammatically like an intransitive verb of state even though there's a losing party and something lost, which is why it skips ने (ne) marking.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often try to mark the loser with ने (ne) by analogy with other past-tense transitive verbs, but the person who loses takes no ने (ne) here -- राम हारा (raam haaraa, 'Ram lost'), not राम ने हारा (raam ne haaraa). 2) The thing lost to (the opponent) is marked with से (se), not को (ko): वह मुझसे हार गया (vah mujhse haar gayaa, 'he lost to me').
Sample Sentences:
भारत कल का मैच हार गया। India lost yesterday's match.
(bhaarat kal kaa maich haar gayaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
हमारी टीम हर साल फाइनल हार जाती है। Our team loses the final every year.
(hamaarii tiim har saal phaainal haar jaatii hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
वह चुनाव हार रहा है, ये तो शुरू से साफ़ था। He's losing the election -- that was clear from the start.
(vah chunaav haar rahaa hai, ye to shuroo se saaf thaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अगर हम अगला मैच भी हार गए तो टूर्नामेंट से बाहर हो जाएंगे। If we lose the next match too, we'll be out of the tournament.
(agar ham aglaa maich bhii haar gae to toornaament se baahar ho jaaenge।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
अगर वह ये बहस हार जाता तो अपनी साख खो देता। If he had lost this argument, he would have lost his credibility.
(agar vah ye bahas haar jaataa to apnii saakh kho detaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Perfective -- Voice: Active
इतनी आसानी से मत हारो, अभी दूसरा हाफ़ बचा है। Don't lose so easily, the second half is still left.
(itnii aasaanii se mat haaro, abhii doosraa haaf bachaa hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
क्या पता वे ये सीट हार जाएँ, मुकाबला बहुत करीबी है। Who knows, they might lose this seat -- it's a very close contest.
(kyaa pataa ve ye siit haar jaaen, mukaablaa bahut kariibii hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
युद्ध में वह सेना हार गई और राज्य पर कब्ज़ा हो गया। That army lost the war, and the kingdom was taken over.
(yuddh men vah senaa haar gaii aur raajy par kabzaa ho gayaa।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
टीम मैच हार गई और स्टेडियम में सन्नाटा छा गया। The team lost the match, and a silence fell over the stadium.
(tiim maich haar gaii aur stediyam men sannaataa chhaa gayaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
पिछले तीन दिन से हर बाज़ी हारता चला जा रहा हूँ। For the last three days, I've been losing every single round.
(pichhle tiin din se har baazii haartaa chalaa jaa rahaa hoon।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
क्या तुम सच में शतरंज में उससे हार गए? Did you really lose to him at chess?
(kyaa tum sach men shatranj men usse haar gae?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
Sense 2 : to give up, lose heart, admit defeat (emotionally/mentally)
verb, intransitive Often appears as हार मानना (haar maannaa, 'to accept defeat') or हिम्मत हारना (himmat haarnaa, 'to lose courage') -- compound-verb-like phrases built on this root.
Synonyms: हिम्मत हारना (himmat haarnaa, set phrase), हताश होना (hataash honaa)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the sense behind encouraging lines like हार मत मानो (haar mat maano, 'don't give up') -- a common thing to say to someone facing a tough exam or hard time, much like an English coach's pep talk.
Common Mistakes: 1) This sense is about inner resignation, not a literal contest -- वह हार गया (vah haar gayaa) can mean 'he gave up' even with no game in sight, which surprises learners expecting only the sports/competition meaning.
Sample Sentences:
हार मत मानो, अभी बहुत समय बचा है। Don't give up, there's still a lot of time left.
(haar mat maano, abhii bahut samay bachaa hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
वह इतनी मुश्किलों के बाद भी नहीं हारा। He didn't lose heart even after so many difficulties.
(vah itnii mushkilon ke baad bhii nahiin haaraa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
मैं इस बीमारी से कभी नहीं हारूँगी। I will never give up in the face of this illness.
(main is biimaarii se kabhii nahiin haaroongii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
वह हर छोटी बात पर हार जाता है और कोशिश करना छोड़ देता है। He gives up over every little thing and stops trying.
(vah har chhotii baat par haar jaataa hai aur koshish karnaa chhod detaa hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अगर तुम अभी हार गए, तो सालों की मेहनत बेकार हो जाएगी। If you give up now, years of hard work will go to waste.
(agar tum abhii haar gae, to saalon kii mehnat bekaar ho jaaegii।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
काश वह उस मुश्किल दौर में हार न मानता। If only he hadn't given up during that hard time.
(kaash vah us mushkil daur men haar n maantaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
अगर मुझमें थोड़ा भी धीरज न होता, तो मैं कब का हार गया होता। If I hadn't had even a little patience, I would have given up long ago.
(agar mujhmen thodaa bhii dhiiraj n hotaa, to main kab kaa haar gayaa hotaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Perfective -- Voice: Active
इतनी बड़ी चुनौती के सामने आम इंसान का हार जाना समझ में आता है, लेकिन आपने हिम्मत नहीं छोड़ी। It's understandable for an ordinary person to lose heart in the face of such a big challenge, but you didn't lose your courage.
(itnii badii chunautii ke saamne aam insaan kaa haar jaanaa samajh men aataa hai, lekin aapne himmat nahiin chhodii।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
जीवन के इस संग्राम में मनुष्य कभी हारता नहीं, वह केवल थक कर बैठ जाता है। In this battle of life, man never truly gives up -- he merely sits down, exhausted.
(jiivan ke is sangraam men manushy kabhii haartaa nahiin, vah keval thak kar baith jaataa hai।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
टीम के हौसले बुलंद हैं, वे मैदान में उतरने से पहले ही नहीं हारे हैं। The team's spirits are high -- they haven't lost heart even before stepping onto the field.
(tiim ke hausle buland hain, ve maidaan men utarne se pahle hii nahiin haare hain।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
मुसीबतों से हार कर बैठ जाना कोई हल नहीं है। Giving up and sitting back in the face of troubles is no solution.
(musiibton se haar kar baith jaanaa koii hal nahiin hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Verb
infinitive: हारना (haarnaa)
infinitive oblique: हारने (haarne)
habitual/simple (sg.m): हारता (haartaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m): हारते (haarte)
habitual/simple (sg.f): हारती (haartii)
habitual/simple (pl.f): हारतीं (haartiin)
continuous (sg.m): हार रहा (haar rahaa)
continuous (pl.m): हार रहे (haar rahe)
continuous (sg.f): हार रही (haar rahii)
continuous (pl.f): हार रहीं (haar rahiin)
perfective (sg.m): हारा (haaraa)
perfective (pl.m): हारे (haare)
perfective (sg.f): हारी (haarii)
perfective (pl.f): हारीं (haariin)
imperative (informal): हार (haar)
imperative (neutral): हारो (haaro)
imperative (formal): हारिए (haarie)
future (1sg.m): हारूँगा (haaroongaa)
future (1sg.f): हारूँगी (haaroongii)
future (1pl.m): हारेंगे (haarenge)
future (1pl.f): हारेंगी (haarengii)
future (2sg.m): हारेगा (haaregaa)
future (2sg.f): हारेगी (haaregii)
future (2pl.m): हारोगे (haaroge)
future (2pl.f): हारोगी (haarogii)
future (3sg.m): हारेगा (haaregaa)
future (3sg.f): हारेगी (haaregii)
future (3pl.m): हारेंगे (haarenge)
future (3pl.f): हारेंगी (haarengii)
subjunctive (1sg): हारूँ (haaroon)
subjunctive (1pl): हारें (haaren)
subjunctive (2sg): हारे (haare)
subjunctive (2pl): हारो (haaro)
subjunctive (3sg): हारे (haare)
subjunctive (3pl): हारें (haaren)