पोतना (potnaa)
verb
A physical verb meaning to smear, coat, or plaster a surface with a thick or wet substance -- whitewash on a wall, mud on a floor, paint on wood. It also has a common figurative extension for smearing something (like blame or a mess) messily onto a situation.
Sense
1
:
to smear, coat, plaster (a surface with a substance)
verb, transitive Takes the surface as object with the substance marked by से (se): दीवार पर चूना पोतना (diivaar par choonaa potnaa, 'to whitewash the wall with lime').
Synonyms: लगाना (lagaanaa), लीपना (liipnaa, often paired with this word for mud/cow-dung floors)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This word brings up village and old-Delhi-mohalla imagery -- women whitewashing outer walls with चूना (choonaa, lime) before Diwali, or plastering courtyard floors with mud and cow-dung (गोबर से लीपना-पोतना (gobar se liipnaa-potnaa, 'to plaster with cow-dung')). लीपना-पोतना (liipnaa-potnaa) is a set phrase for this whole ritual of home upkeep.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for लगाना (lagaanaa) here, but पोतना (potnaa) specifically implies a thick, messy, or wet coating spread by hand or brush -- whitewash, mud, tar, paint -- not just any application. 2) The substance being smeared is marked with से (se) while the surface is the direct object: दीवार को रंग से पोतना (diivaar ko rang se potnaa, 'to smear the wall with paint'), which can feel backwards to English speakers who think of 'applying paint to the wall.'
Sample Sentences:
दिवाली से पहले औरतें दीवारों पर चूना पोतती हैं।
Before Diwali, the women whitewash the walls with lime.
(divaalii se pahle aurten diivaaron par choonaa pottii hain।)
दादी ने आँगन को गोबर से लीपा-पोता।
Grandmother plastered the courtyard with cow-dung.
(daadii ne aangan ko gobar se liipaa-potaa।)
कल हम पूरे घर की दीवारों पर चूना पोतेंगे।
Tomorrow we will coat the walls of the whole house with lime.
(kal ham poore ghar kii diivaaron par choonaa potenge।)
दीवार पर चूना पोत दो, त्योहार आ रहा है।
Coat the wall with lime, the festival is coming.
(diivaar par choonaa pot do, tyohaar aa rahaa hai।)
गाँव में लोग अभी भी झोंपड़ी की दीवारों पर मिट्टी पोत रहे हैं।
In the village, people are still coating the hut's walls with mud.
(gaanv men log abhii bhii jhompdii kii diivaaron par mittii pot rahe hain।)
अगर मिट्टी होती तो हम दीवार पोत लेते।
If there had been mud, we would have plastered the wall.
(agar mittii hotii to ham diivaar pot lete।)
हर साल त्योहार से पहले पूरा घर लीपा-पोता जाता है।
Every year before the festival the whole house is whitewashed and plastered.
(har saal tyohaar se pahle pooraa ghar liipaa-potaa jaataa hai।)
उस ज़माने में लोग घर की दीवारों को गोबर और मिट्टी से पोतते थे।
In those days, people used to coat the walls of the house with cow-dung and mud.
(us zamaane men log ghar kii diivaaron ko gobar aur mittii se potte the।)
शायद मालकिन ने अभी तक रसोई की दीवार न पोती हो।
Perhaps the lady of the house has not yet coated the kitchen wall.
(shaayad maalkin ne abhii tak rasoii kii diivaar n potii ho।)
पूजा से पहले चौका मिट्टी से पोता जाता है।
Before the worship, the cooking square is plastered with mud.
(poojaa se pahle chaukaa mittii se potaa jaataa hai।)
Sense
2
:
to smear on messily/carelessly (of makeup, paint, etc.)
verb, transitive
Synonyms: थोपना (thopnaa, to slap on/impose, slightly different but overlapping in careless application)
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: You'll hear this when someone teases another for overdoing makeup or face cream: चेहरे पर पाउडर पोत लिया (chehre par paaudar pot liyaa, 'she's slapped powder all over her face') -- affectionately mocking, the way a mother might rib a daughter getting ready for a wedding.
Common Mistakes: 1) This sense carries a mildly negative or comic tone -- excessive or clumsy application, as with makeup or cream -- so using it for a neat, deliberate application (like applying medicine carefully) can sound off; लगाना (lagaanaa) is safer there.
Sample Sentences:
उसने चेहरे पर पाउडर पोत लिया।
She's slapped powder all over her face.
(usne chehre par paaudar pot liyaa।)
इतनी क्रीम मत पोतो, अच्छी नहीं लगती।
Don't slap on so much cream, it doesn't look good.
(itnii kriim mat poto, achchhii nahiin lagtii।)
वह हर रोज़ मुँह पर लिपस्टिक पोत लेती है।
She slaps lipstick all over her mouth every single day.
(vah har roz munh par lipastik pot letii hai।)
देखो तो, कैसे बेढंगे तरीके से आँखों पर काजल पोत रही है।
Look at her, slapping kajal on her eyes so clumsily.
(dekho to, kaise bedhange tariike se aankhon par kaajal pot rahii hai।)
शादी के लिए तैयार होते वक्त उसने सारा फ़ेस पैक पोत डाला था।
While getting ready for the wedding, she'd slapped the whole face pack all over herself.
(shaadii ke lie taiyaar hote vakt usne saaraa fes paik pot daalaa thaa।)
अरे, इतना फाउंडेशन क्यों पोत लिया, भूत जैसी दिख रही हो।
Hey, why have you slapped on so much foundation, you look like a ghost.
(are, itnaa phaaundeshan kyon pot liyaa, bhoot jaisii dikh rahii ho।)
अगर तुम इतनी क्रीम पोतोगी तो पिंपल्स और बढ़ेंगे।
If you keep slapping on so much cream, your pimples will only get worse.
(agar tum itnii kriim potogii to pimpals aur badhenge।)
काश वह इतना मेकअप न पोतती, नैचुरल ही अच्छी लगती है।
I wish she wouldn't slap on so much makeup, she looks good just natural.
(kaash vah itnaa mekaap n pottii, naichural hii achchhii lagtii hai।)
बहन ने दुल्हन के मुँह पर इतना पाउडर पोता कि पहचानना मुश्किल हो गया।
The sister slapped so much powder on the bride's face that she became hard to recognize.
(bahan ne dulhan ke munh par itnaa paaudar potaa ki pahchaannaa mushkil ho gayaa।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
पोतना
(potnaa)
infinitive oblique:
पोतने
(potne)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
पोतता
(pottaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
पोतते
(potte)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
पोतती
(pottii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
पोततीं
(pottiin)
continuous (sg.m):
पोत रहा
(pot rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
पोत रहे
(pot rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
पोत रही
(pot rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
पोत रहीं
(pot rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
पोता
(potaa)
perfective (pl.m):
पोते
(pote)
perfective (sg.f):
पोती
(potii)
perfective (pl.f):
पोतीं
(potiin)
imperative (informal):
पोत
(pot)
imperative (neutral):
पोतो
(poto)
imperative (formal):
पोतिए
(potie)
future (1sg.m):
पोतूँगा
(potoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
पोतूँगी
(potoongii)
future (1pl.m):
पोतेंगे
(potenge)
future (1pl.f):
पोतेंगी
(potengii)
future (2sg.m):
पोतेगा
(potegaa)
future (2sg.f):
पोतेगी
(potegii)
future (2pl.m):
पोतोगे
(potoge)
future (2pl.f):
पोतोगी
(potogii)
future (3sg.m):
पोतेगा
(potegaa)
future (3sg.f):
पोतेगी
(potegii)
future (3pl.m):
पोतेंगे
(potenge)
future (3pl.f):
पोतेंगी
(potengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
पोतूँ
(potoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
पोतें
(poten)
subjunctive (2sg):
पोते
(pote)
subjunctive (2pl):
पोतो
(poto)
subjunctive (3sg):
पोते
(pote)
subjunctive (3pl):
पोतें
(poten)