धोखा देना (dhokhaa denaa)
verb
A compound verb built from धोखा (dhokhaa, 'deceit/trick') plus देना (denaa, 'to give') -- literally 'to give deceit,' i.e. to cheat, deceive, or betray someone.
Sense
1
:
to cheat, deceive, betray (a person, in relationships/trust/business)
verb, transitive Takes the person deceived marked with को (ko): उसने मुझे धोखा दिया (usne mujhe dhokhaa diyaa, 'he/she deceived me').
Synonyms: छलना (chhalnaa, literary), फ़रेब करना (fareb karnaa), बेवफ़ाई करना (bevfaaii karnaa, used specifically for romantic betrayal), ठगना (thagnaa, stronger, implies swindling)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This phrase carries real emotional weight in Hindi -- it's the go-to phrase in film and daily conversation for betrayal in love, friendship, or business, and pairs naturally with भरोसा (bharosaa, 'trust') and वफ़ा (vafaa, 'faithfulness'), as in भरोसा तोड़ना (bharosaa todnaa, 'to break trust'). Its mirror-image partner is धोखा खाना (dhokhaa khaanaa, 'to be cheated/deceived'), which every learner should learn alongside this one since Hindi treats the giver and receiver of deceit as two distinct verbal frames.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes use से (se) instead of को (ko) for the person deceived -- it is धोखा किसी को देना (dhokhaa kisii ko denaa), not धोखा किसी से देना (dhokhaa kisii se denaa). 2) Don't confuse with धोखा खाना (dhokhaa khaanaa, 'to be deceived') -- देना (denaa) is for the one doing the deceiving, खाना (khaanaa) for the one deceived. 3) As a transitive compound verb with देना (denaa), it takes ने (ne) marking on the subject in the perfective, just as regular transitive verbs do.
Sample Sentences:
उसने अपनी पत्नी को धोखा दिया।
He cheated on his wife.
(usne apnii patnii ko dhokhaa diyaa।)
वह अपने दोस्तों को कभी धोखा नहीं देता।
He never betrays his friends.
(vah apne doston ko kabhii dhokhaa nahiin detaa।)
मुझे धोखा मत दो, मैं तुम पर भरोसा करती हूँ।
Don't deceive me, I trust you.
(mujhe dhokhaa mat do, main tum par bharosaa kartii hoon।)
अगर तुम मुझे धोखा देते, तो मैं तुम्हें कभी माफ़ नहीं करती।
If you had betrayed me, I would never have forgiven you.
(agar tum mujhe dhokhaa dete, to main tumhen kabhii maaf nahiin kartii।)
पता चला कि उसका पार्टनर उसे व्यापार में धोखा दे रहा था।
It turned out that his partner was cheating him in business.
(pataa chalaa ki uskaa paartnar use vyaapaar men dhokhaa de rahaa thaa।)
इस बार वह अपनी टीम को धोखा नहीं देगा।
This time he will not betray his team.
(is baar vah apnii tiim ko dhokhaa nahiin degaa।)
फ़िल्म में हीरो को उसकी अपनी बीवी धोखा देती है।
In the film, the hero's own wife betrays him.
(film men hiiro ko uskii apnii biivii dhokhaa detii hai।)
मुझे डर है कि वह मुझे धोखा दे सकता है।
I fear that he might deceive me.
(mujhe dar hai ki vah mujhe dhokhaa de saktaa hai।)
जिस दोस्त पर उसने सबसे ज़्यादा भरोसा किया, उसी ने उसे धोखा दिया।
The very friend he trusted the most was the one who betrayed him.
(jis dost par usne sabse zyaadaa bharosaa kiyaa, usii ne use dhokhaa diyaa।)
क्या तुम सच में मुझे धोखा दे रहे हो?
Are you really cheating on me?
(kyaa tum sach men mujhe dhokhaa de rahe ho?)
उसकी वफ़ा का दावा करके भी उसने आखिर में धोखा ही दिया।
Even after claiming his faithfulness, in the end he only betrayed her.
(uskii vafaa kaa daavaa karke bhii usne aakhir men dhokhaa hii diyaa।)
Morphology
Verb (irregular)
infinitive:
धोखा देना
(dhokhaa denaa)
infinitive oblique:
धोखा देने
(dhokhaa dene)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
धोखा देता
(dhokhaa detaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
धोखा देते
(dhokhaa dete)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
धोखा देती
(dhokhaa detii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
धोखा देतीं
(dhokhaa detiin)
continuous (sg.m):
धोखा दे रहा
(dhokhaa de rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
धोखा दे रहे
(dhokhaa de rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
धोखा दे रही
(dhokhaa de rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
धोखा दे रहीं
(dhokhaa de rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
धोखा दिया
(dhokhaa diyaa)
perfective (pl.m):
धोखा दिए
(dhokhaa die)
perfective (sg.f):
धोखा दी
(dhokhaa dii)
perfective (pl.f):
धोखा दीं
(dhokhaa diin)
imperative (informal):
धोखा दे
(dhokhaa de)
imperative (neutral):
धोखा दो
(dhokhaa do)
imperative (formal):
धोखा दीजिए
(dhokhaa diijie)
future (1sg.m):
धोखा दूँगा
(dhokhaa doongaa)
future (1sg.f):
धोखा दूँगी
(dhokhaa doongii)
future (1pl.m):
धोखा देंगे
(dhokhaa denge)
future (1pl.f):
धोखा देंगी
(dhokhaa dengii)
future (2sg.m):
धोखा देगा
(dhokhaa degaa)
future (2sg.f):
धोखा देगी
(dhokhaa degii)
future (2pl.m):
धोखा दोगे
(dhokhaa doge)
future (2pl.f):
धोखा दोगी
(dhokhaa dogii)
future (3sg.m):
धोखा देगा
(dhokhaa degaa)
future (3sg.f):
धोखा देगी
(dhokhaa degii)
future (3pl.m):
धोखा देंगे
(dhokhaa denge)
future (3pl.f):
धोखा देंगी
(dhokhaa dengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
धोखा दूँ
(dhokhaa doon)
subjunctive (1pl):
धोखा दें
(dhokhaa den)
subjunctive (2sg):
धोखा दे
(dhokhaa de)
subjunctive (2pl):
धोखा दो
(dhokhaa do)
subjunctive (3sg):
धोखा दे
(dhokhaa de)
subjunctive (3pl):
धोखा दें
(dhokhaa den)