बेचना (bechnaa)
verb
A single core sense: to sell. Extends naturally into a common figurative idiom about selling out one's dignity or principles.
Sense
1
:
to sell (goods, property, etc.)
verb, transitive
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: बेचना (bechnaa) pairs with its intransitive twin बिकना (biknaa) the way English 'sell' shifts between 'she sold the car' and 'the car sold quickly' -- except Hindi marks that shift with a completely different verb rather than the same one used both ways. You will hear this constantly in bazaar contexts: सब्ज़ी बेचना (sabzii bechnaa), फल बेचना (phal bechnaa), things a रेहड़ी (rehdii) vendor does all day.
Common Mistakes: 1) This is a transitive verb, so in the perfective it takes ने (ne): उसने घर बेचा (usne ghar bechaa, 'he/she sold the house'), not उसने घर बेचा with wrong agreement -- the past participle agrees with the object (घर, masculine), not the subject. 2) Learners sometimes confuse बेचना (bechnaa, 'to sell') with बिकना (biknaa, 'to be sold'), which is the intransitive counterpart used when talking about the goods themselves as the grammatical subject: यह किताब अच्छी बिकती है (yah kitaab achchhii biktii hai, 'this book sells well').
Sample Sentences:
वह सड़क के किनारे फल बेचता है।
He sells fruit by the roadside.
(vah sadak ke kinaare phal bechtaa hai।)
मैंने अपनी पुरानी साइकिल बेच दी।
I sold my old bicycle.
(mainne apnii puraanii saaikil bech dii।)
वह मंडी में सब्ज़ी बेच रही है।
She is selling vegetables in the market.
(vah mandii men sabzii bech rahii hai।)
क्या तुम यह मकान बेचोगे?
Will you sell this house?
(kyaa tum yah makaan bechoge?)
यह सामान बाज़ार में नहीं बेचा जाता।
This item is not sold in the market.
(yah saamaan baazaar men nahiin bechaa jaataa।)
अपनी ज़मीन मत बेचो, इसकी कीमत बढ़ेगी।
Don't sell your land, its value will go up.
(apnii zamiin mat becho, iskii kiimat badhegii।)
अगर मुझे पैसों की सख्त ज़रूरत होती, तो मैं यह गहना बेच देता।
If I had a desperate need for money, I would have sold this jewelry.
(agar mujhe paison kii sakht zaroorat hotii, to main yah gahnaa bech detaa।)
कंपनी चाहती है कि वे अपने शेयर बेच दें।
The company wants them to sell their shares.
(kampnii chaahtii hai ki ve apne sheyar bech den।)
रेहड़ी वाला हर सुबह ताज़ी सब्ज़ी बेचता है।
The cart vendor sells fresh vegetables every morning.
(rehdii vaalaa har subah taazii sabzii bechtaa hai।)
सरकारी ज़मीन को नियमों के तहत बेचा जाता है।
Government land is sold under regulations.
(sarkaarii zamiin ko niymon ke tahat bechaa jaataa hai।)
उन्होंने अपनी दुकान बेच दी और शहर छोड़ दिया।
They sold their shop and left the city.
(unhonne apnii dukaan bech dii aur shahar chhod diyaa।)
Sense
2
:
to sell out, betray (one's honor, principles, conscience) -- figurative
verb, transitive Occurs almost exclusively in fixed phrases with abstract nouns as object, e.g. ईमान बेचना (iimaan bechnaa, 'to sell one's integrity'), ज़मीर बेचना (zamiir bechnaa, 'to sell one's conscience').
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This figurative extension shows up in political and moral commentary: कहा जाता है कि उसने अपना ज़मीर बेच दिया (kahaa jaataa hai ki usne apnaa zamiir bech diyaa, 'it is said that he sold his conscience'). The compound-verb form बेच देना (bech denaa) often intensifies this sense, underscoring the completeness of the betrayal.
Sample Sentences:
कहा जाता है कि उसने अपना ज़मीर बेच दिया।
It is said that he sold his conscience.
(kahaa jaataa hai ki usne apnaa zamiir bech diyaa।)
नेता लोग अक्सर पैसों के लिए अपना ईमान बेच देते हैं।
Politicians often sell their integrity for money.
(netaa log aksar paison ke lie apnaa iimaan bech dete hain।)
अपनी आत्मा मत बेच, चाहे कुछ भी हो जाए।
Don't sell your soul, no matter what happens.
(apnii aatmaa mat bech, chaahe kuchh bhii ho jaae।)
अगर मैं अपने सिद्धांत बेच देता, तो आज मैं यहाँ नहीं होता।
If I had sold out my principles, I wouldn't be here today.
(agar main apne siddhaant bech detaa, to aaj main yahaan nahiin hotaa।)
यह अफ़सोस की बात है कि उन्होंने पद के लिए अपनी इज़्ज़त बेच दी।
It's a matter of regret that he sold his honor for a position.
(yah afsos kii baat hai ki unhonne pad ke lie apnii izzat bech dii।)
क्या तुम सचमुच अपना ज़मीर बेच सकते हो?
Can you really sell out your conscience?
(kyaa tum sachmuch apnaa zamiir bech sakte ho?)
इतिहास में ऐसे कई लोग रहे हैं जिन्होंने सत्ता के लोभ में अपनी वफ़ादारी बेच दी।
History has seen many people who sold their loyalty out of greed for power.
(itihaas men aise kaii log rahe hain jinhonne sattaa ke lobh men apnii vafaadaarii bech dii।)
काश वह इतनी आसानी से अपना स्वाभिमान न बेचता।
If only he hadn't sold his self-respect so easily.
(kaash vah itnii aasaanii se apnaa svaabhimaan n bechtaa।)
यह दुख की बात है कि कुछ पत्रकार अपनी कलम की आज़ादी बेच बैठते हैं।
It's sad that some journalists end up selling the freedom of their pen.
(yah dukh kii baat hai ki kuchh patrkaar apnii kalam kii aazaadii bech baithte hain।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
बेचना
(bechnaa)
infinitive oblique:
बेचने
(bechne)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
बेचता
(bechtaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
बेचते
(bechte)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
बेचती
(bechtii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
बेचतीं
(bechtiin)
continuous (sg.m):
बेच रहा
(bech rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
बेच रहे
(bech rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
बेच रही
(bech rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
बेच रहीं
(bech rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
बेचा
(bechaa)
perfective (pl.m):
बेचे
(beche)
perfective (sg.f):
बेची
(bechii)
perfective (pl.f):
बेचीं
(bechiin)
imperative (informal):
बेच
(bech)
imperative (neutral):
बेचो
(becho)
imperative (formal):
बेचिए
(bechie)
future (1sg.m):
बेचूँगा
(bechoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
बेचूँगी
(bechoongii)
future (1pl.m):
बेचेंगे
(bechenge)
future (1pl.f):
बेचेंगी
(bechengii)
future (2sg.m):
बेचेगा
(bechegaa)
future (2sg.f):
बेचेगी
(bechegii)
future (2pl.m):
बेचोगे
(bechoge)
future (2pl.f):
बेचोगी
(bechogii)
future (3sg.m):
बेचेगा
(bechegaa)
future (3sg.f):
बेचेगी
(bechegii)
future (3pl.m):
बेचेंगे
(bechenge)
future (3pl.f):
बेचेंगी
(bechengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
बेचूँ
(bechoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
बेचें
(bechen)
subjunctive (2sg):
बेचे
(beche)
subjunctive (2pl):
बेचो
(becho)
subjunctive (3sg):
बेचे
(beche)
subjunctive (3pl):
बेचें
(bechen)