गँवाना (ganvaanaa)
verb
One core meaning: to lose or waste something you had -- time, money, opportunity, health, or reputation -- usually through carelessness, neglect, or foolishness.
Sense
1
:
to waste or lose (something valuable) through carelessness
verb, transitive
Synonyms: बर्बाद करना (barbaad karnaa), खोना (khonaa, often for losing an object or feeling; गँवाना (ganvaanaa) stresses one's own fault or carelessness), नष्ट करना (nasht karnaa, more formal/literary)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the word every Hindi-speaking parent or teacher reaches for when scolding someone about squandered potential: वक़्त गँवाना (vaqt ganvaanaa, 'to waste time') and मौका गँवाना (maukaa ganvaanaa, 'to lose/blow a chance') are extremely common phrases, carrying a faint tone of regret or reproach that plain 'lose' doesn't capture in English.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for खोना (khonaa) in every 'lose' context, but गँवाना (ganvaanaa) specifically implies the loss was one's own fault -- squandered through carelessness, laziness, or bad judgment, not simply misplaced or lost by chance. 2) The object lost with गँवाना (ganvaanaa) is usually abstract or valuable -- समय (samay, time), मौका (maukaa, chance), इज़्ज़त (izzat, honor), पैसा (paisaa, money) -- rather than a physical object you simply can't find, like keys or a pen.
Sample Sentences:
समय मत गँवाओ, काम शुरू करो।
Don't waste time, start the work.
(samay mat ganvaao, kaam shuroo karo।)
उसने अपनी जवानी नशे में गँवा दी।
He wasted his youth in intoxication.
(usne apnii javaanii nashe men ganvaa dii।)
अगर तुम मौका गँवा दोगे तो फिर पछताओगे।
If you blow this chance, you'll regret it later.
(agar tum maukaa ganvaa doge to phir pachhtaaoge।)
वह हर बार अपना पैसा जुए में गँवा देता है।
He loses his money in gambling every single time.
(vah har baar apnaa paisaa jue men ganvaa detaa hai।)
काश मैंने वह सुनहरा मौका न गँवाया होता।
I wish I hadn't lost that golden opportunity.
(kaash mainne vah sunahraa maukaa n ganvaayaa hotaa।)
जब मैं कॉलेज में था तब मैं बहुत समय गँवाता था।
When I was in college, I used to waste a lot of time.
(jab main kolej men thaa tab main bahut samay ganvaataa thaa।)
इतनी मेहनत से बनाया हुआ मौका मत गँवाइए।
Please don't waste an opportunity built with so much effort.
(itnii mehnat se banaayaa huaa maukaa mat ganvaaie।)
लापरवाही की वजह से उसका सारा जमा-पूँजी गँवाया जा चुका था।
Due to carelessness, all his savings had already been squandered.
(laaparvaahii kii vajah se uskaa saaraa jamaa-poonjii ganvaayaa jaa chukaa thaa।)
मुझे डर है कि वह अपनी प्रतिष्ठा गँवा दे।
I fear that he might lose his reputation.
(mujhe dar hai ki vah apnii pratishthaa ganvaa de।)
एक पल भी मत गँवाओ, ट्रेन छूट जाएगी।
Don't waste even a single moment, the train will be missed.
(ek pal bhii mat ganvaao, tren chhoot jaaegii।)
वे अपनी जिंदगी के सबसे कीमती साल यूँ ही गँवा रहे हैं।
They are wasting away the most precious years of their lives just like that.
(ve apnii jindgii ke sabse kiimtii saal yoon hii ganvaa rahe hain।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
गँवाना
(ganvaanaa)
infinitive oblique:
गँवाने
(ganvaane)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
गँवाता
(ganvaataa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
गँवाते
(ganvaate)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
गँवाती
(ganvaatii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
गँवातीं
(ganvaatiin)
continuous (sg.m):
गँवा रहा
(ganvaa rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
गँवा रहे
(ganvaa rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
गँवा रही
(ganvaa rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
गँवा रहीं
(ganvaa rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
गँवाया
(ganvaayaa)
perfective (pl.m):
गँवाए
(ganvaae)
perfective (sg.f):
गँवाई
(ganvaaii)
perfective (pl.f):
गँवाईं
(ganvaaiin)
imperative (informal):
गँवा
(ganvaa)
imperative (neutral):
गँवाओ
(ganvaao)
imperative (formal):
गँवाइए
(ganvaaie)
future (1sg.m):
गँवाऊँगा
(ganvaaoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
गँवाऊँगी
(ganvaaoongii)
future (1pl.m):
गँवाएँगे
(ganvaaenge)
future (1pl.f):
गँवाएँगी
(ganvaaengii)
future (2sg.m):
गँवाएगा
(ganvaaegaa)
future (2sg.f):
गँवाएगी
(ganvaaegii)
future (2pl.m):
गँवाओगे
(ganvaaoge)
future (2pl.f):
गँवाओगी
(ganvaaogii)
future (3sg.m):
गँवाएगा
(ganvaaegaa)
future (3sg.f):
गँवाएगी
(ganvaaegii)
future (3pl.m):
गँवाएँगे
(ganvaaenge)
future (3pl.f):
गँवाएँगी
(ganvaaengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
गँवाऊँ
(ganvaaoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
गँवाएँ
(ganvaaen)
subjunctive (2sg):
गँवाए
(ganvaae)
subjunctive (2pl):
गँवाओ
(ganvaao)
subjunctive (3sg):
गँवाए
(ganvaae)
subjunctive (3pl):
गँवाएँ
(ganvaaen)