पचना (pachnaa)
verb
Primarily a physical verb meaning 'to be digested,' with a common figurative extension meaning 'to be absorbed/accepted' (an idea, insult, piece of news, or money) -- often used in negative constructions when something is hard to accept.
Sense
1
:
to be digested (food)
verb, intransitive The food is the grammatical subject, not the person: खाना पचता है (khaanaa pachtaa hai, 'the food gets digested'), not the person 'digesting' it in an active sense.
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Digestion is a favorite topic of everyday Hindi small talk, especially around heavy or oily food -- you'll hear things like तला हुआ खाना नहीं पचता (talaa huaa khaanaa nahiin pachtaa, 'fried food doesn't digest well') at family gatherings. This intransitive verb pairs with the causative पचाना (pachaanaa, 'to digest something, cause it to be digested'), which shifts agency onto a person or the stomach.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often try to make the person the subject as in English ('I digested the food'), but Hindi puts the food itself as subject: यह खाना नहीं पचता (yah khaanaa nahiin pachtaa, 'this food doesn't digest well'), with the person optionally marked by से (se) or को (ko) if mentioned at all -- मुझसे यह नहीं पचता (mujhse yah nahiin pachtaa).
Sample Sentences:
तला हुआ खाना नहीं पचता।
Fried food doesn't digest well.
(talaa huaa khaanaa nahiin pachtaa।)
रात का बचा हुआ खाना मुझसे नहीं पचता।
Last night's leftover food doesn't digest well for me.
(raat kaa bachaa huaa khaanaa mujhse nahiin pachtaa।)
कल रात की पूरी अभी तक नहीं पची है।
Last night's puri still hasn't digested.
(kal raat kii poorii abhii tak nahiin pachii hai।)
डॉक्टर ने कहा कि हल्का खाना ज़्यादा जल्दी पचता है।
The doctor said that light food digests much faster.
(doktar ne kahaa ki halkaa khaanaa zyaadaa jaldii pachtaa hai।)
अगर तुम धीरे-धीरे चबाकर खाओ, तो खाना अच्छे से पचेगा।
If you chew slowly, the food will digest well.
(agar tum dhiire-dhiire chabaakar khaao, to khaanaa achchhe se pachegaa।)
अगर वह इतनी मिर्च न खाता, तो खाना इतनी मुश्किल से न पचता।
If he didn't eat so much chili, the food wouldn't be so hard to digest.
(agar vah itnii mirch n khaataa, to khaanaa itnii mushkil se n pachtaa।)
खाना अच्छी तरह पचे, इसके लिए खाने के बाद थोड़ी देर टहलना चाहिए।
So that the food digests properly, one should walk a little after eating.
(khaanaa achchhii tarah pache, iske lie khaane ke baad thodii der tahalnaa chaahie।)
बुढ़ापे में खाना उतनी आसानी से नहीं पचता जितना जवानी में पचता था।
In old age, food doesn't digest as easily as it used to in youth.
(budhaape men khaanaa utnii aasaanii se nahiin pachtaa jitnaa javaanii men pachtaa thaa।)
इतना तेल-मसाला खाओगे तो पचेगा कैसे?
If you eat so much oil and spice, how will it digest?
(itnaa tel-masaalaa khaaoge to pachegaa kaise?)
आयुर्वेद के अनुसार, गुनगुना पानी पीने से भोजन शीघ्र पचता है।
According to Ayurveda, drinking lukewarm water helps food digest quickly.
(aayurved ke anusaar, gungunaa paanii piine se bhojan shiighr pachtaa hai।)
Sense
2
:
to be accepted/absorbed (figurative: an idea, insult, situation)
verb, intransitive Very commonly used in the negative to describe something a person cannot emotionally accept: उसकी तरक्की मुझसे नहीं पचती (uskii tarakkii mujhse nahiin pachtii, 'I can't stomach his promotion'), with the experiencer marked by से (se).
Synonyms: गले उतरना (gale utarnaa, 'to go down the throat,' idiomatic near-synonym for accepting an idea), बर्दाश्त होना (bardaasht honaa, to be tolerated)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the verb Hindi speakers reach for when someone's good fortune, promotion, or success is hard for others to swallow -- a very Delhi office/family scenario: पड़ोसी की नई गाड़ी किसी को नहीं पची (padosii kii naii gaadii kisii ko nahiin pachii, 'nobody could digest the neighbor's new car'). It captures envy and grudging non-acceptance in a wonderfully physical, food-rooted metaphor typical of Hindi's body-as-agent idiom style.
Common Mistakes: 1) This figurative sense almost always appears negated (नहीं पचना nahiin pachnaa) -- a positive statement like 'यह बात पचती है' sounds odd; native speakers reach for this verb specifically to express resentment or disbelief. 2) The experiencer takes से (se), not को (ko), which trips up learners used to दर्द होना (dard honaa)-style को-constructions.
Sample Sentences:
पड़ोसी की नई गाड़ी किसी को नहीं पची।
Nobody could digest the neighbor's new car.
(padosii kii naii gaadii kisii ko nahiin pachii।)
उसकी तरक्की मुझे नहीं पचती।
I can't digest his promotion.
(uskii tarakkii mujhe nahiin pachtii।)
यह बात मुझे बिल्कुल नहीं पच रही।
This thing just isn't sitting well with me at all.
(yah baat mujhe bilkul nahiin pach rahii।)
क्या तुम्हें उसकी बेइज़्ज़ती वाली बात पच जाएगी?
Will you actually be able to swallow that insult he gave you?
(kyaa tumhen uskii beizztii vaalii baat pach jaaegii?)
अगर वह सच बता देता तो शायद बात पच जाती।
If he had told the truth, maybe it would have been accepted.
(agar vah sach bataa detaa to shaayad baat pach jaatii।)
कुछ लोगों को दूसरों की खुशी कभी नहीं पचती।
Some people can never digest others' happiness.
(kuchh logon ko doosron kii khushii kabhii nahiin pachtii।)
मुझे डर है कि यह अपमान उससे पचेगा नहीं।
I'm afraid this humiliation won't sit well with him.
(mujhe dar hai ki yah apmaan usse pachegaa nahiin।)
उसकी बेतुकी सफलता किसी को पच नहीं रही थी।
Nobody was able to accept his absurd success.
(uskii betukii saphaltaa kisii ko pach nahiin rahii thii।)
समाज में स्त्री की स्वतंत्रता अभी भी बहुतों को नहीं पचती।
A woman's independence still doesn't sit well with many people in society.
(samaaj men strii kii svatantrtaa abhii bhii bahuton ko nahiin pachtii।)
भाई की तरक्की उसके अपने घरवालों को भी नहीं पची।
Even his own family couldn't digest his brother's success.
(bhaaii kii tarakkii uske apne gharvaalon ko bhii nahiin pachii।)
ऐसी अन्यायपूर्ण बात किसी सच्चे इंसान को कैसे पच सकती है?
How could such an unjust thing ever be swallowed by any honest person?
(aisii anyaaypoorn baat kisii sachche insaan ko kaise pach saktii hai?)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
पचना
(pachnaa)
infinitive oblique:
पचने
(pachne)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
पचता
(pachtaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
पचते
(pachte)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
पचती
(pachtii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
पचतीं
(pachtiin)
continuous (sg.m):
पच रहा
(pach rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
पच रहे
(pach rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
पच रही
(pach rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
पच रहीं
(pach rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
पचा
(pachaa)
perfective (pl.m):
पचे
(pache)
perfective (sg.f):
पची
(pachii)
perfective (pl.f):
पचीं
(pachiin)
imperative (informal):
पच
(pach)
imperative (neutral):
पचो
(pacho)
imperative (formal):
पचिए
(pachie)
future (1sg.m):
पचूँगा
(pachoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
पचूँगी
(pachoongii)
future (1pl.m):
पचेंगे
(pachenge)
future (1pl.f):
पचेंगी
(pachengii)
future (2sg.m):
पचेगा
(pachegaa)
future (2sg.f):
पचेगी
(pachegii)
future (2pl.m):
पचोगे
(pachoge)
future (2pl.f):
पचोगी
(pachogii)
future (3sg.m):
पचेगा
(pachegaa)
future (3sg.f):
पचेगी
(pachegii)
future (3pl.m):
पचेंगे
(pachenge)
future (3pl.f):
पचेंगी
(pachengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
पचूँ
(pachoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
पचें
(pachen)
subjunctive (2sg):
पचे
(pache)
subjunctive (2pl):
पचो
(pacho)
subjunctive (3sg):
पचे
(pache)
subjunctive (3pl):
पचें
(pachen)