इम्तहान देना (imtahaan denaa)
verb
A compound verb phrase meaning 'to take/sit an exam' -- built from the Urdu-origin noun इम्तहान (imtahaan, 'exam') plus देना (denaa, 'to give'). Hindi frames the test-taker as the one 'giving' the exam, the mirror image of the English idiom.
Sense
1
:
to take/sit an exam
verb, transitive इम्तहान (imtahaan) takes ने (ne) marking on the subject in the perfective, following the transitive behavior of देना (denaa).
Synonyms: परीक्षा देना (pariikshaa denaa)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This give/take reversal trips up almost every English-speaking learner at first -- in Hindi, the exam is a thing you 'give' (देना, denaa) to prove yourself, while the examiner is the one who 'takes' (लेना, lenaa) it from you, almost like handing in your performance for judgment. Once you internalize this, you'll hear it constantly around exam season in Delhi -- proud parents asking बच्चे ने इम्तहान कैसा दिया? (bachche ne imtahaan kaisaa diyaa?, 'How did the child do on the exam?')
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners instinctively say इम्तहान लेना (imtahaan lenaa) by analogy with English 'take an exam,' but इम्तहान लेना (imtahaan lenaa) actually means the teacher/examiner is administering the exam, not the student sitting it -- the roles are swapped from English. 2) The student is the subject of देना (denaa), not लेना (lenaa): मैंने इम्तहान दिया (mainne imtahaan diyaa, 'I took the exam') is correct; मैंने इम्तहान लिया (mainne imtahaan liyaa) would mean 'I administered the exam.'
Sample Sentences:
मैं कल गणित का इम्तहान देता हूँ।
I take my math exam tomorrow.
(main kal ganit kaa imtahaan detaa hoon।)
वह इस वक़्त अपना अंग्रेज़ी का इम्तहान दे रही है।
She is taking her English exam right now.
(vah is vaqt apnaa angrezii kaa imtahaan de rahii hai।)
बच्चे ने इम्तहान कैसा दिया?
How did the child do on the exam?
(bachche ne imtahaan kaisaa diyaa?)
अगर मैंने पूरी तैयारी की होती, तो इम्तहान बेहतर देता।
If I had prepared fully, I would have taken the exam better.
(agar mainne poorii taiyaarii kii hotii, to imtahaan behtar detaa।)
कल तक सारी किताबें पढ़ लो, वरना अच्छा इम्तहान नहीं दे पाओगे।
Finish reading all the books by tomorrow, or else you won't be able to take a good exam.
(kal tak saarii kitaaben padh lo, varnaa achchhaa imtahaan nahiin de paaoge।)
बोर्ड का इम्तहान देते समय बहुत घबराहट होती है।
While taking board exams, one feels a lot of nervousness.
(bord kaa imtahaan dete samay bahut ghabraahat hotii hai।)
उम्मीदवारों से अनुरोध है कि वे शांतिपूर्वक अपना इम्तहान दें।
Candidates are requested to take their exam peacefully.
(ummiidvaaron se anurodh hai ki ve shaantipoorvak apnaa imtahaan den।)
इम्तहान दे दो, फिर जो होगा देखा जाएगा।
Just take the exam, whatever happens we'll deal with it later.
(imtahaan de do, phir jo hogaa dekhaa jaaegaa।)
मुझे डर है कि इस बार का इम्तहान कहीं अच्छा न दे पाऊँ।
I'm afraid I might not be able to take this exam well.
(mujhe dar hai ki is baar kaa imtahaan kahiin achchhaa n de paaoon।)
हर साल लाखों छात्र यह प्रतियोगी इम्तहान देते हैं।
Every year, millions of students take this competitive exam.
(har saal laakhon chhaatr yah pratiyogii imtahaan dete hain।)
यह इम्तहान इतने कड़े नियमों के तहत दिया जाता है कि नकल की गुंजाइश ही नहीं रहती।
This exam is taken under such strict rules that there's no room for cheating.
(yah imtahaan itne kade niymon ke tahat diyaa jaataa hai ki nakal kii gunjaaish hii nahiin rahtii।)
Morphology
Verb (irregular)
infinitive:
इम्तहान देना
(imtahaan denaa)
infinitive oblique:
इम्तहान देने
(imtahaan dene)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
इम्तहान देता
(imtahaan detaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
इम्तहान देते
(imtahaan dete)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
इम्तहान देती
(imtahaan detii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
इम्तहान देतीं
(imtahaan detiin)
continuous (sg.m):
इम्तहान दे रहा
(imtahaan de rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
इम्तहान दे रहे
(imtahaan de rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
इम्तहान दे रही
(imtahaan de rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
इम्तहान दे रहीं
(imtahaan de rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
इम्तहान दिया
(imtahaan diyaa)
perfective (pl.m):
इम्तहान दिए
(imtahaan die)
perfective (sg.f):
इम्तहान दी
(imtahaan dii)
perfective (pl.f):
इम्तहान दीं
(imtahaan diin)
imperative (informal):
इम्तहान दे
(imtahaan de)
imperative (neutral):
इम्तहान दो
(imtahaan do)
imperative (formal):
इम्तहान दीजिए
(imtahaan diijie)
future (1sg.m):
इम्तहान दूँगा
(imtahaan doongaa)
future (1sg.f):
इम्तहान दूँगी
(imtahaan doongii)
future (1pl.m):
इम्तहान देंगे
(imtahaan denge)
future (1pl.f):
इम्तहान देंगी
(imtahaan dengii)
future (2sg.m):
इम्तहान देगा
(imtahaan degaa)
future (2sg.f):
इम्तहान देगी
(imtahaan degii)
future (2pl.m):
इम्तहान दोगे
(imtahaan doge)
future (2pl.f):
इम्तहान दोगी
(imtahaan dogii)
future (3sg.m):
इम्तहान देगा
(imtahaan degaa)
future (3sg.f):
इम्तहान देगी
(imtahaan degii)
future (3pl.m):
इम्तहान देंगे
(imtahaan denge)
future (3pl.f):
इम्तहान देंगी
(imtahaan dengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
इम्तहान दूँ
(imtahaan doon)
subjunctive (1pl):
इम्तहान दें
(imtahaan den)
subjunctive (2sg):
इम्तहान दे
(imtahaan de)
subjunctive (2pl):
इम्तहान दो
(imtahaan do)
subjunctive (3sg):
इम्तहान दे
(imtahaan de)
subjunctive (3pl):
इम्तहान दें
(imtahaan den)