पकाना (pakaanaa)
verb
The main sense is 'to cook' (to prepare food by applying heat), transitive and causative in feel since it is the causative of पकना (paknaa, 'to ripen/cook [on its own]'). A secondary, informal figurative sense means 'to bore someone senseless' by talking on and on.
Sense
1
:
to cook food
verb, transitive
Synonyms: बनाना (banaanaa, also means 'to make/prepare food')
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: पकाना (pakaanaa) is the causative partner of पकना (paknaa) ('to ripen, to cook by itself') -- the same root pattern you see in पीना/पिलाना (piinaa/pilaanaa) or सोना/सुलाना (sonaa/sulaanaa): someone causes the base action to happen. In a Delhi kitchen you will hear खाना पका लो (khaanaa pakaa lo, 'go cook some food') constantly -- it is the default verb for the whole act of cooking a meal, not just one technique.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes use पकाना (pakaanaa) and बनाना (banaanaa) as if fully interchangeable; पकाना (pakaanaa) specifically evokes the heat/cooking process itself (boiling, simmering, roasting), while बनाना (banaanaa) is the more general 'to prepare/make' a dish, used even for things that involve no fire, like a sandwich or salad. 2) This is a transitive verb taking ने (ne) in the perfective (मैंने खाना पकाया, mainne khaanaa pakaayaa, 'I cooked food') -- don't drop the ने (ne) by analogy with intransitive पकना (paknaa).
Sample Sentences:
माँ रोज़ सुबह खाना पकाती हैं।
Mom cooks food every morning.
(maan roz subah khaanaa pakaatii hain।)
वह अभी रसोई में सब्ज़ी पका रही है।
She is cooking the vegetables in the kitchen right now.
(vah abhii rasoii men sabzii pakaa rahii hai।)
उसने रात का खाना पका लिया।
She finished cooking dinner.
(usne raat kaa khaanaa pakaa liyaa।)
जरा खाना पका लो, मुझे भूख लगी है।
Go cook some food, I'm hungry.
(jaraa khaanaa pakaa lo, mujhe bhookh lagii hai।)
कल शाम तक मैं बिरयानी पका चुकूँगी।
By tomorrow evening I will have already finished cooking the biryani.
(kal shaam tak main biryaanii pakaa chukoongii।)
अगर आटा भीगा होता तो मैं रोटियाँ पका देती।
If the dough had been soaked, I would have made rotis.
(agar aataa bhiigaa hotaa to main rotiyaan pakaa detii।)
क्या तुम मेरे लिए थोड़ा दाल-चावल पका सकते हो?
Can you cook some dal-rice for me?
(kyaa tum mere lie thodaa daal-chaaval pakaa sakte ho?)
इस त्योहार पर खीर पकाई जाती है।
Kheer is cooked on this festival.
(is tyohaar par khiir pakaaii jaatii hai।)
शायद वह मेरे लिए खाना पका दे।
Maybe she'll cook food for me.
(shaayad vah mere lie khaanaa pakaa de।)
इस बर्तन में चावल जल्दी पक जाते हैं, तो ध्यान से पकाना।
Rice cooks fast in this pot, so cook it carefully.
(is bartan men chaaval jaldii pak jaate hain, to dhyaan se pakaanaa।)
सर्दियों में वे हर हफ्ते साग पकाते थे।
In winters, they used to cook saag every week.
(sardiyon men ve har haphte saag pakaate the।)
Sense
2
:
to bore someone with endless talk (figurative)
verb, transitive Used almost always as दिमाग पकाना (dimaagh pakaanaa, 'to cook someone's brain') or सिर पकाना (sir pakaanaa, 'to cook someone's head') -- the object is the listener's mind/head, marked with को (ko), e.g. मेरा दिमाग़ मत पकाओ (meraa dimaagh mat pakaao, 'don't fry my brain / don't go on at me').
Synonyms: बोर करना (bor karnaa, English loan, informal)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This is one of the most common bits of Delhi youth slang: दिमाग़ मत पका (dimaagh mat pakaa, 'don't fry my brain') is what you say to a friend who won't stop nagging or over-explaining something. It plays on the same 'cooking' image as the literal sense -- someone's endless talking is metaphorically 'cooking' your brain the way heat slowly cooks food.
Common Mistakes: 1) This sense is colloquial and almost always appears fixed with दिमाग़ (dimaagh) or सिर (sir) as the object -- पकाना (pakaanaa) alone, without one of these, will usually just be understood as literal cooking, not as 'annoying.' 2) It is mildly irritated/informal in tone -- not appropriate in formal writing or with strangers/elders in a respectful register.
Sample Sentences:
दिमाग़ मत पका, यार!
Don't fry my brain, dude!
(dimaagh mat pakaa, yaar!)
वो हर मीटिंग में सबका दिमाग़ पका देता है।
He bores everyone to death in every meeting.
(vo har miiting men sabkaa dimaagh pakaa detaa hai।)
तू एक ही बात को बार-बार बोलकर मेरा दिमाग़ पका रहा है।
You're going on and on at me, saying the same thing over and over.
(too ek hii baat ko baar-baar bolkar meraa dimaagh pakaa rahaa hai।)
उसने कल फ़ोन पर घंटों बातें करके मेरा दिमाग़ पका दिया।
He bored me to death yesterday, talking on the phone for hours.
(usne kal fon par ghanton baaten karke meraa dimaagh pakaa diyaa।)
अगर तू ऐसे ही समझाता रहा तो सबका दिमाग़ पक जाएगा।
If you keep explaining like this, you're going to bore everyone to death.
(agar too aise hii samjhaataa rahaa to sabkaa dimaagh pak jaaegaa।)
काश वो इतनी बकवास करके मेरा दिमाग़ न पकाता।
I wish he wouldn't go on and on at me with so much nonsense.
(kaash vo itnii bakvaas karke meraa dimaagh n pakaataa।)
बॉस के लेक्चर से मेरा दिमाग़ पक गया।
My brain got fried by the boss's lecture.
(bos ke lekchar se meraa dimaagh pak gayaa।)
इतना मत पकाओ, सीधा मुद्दे पर आओ।
Don't drone on so much, just get straight to the point.
(itnaa mat pakaao, siidhaa mudde par aao।)
क्या फ़ायदा इतना पकाने का, अगर कोई सुन ही नहीं रहा?
What's the point of going on and on if no one's even listening?
(kyaa faaydaa itnaa pakaane kaa, agar koii sun hii nahiin rahaa?)
मेरा दिमाग़ पकाया जा रहा है इस ग्रुप चैट में।
My brain is being fried in this group chat.
(meraa dimaagh pakaayaa jaa rahaa hai is grup chait men।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
पकाना
(pakaanaa)
infinitive oblique:
पकाने
(pakaane)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
पकाता
(pakaataa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
पकाते
(pakaate)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
पकाती
(pakaatii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
पकातीं
(pakaatiin)
continuous (sg.m):
पका रहा
(pakaa rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
पका रहे
(pakaa rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
पका रही
(pakaa rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
पका रहीं
(pakaa rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
पकाया
(pakaayaa)
perfective (pl.m):
पकाए
(pakaae)
perfective (sg.f):
पकाई
(pakaaii)
perfective (pl.f):
पकाईं
(pakaaiin)
imperative (informal):
पका
(pakaa)
imperative (neutral):
पकाओ
(pakaao)
imperative (formal):
पकाइए
(pakaaie)
future (1sg.m):
पकाऊँगा
(pakaaoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
पकाऊँगी
(pakaaoongii)
future (1pl.m):
पकाएँगे
(pakaaenge)
future (1pl.f):
पकाएँगी
(pakaaengii)
future (2sg.m):
पकाएगा
(pakaaegaa)
future (2sg.f):
पकाएगी
(pakaaegii)
future (2pl.m):
पकाओगे
(pakaaoge)
future (2pl.f):
पकाओगी
(pakaaogii)
future (3sg.m):
पकाएगा
(pakaaegaa)
future (3sg.f):
पकाएगी
(pakaaegii)
future (3pl.m):
पकाएँगे
(pakaaenge)
future (3pl.f):
पकाएँगी
(pakaaengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
पकाऊँ
(pakaaoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
पकाएँ
(pakaaen)
subjunctive (2sg):
पकाए
(pakaae)
subjunctive (2pl):
पकाओ
(pakaao)
subjunctive (3sg):
पकाए
(pakaae)
subjunctive (3pl):
पकाएँ
(pakaaen)