बनना (bannaa)
verb
Covers four senses: to become/turn into, to be made/built/prepared, to pretend/pose as, and (in a negated impersonal construction with a -ता/ते participle) to fail to come together for someone. Note also that बनना (bannaa) productively combines with nouns (बात बनना (baat bannaa), काम बनना (kaam bannaa)) to form idiomatic expressions with specialized, non-literal meanings -- these are treated as their own separate headwords, not senses of this word.
Sense
1
:
to become, turn into
verb, intransitive
Synonyms: होना (honaa, to become/happen), तब्दील होना (tabdiil honaa, to be transformed into)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the most basic, all-purpose sense of बनना (bannaa) and the one to internalize first -- it is the mirror image of बनाना (banaanaa), 'to make,' the way English pairs 'become' with 'make.'
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for होना (honaa) where बनना (bannaa) is needed for a change of state -- वह डॉक्टर बना (vah doktar banaa, 'he became a doctor') sounds natural, while वह डॉक्टर हुआ (vah doktar huaa) sounds odd for this meaning. 2) The complement (what someone becomes) stays in the nominative, not oblique -- वह अफ़सर बना (vah afsar banaa), not a marked form.
Sample Sentences:
बड़े होकर तुम क्या बनना चाहते हो?
What do you want to become when you grow up?
(bade hokar tum kyaa bannaa chaahte ho?)
वह मेहनत करके डॉक्टर बना।
He worked hard and became a doctor.
(vah mehnat karke doktar banaa।)
सर्दियों में पानी बर्फ बन जाता है।
In winter, water turns into ice.
(sardiyon men paanii barph ban jaataa hai।)
अगर तुम रोज़ अभ्यास करो, तो एक दिन अच्छे गायक बन जाओगे।
If you practice every day, you will become a good singer one day.
(agar tum roz abhyaas karo, to ek din achchhe gaayak ban jaaoge।)
काश मैं पक्षी बन पाता और उड़ सकता।
I wish I could become a bird and fly.
(kaash main pakshii ban paataa aur ud saktaa।)
अगर वह ईमानदार होता, तो अब तक बड़ा आदमी बन गया होता।
If he had been honest, he would have become a great man by now.
(agar vah iimaandaar hotaa, to ab tak badaa aadmii ban gayaa hotaa।)
मेहनत करो ताकि तुम सफल इंसान बन सको।
Work hard so that you can become a successful person.
(mehnat karo taaki tum saphal insaan ban sako।)
बड़े बनो, पर घमंडी मत बनो।
Become great, but don't become arrogant.
(bade bano, par ghamandii mat bano।)
समय के साथ शहर पूरी तरह बदल गया और यह एक महानगर बन गया है।
Over time the city completely changed and it has become a metropolis.
(samay ke saath shahar poorii tarah badal gayaa aur yah ek mahaangar ban gayaa hai।)
क्या तुम सच में उसकी बात सुनकर पत्थर बन गई?
Did you really turn to stone hearing what he said?
(kyaa tum sach men uskii baat sunkar patthar ban gaii?)
जब से उसने नौकरी छोड़ी है, वह एक अलग ही इंसान बनता जा रहा है।
Ever since he left the job, he has been becoming a whole different person.
(jab se usne naukrii chhodii hai, vah ek alag hii insaan bantaa jaa rahaa hai।)
Sense
2
:
to be made, built, prepared, formed
verb, intransitive Functions as the natural passive-like counterpart of बनाना (banaanaa) when the agent is unspecified or unimportant -- खाना बन गया (khaanaa ban gayaa, 'the food is ready/made') is far more common than any explicit passive construction.
Synonyms: तैयार होना (taiyaar honaa, especially for food), निर्मित होना (nirmit honaa, formal, for buildings/structures)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Ask anyone in a Delhi kitchen 'खाना बन गया?' (khaanaa ban gayaa?, 'is the food ready?') and this is exactly the sense in play -- बनना (bannaa) treats the finished dish as having come into being on its own, which is a very Hindi way of downplaying the cook's effort.
Common Mistakes: 1) For food, khaanaa is often the subject with बनना (bannaa) rather than pakanaa, which learners sometimes overuse -- चाय बन रही है (chaay ban rahii hai, 'tea is being made') is the everyday phrasing. 2) Do not confuse this with the 'become' sense: यह मकान पत्थर से बना है (yah makaan patthar se banaa hai, 'this house is made of stone') uses से (se) to mark material, not a change of identity.
Sample Sentences:
यह मकान दो साल में बना था।
This house was built in two years.
(yah makaan do saal men banaa thaa।)
यहाँ रोज़ ताज़ी रोटियाँ बनती हैं।
Fresh rotis are made here every day.
(yahaan roz taazii rotiyaan bantii hain।)
अभी खाना बन रहा है, थोड़ा इंतज़ार कर लो।
The food is being cooked right now, wait a little.
(abhii khaanaa ban rahaa hai, thodaa intzaar kar lo।)
नया पुल अगले साल तक बन जाएगा।
The new bridge will be built by next year.
(nayaa pul agle saal tak ban jaaegaa।)
पहले चाय बना लो, फिर बात करते हैं।
First make the tea, then we'll talk.
(pahle chaay banaa lo, phir baat karte hain।)
अगर सामान समय पर आता तो खाना जल्दी बन जाता।
If the ingredients had arrived on time, the food would have been made quickly.
(agar saamaan samay par aataa to khaanaa jaldii ban jaataa।)
यह मंदिर सैकड़ों साल पहले बनाया गया था।
This temple was built hundreds of years ago.
(yah mandir saikdon saal pahle banaayaa gayaa thaa।)
उम्मीद है कि यह योजना जल्दी बन जाए।
Hopefully this plan comes together soon.
(ummiid hai ki yah yojnaa jaldii ban jaae।)
यह इमारत संगमरमर से बनी है।
This building is made of marble.
(yah imaarat sangmarmar se banii hai।)
Sense
3
:
to pretend to be, pose as, act like
verb, intransitive Takes the pretended identity as a direct nominative complement, just like the 'become' sense, but the context (often with बनना (bannaa) in combination with जैसे (jaise) or an accusing tone) signals insincerity rather than real change.
Synonyms: ढोंग करना (dhong karnaa, to put on an act), नाटक करना (naatak karnaa, colloquial, to make a scene/pretend)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This is the बनना (bannaa) of playground and office gossip alike -- बड़ा आदमी बनता है (badaa aadmii bantaa hai, 'he acts like he's a big shot') is a classic put-down you will hear constantly in Delhi banter.
Common Mistakes: 1) Context alone distinguishes this from the literal 'become' sense -- वह अनजान बन गया (vah anjaan ban gayaa) means 'he acted like he didn't know,' not that he actually became ignorant. 2) Learners sometimes miss the mildly critical/sarcastic tone this sense usually carries in conversation.
Sample Sentences:
वह बड़ा आदमी बनता है, पर है कुछ नहीं।
He acts like he's a big shot, but he's nothing.
(vah badaa aadmii bantaa hai, par hai kuchh nahiin।)
वह सामने तो दोस्त बनती है, पीछे कुछ और ही बोलती है।
She acts like a friend to your face, but says something else behind your back.
(vah saamne to dost bantii hai, piichhe kuchh aur hii boltii hai।)
पुलिस देखकर वह भोला बन गया।
Seeing the police, he acted innocent.
(pulis dekhkar vah bholaa ban gayaa।)
इतना मत बन कि लोग तुझे पहचानना ही छोड़ दें।
Don't put on such an act that people stop even recognizing you.
(itnaa mat ban ki log tujhe pahchaannaa hii chhod den।)
मैडम के सामने वह बहुत सीधी बनती है।
She acts very sweet and simple in front of the boss lady.
(maidam ke saamne vah bahut siidhii bantii hai।)
अगर वह इतना समझदार बनने की कोशिश न करता तो शायद असली दोस्त बना पाता।
If he didn't try so hard to act so wise, he might have actually made real friends.
(agar vah itnaa samajhdaar banne kii koshish n kartaa to shaayad aslii dost banaa paataa।)
क्या वह सच में इतना मासूम है, या बस मासूम बन रहा है?
Is he really that innocent, or is he just pretending to be innocent?
(kyaa vah sach men itnaa maasoom hai, yaa bas maasoom ban rahaa hai?)
ऑफिस में सब उससे कहते हैं कि इतना मत बना कर, हम सब तुझे जानते हैं।
Everyone in the office tells him, stop putting on such an act, we all know you.
(ophis men sab usse kahte hain ki itnaa mat banaa kar, ham sab tujhe jaante hain।)
Sense
4
:
(impersonal, usually negated, after a -ता/ते participle) for an action to fail to come together for someone; to not manage to do something
verb, intransitive Impersonal construction: [subject]+से + [verb stem]+ता/ते + नहीं + बनना, e.g. मुझसे यह काम करते नहीं बनता (mujhse yah kaam karte nahiin bantaa, 'I can't manage to get this work done'). The logical subject is marked with से (se), not ने (ne) or को (ko); बनना (bannaa) itself stays third-person singular regardless of the doer, and the participle typically appears in its habitual/imperfective (-ता/ते) form rather than agreeing with any object.
Synonyms: न हो पाना (n ho paanaa, to not turn out to be possible), न सँभलना (n sambhalnaa, for something to not come under control)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This impersonal से...नहीं बनता (se...nahiin bantaa) frame is a distinctively Hindi way of expressing helplessness -- it removes the person as an active agent and instead says the action itself simply refused to happen for them, much like how लगना (lagnaa) makes feelings arrive at you rather than something you actively feel.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners instinctively reach for a को (ko)-marked subject as with लगना (lagnaa) or चाहिए (chaahie), but this construction takes से (se) instead -- उससे बोलते नहीं बनता (usse bolte nahiin bantaa, 'he can't manage to speak up'), not usko. 2) The verb बनना (bannaa) does not agree with the object of the embedded verb; it is frozen in the third-person singular masculine (बनता (bantaa)) regardless of what the sentence is about. 3) This is easily confused with the ordinary 'become' sense -- without the negated -ता/ते participle frame, बनना (bannaa) reverts to its literal meaning.
Sample Sentences:
मुझसे यह काम नहीं बनता।
I just can't manage to do this work.
(mujhse yah kaam nahiin bantaa।)
उससे रोज़ सुबह जल्दी उठा नहीं बनता।
He just can't manage to get up early every morning.
(usse roz subah jaldii uthaa nahiin bantaa।)
मुझसे कल वह चिट्ठी लिखी नहीं बनी।
I just couldn't manage to write that letter yesterday.
(mujhse kal vah chitthii likhii nahiin banii।)
उनसे बुढ़ापे में अकेले चला नहीं बनता था।
In their old age, they just couldn't manage to walk alone.
(unse budhaape men akele chalaa nahiin bantaa thaa।)
अगर उससे यह फैसला लिया नहीं बनता, तो वह किसी से सलाह ले लेता।
If he weren't able to manage to make this decision, he would have taken someone's advice.
(agar usse yah phaislaa liyaa nahiin bantaa, to vah kisii se salaah le letaa।)
क्या तुमसे यह गाना गाया नहीं बनेगा?
Will you not be able to manage to sing this song?
(kyaa tumse yah gaanaa gaayaa nahiin banegaa?)
बेचारे से अपनी गलती मानी नहीं बनती।
The poor fellow just can't manage to admit his mistake.
(bechaare se apnii galtii maanii nahiin bantii।)
उनसे इतना बड़ा झूठ बोला नहीं बनेगा, यह मुझे पता था।
I knew he would not be able to manage to tell such a big lie.
(unse itnaa badaa jhooth bolaa nahiin banegaa, yah mujhe pataa thaa।)
मुझसे उसकी बेइज़्ज़ती देखी नहीं बनती।
I simply can't bear to watch him being insulted.
(mujhse uskii beizztii dekhii nahiin bantii।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
बनना
(bannaa)
infinitive oblique:
बनने
(banne)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
बनता
(bantaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
बनते
(bante)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
बनती
(bantii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
बनतीं
(bantiin)
continuous (sg.m):
बन रहा
(ban rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
बन रहे
(ban rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
बन रही
(ban rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
बन रहीं
(ban rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
बना
(banaa)
perfective (pl.m):
बने
(bane)
perfective (sg.f):
बनी
(banii)
perfective (pl.f):
बनीं
(baniin)
imperative (informal):
बन
(ban)
imperative (neutral):
बनो
(bano)
imperative (formal):
बनिए
(banie)
future (1sg.m):
बनूँगा
(banoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
बनूँगी
(banoongii)
future (1pl.m):
बनेंगे
(banenge)
future (1pl.f):
बनेंगी
(banengii)
future (2sg.m):
बनेगा
(banegaa)
future (2sg.f):
बनेगी
(banegii)
future (2pl.m):
बनोगे
(banoge)
future (2pl.f):
बनोगी
(banogii)
future (3sg.m):
बनेगा
(banegaa)
future (3sg.f):
बनेगी
(banegii)
future (3pl.m):
बनेंगे
(banenge)
future (3pl.f):
बनेंगी
(banengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
बनूँ
(banoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
बनें
(banen)
subjunctive (2sg):
बने
(bane)
subjunctive (2pl):
बनो
(bano)
subjunctive (3sg):
बने
(bane)
subjunctive (3pl):
बनें
(banen)