B1 · Verbs in pairs · about 6 minutes
लेना and देना: for yourself, for someone else
compound verbs with लेना and देना
Stem + लेना when the action comes back to the doer (खा लिया), stem + देना when it goes out to others (बता दिया).
Do you know this already?
“New to me”: the explanation first, then practice. “Test myself”: 3 short questions – get at least two right and you go straight to the harder exercises.
Words you will need1
They appear in this topic’s examples and exercises and are new at this point on the learning path.
- समझunderstanding
Missing a word? Look it up in the dictionary
Understand
RememberLena brings the action home, dena sends it out — and both take ne in the past.
- Signal words
- लिया
- ली
- दिया
- दी
- लीजिए
- दीजिए
- ले लो
- दे दो
The form
The patterns at a glance
Each row first says when or what the pattern is used for, then gives an example in Hindi.
| for yourself, done | खा लिया, पी ली, ख़रीद लिया |
| outward, for others | बता दिया, भेज दी, खोल दो |
| polite requests | बता दीजिए, ले लीजिए |
| with ने | मैंने चाय पी ली |
| compare जाना, no ने | मैं समझ गया |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
Stem + लेना: the action comes back to the doer.
मैंने खाना खा लिया है।I have already eaten.
Stem + देना: the action goes out to others.
मैंने उसे सारी बात बता दी।I told her everything.
In the past both take ने and agree with the object.
उसने नई साइकिल ख़रीद ली।He bought himself a new bicycle.
In requests they make the tone friendlier.
कृपया मुझे अपना पता बता दीजिए।Could you please give me your address?
Example sentences
मैंने खाना खा लिया है।I have already eaten.
कृपया मुझे अपना पता बता दीजिए।Could you please give me your address?
उसने नई साइकिल ख़रीद ली।He bought himself a new bicycle.
9 more example sentences
ये पैसे रख लो।Keep this money.
मैंने उसे सारी बात बता दी।I told her everything.
ज़रा खिड़की खोल दो।Open the window, would you?
यह दवाई अभी ले लीजिए।Take this medicine now.
मैंने चिट्ठी भेज दी है।I have sent the letter.
उसने सिगरेट पीना छोड़ दिया।He gave up smoking.
हमने टिकट पहले ही ख़रीद लिए।We bought the tickets in advance.
मैं यह काम ख़ुद कर लूँगी।I will do this myself.
ज़रा नमक दे दीजिए।Could you pass the salt?
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
Unlike जाना, the helpers लेना and देना are transitive, so the compound takes ने in the past. मैं खा गया exists, but it means “I gobbled it up”.
Quick check
A warm-up: 2 questions, answered straight away. They do not count towards your progress.
Practise
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Now write it yourself8 sentences on this topic, typed and checked instantly.
Your progress
What your lesson on this topic shows:
The lesson decides this, not a button: passed at 80% on the first try, mastered when you pass it again on another day.
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The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
Two more helpers follow a bare stem and colour the action. लेना, “to take”, turns it towards the doer: something done for yourself, or done and finished on your side — मैंने खाना खा लिया, “I’ve had my meal”; मैं समझ लूँगा, “I’ll work it out”. देना, “to give”, turns it outward: something done for or towards someone else — मैंने उसे बता दिया, “I told her (and that’s done)”; खिड़की खोल दो, “open the window (for us)”.
Some verbs prefer one helper by their meaning. Taking, buying, eating, drinking, understanding and keeping go with लेना: ख़रीद लेना, पी लेना, रख लेना. Giving, telling, sending, leaving and throwing go with देना: दे देना, भेज देना, छोड़ देना, फेंक देना.
Both helpers are transitive, so in the past the compound takes ने and agrees with the object: मैंने चाय पी ली (चाय f.), उसने दरवाज़ा खोल दिया (दरवाज़ा m.). It is the helper that decides — compare मैं समझ गया, with जाना and no ने, and मैंने समझ लिया.
In requests both soften and complete the action: बता दीजिए, “please just tell me”; ले लीजिए, “do take it”. As with जाना, the negative usually returns to the simple verb: मैंने नहीं खाया.
A closer look
The helper decides about ने
In every compound the last verb rules. समझ जाना is intransitive (वह समझ गई); समझ लेना is transitive (उसने समझ लिया). Both mean “understood”; the first stresses that it dawned on her, the second that she made the effort.
A few intransitive main verbs combine with देना for a sudden outburst: वह हँस दी, “she burst out laughing”; बच्चा रो दिया. Here there is no ने, because laughing and crying have no object.
Worth knowing1
Worth knowing
दे देना and ले लेना
देना and लेना can be their own helpers: पैसे दे दो, “hand over the money”; यह ले लो, “here, take this”. The doubled form is not a stutter but the normal way to make the giving or taking complete.
मुझे अपना पेन दे दो।Give me your pen.