देना
denā/d̪eː.nɑː/
To say give in Hindi, use the verb देना (denā).
देना means to hand something over to someone. It takes the thing given and usually the person who receives it, who is marked with को.
Meaning: transfer the possession of something to someone else (verb)
Which one should you use?
प्रदान करना is a formal way to say to give. The short command दे is informal.
How does it change in a sentence?
देना is the infinitive and dictionary form, and it can also mean the act of giving. I give is देता हूँ. The past tense is built on दिया. For I will give, a man says दूँगा.
How do you pronounce it?
Say it as denā. The IPA is /d̪eː.nɑː/, two syllables.
Did you know?
- The Hindi word देना shares a deep ancestral root with the English word 'give'. Both trace back to the same Proto-Indo-European root, meaning 'to give' or 'to bestow'.
- In traditional Indian culture, the act of giving is often tied to the concept of दान 'daan', which refers to ritualized giving or charity. While देना is the action, दान is the spiritual virtue of the act.
- While देना is the basic word for 'give', the causative form दिलवाना is used when you get someone else to ensure a third person receives something.
Examples in context
- मुझे इसे टॉम को वापस देना था।I had to give it back to Tom.Here देना था means had to give, with the word for back before it.Tatoeba #11380921 by PrasantaHembram, translation #11223701 by Ergulis
- मैं उधार के पैसे नहीं दे पाऊंगा।I won't be able to give the money for the loan.Here दे पाऊंगा with a negative means will not be able to give.
- यह रामू को दे देना।Give this to Ramu.Here दे देना is a request to give this to Ramu.Tatoeba #2079405 by sabretou, translation #1098740 by cntrational
- कृपया मुझे अपना प्रस्ताव प्रदान करें। (Kripaya mujhe apna prastav pradaan karen.)Please provide me with your proposal.
- मुझे ख़ुशी होगी यदि तुम मुझे यहाँ के सबसे अच्छे रेस्टोरेंट का नाम बता सको। (Mujhe khushi hogi yadi tum mujhe yahan ke sabse achhe restaurant ka naam bata sako.)I'll be happy if you can give me the name of the best restaurant in this area.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “give” translations and entries देना, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries देना, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
