खरीदना is the transitive verb “buy, purchase.” Its lexical frame includes a buyer, the item acquired, an optional seller or source marked by से, and an optional price commonly marked by में. English often uses “for” for both a beneficiary and a price; Hindi keeps those relations distinct and marks the seller with से.
Stem and principal forms
The stem is खरीद-, pronounced kharīd- with a deleted final inherent vowel before many endings.
| Category | Forms |
|---|---|
| infinitive | खरीदना |
| habitual | खरीदता / खरीदती / खरीदते |
| progressive | खरीद रहा / खरीद रही / खरीद रहे |
| perfective | खरीदा / खरीदी / खरीदे / खरीदीं |
| conjunctive | खरीदकर |
| simultaneous participle | खरीदते हुए |
| prospective | खरीदने वाला / खरीदने वाली / खरीदने वाले |
हम अक्सर पड़ोस की दुकान से फल खरीदते हैं।
ham aksar paṛos kī dukān se phal kharīdte haiṃ.
We often buy fruit from the neighborhood shop.
निधि अपने पिता के लिए नई घड़ी खरीद रही है।
nidhi apne pitā ke lie naī ghaṛī kharīd rahī hai.
Nidhi is buying a new watch for her father.
Nonperfective agreement follows the buyer. A beneficiary takes के लिए, not the source-marking से.
Seller, source, price, and beneficiary
The seller or commercial source takes से: दुकानदार से, वेबसाइट से, बाज़ार से. A price commonly takes में after a money expression; के लिए can introduce an intended beneficiary or purpose.
मैंने यह मेज़ एक स्थानीय बढ़ई से खरीदी।
maĩne yah mez ek sthānīya baṛhaī se kharīdī.
I bought this table from a local carpenter.
उन्होंने पुरानी साइकिल पाँच हज़ार रुपये में खरीदी।
unhoṃne purānī sāikil pā̃c hazār rupaye meṃ kharīdī.
They bought the used bicycle for five thousand rupees. (honorific)
English “buy from” aligns neatly with से, but English price “for five thousand” maps to पाँच हज़ार में, not a mechanical translation with के लिए.
Perfective transitivity and object agreement
खरीदना is transitive. A perfective buyer takes ने. An unmarked purchased item controls the participle: फ़ोन खरीदा, किताब खरीदी, जूते खरीदे, कुर्सियाँ खरीदीं. If the object is को-marked, agreement is blocked and the verb defaults to खरीदा.
समीरा ने बच्चों के लिए दो किताबें खरीदीं।
samīrā ne baccoṃ ke lie do kitābeṃ kharīdīṃ.
Sameera bought two books for the children.
कंपनी ने उस पुराने मकान को खरीदा।
kampanī ne us purāne makān ko kharīdā.
The company bought that old house.
The first sentence agrees with feminine plural किताबें. The specific को-marked property in the second blocks agreement, leaving masculine singular खरीदा.
Future and subjunctive
| Person | Subjunctive | Future masculine | Future feminine |
|---|---|---|---|
| मैं | खरीदूँ | खरीदूँगा | खरीदूँगी |
| तुम | खरीदो | खरीदोगे | खरीदोगी |
| यह / वह | खरीदे | खरीदेगा | खरीदेगी |
| हम / आप / ये / वे | खरीदें | खरीदेंगे | खरीदेंगी |
कीमत कम हुई तो मैं यह कैमरा खरीदूँगा।
kīmat kam huī to maĩ yah kaimrā kharīdū̃gā.
If the price comes down, I'll buy this camera. (male speaker)
बेहतर होगा कि आप टिकट पहले ही खरीद लें।
behtar hogā ki āp ṭikaṭ pahle hī kharīd leṃ.
It would be better if you bought the tickets in advance.
Imperatives and participles
The imperatives are intimate खरीद, familiar खरीदो, and respectful खरीदिए. Participles include खरीदकर, खरीदते हुए, खरीदा हुआ, and खरीदने वाला.
पहली दुकान से मत खरीदो; पहले कीमतों की तुलना कर लो।
pahlī dukān se mat kharīdo; pahle kīmatoṃ kī tulnā kar lo.
Don't buy from the first shop; compare prices first. (familiar)
ऑनलाइन खरीदा हुआ सामान वापस किया जा सकता है।
onlāin kharīdā huā sāmān vāpas kiyā jā saktā hai.
Goods bought online can be returned.
खरीद लेना and खरीदकर देना
खरीद लेना profiles acquisition as completed, often for the buyer's own purpose or before an opportunity disappears. खरीद stays bare and लेना bears agreement and tense.
छूट ख़त्म होने से पहले मैंने जैकेट खरीद ली।
chūṭ xatm hone se pahle maĩne jaikeṭ kharīd lī.
I bought the jacket before the discount ended.
Feminine जैकेट controls ली. खरीदकर देना instead means buy and give to someone, making two linked events explicit.
मामा ने मुझे नई किताब खरीदकर दी।
māmā ne mujhe naī kitāb kharīdkar dī.
My maternal uncle bought me a new book.
Here feminine किताब controls the final दी. The difference between खरीदना and खरीद लेना is explored through the general self-directed/completive लेना vector.
Causation and idiomatic extension
खरीदवाना means have or get something bought, often by sending another person to purchase it. The intermediary can take से.
मैंने सहायक से बैठक के लिए स्टेशनरी खरीदवाई।
maĩne sahāyak se baiṭhak ke lie sṭeśanarī kharīdvāī.
I had the assistant buy stationery for the meeting.
Figurative किसी को खरीद लेना means bribe or secure someone's loyalty with money (informal, strongly critical). It does not mean ordinary shopping for a person.
पैसे से हर किसी को खरीदा नहीं जा सकता।
paise se har kisī ko kharīdā nahīṃ jā saktā.
Not everyone can be bought with money.
Common Mistakes
❌ मैंने दुकानदार को यह घड़ी खरीदी।
Incorrect for the seller — use से; को would suggest a beneficiary or marked object in another frame.
✅ मैंने दुकानदार से यह घड़ी खरीदी।
maĩne dukāndār se yah ghaṛī kharīdī.
I bought this watch from the shopkeeper.
❌ उसने तीन कुर्सियाँ खरीदा।
Incorrect — unmarked feminine plural कुर्सियाँ requires खरीदीं.
✅ उसने तीन कुर्सियाँ खरीदीं।
usne tīn kursiyā̃ kharīdīṃ.
She bought three chairs.
❌ हमने यह फ़ोन बीस हज़ार के लिए खरीदा।
Incorrect for a transaction price — use में.
✅ हमने यह फ़ोन बीस हज़ार में खरीदा।
hamne yah fon bīs hazār meṃ kharīdā.
We bought this phone for twenty thousand.
❌ आप यह खरीदो।
Incorrect — आप requires the respectful imperative खरीदिए, not familiar खरीदो.
✅ आप यह खरीदिए।
āp yah kharīdie.
Please buy this.
Key Takeaways
खरीदना is a transitive acquisition verb. The seller/source takes से, price takes में, and beneficiary takes के लिए. Perfective buyers take ने, with eligible unmarked purchases controlling agreement. खरीद लेना profiles secured acquisition, while खरीदवाना introduces an arranger and intermediary.
Related Topics
- बेचना becnā: to sellB1 — Reference बेचना with buyer, price, and item frames, transitive perfective agreement, बेच देना, and the intransitive counterpart बिकना.
- Transitive perfective with नेA2 — Mark the actor with ने in canonical transitive perfectives and choose verb agreement from the eligible object rather than the semantic doer.
- Perfective object agreementA2 — Make a transitive perfective agree with an eligible unmarked direct object after ने, including gender-number and auxiliary-bearing forms.
- लेना as self-directed or completive vectorA2 — Use vector लेना to present a result as secured for the agent, brought under control, or carried through to completion.
- Indirect causatives in -vā-B2 — Use Hindi -vā- causatives to present an arranged, mediated, or delegated event, with the causative stem carrying ordinary TAM and agreement.
- देना versus लेना as vector verbsB2 — Choose देना for an outwardly released result and लेना for a result secured around the agent, while respecting lexical convention and discourse stance.