पढ़ना means read, study, or be enrolled and study in an institution. Its spelling contains the aspirated retroflex flap ढ़, romanized ṛh: paṛhnā. This consonant must remain distinct from र and from unaspirated ड़, because पढ़ना “read/study” and पड़ना “fall/have to” are different verbs.
Stem and principal forms
The stem is पढ़-. Its final aspirated flap remains in every form.
| Category | Forms |
|---|---|
| infinitive | पढ़ना |
| habitual | पढ़ता / पढ़ती / पढ़ते |
| progressive | पढ़ रहा / पढ़ रही / पढ़ रहे |
| perfective | पढ़ा / पढ़ी / पढ़े / पढ़ीं |
| conjunctive | पढ़कर |
| simultaneous participle | पढ़ते हुए |
| prospective | पढ़ने वाला / पढ़ने वाली / पढ़ने वाले |
मेरी बहन हर सुबह ऑनलाइन अख़बार पढ़ती है।
merī bahan har subah onlāin axbār paṛhtī hai.
My sister reads an online newspaper every morning.
बच्चे अगले कमरे में परीक्षा के लिए पढ़ रहे हैं।
bacce agle kamre meṃ parīkṣā ke lie paṛh rahe haiṃ.
The children are studying for the exam in the next room.
The direct object distinguishes many readings: उपन्यास पढ़ना read a novel, इतिहास पढ़ना study history. A purpose phrase such as परीक्षा के लिए favors “study.”
Reading, studying, and institutional frames
For a text or academic subject, पढ़ना is transitive. For enrollment, the institution commonly appears with में, and the level with में or an appropriate class phrase: कॉलेज में पढ़ना, दसवीं कक्षा में पढ़ना.
वह पुणे में इंजीनियरिंग पढ़ता है।
vah puṇe meṃ iñjīniyariṅg paṛhtā hai.
He studies engineering in Pune.
आपका बेटा किस कक्षा में पढ़ता है?
āpkā beṭā kis kakṣā meṃ paṛhtā hai?
What grade is your son in?
English “study at a university” does not require Hindi पर. The institution is conceptualized as a setting and normally takes में.
Perfective transitivity and object agreement
In its ordinary reading/studying frame, पढ़ना is transitive. A perfective agent takes ने. An unmarked direct object controls participial agreement; a को-marked specific object blocks it and leaves default masculine singular पढ़ा.
मैंने पूरी रिपोर्ट दो बार पढ़ी।
maĩne pūrī riporṭ do bār paṛhī.
I read the entire report twice.
समीर ने वे पुराने पत्र पढ़े।
samīr ne ve purāne patr paṛhe.
Sameer read those old letters.
Feminine रिपोर्ट selects पढ़ी and masculine plural पत्र selects पढ़े. When the object is omitted or agreement is blocked, default पढ़ा appears: मैंने बहुत पढ़ा “I studied/read a lot.”
The general mechanics behind these alternations are set out under perfective object agreement.
Future and subjunctive
| Person | Subjunctive | Future masculine | Future feminine |
|---|---|---|---|
| मैं | पढ़ूँ | पढ़ूँगा | पढ़ूँगी |
| तुम | पढ़ो | पढ़ोगे | पढ़ोगी |
| यह / वह | पढ़े | पढ़ेगा | पढ़ेगी |
| हम / आप / ये / वे | पढ़ें | पढ़ेंगे | पढ़ेंगी |
आज समय नहीं है; मैं लेख कल पढ़ूँगी।
āj samay nahīṃ hai; maĩ lekh kal paṛhū̃gī.
I don't have time today; I'll read the article tomorrow. (female speaker)
ज़रूरी है कि आप निर्देश ध्यान से पढ़ें।
zarūrī hai ki āp nirdeś dhyān se paṛheṃ.
It is important that you read the instructions carefully.
Imperatives and participles
The imperatives are intimate पढ़, familiar पढ़ो, and respectful पढ़िए. The respectful form is pronounced and romanized paṛhie, with the stem-final aspiration retained.
पहले पूरा सवाल पढ़िए, फिर जवाब लिखिए।
pahle pūrā savāl paṛhie, phir javāb likhie.
First read the whole question, then write the answer.
Participial forms include पढ़ता हुआ, पढ़ा हुआ, पढ़ते हुए, and पढ़कर. पढ़ी हुई किताब can mean a book that has been read; agreement follows feminine किताब.
मैंने पढ़ी हुई किताबें अलग शेल्फ़ पर रख दीं।
maĩne paṛhī huī kitābeṃ alag śelf par rakh dīṃ.
I put the books I had read on a separate shelf.
पढ़ लेना and other compound behavior
पढ़ लेना presents reading as bounded and successfully completed, often for the actor's own purpose: read through, get read, or finish reading. पढ़ stays bare and लेना carries agreement and tense.
बैठक से पहले ये तीन पन्ने पढ़ लेना।
baiṭhak se pahle ye tīn panne paṛh lenā.
Read these three pages before the meeting. (familiar reminder)
मैंने रास्ते में पूरी कहानी पढ़ ली।
maĩne rāste meṃ pūrī kahānī paṛh lī.
I finished reading the whole story on the way.
Feminine कहानी controls ली under the ordinary perfective compound agreement pattern. पढ़ देना instead often means read something out or complete the reading readily for someone, while पढ़ते रहना means keep reading or studying.
पढ़ाना and पढ़वाना
Direct causative पढ़ाना conventionally means teach, especially teach a school subject or teach a class. पढ़वाना can mean have someone read, have something read out, or arrange for someone to study.
यह प्रोफ़ेसर हमें आधुनिक इतिहास पढ़ाते हैं।
yah profesar hameṃ ādhunik itihās paṛhāte haiṃ.
This professor teaches us modern history. (honorific)
The learner takes को or its pronoun equivalent, while the subject matter can remain unmarked. This overlaps with सिखाना, but पढ़ाना is especially natural for formal academic instruction; सिखाना emphasizes enabling someone to learn a skill or knowledge.
An idiomatic expression चेहरा पढ़ना means read someone's face or infer their feelings.
उसकी मुस्कान देखकर भी मैं उसका चेहरा नहीं पढ़ पाया।
uskī muskān dekhkar bhī maĩ uskā cehrā nahīṃ paṛh pāyā.
Even after seeing his smile, I couldn't read his expression. (male speaker)
Common Mistakes
❌ मैंने किताब पढ़ा।
Incorrect — unmarked feminine किताब controls पढ़ी.
✅ मैंने किताब पढ़ी।
maĩne kitāb paṛhī.
I read the book.
❌ वह विश्वविद्यालय पर पढ़ती है।
Incorrect — an institution as the setting normally takes में.
✅ वह विश्वविद्यालय में पढ़ती है।
vah viśvavidyālay meṃ paṛhtī hai.
She studies at a university.
❌ बच्चे अख़बार पड़ रहे हैं।
Incorrect spelling and meaning — पड़ना means fall/have to; पढ़ना means read.
✅ बच्चे अख़बार पढ़ रहे हैं।
bacce axbār paṛh rahe haiṃ.
The children are reading the newspaper.
❌ आप यह सूचना पढ़ो।
Incorrect — आप requires the respectful imperative पढ़िए, not familiar पढ़ो.
✅ आप यह सूचना पढ़िए।
āp yah sūcnā paṛhie.
Please read this notice.
Key Takeaways
पढ़ना covers both reading and studying. In canonical perfectives it is transitive: the agent takes ने, and an eligible unmarked text or subject controls agreement. Learn the aspirated retroflex flap ढ़ = ṛh, use में for institutions, and distinguish completive पढ़ लेना from causative पढ़ाना/पढ़वाना.
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- लिखना likhnā: to writeA2 — Reference लिखना across writing frames, transitive perfective agreement, participles, causation, and completive लिख देना.
- सीखना sīkhnā: to learnA2 — Reference सीखना with noun and infinitive complements, transitive perfective agreement, completion with सीख लेना, and the teaching causative.
- सिखाना sikhānā: to teachA2 — Reference सिखाना as the causative of सीखना, with teacher–learner–content argument marking, perfective agreement, and compound behavior.
- 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.
- Compound verbs: lexical stem plus vectorA2 — Build Hindi compound verbs from a bare lexical stem and an inflected vector that profiles completion, direction, affectedness, or attitude.