तोहफ़ा बाहर मत छिपाना।

outside

Breakdown of तोहफ़ा बाहर मत छिपाना।

• मत: do not (negative imperative)
• तोहफ़ा: present; gift
• छिपाना: to hide

Questions & Answers about तोहफ़ा बाहर मत छिपाना।

Why is मत used here instead of नहीं?

Because मत is the normal way to make a negative command in Hindi.

• मत छिपाना = don’t hide
• नहीं छिपाता / नहीं छिपाती = does not hide / do not hide in a statement, not a command

So if you are telling someone not to do something, मत is the natural choice.

Why is the verb छिपाना in the -ना form? Isn’t that the infinitive?

Yes, छिपाना is the -ना form, which is often taught as the infinitive or dictionary form.

In Hindi, though, मत + verb in the -ना form is also very common for negative instructions and warnings. So मत छिपाना is a natural way to say don’t hide.

Compare:

• मत छिपाना — common negative instruction
• मत छिपाओ — more clearly a tum command
• मत छिपाइए — polite aap command

So the -ना form here is not strange; it is a normal pattern in everyday Hindi.

Is the subject missing? Where is you in this sentence?

Yes, the subject is omitted, and that is completely normal.

Hindi commands often leave out तुम, आप, or तू because the listener is already understood. So this sentence really means something like:

• You, don’t hide the gift outside

But Hindi usually does not need to say the you explicitly unless you want emphasis or contrast.