यह दवा खाली पेट नहीं लेनी है।

to be

Breakdown of यह दवा खाली पेट नहीं लेनी है।

• यह: this
• नहीं: not
• लेना: to take

Questions & Answers about यह दवा खाली पेट नहीं लेनी है।

What does each word in यह दवा खाली पेट नहीं लेनी है mean?

A word-by-word breakdown is:

• यह = this
• दवा = medicine
• खाली पेट = on an empty stomach
  
  • literally: empty stomach
• नहीं = not
• लेनी = to take, in a form that agrees with a feminine noun
• है = is

So the whole sentence means something like:

This medicine is not to be taken on an empty stomach
or
You should not take this medicine on an empty stomach

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Why is खाली पेट used for on an empty stomach?

Hindi often uses noun phrases where English uses a prepositional phrase.

• खाली = empty
• पेट = stomach

So खाली पेट literally means empty stomach, but idiomatically it means:

• on an empty stomach
• without eating first

This is a very common expression in Hindi, especially in medical instructions.

Examples:

• यह दवा खाली पेट लेनी है। = This medicine should be taken on an empty stomach.
• खाली पेट चाय मत पियो। = Don’t drink tea on an empty stomach.