# Hindi: intention / I did not mean to



## Lika Brown

Dear friends,

Looking for a phrase: "I did not mean to"
Scenario: You upset someone, but it was not your itention - so you say "Muje maf karo, I didnt mean it/it was not my intention"

I have aleady checked the other topic about intention and got to know that the word is "irada" but please suggest how to use it.

Thanks


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## aevynn

Here are some possible ways of using इरादा _iraadaa_ in sentences:

आपको दुःखी करना मेरा इरादा नहीं था।
aapko dukhii karnaa meraa iraadaa nahiiN thaa.
It was not my intention to make you sad. 

मेरा आपको ठेस पहुँचाने का इरादा नहीं था।
meraa aapko Thes pahuNchaane kaa iraadaa nahiiN thaa. 
It was not my intention to hurt you. 

मेरा यह इरादा नहीं था कि मैं आपको इस तरह परेशान करूँ।
meraa yeh iraadaa nahiiN thaa ki maiN aapko is tarah pareshaan karuuN. 
It was not my intention to trouble you like this. 
​


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## Maharaj

We also say "Mera wo matlab nahi tha"


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## Alfaaz

Lika Brown said:
			
		

> Looking for a phrase: "I did not mean to"
> Scenario: You upset someone, but it was not your itention - so you say "Muje maf karo, I didnt mean it/it was not my intention"


Extra information: Apart from _iraadah _and _matlab _(both are _masculine_), _niiyyat _(_feminine_) is also very commonly used in Urdu for _intention_. 

_mujhe mu3aaf karo/kareN! aisaa karne/kehne/etc. ..._
_...kaa meraa iraadah/matlab nahiiN thaa._
_...kii merii niiyyat nah thii._

*Questions:* 

Could forum members suggest which Sanskrit-origin words would be most appropriate for _intention _in this context? (Transliterations, information about gender, and example sentences would be appreciated!)
अभिप्राय and आकांक्षा are listed here as number 1 and 2, along with many others. 

What does _kalpanaa _mean and can it carry the meaning of _intention_?


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## Maharaj

@Alfaaz अभिप्राय Abhipraay is the word and it's masculine. Kalpanaa is imagination no relevance here.


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## Alfaaz

Thanks! 

Can _kalpanaa_ carry any other meanings like _desire_ or _wish_...?


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## Maharaj

@Alfaaz I don't think so, it's simply 'imagination' by the way what's Urdu word for it?


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## aevynn

Alfaaz said:


> Could forum members suggest which Sanskrit-origin words would be most appropriate for _intention _in this context? (Transliterations, information about gender, and example sentences would be appreciated!)
> अभिप्राय and आकांक्षा are listed here as number 1 and 2, along with many others.



Yep, as @Maharaj says, probably अभिप्राय _abhipraay_ is the closest to "intention." A couple of sentences:

मैंने उसे छेड़ने के *अभिप्राय* से जवाद दिया।
MaiNne use chheRne ke abhipraay se javaab diyaa.
I responded with the intention of teasing him.

पर अपना *अभिप्राय* खोलकर न कह सकता था। — प्रेमचंद
Par apnaa abhipraay kholkar na keh saktaa thaa. — Premchand
But he could not openly say what he intended/meant.​The word आशय _aashay_, also masculine, can also sometimes mean "intention, motive," as in the following:

वास्तव में मैं तुमसे मिलने के *आशय* से ही यहाँ आया हूँ।
vaastav meN maiN tumse milne ke aashay se hii yahaaN aayaa huuN.
In fact, my intention in coming here was precisely to meet you.​Here's a  piece of the poem प्याला _pyaalaa_ by बच्चन _Bachchan_ using the word आशय _aashay_ with a relevant meaning —

संसृति की नाटकशाला में
है पड़ा तुझे बनना ज्ञानी,
है पड़ा तुझे बनना प्याला,
होना मदिरा का अभिमानी।
संघर्ष यहाँ किसका किससे,
यह तो सब खेल-तमाशा है,​यह देख,यवनिका गिरती है,
समझा कुछ अपनी नादानी!
छिप जाएँगे हम दोनों ही
लेकर अपना-अपना *आशय*।​
sansriti kii naaTakshaalaa meN
hai paRaa tujhe bannaa gyaanii,
hai paRaa mujhe bannaa pyaalaa,
honaa madiraa kaa abhimaanii.
sangharsh yahaaN kiskaa kisse,
yeh to sab khel-tamashaa hai,​yeh dekh, yavnikaa girtii hai,
samjhaa kuch apnii naadaanii!
chhip jaaeNge ham donoN hii
lekar apnaa-apnaa *aashay*.​
In the theater of creation,
You've had to play the wise man,
I've had to play the wine cup,
To boast of the virtues of wine.
There's no conflict here!
It's all just for fun, for a show!​Look, the curtain is falling,
Do you understand your foolishness now?
We'll both be hidden in a moment,
And with us will go our motives.​
In other situations, आशय _aashay_ can also mean "meaning."

Many of the other words listed on shabdkosh.com can mean things closely related to "intention," but often they have closer English matches. For example, प्रयोजन _prayojan_ is probably closest to "purpose."

उनके प्रत्येक काम में, झुकने में, दौड़ने में, उचकने में एक कृत्रिमता होती थी, जिससे यह प्रतीत होता था कि इस खेल का *प्रयोजन* कसरत नहीं केवल दिखावा है। — प्रेमचंद
Unke pratyek kaam meN, jhukne meN, dauRne meN, uchakne meN ek kritrimtaa hotii thii jisse yeh pratiit hotaa thaa ki is khel ka *prayojan* kasrat nahiiN keval dikhaavaa hai. — Premchand
In their every act — their bending, their running, their hopping — there was an artificiality which revealed that the purpose of the game [for them] wasn't exercise, just ostentation.​
आकांक्षा _aakaankshaa_ (feminine) is probably closer to "desire," and लक्ष्य _lakshya_ and उद्देश्य _uddeshya_ (both masculine) are probably closer to "goal" ...

Another related word not mentioned there is तात्पर्य _taatparya_, another masculine noun which means something like "intention, meaning." I stumbled across a book called मानक हिंदी के शुद्ध प्रयोग _maanak hindii ke shuddh prayog _("Pure Usages of Standard Hindi") at my university's library a few months ago and started randomly flipping through it. It had an entry comparing अभिप्राय _abhipraay_ and तात्पर्य _taatparya_ — the author insisted that _people_ have अभिप्राय _abhipraay_ but _things/actions_ have तात्पर्य _taatparya_. So for example, he thought that the following are "pure"...

मेरा अभिप्राय यह था कि...
Meraa abhipraay yeh thaa ki...

मेरे कहने का तात्पर्य यह था कि...
Mere kehne ka taatparya yeh thaa ki...​
but the following are "impure"...

मेरा तात्पर्य यह था कि...
Meraa tatparya yeh thaa ki...

मेरे कहने का अभिप्राय यह था कि...
Mere kehne ka abhipraay yeh thaa ki...​
So I came home and tried to Google usages of these words to see how well this stood up to the data. As far as I was able to tell, the author's prescription seemed, well, a bit prescriptivist — based on what I ran into, a lot of usages did tend to fit into the pattern the author describes, but it was also easy enough to find counterexamples, even in the writings of well-respected Hindi writers.


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## Alfaaz

Maharaj and aevynn: Thanks for the extremely detailed answers!


			
				Maharaj said:
			
		

> I don't think so, it's simply 'imagination' by the way what's Urdu word for it?


The reason for asking about _kalpanaa _was hearing the word used in sentences like_ "ham kalpanaa karte haiN (aapko/aapke agle project ko/etc.) safaltaa (saphaltaa) mile."_...!

(For _imagination_, تخیّل or تصوّر - _taxaiyyul _or _taSawwur _could be employed.)


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## Maharaj

Alfaaz said:


> The reason for asking about _kalpanaa _was hearing the word used in sentences like_ "ham kalpanaa karte haiN (aapko/aapke agle project ko/etc.) safaltaa (saphaltaa) mile."_...!


It may be incorrect, I never heard anybody using it that way.


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## aevynn

Hmm snooping around on the internet, there do seem to be at least a few examples where कल्पना _kalpanaa_ seems to lean from "imagination" closer to something like "wishful thinking, dream, desire..." For example, here's a sentence I found online in an article on the news website दैनिक जागरण _Dainik JaagraN_. 

कवि की कल्पना है कि वह समाज बने जहाँ प्रेम, सद्भावना, सौहार्द व भाईचारा बना रहे।
kavi kii kalpanaa hai ki woh samaaj bane jahaaN prem, sadbhaavnaa, sauhaard va bhaiichaaraa banaa rahe. 
The poet imagines(/dreams of) the creation of a society in which love, goodwill, friendship and brotherhood thrive.  ​And another similar sentence from the magazine साक्षातकार _Saakshaatkaar_, found through Google Books (it was a snippet view and I couldn't tell who the author of this particular sentence was). 

हमारी कल्पना है कि जब भविष्य में हमारा देश गणतंत्र बनेगा तो हर व्यक्ति में "हम" का भाव होगा।
hamaarii kalpanaa hai ki jab bhavishya meN hamaaraa desh gaNtantra banegaa to har vyakti meN "ham" kaa bhaav hogaa. 
We imagine(/dream) that when our country becomes a republic in the future, every individual will have a sense of camaraderie.​


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## aevynn

Another relevant phrase that's very common and might interest @Lika Brown is जान-बूझकर _jaan-buujhkar_, which means roughly "intentionally." For example,

मैंने आपसे जान-बूझकर झूठ नहीं बोला।
maiNne aapse jaan-buujhkar jhuuTh nahiiN bolaa.
I didn't intentionally lie to you / I didn't mean to lie to you.​
Also... a question! In English, the word "motive" is used in legal contexts for the reason why a crime was committed. Is(/are) there Hindi-Urdu word(s) that are standardly used for "motive" in this legal sense?


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## Lika Brown

Ahaaa, jaan-buujhkar, that's a very useful word actually, dear Aevynn  I am going to use it a lot in my daily talk  thanks!


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## desi4life

aevynn said:


> Also... a question! In English, the word "motive" is used in legal contexts for the reason why a crime was committed. Is(/are) there Hindi-Urdu word(s) that are standardly used for "motive" in this legal sense?



I think *maqsad *would work for Hindi and Urdu, and maybe *hetu *too for Hindi.


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## Alfaaz

This is a Hindi thread, so posting such a large amount of Urdu text appears a bit inappropriate/awkward/out of place...!? I hope readers won't mind! However, since you've included Urdu in your question, below is some information from its perspective. 


			
				aevynn said:
			
		

> Also... a question! In English, the word "motive" is used in legal contexts for the reason why a crime was committed. Is(/are) there Hindi-Urdu word(s) that are standardly used for "motive" in this legal sense?


 That is a good question! Quoted below are currently available relevant entries from the Online Qanooni Angrezi Urdu Lughat (Online English-Urdu Law Dictionary - here).

Note: Adding English text to Urdu text mixes up the original word order. Therefore, the English text was either omitted (long references to relevant court cases) or (in the case of single words) was replaced with Urdu transliterations in quotation marks to maintain the proper sentence structure. 


> Motive
> وجہ یا سبب جو ارادے کو تحریک دے کر، فعل سرزد ہونے کا موجب بنتا ہے۔ کوئی خیال، یقین یا جذبہ جو اُکساتا یا محرک ہوتا ہے کہ ذہن کی اُس کیفیت یا جذبے کے مطابق عمل کیا جائے۔ ... ۔ وہ حالات جو کسی مجرمانہ فعل کے ارتکاب کے لیے مجرمانہ ذہنیت پیدا کرنے کا سبب بنتے ہیں،اور جو ایسے محرک ہیں، جو ذہن کو مجرمانہ فعل کے ارتکاب پر اکساتے یا رہنمائی کرتے ہیں۔ ... ۔عام استعمال میں نیت اور مقصد اکثر ایک ہی مفہوم کے حامل سمجھے جاتے ہیں۔ کہا جاتا ہے کہ محرک، وہ راہِ حرکت، اضطراری رُجحان اور خواہش ہے جو ملزم کو مجرمانہ فعل پر اُکساتا ہے۔ یہ"انٹینٹ"( نیت) سے ممیزہے۔ نیت وہ مقصد یا منصوبہ ہے جس کے مطابق فعل کا ارتکاب کیا گیا ہو۔ ایسا ارادہ جو اختیار کیے گئے ذرائع کو مؤثر بنائے۔ ... کے لیے دیکھیے... ۔ مزید دیکھیے


Transliteration: 

_Motive_
_wajh yaa sabab jo iraade ko taHriik de kar, fi3l sar-zad hone kaa muujib bantaa hai. ko'ii xayaal, yaqiin, yaa jazbah jo uksaataa yaa muHarrik hotaa hai keh zihn kii us kaifiyyat yaa jazbe ke mutaabiq 3amal kiyaa jaa'e. ... - woh Haalaat jo kisii mujrimaanah fi3l ke irtikaab ke liye mujrimaanah zihniyyat paidaa karne kaa sabab bante haiN, aur jo aise muHarrik haiN, jo zihn ko mujrimaanah fi3l ke irtikaab par uksaate yaa rah-numaa'ii karte haiN. ... *- 3aamm isti3maal meN niiyyat aur maqSad aksar ek hii mafhuum ke Haamil samjhe jaate haiN. kahaa jaataa hai keh muHarrik, woh raah-e-Harakat, iztiraarii rujHaan aur xaahish hai jo mulzim ko mujrimaanah fi3l par uksaataa hai. yeh "intent" (niiyyat) se mumaiyyaz hai. niiyyat woh maqSad yaa manSuubah hai jis ke mutaabiq fi3l kaa irtikaab kiyaa gayaa ho. aisaa iraadah jo ixtiyaar kiye ga'e zaraa'i3 ko mu2assar banaa'e.* ... - maziid dekhiye _



> Criminal motive
> ذہن میں موجود کوئی بات یا ذہن کی وہ حالت جو کسی فعل کے ارتکاب پر ابھارے، ارتکاب کی ترغیب دے یا اس سے کوئی مقصد پیدا ہو۔ ارادے سے قابلِ امتیاز جو فوری پیش نظر مقصد کی نمائندگی کرتا ہے جبکہ محرک قصداً چھپایا گیا ارادہ ہوتا ہے۔


Transliteration: 

_Criminal motive_
_zihn meN maujuud ko'ii baat yaa zihn kii woh Haalat jo kisii fi3l ke irtikaab par ubhaare, irtikaab kii tarGhiib de yaa us se ko'ii maqSad paidaa ho. *iraade se qaabil-e-imtiyaaz jo faurii pesh-e-nazar maqSad kii numaa'indagii kartaa hai jab-keh muHarrik qaSd-an chhupaayaa gayaa iraadah hotaa hai.*_ 



> Intent
> ارادہ ؛ عزم؛ پکا ارادہ جس کے تحت کوئی شخص کوئی فِعل کرتا ہو۔ ... ۔ ایک ذہنی کیفیت جس سے مطابق کوئی شخص کوئی نتیجہ حاصل کرنا چاہتا ہے اور اُس کے لیے عمل کا راستہ اختیار کرتا ہے جیسا کہ بالارادہ ٹارٹ میں ارادہ یہ ہوتا ہے کہ دوسروں کے مفادات کو نقصان پہنچایا جائے۔ ... ۔ ایک ذہنی رویہ جسے بذریعہ شہادت کبھی بھی ثابت نہیں کیا جا سکتا مگر حالات و کوائف کی روشنی میں اِس کے متعلق نتائج اخذ کیے جا سکتے ہیں۔ ... ۔ ایک ذہنی کیفیت جو بوقت ارتکاب جُرم کسی شخص کی ہوتی ہے اور جس کا مظاہرہ عمل سے ہوتا ہے اور اُس عمل کی مناسبت سے اور حالات و واقعات کے تحت اُس سے متعلق نتائج اخذ کیے جا سکتے ہیں۔ ... ۔اول سے آخر تک... میں یہ لفظ "انٹینٹ" یعنی بالارادہ کو ان ہی معنی میں استعال کیا گیا ہے کہ مرتکب فِعل اپنے عمل کے مخصوص مطلوبہ نتائج پیدا کرنا چاہتا ہے، یا وہ یقین رکھتا ہے اِس فعل سے مطلوبہ نتائج ضرور نکلیں گے۔ ... ۔دیکھیے: ... - "انٹینٹ" (ارادہ) اور "موٹِو"(محرک) کو آپس میں خلط ملط نہیں کرنا چاہیے۔ "محرک" وہ ہوتا ہے جو کسی شخص کو کسی فِعل کے لیے اُکساتا ہے جبکہ" ارادہ" صرف ذہنی کیفیت کا پتہ دیتا ہے، جس کے تحت کوئی فِعل انجام دیا جائے یا ترک کر دیا جائے۔ مزید دیکھیے


Transliteration: 

_Intent_
_iraadah; 3azm; pakkaa iraadah jis ke taHt ko'ii shaxS ko'ii fi3l kartaa ho. ... - ek zihnii kaifiyyat jis se mutaabiq ko'ii shaxS ko'ii natiijah HaaSil karnaa chaahtaa hai aur us ke liye 3amal kaa raastah ixtiyaar kartaa hai jaisaa keh bil-iraadah TaarT meN iraadah yeh hotaa hai keh dusroN ke mufaadaat ko nuqSaan pahuNchaayaa jaa'e. - ek zihnii rawiiyah jise ba-zarii3ah shahaadat kabhii saabit nahiiN kiyaa jaa saktaa magar Haalaat-o-kawaa'if kii raushnii meN is ke muta3alliq nataa'ij axaz kiye jaa sakte haiN. ... - ek zihnii kaifiyyat jo ba-waqt-e-irtikaab-e-jurm kisii shaxS kii hotii hai aur jis kaa muzaaharah 3amal se hotaa hai aur us 3amal kii munaasabat se aur Haalaat-o-waaqi3aat ke taHt us se muta3alliq nataa'ij axaz kiye jaa sakte haiN. awwal se aaxir tak ... meN yeh lafz "intent" ya3nii bil-iraadah ko in hii ma3naa meN isti3maal kiyaa gayaa hai keh murtakib fi3l ke maxSuuS matluubah nataa'ij paidaa karnaa chaahtaa hai, yaa woh yaqiin rakhtaa hai is fi3l se matluubah nataa'ij zaruur nikleN ge. ... - dekhiye: ...* - "Intent" (iraadah) aur "Motive" (muHarrik) ko aapas meN xalt-malt nahiiN karnaa chaahiye. "muHarrik" woh hotaa hai jo kisii shaxS ko kisii fi3l ke liye uksaataa hai jab-keh "iraadah" Sirf zihnii kaifiyyat kaa pataa detaa hai, jis ke taHt ko'ii fi3l anjaam diyaa jaa'e yaa tark kar diyaa jaa'e.* maziid dekhiye ..._


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## Maharaj

@Alfaaz there's a popular phrase in Hindi "कवि की कल्पना"
Is there a similar phrase in Urdu? I've heard "शायर का ख़्वाब"


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## aevynn

Thanks @desi4life and @Alfaaz! The Urdu was quite heavy for me and I had to use a dictionary _a lot_ to even make heads or tails of it, but the excerpts you quote are indeed quite enlightening about the differences between these words.


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## Alfaaz

aevynn said:
			
		

> Thanks desi4life and Alfaaz! The Urdu was quite heavy for me and I had to use a dictionary _a lot_ to even make heads or tails of it, but the excerpts you quote are indeed quite enlightening about the differences between these words.


 You're welcome and thanks for asking the great question. (I didn't know of the exact/detailed legal differences between the two concepts in either English or Urdu!)


			
				Maharaj said:
			
		

> Alfaaz there's a popular phrase in Hindi "कवि की कल्पना"
> Is there a similar phrase in Urdu? I've heard "शायर का ख़्वाब"


 Excuse the detailed reply! (After reading your question, I was trying to search for a literary term I had encountered to describe this concept, but unfortunately could not remember/find it!) Yes, _shaa3ir kaa xaab_ could be a possible option, in addition to _shaa3ir kaa bunyaadii maqSad, xayaal/kii bunyaadii soch_ or _shaa3ir kaa taSawwur_...(depending on the exact context).


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