The verb पाना can have many meanings, such as “to get, to
obtain, to win, to earn”, etc. However, it is very commonly used
as a verbal auxiliary with the sense “to manage to do”. When
used as a verbal auxiliary, the verb has the following form:
[verb stem of main verb] [inflected form of पाना] पाना inflects
according to person, number, gender, tense, mood, etc. All of
the inflection is in पाना; the main verb always appears as bare
stem. मैं पुरे खाने को नहीं खा पाया – “I couldn’t eat the entire
meal” हिंदी बोल पाना बहुत मुश्किल नहीं है – “It’s not hard to
manage to speak Hindi” मैं दौड़ को ख़त्म नहीं कर पाऊंगा – “I
won’t be able to finish the race” It is similar to the verb सकना
(“to be able”) since both verbs can express ability. However,
पाना often has the sense of conveying success, versus ability.
मैं पुरे खाने को नहीं खा पाऊंगा – “I won’t be able to eat the
entire meal” The former sentence doesn’t convey an absolute
inability, but a failure in one instance.