सुनाई देना (sunaaii denaa)
verb
A compound expression meaning 'to be audible / to be heard' -- it frames hearing as something that happens to the perceiver rather than something they actively do, paired with दिखाई देना (dikhaaii denaa, 'to be visible') as the auditory counterpart.
Sense
1
:
to be audible, to be heard (involuntary perception)
verb, intransitive Used with a dative (को-marked) experiencer: X को Y सुनाई देता है (X ko Y sunaaii detaa hai, 'X can hear Y'), on the same pattern as दिखाई देना (dikhaaii denaa) and पसंद आना (pasand aanaa). The subject of agreement is the thing heard (Y), not the experiencer.
Synonyms: सुनना (sunnaa, not a true synonym -- सुनना is the active 'to listen/hear', while सुनाई देना is involuntary)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This dative-subject construction reflects how Hindi treats sensory perception as something that arrives at you rather than something you do -- much like नींद आना (niind aanaa, 'sleep comes') or समझ में आना (samajh men aanaa, 'to come to be understood'). It is extremely common in everyday speech for describing faint or distant sounds: 'ठीक से सुनाई नहीं देता' (thiik se sunaaii nahiin detaa, 'it's not audible properly') is a classic complaint on a bad phone call.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often try to use यह/यह व्यक्ति (yah) as a normal subject with ने (ne), forgetting the experiencer takes को (ko) instead, since सुनाई देना (sunaaii denaa) is intransitive and never takes ने. 2) Confusing सुनाई देना (sunaaii denaa) with सुनना (sunnaa): 'मुझे आवाज़ सुनाई दी' (mujhe aavaaz sunaaii dii, 'I heard/could hear the sound') describes perception happening to you, whereas 'मैंने आवाज़ सुनी' (mainne aavaaz sunii, 'I heard the sound') presents you as the deliberate listener. 3) The verb agrees with the sound/thing heard, not with the person -- so 'मुझे बातें सुनाई दीं' (mujhe baaten sunaaii diin) takes feminine plural agreement with बातें, not with मुझे.
Sample Sentences:
मुझे तुम्हारी आवाज़ सुनाई दे रही है।
I can hear your voice (right now).
(mujhe tumhaarii aavaaz sunaaii de rahii hai।)
फ़ोन पर ठीक से सुनाई नहीं देता।
It's not audible properly on the phone.
(fon par thiik se sunaaii nahiin detaa।)
रात को दूर से कुत्तों के भौंकने की आवाज़ सुनाई देती थी।
At night, the sound of dogs barking from far away used to be heard.
(raat ko door se kutton ke bhaunkne kii aavaaz sunaaii detii thii।)
अचानक एक धमाके की आवाज़ सुनाई दी।
Suddenly the sound of an explosion was heard.
(achaanak ek dhamaake kii aavaaz sunaaii dii।)
अगर तुम धीरे बोलोगे तो मुझे कुछ सुनाई नहीं देगा।
If you speak softly, I won't be able to hear anything.
(agar tum dhiire bologe to mujhe kuchh sunaaii nahiin degaa।)
थोड़ा ऊँची आवाज़ में बोलिए, ताकि सबको सुनाई दे।
Please speak a bit louder, so that everyone can hear.
(thodaa oonchii aavaaz men bolie, taaki sabko sunaaii de।)
यदि हॉल इतना बड़ा न होता, तो पीछे बैठे लोगों को भी साफ़ सुनाई देता।
If the hall weren't so big, even the people sitting at the back would be able to hear clearly.
(yadi hol itnaa badaa n hotaa, to piichhe baithe logon ko bhii saaf sunaaii detaa।)
क्या तुम्हें मेरी बात सुनाई दे रही है?
Can you hear what I'm saying?
(kyaa tumhen merii baat sunaaii de rahii hai?)
शहनाई की आवाज़ अब भी उसे सुनाई देती है, जब भी वह उस गली से गुज़रता है।
The sound of the shehnai is still audible to him, whenever he passes through that lane.
(shahnaaii kii aavaaz ab bhii use sunaaii detii hai, jab bhii vah us galii se guzartaa hai।)
मंदिर की घंटियों की आवाज़ पूरे मुहल्ले में सुनाई देती है।
The sound of the temple bells can be heard throughout the neighborhood.
(mandir kii ghantiyon kii aavaaz poore muhalle men sunaaii detii hai।)
इतना शोर था कि किसी की भी आवाज़ सुनाई नहीं दे रही थी।
There was so much noise that no one's voice could be heard.
(itnaa shor thaa ki kisii kii bhii aavaaz sunaaii nahiin de rahii thii।)
Sense
2
:
to have the ability to hear (of a person's hearing, as a general capacity)
verb, intransitive Same को-marked frame as the main sense, but used generically/habitually to describe someone's hearing capacity rather than a single instance of perception: उसे कम सुनाई देता है (use kam sunaaii detaa hai, 'he can't hear well / his hearing is poor').
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You will hear this constantly about grandparents -- 'दादी को अब कम सुनाई देता है' (daadii ko ab kam sunaaii detaa hai, 'Grandma can't hear well now') is a gentle, everyday way to note hearing decline without the more clinical-sounding बहरापन (bahraapan, 'deafness').
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes reach for बहरा होना (bahraa honaa, 'to be deaf') when a softer, more common way to describe hearing loss is simply कम सुनाई देना (kam sunaaii denaa, 'to hear little'), which is how this is usually phrased in daily conversation, including to doctors or about elderly relatives.
Sample Sentences:
दादी को अब कम सुनाई देता है।
Grandma can't hear well now.
(daadii ko ab kam sunaaii detaa hai।)
बुढ़ापे में बहुत लोगों को कम सुनाई देने लगता है।
In old age, many people start hearing less.
(budhaape men bahut logon ko kam sunaaii dene lagtaa hai।)
नानाजी को एक कान से बिल्कुल सुनाई नहीं देता।
Grandpa can't hear at all from one ear.
(naanaajii ko ek kaan se bilkul sunaaii nahiin detaa।)
पहले उसे साफ सुनाई देता था, पर अब मुश्किल होती है।
Earlier he could hear clearly, but now it's difficult.
(pahle use saaph sunaaii detaa thaa, par ab mushkil hotii hai।)
क्या आपको दोनों कानों से ठीक से सुनाई देता है?
Can you hear properly from both ears?
(kyaa aapko donon kaanon se thiik se sunaaii detaa hai?)
अगर उसे ठीक से सुनाई देता, तो वह इतनी बार दोबारा पूछने को न कहता।
If he could hear properly, he wouldn't have to ask you to repeat things so often.
(agar use thiik se sunaaii detaa, to vah itnii baar dobaaraa poochhne ko n kahtaa।)
डॉक्टर ने कहा कि उम्र के साथ धीरे-धीरे कम सुनाई देने लगेगा।
The doctor said that with age, his hearing will gradually decrease.
(doktar ne kahaa ki umr ke saath dhiire-dhiire kam sunaaii dene lagegaa।)
मुझे उम्मीद है कि जांच में यही पता चले कि उसे कम सुनाई देता है, कुछ और गंभीर नहीं।
I hope the check-up shows that his hearing is just weak, not something more serious.
(mujhe ummiid hai ki jaanch men yahii pataa chale ki use kam sunaaii detaa hai, kuchh aur gambhiir nahiin।)
अस्पताल की जांच में यह पाया गया कि बच्चे को जन्म से ही कम सुनाई देता है।
In the hospital examination, it was found that the child has had poor hearing since birth.
(asptaal kii jaanch men yah paayaa gayaa ki bachche ko janm se hii kam sunaaii detaa hai।)
बुजुर्गों को धीरे और साफ बोलना चाहिए ताकि उनकी बात उन लोगों को भी सुनाई दे जिन्हें कम सुनाई देता है।
One should speak slowly and clearly so that even people whose hearing is weak can understand.
(bujurgon ko dhiire aur saaph bolnaa chaahie taaki unkii baat un logon ko bhii sunaaii de jinhen kam sunaaii detaa hai।)
Morphology
Verb (irregular)
infinitive:
सुनाई देना
(sunaaii denaa)
infinitive oblique:
सुनाई देने
(sunaaii dene)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
सुनाई देता
(sunaaii detaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
सुनाई देते
(sunaaii dete)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
सुनाई देती
(sunaaii detii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
सुनाई देतीं
(sunaaii detiin)
continuous (sg.m):
सुनाई दे रहा
(sunaaii de rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
सुनाई दे रहे
(sunaaii de rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
सुनाई दे रही
(sunaaii de rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
सुनाई दे रहीं
(sunaaii de rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
सुनाई दिया
(sunaaii diyaa)
perfective (pl.m):
सुनाई दिए
(sunaaii die)
perfective (sg.f):
सुनाई दी
(sunaaii dii)
perfective (pl.f):
सुनाई दीं
(sunaaii diin)
imperative (informal):
सुनाई दे
(sunaaii de)
imperative (neutral):
सुनाई दो
(sunaaii do)
imperative (formal):
सुनाई दीजिए
(sunaaii diijie)
future (1sg.m):
सुनाई दूँगा
(sunaaii doongaa)
future (1sg.f):
सुनाई दूँगी
(sunaaii doongii)
future (1pl.m):
सुनाई देंगे
(sunaaii denge)
future (1pl.f):
सुनाई देंगी
(sunaaii dengii)
future (2sg.m):
सुनाई देगा
(sunaaii degaa)
future (2sg.f):
सुनाई देगी
(sunaaii degii)
future (2pl.m):
सुनाई दोगे
(sunaaii doge)
future (2pl.f):
सुनाई दोगी
(sunaaii dogii)
future (3sg.m):
सुनाई देगा
(sunaaii degaa)
future (3sg.f):
सुनाई देगी
(sunaaii degii)
future (3pl.m):
सुनाई देंगे
(sunaaii denge)
future (3pl.f):
सुनाई देंगी
(sunaaii dengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
सुनाई दूँ
(sunaaii doon)
subjunctive (1pl):
सुनाई दें
(sunaaii den)
subjunctive (2sg):
सुनाई दे
(sunaaii de)
subjunctive (2pl):
सुनाई दो
(sunaaii do)
subjunctive (3sg):
सुनाई दे
(sunaaii de)
subjunctive (3pl):
सुनाई दें
(sunaaii den)