ठंड लगना (thand lagnaa)
verb
A dative-subject construction meaning 'to feel cold' -- literally 'cold applies/strikes (to someone)'. Uses को (ko) marking on the person who feels cold, following the same pattern as भूख लगना (bhookh lagnaa) and डर लगना (dar lagnaa).
Sense
1
:
to feel cold
verb, intransitive Person who feels cold is marked with को (ko): मुझे ठंड लगती है (mujhe thand lagtii hai, 'I feel cold') -- the subject is grammatically the cold (thand, feminine), so the verb agrees with it, not with the person.
Synonyms: सर्दी लगना (sardii lagnaa)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the same grammatical family as भूख लगना (bhookh lagnaa, 'to feel hungry') and प्यास लगना (pyaas lagnaa, 'to feel thirsty') -- Hindi treats bodily sensations as things that happen *to* you rather than actions you perform, which is why the person takes को (ko) instead of being the subject. In Delhi winters you will hear this constantly: mothers telling kids ठंड लग जाएगी, स्वेटर पहनो (thand lag jaaegii, svetar pahno, 'you'll catch a chill, wear a sweater'), where लग जाना (lag jaanaa) adds a sense of it happening/catching suddenly.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners try to make the person the subject, saying something like मैं ठंड लगता हूँ (main thand lagtaa hoon) -- wrong; the person must be marked with को (ko) and the verb agrees with ठंड (thand): मुझे ठंड लग रही है (mujhe thand lag rahii hai, 'I am feeling cold'). 2) Confusing ठंड लगना (thand lagnaa) with ठंडा होना (thandaa honaa, 'to become/be cold' -- describes an object's temperature, not a person's sensation). 3) Overusing perfective ठंड लगी (thand lagii) when the ongoing/habitual forms (लगती है (lagtii hai), लग रही है (lag rahii hai)) are what native speakers reach for to describe the present feeling.
Sample Sentences:
सर्दियों में मुझे हमेशा ठंड लगती है।
In winter I always feel cold.
(sardiyon men mujhe hameshaa thand lagtii hai।)
Listen: M85
कल रात मुझे बहुत ठंड लगी थी।
Last night I felt very cold.
(kal raat mujhe bahut thand lagii thii।)
Listen: M85
खिड़की खुली है, बच्चे को ठंड लग जाएगी।
The window is open, the child will catch a chill.
(khidkii khulii hai, bachche ko thand lag jaaegii।)
Listen: M85
स्वेटर पहन लो, वरना ठंड लग जाएगी।
Put on a sweater, or you'll feel cold.
(svetar pahan lo, varnaa thand lag jaaegii।)
Listen: F85
अगर पंखा चलता रहता तो मुझे ठंड लगती।
If the fan had kept running, I would have felt cold.
(agar pankhaa chaltaa rahtaa to mujhe thand lagtii।)
Listen: F85
क्या तुम्हें ठंड लग रही है? मैं दरवाज़ा बंद कर दूँ?
Are you feeling cold? Should I close the door?
(kyaa tumhen thand lag rahii hai? main darvaazaa band kar doon?)
Listen: M85
शायद उसे ठंड लग रही हो, इसलिए काँप रहा है।
Maybe he's feeling cold, that's why he's shivering.
(shaayad use thand lag rahii ho, islie kaamp rahaa hai।)
Listen: M85
अगर आपको ठंड लगे तो कृपया कंबल माँग लीजिए।
If you feel cold, please ask for a blanket.
(agar aapko thand lage to kripyaa kambal maang liijie।)
Listen: F85
बुज़ुर्गों को जल्दी ठंड लग जाती है।
Elderly people feel cold quickly.
(buzurgon ko jaldii thand lag jaatii hai।)
Listen: F85
पहाड़ों पर हमें बहुत ठंड लगी थी।
We felt very cold in the mountains.
(pahaadon par hamen bahut thand lagii thii।)
Listen: M85
Sense
2
:
to catch a chill / fall ill from cold
verb, intransitive Often appears with जाना (jaanaa) as a compound -- ठंड लग जाना (thand lag jaanaa) -- to mark the onset as sudden or unwanted, distinct from the steady-state 'feeling cold' sense.
Synonyms: सर्दी लग जाना (sardii lag jaanaa), ठंड लग जाना (thand lag jaanaa, with compound verb जाना emphasizing suddenness)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Parents and grandparents in Delhi-NCR use this warningly all winter -- बाहर मत जाओ, ठंड लग जाएगी (baahar mat jaao, thand lag jaaegii, 'don't go outside, you'll catch a chill') -- treating cold exposure as a direct cause of illness, a very common folk-health framing in North India.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes use this interchangeably with the simple 'feel cold' sense, but here the meaning shifts toward 'got sick from cold exposure', closer to English 'caught a chill' -- context (often past tense with जाना (jaanaa)) signals which sense is meant. 2) This sense is often followed by इसलिए, and physical symptoms (बुखार, खांसी) in the same breath -- learners may not realize the phrase alone implies illness, not just discomfort.
Sample Sentences:
बाहर मत जाओ, ठंड लग जाएगी।
Don't go outside, you'll catch a chill.
(baahar mat jaao, thand lag jaaegii।)
Listen: F85
कल रात बारिश में भीगने से उसे ठंड लग गई।
He caught a chill last night from getting wet in the rain.
(kal raat baarish men bhiigne se use thand lag gaii।)
Listen: M85
सर्दियों में अक्सर बच्चों को ठंड लग जाती है।
In winter, children often catch a chill.
(sardiyon men aksar bachchon ko thand lag jaatii hai।)
Listen: M85
अगर तुम गीले बालों के साथ बाहर निकलोगी तो ठंड लग जाएगी।
If you go out with wet hair, you'll catch a cold.
(agar tum giile baalon ke saath baahar niklogii to thand lag jaaegii।)
Listen: F85
स्वेटर पहन लो, वरना ठंड लग सकती है।
Put on a sweater, or you might catch a chill.
(svetar pahan lo, varnaa thand lag saktii hai।)
Listen: F85
अगर उसने रात को खिड़की खुली न रखी होती, तो उसे ठंड न लगती।
If he hadn't left the window open at night, he wouldn't have caught a chill.
(agar usne raat ko khidkii khulii n rakhii hotii, to use thand n lagtii।)
Listen: M85
दादी हमेशा कहती हैं कि नहाने के बाद तुरंत बाहर मत जाओ, ठंड लग जाएगी।
Grandma always says don't go out right after bathing, you'll catch a chill.
(daadii hameshaa kahtii hain ki nahaane ke baad turant baahar mat jaao, thand lag jaaegii।)
Listen: M85
उसे बुखार के साथ ठंड लग गई है, इसलिए डॉक्टर के पास ले जाना पड़ेगा।
He's caught a chill along with a fever, so we'll have to take him to the doctor.
(use bukhaar ke saath thand lag gaii hai, islie doktar ke paas le jaanaa padegaa।)
Listen: F85
क्या तुम्हें कल की बारिश से ठंड लगी थी?
Did you catch a chill from yesterday's rain?
(kyaa tumhen kal kii baarish se thand lagii thii?)
Listen: M85
जब हम पहाड़ों पर गए थे, तब मेरे भाई को ठंड लग गई थी और वह पूरी यात्रा बीमार रहा।
When we had gone to the mountains, my brother had caught a chill and stayed sick for the whole trip.
(jab ham pahaadon par gae the, tab mere bhaaii ko thand lag gaii thii aur vah poorii yaatraa biimaar rahaa।)
Listen: M85
माँ ने डाँटा कि इतनी हल्की जैकेट पहनने से ही तो ठंड लगी है।
Mom scolded me, saying it's exactly this thin jacket that caused me to catch a chill.
(maan ne daantaa ki itnii halkii jaiket pahanne se hii to thand lagii hai।)
Listen: M85
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
ठंड लगना
(thand lagnaa)
infinitive oblique:
ठंड लगने
(thand lagne)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
ठंड लगता
(thand lagtaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
ठंड लगते
(thand lagte)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
ठंड लगती
(thand lagtii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
ठंड लगतीं
(thand lagtiin)
continuous (sg.m):
ठंड लग रहा
(thand lag rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
ठंड लग रहे
(thand lag rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
ठंड लग रही
(thand lag rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
ठंड लग रहीं
(thand lag rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
ठंड लगा
(thand lagaa)
perfective (pl.m):
ठंड लगे
(thand lage)
perfective (sg.f):
ठंड लगी
(thand lagii)
perfective (pl.f):
ठंड लगीं
(thand lagiin)
imperative (informal):
ठंड लग
(thand lag)
imperative (neutral):
ठंड लगो
(thand lago)
imperative (formal):
ठंड लगिए
(thand lagie)
future (1sg.m):
ठंड लगूँगा
(thand lagoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
ठंड लगूँगी
(thand lagoongii)
future (1pl.m):
ठंड लगेंगे
(thand lagenge)
future (1pl.f):
ठंड लगेंगी
(thand lagengii)
future (2sg.m):
ठंड लगेगा
(thand lagegaa)
future (2sg.f):
ठंड लगेगी
(thand lagegii)
future (2pl.m):
ठंड लगोगे
(thand lagoge)
future (2pl.f):
ठंड लगोगी
(thand lagogii)
future (3sg.m):
ठंड लगेगा
(thand lagegaa)
future (3sg.f):
ठंड लगेगी
(thand lagegii)
future (3pl.m):
ठंड लगेंगे
(thand lagenge)
future (3pl.f):
ठंड लगेंगी
(thand lagengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
ठंड लगूँ
(thand lagoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
ठंड लगें
(thand lagen)
subjunctive (2sg):
ठंड लगे
(thand lage)
subjunctive (2pl):
ठंड लगो
(thand lago)
subjunctive (3sg):
ठंड लगे
(thand lage)
subjunctive (3pl):
ठंड लगें
(thand lagen)