हो जाना (ho jaanaa)
verb
A compound verb built from होना (honaa, 'to be/become') plus जाना (jaanaa) as a completive helper; it marks a change of state as having happened, often on its own. The core sense is 'to become/happen/turn out', with common idiomatic extensions like getting done, getting late, or falling in love.
Sense
1
:
to become, to turn into a new state
verb, intransitive Takes the new state as a predicate complement (adjective or noun), not a direct object: वह बड़ा हो गया (vah badaa ho gayaa, 'he became/grew up big').
Synonyms: बन जाना (ban jaanaa)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the verb Hindi reaches for when something 'happens to' you rather than something you actively do -- ठंड हो गई (thand ho gaii, 'it got cold') or वह बीमार हो गया (vah biimaar ho gayaa, 'he got sick') both frame the change as arriving on its own, which fits the language's general comfort with events happening to a subject rather than being driven by it.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for बनना (bannaa) here, but हो जाना (ho jaanaa) is the default choice for a change of state that happens to someone/something, while बनना (bannaa) leans toward deliberate transformation or profession (जैसे डॉक्टर बनना (doktar bannaa, 'to become a doctor')). 2) The subject of this sense is never ने-marked, since जाना (jaanaa) here is intransitive and the whole compound behaves intransitively.
Sample Sentences:
सर्दियों में पानी बर्फ हो जाता है।
In winter, water becomes ice.
(sardiyon men paanii barph ho jaataa hai।)
पिछले साल वह बहुत मोटा हो गया।
Last year he became very fat.
(pichhle saal vah bahut motaa ho gayaa।)
अगर तुम रोज़ यही खाते रहे, तो बीमार हो जाओगे।
If you keep eating this every day, you'll get sick.
(agar tum roz yahii khaate rahe, to biimaar ho jaaoge।)
अभी शांत हो जाओ, माँ आ रही है।
Calm down right now, mom is coming.
(abhii shaant ho jaao, maan aa rahii hai।)
अगर वह मेरी बात मान लेता, तो उसकी ज़िंदगी कुछ और हो जाती।
If he had listened to me, his life would have turned into something else.
(agar vah merii baat maan letaa, to uskii zindgii kuchh aur ho jaatii।)
धीरे-धीरे उसका गुस्सा प्यार में बदलकर नरम हो गया।
Slowly his anger turned into love and softened.
(dhiire-dhiire uskaa gussaa pyaar men badalkar naram ho gayaa।)
शायद इस दवा से उसकी हालत बेहतर हो जाए।
Maybe his condition will become better with this medicine.
(shaayad is davaa se uskii haalat behtar ho jaae।)
जब उसने नौकरी छोड़ी, तब वह पूरी तरह अकेला हो गया था।
When he left the job, he had become completely alone.
(jab usne naukrii chhodii, tab vah poorii tarah akelaa ho gayaa thaa।)
मैंने सुना है कि इस इलाके में जमीन की कीमतें दोगुनी हो गई हैं।
I've heard that land prices in this area have doubled.
(mainne sunaa hai ki is ilaake men jamiin kii kiimten dogunii ho gaii hain।)
एक हादसे से पूरी कहानी बदलकर कुछ और हो जाती है।
With one accident, the whole story changes and becomes something else.
(ek haadse se poorii kahaanii badalkar kuchh aur ho jaatii hai।)
बच्चे बड़े होकर अक्सर अपने माँ-बाप जैसे हो जाते हैं।
Children, growing up, often become like their parents.
(bachche bade hokar aksar apne maan-baap jaise ho jaate hain।)
Sense
2
:
to happen, to occur, to take place
verb, intransitive Used with event-type subjects: क्या हो गया? (kyaa ho gayaa?, 'what happened?'); शादी हो गई (shaadii ho gaii, 'the wedding happened/took place').
Synonyms: घटना (ghatnaa, formal)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: क्या हो गया? (kyaa ho gayaa?) is the everyday way to ask 'what happened?' or 'what's wrong?' when someone looks upset -- a very common conversational reflex in Delhi households.
Sample Sentences:
क्या हो गया?
What happened? / What's wrong?
(kyaa ho gayaa?)
कल रात एक बड़ा हादसा हो गया।
A big accident happened last night.
(kal raat ek badaa haadsaa ho gayaa।)
पता नहीं कैसे यह गलती हो गई।
I don't know how this mistake happened.
(pataa nahiin kaise yah galtii ho gaii।)
अगर ऐसा होता तो हम पहले ही तैयार रहते।
If that had happened, we would already have been prepared.
(agar aisaa hotaa to ham pahle hii taiyaar rahte।)
हर साल यहाँ मेले में कोई न कोई झगड़ा हो जाता है।
Every year some fight or other happens here at the fair.
(har saal yahaan mele men koii n koii jhagdaa ho jaataa hai।)
देखते रहो, कुछ बड़ा होने वाला है।
Keep watching, something big is about to happen.
(dekhte raho, kuchh badaa hone vaalaa hai।)
अगर सावधानी नहीं बरती गई तो कोई अनहोनी हो सकती है।
If precautions aren't taken, some misfortune could happen.
(agar saavdhaanii nahiin bartii gaii to koii anahonii ho saktii hai।)
चुप रहो, कुछ भी नहीं होगा।
Be quiet, nothing at all is going to happen.
(chup raho, kuchh bhii nahiin hogaa।)
जो होना है वह होकर रहेगा।
Whatever is destined to happen will happen.
(jo honaa hai vah hokar rahegaa।)
बैठक में ऐसा क्या हो गया कि सब चुप हो गए?
What happened in the meeting that made everyone go quiet?
(baithak men aisaa kyaa ho gayaa ki sab chup ho gae?)
उम्मीद है कि सब ठीक हो जाए।
Hopefully everything will turn out fine.
(ummiid hai ki sab thiik ho jaae।)
Sense
3
:
to get finished, to be completed/done
verb, intransitive Common with काम (kaam, 'work'), खाना (khaanaa, 'food/meal'), and similar nouns: काम हो गया (kaam ho gayaa, 'the work got done').
Synonyms: पूरा होना (pooraa honaa), खत्म होना (khatm honaa)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Asking बन गया? (ban gayaa?) or हो गया? (ho gayaa?) about food or a task is an everyday check-in, roughly 'is it ready/done yet?' -- heard constantly in kitchens and offices alike.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes use खत्म होना (khatm honaa) and हो जाना (ho jaanaa) interchangeably, but हो जाना (ho jaanaa) more often implies a task reaching successful completion, while खत्म होना (khatm honaa) can carry a neutral or even negative 'used up, over' sense.
Sample Sentences:
खाना हो गया?
Is the food done?
(khaanaa ho gayaa?)
मेरा काम हो गया है, अब हम चल सकते हैं।
My work is done, we can leave now.
(meraa kaam ho gayaa hai, ab ham chal sakte hain।)
यह रिपोर्ट कल तक हो जाएगी।
This report will be finished by tomorrow.
(yah riport kal tak ho jaaegii।)
जब मैं पहुँचा, तब तक सारा काम हो चुका था।
By the time I arrived, all the work had already been finished.
(jab main pahunchaa, tab tak saaraa kaam ho chukaa thaa।)
अगर तुम मदद करते तो यह काम आज ही हो जाता।
If you had helped, this work would have gotten done today itself.
(agar tum madad karte to yah kaam aaj hii ho jaataa।)
यह काम इतनी जल्दी नहीं हो सकता।
This work can't get done so quickly.
(yah kaam itnii jaldii nahiin ho saktaa।)
मुझे उम्मीद है कि यह प्रोजेक्ट समय पर हो जाए।
I hope this project gets finished on time.
(mujhe ummiid hai ki yah projekt samay par ho jaae।)
पहले अपना होमवर्क हो जाने दो, फिर खेलने जाना।
First let your homework get finished, then go play.
(pahle apnaa homvark ho jaane do, phir khelne jaanaa।)
सर, आपका बिल हो गया है, आप जा सकते हैं।
Sir, your bill is settled, you may go.
(sar, aapkaa bil ho gayaa hai, aap jaa sakte hain।)
सारा इंतज़ाम शादी से पहले ही हो जाना चाहिए।
All the arrangements should get done before the wedding itself.
(saaraa intzaam shaadii se pahle hii ho jaanaa chaahie।)
यह मामला बिना झगड़े के हो जाना चाहिए था, पर ऐसा नहीं हुआ।
This matter should have gotten resolved without a fight, but that's not what happened.
(yah maamlaa binaa jhagde ke ho jaanaa chaahie thaa, par aisaa nahiin huaa।)
Sense
4
:
to fall in love (with someone), idiomatic with प्यार
verb, intransitive Fixed frame: X को Y से प्यार हो गया (X ko Y se pyaar ho gayaa, 'X fell in love with Y') -- the person falling in love is को-marked, not the subject of हो जाना (ho jaanaa) itself.
Synonyms: प्यार में पड़ना (pyaar men padnaa)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is a favorite Bollywood-song construction because it captures the Hindi idea that love is not chosen but happens involuntarily -- मुझे तुमसे प्यार हो गया (mujhe tumse pyaar ho gayaa, 'I fell in love with you') literally says 'to me, love happened from you.'
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often try to make the person who falls in love the grammatical subject (ने-marked or plain nominative), but Hindi frames love as something that happens *to* the दिल (dil, 'heart') or the person, so को-marking on the experiencer is essential: उसे मुझसे प्यार हो गया (use mujhse pyaar ho gayaa, 'she fell in love with me'), not वह ... (vah).
Sample Sentences:
मुझे तुमसे प्यार हो गया।
I fell in love with you.
(mujhe tumse pyaar ho gayaa।)
उसे पहली नज़र में ही उससे प्यार हो गया था।
He had fallen in love with her at first sight itself.
(use pahlii nazar men hii usse pyaar ho gayaa thaa।)
क्या तुम्हें सच में उससे प्यार हो गया है?
Have you really fallen in love with him?
(kyaa tumhen sach men usse pyaar ho gayaa hai?)
मुझे डर है कि मुझे उससे प्यार हो जाएगा।
I'm afraid that I'm going to fall in love with him.
(mujhe dar hai ki mujhe usse pyaar ho jaaegaa।)
अगर वह रोज़ मिलता रहे तो किसी को भी उससे प्यार हो जाए।
If he keeps meeting her every day, anyone might fall in love with her.
(agar vah roz miltaa rahe to kisii ko bhii usse pyaar ho jaae।)
अगर हम उस साल न मिलते तो शायद हमें प्यार न हो जाता।
If we hadn't met that year, maybe we wouldn't have fallen in love.
(agar ham us saal n milte to shaayad hamen pyaar n ho jaataa।)
इस गाने में हीरो को हीरोइन से बारिश में प्यार हो जाता है।
In this song, the hero falls in love with the heroine in the rain.
(is gaane men hiiro ko hiiroin se baarish men pyaar ho jaataa hai।)
देखना, कॉलेज में तुम्हें किसी न किसी से प्यार हो ही जाएगा।
You'll see, you're bound to fall in love with someone or the other in college.
(dekhnaa, kolej men tumhen kisii n kisii se pyaar ho hii jaaegaa।)
प्रेमी हृदय को जब किसी से प्यार हो जाता है, तो सारा संसार सुंदर लगने लगता है।
When a lover's heart falls in love with someone, the whole world starts to seem beautiful.
(premii hriday ko jab kisii se pyaar ho jaataa hai, to saaraa sansaar sundar lagne lagtaa hai।)
उसने बताया कि उसे अपने बचपन के दोस्त से प्यार हो गया है।
She mentioned that she has fallen in love with her childhood friend.
(usne bataayaa ki use apne bachpan ke dost se pyaar ho gayaa hai।)
पता नहीं कैसे, मगर मुझे उससे प्यार हो गया।
I don't know how, but I fell in love with him.
(pataa nahiin kaise, magar mujhe usse pyaar ho gayaa।)
Sense
5
:
to become late, said of time
verb, intransitive Frame: (किसी को) देर हो गई (der ho gaii, '(someone) became late'); the person affected, if named, is को-marked.
Synonyms: देर होना (der honaa)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: मुझे देर हो गई, माफ़ करना! (mujhe der ho gaii, maaf karnaa!, 'I'm late, sorry!') is one of the most-heard apologetic openers in daily Delhi life, from auto-rickshaw delays to college lectures.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners forget the को-marked experiencer and just say मैं देर हो गया (main der ho gayaa), but the correct pattern is मुझे देर हो गई (mujhe der ho gaii, 'I got/became late') -- देर (der) is feminine and is what 'becomes', not the person.
Sample Sentences:
मुझे देर हो गई, माफ़ करना!
I'm late, sorry!
(mujhe der ho gaii, maaf karnaa!)
जल्दी करो, वरना स्कूल के लिए देर हो जाएगी।
Hurry up, or else you'll be late for school.
(jaldii karo, varnaa skool ke lie der ho jaaegii।)
रोज़ रात को उसे सोने में देर हो जाती है।
He ends up going to sleep late every night.
(roz raat ko use sone men der ho jaatii hai।)
अगर हम अभी नहीं निकले, तो बहुत देर हो जाएगी।
If we don't leave now, it will get really late.
(agar ham abhii nahiin nikle, to bahut der ho jaaegii।)
देर मत होने देना, मीटिंग बहुत ज़रूरी है।
Don't let it get late, the meeting is very important.
(der mat hone denaa, miiting bahut zaroorii hai।)
ट्रैफ़िक की वजह से दफ़्तर पहुँचने में बहुत देर हो गई।
Because of the traffic, I got very late reaching the office.
(traifik kii vajah se daftar pahunchne men bahut der ho gaii।)
अगर ट्रेन छूट जाती, तो और देर हो जाती।
If the train had been missed, it would have gotten even later.
(agar tren chhoot jaatii, to aur der ho jaatii।)
महोदय, यातायात जाम के कारण बैठक में विलंब हो गया, इसके लिए क्षमाप्रार्थी हूँ।
Sir, due to the traffic jam I have become late for the meeting, and I apologize for this.
(mahoday, yaataayaat jaam ke kaaran baithak men vilamb ho gayaa, iske lie kshamaapraarthii hoon।)
शायद उसे थोड़ी देर हो जाए, वह अभी निकली है।
She might get a little late, she has just left.
(shaayad use thodii der ho jaae, vah abhii niklii hai।)
इतनी देर हो गई है और वह अभी तक घर नहीं लौटा।
It's gotten so late and he still hasn't returned home.
(itnii der ho gaii hai aur vah abhii tak ghar nahiin lautaa।)
उसे हमेशा हर काम में देर हो जाती है, यह उसकी आदत है।
He always ends up getting late for everything, that's his habit.
(use hameshaa har kaam men der ho jaatii hai, yah uskii aadat hai।)
Morphology
Verb (irregular)
infinitive:
हो जाना
(ho jaanaa)
infinitive oblique:
हो जाने
(ho jaane)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
हो जाता
(ho jaataa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
हो जाते
(ho jaate)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
हो जाती
(ho jaatii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
हो जातीं
(ho jaatiin)
continuous (sg.m):
हो जा रहा
(ho jaa rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
हो जा रहे
(ho jaa rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
हो जा रही
(ho jaa rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
हो जा रहीं
(ho jaa rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
हो गया
(ho gayaa)
perfective (pl.m):
हो गए
(ho gae)
perfective (sg.f):
हो गई
(ho gaii)
perfective (pl.f):
हो गईं
(ho gaiin)
imperative (informal):
हो जा
(ho jaa)
imperative (neutral):
हो जाओ
(ho jaao)
imperative (formal):
हो जाइए
(ho jaaie)
future (1sg.m):
हो जाऊँगा
(ho jaaoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
हो जाऊँगी
(ho jaaoongii)
future (1pl.m):
हो जाएँगे
(ho jaaenge)
future (1pl.f):
हो जाएँगी
(ho jaaengii)
future (2sg.m):
हो जाएगा
(ho jaaegaa)
future (2sg.f):
हो जाएगी
(ho jaaegii)
future (2pl.m):
हो जाओगे
(ho jaaoge)
future (2pl.f):
हो जाओगी
(ho jaaogii)
future (3sg.m):
हो जाएगा
(ho jaaegaa)
future (3sg.f):
हो जाएगी
(ho jaaegii)
future (3pl.m):
हो जाएँगे
(ho jaaenge)
future (3pl.f):
हो जाएँगी
(ho jaaengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
हो जाऊँ
(ho jaaoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
हो जाएँ
(ho jaaen)
subjunctive (2sg):
हो जाए
(ho jaae)
subjunctive (2pl):
हो जाओ
(ho jaao)
subjunctive (3sg):
हो जाए
(ho jaae)
subjunctive (3pl):
हो जाएँ
(ho jaaen)