दिल लगना (dil lagnaa)
verb
A compound verb built from दिल (dil, 'heart') and लगना (lagnaa, 'to attach/feel'); covers (1) to feel emotionally engaged or interested in something (like a place, activity, or routine), and (2) to fall in love with someone. Both senses treat the heart as attaching itself involuntarily, not as something you control.
Sense
1
:
to feel settled/engaged/interested (in a place, activity, or routine)
verb, intransitive Takes a दात-marked (को) experiencer subject: kisii kaa dil kisii jagah/kaam men lagnaa -- 'someone's heart to attach in some place/activity.' The thing one is engaged with is marked with में (men).
Synonyms: मन लगना (man lagnaa), जी लगना (jii lagnaa)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This phrase captures a very Hindi way of talking about mood and belonging: your heart 'attaches' or 'doesn't attach' somewhere, as if it has its own will separate from yours. You'll hear homesick students or new employees say यहाँ दिल नहीं लगता (yahaan dil nahiin lagtaa, 'I don't feel settled here') to a concerned relative on the phone -- it is the standard way to express that vague restless unhappiness of not fitting into a new place.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often try to make the person the grammatical subject with ने or a plain subject; the experiencer takes का (kaa) possessive marking on दिल, and the verb agrees with दिल, not the person: मेरा दिल नहीं लगता (meraa dil nahiin lagtaa, 'my heart doesn't feel settled'), not मैं दिल नहीं लगता। 2) Confusing this with दिल लगाना (dil lagaanaa), the transitive causative counterpart meaning 'to apply one's heart/attention (to something)' -- लगना here is intransitive and involuntary, not a deliberate act.
Sample Sentences:
यहाँ दिल नहीं लगता।
I don't feel settled here.
(yahaan dil nahiin lagtaa।)
नए शहर में उसका दिल बिल्कुल नहीं लग रहा है।
He isn't feeling at home in the new city at all.
(nae shahar men uskaa dil bilkul nahiin lag rahaa hai।)
शुरू में तो मुश्किल था, पर अब दफ्तर में मेरा दिल लगने लगा है।
It was hard at first, but now I've started feeling settled at the office.
(shuroo men to mushkil thaa, par ab daphtar men meraa dil lagne lagaa hai।)
अगर यहाँ पढ़ाई अच्छी होती, तो शायद मेरा दिल भी लग जाता।
If the studies here were good, maybe I would have felt settled too.
(agar yahaan padhaaii achchhii hotii, to shaayad meraa dil bhii lag jaataa।)
कोई तो काम ढूँढो जिसमें तुम्हारा दिल लगे।
Find some work that actually engages you.
(koii to kaam dhoondho jismen tumhaaraa dil lage।)
पहले तो घर की याद आती थी, लेकिन धीरे-धीरे यहाँ दिल लग गया।
At first I missed home, but slowly I settled in here.
(pahle to ghar kii yaad aatii thii, lekin dhiire-dhiire yahaan dil lag gayaa।)
बेटा, हॉस्टल में दिल लगाने की कोशिश करो, धीरे-धीरे सब ठीक हो जाएगा।
Son, try to settle in at the hostel, slowly everything will be fine.
(betaa, hostal men dil lagaane kii koshish karo, dhiire-dhiire sab thiik ho jaaegaa।)
क्या तुम्हारा दिल इस नौकरी में लगता है, या तुम बस पैसों के लिए कर रहे हो?
Do you actually feel engaged in this job, or are you just doing it for the money?
(kyaa tumhaaraa dil is naukrii men lagtaa hai, yaa tum bas paison ke lie kar rahe ho?)
रिटायरमेंट के बाद पापा का घर पर दिल नहीं लगता, वो रोज़ बाज़ार निकल जाते हैं।
After retirement, Dad doesn't feel settled at home, he heads to the market every day.
(ritaayarment ke baad paapaa kaa ghar par dil nahiin lagtaa, vo roz baazaar nikal jaate hain।)
अम्मा को समझाना कि हॉस्टल में मेरा दिल लगने लगा है, वरना वो चिंता करती रहेंगी।
Explain to mom that I've started settling in at the hostel, otherwise she'll keep worrying.
(ammaa ko samjhaanaa ki hostal men meraa dil lagne lagaa hai, varnaa vo chintaa kartii rahengii।)
जब तक मन की बात किसी से साझा न हो, तब तक कहीं भी दिल लगना मुश्किल है।
As long as you can't share what's on your mind with someone, it's hard to feel settled anywhere.
(jab tak man kii baat kisii se saajhaa n ho, tab tak kahiin bhii dil lagnaa mushkil hai।)
गाँव में जन्मा और पला व्यक्ति शहर की भीड़ में शायद ही कभी दिल लगा पाता है।
A person born and raised in a village can rarely feel at home in the crowds of a city.
(gaanv men janmaa aur palaa vyakti shahar kii bhiid men shaayad hii kabhii dil lagaa paataa hai।)
Sense
2
:
to fall in love (with someone)
verb, intransitive Frame: kisii kaa dil kisii par lagnaa -- the person one falls for is marked with पर (par), while the one falling in love is marked with का (kaa) on दिल, again with दिल as grammatical subject.
Synonyms: प्यार हो जाना (pyaar ho jaanaa), मोहब्बत हो जाना (mohabbat ho jaanaa, slightly more poetic/filmy)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This sense shows up constantly in Bollywood dialogue and lyrics, where दिल (dil) is treated almost as a separate character with its own desires -- लगना here softly says the heart 'got attached' rather than the person 'chose' to love, which fits the broader Hindi pattern of describing emotions as things that happen to you (compare प्यार होना (pyaar honaa) and नींद आना (niind aanaa)).
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes use को where पर is expected for the person one falls for -- the standard frame is दिल किसी पर लगना (dil kisii par lagnaa), not दिल किसी को लगना. 2) This phrase implies a growing, often one-sided attraction, distinct from the more instantaneous और sudden feel of किसी को किसी से प्यार हो जाना (kisii ko kisii se pyaar ho jaanaa, 'someone to fall in love with someone') -- they overlap but are not perfectly interchangeable in every context.
Sample Sentences:
मुझे उससे दिल लग गया है।
I've fallen for her.
(mujhe usse dil lag gayaa hai।)
पता नहीं कब उसका दिल मुझसे लग गया।
I don't know when she fell for me.
(pataa nahiin kab uskaa dil mujhse lag gayaa।)
इस कॉलेज में लड़कों का दिल जल्दी लग जाता है।
Boys in this college fall in love quickly.
(is kolej men ladkon kaa dil jaldii lag jaataa hai।)
अगर उससे तुम्हारा दिल लग जाए तो मुझे बताना।
If you fall for him, let me know.
(agar usse tumhaaraa dil lag jaae to mujhe bataanaa।)
काश उस वक्त मेरा दिल उससे न लगता।
I wish I hadn't fallen for her back then.
(kaash us vakt meraa dil usse n lagtaa।)
फिल्म की हीरोइन का दिल एक साधारण लड़के से लग जाता है।
The film's heroine falls for a simple boy.
(philm kii hiiroin kaa dil ek saadhaaran ladke se lag jaataa hai।)
मेरा दिल उस गाने की तरह किसी अजनबी से लग गया था।
My heart fell for a stranger, just like in that song.
(meraa dil us gaane kii tarah kisii ajanbii se lag gayaa thaa।)
देखना, कहीं तेरा दिल किसी और से न लग जाए।
Watch out, or your heart might fall for someone else.
(dekhnaa, kahiin teraa dil kisii aur se n lag jaae।)
उसका दिल किसी और से लगा हुआ है, ये बात सब जानते हैं।
Everyone knows his heart is taken by someone else.
(uskaa dil kisii aur se lagaa huaa hai, ye baat sab jaante hain।)
क्या तुम्हारा दिल सच में उससे लगा है, या बस टाइमपास है?
Have you actually fallen for him, or is it just a fling?
(kyaa tumhaaraa dil sach men usse lagaa hai, yaa bas taaimpaas hai?)
शायद मेरा दिल उससे लग रहा है, मुझे खुद नहीं पता।
Maybe I'm falling for her, I don't even know myself.
(shaayad meraa dil usse lag rahaa hai, mujhe khud nahiin pataa।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
दिल लगना
(dil lagnaa)
infinitive oblique:
दिल लगने
(dil lagne)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
दिल लगता
(dil lagtaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
दिल लगते
(dil lagte)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
दिल लगती
(dil lagtii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
दिल लगतीं
(dil lagtiin)
continuous (sg.m):
दिल लग रहा
(dil lag rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
दिल लग रहे
(dil lag rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
दिल लग रही
(dil lag rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
दिल लग रहीं
(dil lag rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
दिल लगा
(dil lagaa)
perfective (pl.m):
दिल लगे
(dil lage)
perfective (sg.f):
दिल लगी
(dil lagii)
perfective (pl.f):
दिल लगीं
(dil lagiin)
imperative (informal):
दिल लग
(dil lag)
imperative (neutral):
दिल लगो
(dil lago)
imperative (formal):
दिल लगिए
(dil lagie)
future (1sg.m):
दिल लगूँगा
(dil lagoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
दिल लगूँगी
(dil lagoongii)
future (1pl.m):
दिल लगेंगे
(dil lagenge)
future (1pl.f):
दिल लगेंगी
(dil lagengii)
future (2sg.m):
दिल लगेगा
(dil lagegaa)
future (2sg.f):
दिल लगेगी
(dil lagegii)
future (2pl.m):
दिल लगोगे
(dil lagoge)
future (2pl.f):
दिल लगोगी
(dil lagogii)
future (3sg.m):
दिल लगेगा
(dil lagegaa)
future (3sg.f):
दिल लगेगी
(dil lagegii)
future (3pl.m):
दिल लगेंगे
(dil lagenge)
future (3pl.f):
दिल लगेंगी
(dil lagengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
दिल लगूँ
(dil lagoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
दिल लगें
(dil lagen)
subjunctive (2sg):
दिल लगे
(dil lage)
subjunctive (2pl):
दिल लगो
(dil lago)
subjunctive (3sg):
दिल लगे
(dil lage)
subjunctive (3pl):
दिल लगें
(dil lagen)