सपना देखना (sapnaa dekhnaa)
verb
A compound expression built from सपना (sapnaa, 'dream' as a noun) plus देखना (dekhnaa, 'to see'); Hindi frames dreaming as 'seeing a dream,' not as a verb of its own. Covers both the literal night-time dream and the figurative sense of aspiring or fantasizing.
Sense
1
:
to dream (while asleep)
verb, transitive सपना (sapnaa) takes को (ko) marking on the experiencer in the common frame X को सपना आना (X ko sapnaa aanaa, 'X gets a dream') as an alternative construction, but with देखना (dekhnaa) the dreamer is the ने (ne)-marked subject, since देखना (dekhnaa) is transitive.
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Where English treats dreaming as its own verb, Hindi treats a dream as something you 'see' with your eyes closed -- it sits in the same family of body-and-perception idioms as नींद आना (niind aanaa, 'sleep arrives') for falling asleep, reinforcing how Hindi often frames internal experiences as things that happen to or in front of you rather than actions you perform outright.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes say केवल सपना (keval sapnaa) alone to mean 'I dreamed,' but Hindi needs the verb देखना (dekhnaa) to complete the thought -- सपना (sapnaa) by itself is just the noun 'dream.' 2) Because देखना (dekhnaa) is transitive here, the past tense requires ने (ne) marking on the subject: मैंने सपना देखा (mainne sapnaa dekhaa, 'I saw a dream'), which trips up learners who associate 'dreaming' with an involuntary, subject-only verb like सोना (sonaa).
Sample Sentences:
आज रात मुझे एक अजीब सपना आया।
I had a strange dream last night.
(aaj raat mujhe ek ajiib sapnaa aayaa।)
मैंने कल रात अपनी दादी के बारे में सपना देखा।
I dreamed about my grandmother last night.
(mainne kal raat apnii daadii ke baare men sapnaa dekhaa।)
वह रात में बहुत सपने देखती है।
She dreams a lot at night.
(vah raat men bahut sapne dekhtii hai।)
शायद तुम सो रहे हो और सपना देख रहे हो।
Maybe you're asleep and dreaming.
(shaayad tum so rahe ho aur sapnaa dekh rahe ho।)
अगर तुम गहरी नींद में सोते, तो शायद कोई सपना देखते।
If you had slept deeply, you might have had some dream.
(agar tum gahrii niind men sote, to shaayad koii sapnaa dekhte।)
काश मैं वही सपना फिर से देख पाता।
I wish I could have that same dream again.
(kaash main vahii sapnaa phir se dekh paataa।)
बच्चा सो कर डरावना सपना देखकर रोने लगा।
The child fell asleep, had a scary dream, and started crying.
(bachchaa so kar daraavnaa sapnaa dekhkar rone lagaa।)
डॉक्टर ने पूछा कि क्या मरीज़ को नींद में कोई सपना दिखाई देता है।
The doctor asked whether the patient sees any dreams while sleeping.
(doktar ne poochhaa ki kyaa mariiz ko niind men koii sapnaa dikhaaii detaa hai।)
उसे रात भर एक ही सपना आता रहा।
The same dream kept coming to him all night.
(use raat bhar ek hii sapnaa aataa rahaa।)
सोने से पहले डरावनी फिल्म मत देखो, वरना बुरे सपने आएँगे।
Don't watch a scary movie before sleeping, or you'll have nightmares.
(sone se pahle daraavnii philm mat dekho, varnaa bure sapne aaenge।)
जब तक वह गहरी नींद में सोता रहेगा, तब तक सपने देखता रहेगा।
As long as he keeps sleeping deeply, he will keep dreaming.
(jab tak vah gahrii niind men sotaa rahegaa, tab tak sapne dekhtaa rahegaa।)
Sense
2
:
to dream of, aspire to, fantasize about (figurative)
verb, transitive Commonly takes an infinitive or possessive-oblique object, as in सफल होने का सपना देखना (saphal hone kaa sapnaa dekhnaa, 'to dream of becoming successful') or किसी चीज़ का सपना देखना (kisii chiiz kaa sapnaa dekhnaa, 'to dream of something'), with का/की/के (kaa/kii/ke) linking the goal to सपना (sapnaa).
Synonyms: ख़्वाब देखना (khvaab dekhnaa, more poetic/Urdu-flavored variant), कल्पना करना (kalpnaa karnaa, to imagine, broader sense)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the sense behind big, aspirational Hindi phrases -- parents telling children बड़े सपने देखो (bade sapne dekho, 'dream big') is a very familiar piece of everyday encouragement in Indian households and classrooms, much like its English equivalent but carrying real emotional weight around ambition and family hopes.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often try to attach the aspiration directly to देखना (dekhnaa) with के लिए (ke lie) instead of using the का/की/के (kaa/kii/ke) + सपना (sapnaa) frame, producing an unnatural sentence -- the correct pattern is X का सपना देखना (X kaa sapnaa dekhnaa), not X के लिए सपना देखना (X ke lie sapnaa dekhnaa).
Sample Sentences:
बड़े सपने देखो, तभी बड़े काम होंगे।
Dream big, only then will great things happen.
(bade sapne dekho, tabhii bade kaam honge।)
वह डॉक्टर बनने का सपना देखता है।
He dreams of becoming a doctor.
(vah doktar banne kaa sapnaa dekhtaa hai।)
मैंने कभी नहीं सोचा था कि विदेश जाने का सपना इतनी जल्दी सच हो जाएगा।
I never thought that my dream of going abroad would come true so soon.
(mainne kabhii nahiin sochaa thaa ki videsh jaane kaa sapnaa itnii jaldii sach ho jaaegaa।)
काश मैं भी अभिनेता बनने का सपना देख पाता।
If only I too could dream of becoming an actor.
(kaash main bhii abhinetaa banne kaa sapnaa dekh paataa।)
अगर तुम मेहनत करते तो अपने सपने पूरे कर पाते।
If you had worked hard, you would have been able to fulfil your dreams.
(agar tum mehnat karte to apne sapne poore kar paate।)
माँ-बाप हमेशा चाहते हैं कि उनके बच्चे ऊँचे सपने देखें।
Parents always want their children to dream big.
(maan-baap hameshaa chaahte hain ki unke bachche oonche sapne dekhen।)
गाँव के इस लड़के ने आईएएस अफ़सर बनने का सपना देखा था, और आज वह अपने ज़िले का कलेक्टर है।
This boy from the village had dreamed of becoming an IAS officer, and today he is the collector of his district.
(gaanv ke is ladke ne aaiiees afsar banne kaa sapnaa dekhaa thaa, aur aaj vah apne zile kaa kalektar hai।)
इस देश के युवाओं द्वारा देखा गया सपना बदलाव की नींव बना।
The dream envisioned by this nation's youth became the foundation of change.
(is desh ke yuvaaon dvaaraa dekhaa gayaa sapnaa badlaav kii niinv banaa।)
क्या तुम सच में क्रिकेटर बनने का सपना देख रहे हो, या बस मज़ाक कर रहे हो?
Are you really dreaming of becoming a cricketer, or are you just joking?
(kyaa tum sach men kriketar banne kaa sapnaa dekh rahe ho, yaa bas mazaak kar rahe ho?)
अगर हम मिलकर मेहनत करें, तो जो सपना हमने देखा है वह ज़रूर पूरा होगा।
If we work hard together, the dream we have dreamed will surely come true.
(agar ham milkar mehnat karen, to jo sapnaa hamne dekhaa hai vah zaroor pooraa hogaa।)
सपने देखो, पर उन्हें पूरा करने के लिए मेहनत करना भी सीखो।
Dream, but also learn to work hard to fulfil them.
(sapne dekho, par unhen pooraa karne ke lie mehnat karnaa bhii siikho।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
सपना देखना
(sapnaa dekhnaa)
infinitive oblique:
सपना देखने
(sapnaa dekhne)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
सपना देखता
(sapnaa dekhtaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
सपना देखते
(sapnaa dekhte)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
सपना देखती
(sapnaa dekhtii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
सपना देखतीं
(sapnaa dekhtiin)
continuous (sg.m):
सपना देख रहा
(sapnaa dekh rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
सपना देख रहे
(sapnaa dekh rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
सपना देख रही
(sapnaa dekh rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
सपना देख रहीं
(sapnaa dekh rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
सपना देखा
(sapnaa dekhaa)
perfective (pl.m):
सपना देखे
(sapnaa dekhe)
perfective (sg.f):
सपना देखी
(sapnaa dekhii)
perfective (pl.f):
सपना देखीं
(sapnaa dekhiin)
imperative (informal):
सपना देख
(sapnaa dekh)
imperative (neutral):
सपना देखो
(sapnaa dekho)
imperative (formal):
सपना देखिए
(sapnaa dekhie)
future (1sg.m):
सपना देखूँगा
(sapnaa dekhoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
सपना देखूँगी
(sapnaa dekhoongii)
future (1pl.m):
सपना देखेंगे
(sapnaa dekhenge)
future (1pl.f):
सपना देखेंगी
(sapnaa dekhengii)
future (2sg.m):
सपना देखेगा
(sapnaa dekhegaa)
future (2sg.f):
सपना देखेगी
(sapnaa dekhegii)
future (2pl.m):
सपना देखोगे
(sapnaa dekhoge)
future (2pl.f):
सपना देखोगी
(sapnaa dekhogii)
future (3sg.m):
सपना देखेगा
(sapnaa dekhegaa)
future (3sg.f):
सपना देखेगी
(sapnaa dekhegii)
future (3pl.m):
सपना देखेंगे
(sapnaa dekhenge)
future (3pl.f):
सपना देखेंगी
(sapnaa dekhengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
सपना देखूँ
(sapnaa dekhoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
सपना देखें
(sapnaa dekhen)
subjunctive (2sg):
सपना देखे
(sapnaa dekhe)
subjunctive (2pl):
सपना देखो
(sapnaa dekho)
subjunctive (3sg):
सपना देखे
(sapnaa dekhe)
subjunctive (3pl):
सपना देखें
(sapnaa dekhen)