सपना (sapnaa)
noun/verb
Mainly a noun meaning 'dream' (both the sleep kind and the aspiration kind); it also has a much rarer intransitive verb use meaning 'to appear in a dream, to dream'.
Sense
1
:
dream (during sleep)
noun, masculine
Synonyms: स्वप्न (svapn, literary)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: In everyday speech सपना (sapnaa) almost always shows up inside the phrase सपना देखना (sapnaa dekhnaa) -- literally 'to see a dream' -- which is the standard way to talk about dreaming, whether at night or about your future. The literary word स्वप्न (svapn) means the same thing but belongs more to poetry, songs, and philosophical writing than to kitchen-table conversation.
Common Mistakes: 1) The verb 'to dream' is expressed with सपना देखना (sapnaa dekhnaa, 'to see a dream'), not a single verb -- learners often try to say सपना करना (sapnaa karnaa) by analogy with English, which is wrong. 2) The dreamer is the subject who 'sees' the dream, so the sentence takes ने (ne) marking in the past: मैंने सपना देखा (mainne sapnaa dekhaa, 'I had a dream'), not मुझे (mujhe)-marked as one might expect from other involuntary-experience verbs.
Sample Sentences:
कल रात मुझे एक अजीब सपना आया।
I had a strange dream last night.
(kal raat mujhe ek ajiib sapnaa aayaa।)
मैंने सपने में अपने दादा जी को देखा।
I saw my grandfather in a dream.
(mainne sapne men apne daadaa jii ko dekhaa।)
वह रोज़ अजीब-अजीब सपने देखती है।
She has all sorts of weird dreams every day.
(vah roz ajiib-ajiib sapne dekhtii hai।)
बच्चा नींद में डर गया, शायद कोई डरावना सपना देख रहा था।
The child got scared in his sleep -- maybe he was having a scary dream.
(bachchaa niind men dar gayaa, shaayad koii daraavnaa sapnaa dekh rahaa thaa।)
सपना इतना सच लग रहा था कि मैं उठकर भी यकीन नहीं कर पाया।
The dream felt so real that even after waking up I couldn't believe it wasn't true.
(sapnaa itnaa sach lag rahaa thaa ki main uthkar bhii yakiin nahiin kar paayaa।)
अगर तुम्हें बुरा सपना दिखे, तो पानी पीकर सो जाना।
If you have a bad dream, drink some water and go back to sleep.
(agar tumhen buraa sapnaa dikhe, to paanii piikar so jaanaa।)
उसने सपने में देखा कि वह उड़ रहा है।
He dreamed that he was flying.
(usne sapne men dekhaa ki vah ud rahaa hai।)
काश मुझे भी कभी उड़ने का सपना आता।
I wish I too could sometimes have a dream about flying.
(kaash mujhe bhii kabhii udne kaa sapnaa aataa।)
अगर मैं कल जल्दी सो जाता तो शायद ऐसा सपना नहीं आता।
If I had gone to sleep early yesterday, maybe I wouldn't have had that dream.
(agar main kal jaldii so jaataa to shaayad aisaa sapnaa nahiin aataa।)
सपने कभी-कभी सुबह उठने के बाद याद नहीं रहते।
Sometimes dreams aren't remembered after waking up in the morning.
(sapne kabhii-kabhii subah uthne ke baad yaad nahiin rahte।)
मनोवैज्ञानिकों का कहना है कि सपने नींद की एक खास अवस्था में देखे जाते हैं।
Psychologists say that dreams occur during a particular stage of sleep.
(manovaigyaanikon kaa kahnaa hai ki sapne niind kii ek khaas avasthaa men dekhe jaate hain।)
Sense
2
:
dream, aspiration (figurative)
noun, masculine
Synonyms: आकांक्षा (aakaankshaa, formal), ख़्वाब (khvaab)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is the सपना (sapnaa) of Bollywood songs and motivational talk -- 'बड़े सपने देखो' (bade sapne dekho, 'dream big') is a phrase every Hindi-speaking parent or teacher has said at some point. It sits right alongside ख़्वाब (khvaab), a near-synonym borrowed from Urdu poetic tradition that carries a slightly more romantic or wistful color, often heard in ghazals and film lyrics.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes reach for इच्छा (ichchhaa, 'wish/desire') where सपना (sapnaa) is more natural for a long-term life goal like 'my dream is to become a doctor' -- सपना (sapnaa) carries a stronger sense of an imagined future self, not just a want.
Sample Sentences:
बड़े सपने देखो, तभी कुछ बड़ा कर पाओगे।
Dream big, only then will you be able to achieve something great.
(bade sapne dekho, tabhii kuchh badaa kar paaoge।)
मेरा सपना है कि मैं एक दिन अपना खुद का बिज़नेस शुरू करूँ।
My dream is that one day I will start my own business.
(meraa sapnaa hai ki main ek din apnaa khud kaa biznes shuroo karoon।)
उसने डॉक्टर बनने का सपना बचपन से ही पाल रखा था।
She had nurtured the dream of becoming a doctor since childhood.
(usne doktar banne kaa sapnaa bachpan se hii paal rakhaa thaa।)
उसका सपना आख़िरकार साकार हो गया जब उसे विदेश में नौकरी मिली।
His dream finally came true when he got a job abroad.
(uskaa sapnaa aakhirkaar saakaar ho gayaa jab use videsh men naukrii milii।)
अगर मेहनत करते तो तुम्हारा सपना ज़रूर पूरा होता।
If you had worked hard, your dream would surely have come true.
(agar mehnat karte to tumhaaraa sapnaa zaroor pooraa hotaa।)
क्या तुम्हारा कभी सपना नहीं टूटा?
Has your dream never been shattered?
(kyaa tumhaaraa kabhii sapnaa nahiin tootaa?)
युवाओं के सपनों को पूरा करने के लिए सरकार नई योजनाएँ ला रही है।
The government is bringing new schemes to fulfill the dreams of the youth.
(yuvaaon ke sapnon ko pooraa karne ke lie sarkaar naii yojnaaen laa rahii hai।)
इस देश में करोड़ों लोगों का सपना एक अच्छी ज़िंदगी जीना है।
The dream of millions of people in this country is to live a good life.
(is desh men karodon logon kaa sapnaa ek achchhii zindgii jiinaa hai।)
उसके सपनों को यूँ ही टूटते देखकर दिल दुखता है।
It hurts to see her dreams shatter just like that.
(uske sapnon ko yoon hii tootte dekhkar dil dukhtaa hai।)
काश मेरा सपना कभी पूरा हो पाता।
If only my dream could ever come true.
(kaash meraa sapnaa kabhii pooraa ho paataa।)
गरीबों के लिए घर का सपना अक्सर अधूरा ही रह जाता है।
For the poor, the dream of owning a house often remains unfulfilled.
(gariibon ke lie ghar kaa sapnaa aksar adhooraa hii rah jaataa hai।)
Sense
3
:
to appear in a dream
verb, intransitive Used impersonally with a को (ko)-marked experiencer: किसी को सपनाना (kisii ko sapnaanaa, 'to appear in someone's dream'), the reverse construction of सपना देखना (sapnaa dekhnaa).
Frequency: literary
Cultural Note: This verb form सपनाना (sapnaanaa) is rare in ordinary conversation -- native speakers overwhelmingly prefer the noun-plus-verb phrase सपने में आना (sapne men aanaa, 'to come in a dream') or सपना देखना (sapnaa dekhnaa) instead. It survives mainly in poetry and song lyrics.
Sample Sentences:
तू रात को सपनाता है।
You appear in my dreams at night.
(too raat ko sapnaataa hai।)
वह चाँद की तरह मेरी आँखों में सपनाती रही।
She kept appearing in my dreams like the moon, night after night.
(vah chaand kii tarah merii aankhon men sapnaatii rahii।)
जब से वह गई है, वह हर रात सपनाई है।
Ever since she left, she has appeared in my dreams every night.
(jab se vah gaii hai, vah har raat sapnaaii hai।)
काश तू फिर से सपनाए।
If only you would appear in my dreams again.
(kaash too phir se sapnaae।)
अगर तू सपनाता, तो यह रात इतनी सूनी न होती।
If you had appeared in my dream, this night would not have been so empty.
(agar too sapnaataa, to yah raat itnii soonii n hotii।)
प्रिये, आज फिर सपनाना।
Beloved, appear in my dream again tonight.
(priye, aaj phir sapnaanaa।)
उसकी छवि हर रात मुझे सपनाएगी।
Her image will appear in my dreams every night.
(uskii chhavi har raat mujhe sapnaaegii।)
गीत में लिखा है कि प्रियतम सपनाया जाता है।
The song says that the beloved is dreamed of, is made to appear in dreams.
(giit men likhaa hai ki priytam sapnaayaa jaataa hai।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
सपना
(sapnaa)
(sg.m.oblique):
सपने
(sapne)
(pl.m.direct):
सपने
(sapne)
(pl.m.oblique):
सपनों
(sapnon)
Verb
infinitive:
सपना
(sapnaa)
infinitive oblique:
सपने
(sapne)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
सपता
(saptaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
सपते
(sapte)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
सपती
(saptii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
सपतीं
(saptiin)
continuous (sg.m):
सप रहा
(sap rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
सप रहे
(sap rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
सप रही
(sap rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
सप रहीं
(sap rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
सपा
(sapaa)
perfective (pl.m):
सपे
(sape)
perfective (sg.f):
सपी
(sapii)
perfective (pl.f):
सपीं
(sapiin)
imperative (informal):
सप
(sap)
imperative (neutral):
सपो
(sapo)
imperative (formal):
सपिए
(sapie)
future (1sg.m):
सपूँगा
(sapoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
सपूँगी
(sapoongii)
future (1pl.m):
सपेंगे
(sapenge)
future (1pl.f):
सपेंगी
(sapengii)
future (2sg.m):
सपेगा
(sapegaa)
future (2sg.f):
सपेगी
(sapegii)
future (2pl.m):
सपोगे
(sapoge)
future (2pl.f):
सपोगी
(sapogii)
future (3sg.m):
सपेगा
(sapegaa)
future (3sg.f):
सपेगी
(sapegii)
future (3pl.m):
सपेंगे
(sapenge)
future (3pl.f):
सपेंगी
(sapengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
सपूँ
(sapoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
सपें
(sapen)
subjunctive (2sg):
सपे
(sape)
subjunctive (2pl):
सपो
(sapo)
subjunctive (3sg):
सपे
(sape)
subjunctive (3pl):
सपें
(sapen)