कल्पना (kalpnaa)
noun/verb
Mainly a feminine noun meaning 'imagination' or 'a fictional/imagined idea'; it also has a common verb-phrase use with करना (karnaa) meaning 'to imagine.'
Sense
1
:
imagination, the mental faculty
noun, feminine
Synonyms: फ़ैंटेसी (faintesii, loanword, less common), ख़याल (khayaal, meaning shades toward 'thought/idea')
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You'll hear this word a lot in school contexts -- कल्पना शक्ति (kalpnaa shakti, 'power of imagination') is a phrase teachers use to praise creative kids. It also shows up in everyday reflection, like जीवन की कल्पना (jiivan kii kalpnaa, 'imagining life/what life would be like').
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for सोच (soch) when they mean कल्पना (kalpnaa) -- सोच (soch) is closer to 'thinking/opinion,' while कल्पना (kalpnaa) specifically implies imagining something not present or not real.
Sample Sentences:
बच्चों में कल्पना शक्ति बहुत ज़्यादा होती है।
Children have a lot of imagination.
(bachchon men kalpnaa shakti bahut zyaadaa hotii hai।)
टीचर ने कहा कि उसकी कल्पना शक्ति बहुत अच्छी है।
The teacher said that his power of imagination is very good.
(tiichar ne kahaa ki uskii kalpnaa shakti bahut achchhii hai।)
बिना कल्पना के कोई भी कहानी नहीं लिखी जा सकती।
No story can be written without imagination.
(binaa kalpnaa ke koii bhii kahaanii nahiin likhii jaa saktii।)
अपनी कल्पना को उड़ने दो।
Let your imagination fly.
(apnii kalpnaa ko udne do।)
अगर उसमें थोड़ी और कल्पना होती, तो उसकी पेंटिंग बेहतर बनती।
If he had a bit more imagination, his painting would have turned out better.
(agar usmen thodii aur kalpnaa hotii, to uskii penting behtar bantii।)
जीवन की कल्पना करना और उसे जीना दो अलग बातें हैं।
Imagining life and actually living it are two different things.
(jiivan kii kalpnaa karnaa aur use jiinaa do alag baaten hain।)
वैज्ञानिकों की खोजों के पीछे अक्सर तेज़ कल्पना शक्ति होती है।
Behind scientists' discoveries there is often a sharp power of imagination.
(vaigyaanikon kii khojon ke piichhe aksar tez kalpnaa shakti hotii hai।)
उसकी कल्पना शक्ति देखकर सब हैरान रह गए।
Seeing his power of imagination, everyone was left astonished.
(uskii kalpnaa shakti dekhkar sab hairaan rah gae।)
काश मुझमें भी उस लेखक जैसी कल्पना होती।
I wish I had imagination like that writer's.
(kaash mujhmen bhii us lekhak jaisii kalpnaa hotii।)
स्कूल में बच्चों की कल्पना शक्ति को बढ़ाने के लिए कई गतिविधियाँ कराई जाती हैं।
Many activities are conducted in school to increase children's power of imagination.
(skool men bachchon kii kalpnaa shakti ko badhaane ke lie kaii gatividhiyaan karaaii jaatii hain।)
कवि की कल्पना ने इस कविता को अमर बना दिया।
The poet's imagination made this poem immortal.
(kavi kii kalpnaa ne is kavitaa ko amar banaa diyaa।)
Sense
2
:
a specific imagined idea, notion, or fictional concept
noun, feminine
Synonyms: धारणा (dhaarnaa, closer to 'assumption/notion'), विचार (vichaar, meaning shades toward 'thought')
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: This sense is what you hear in काल्पनिक (kaalpnik, 'imaginary/fictional') contexts -- a कल्पना (kalpnaa) here is a specific 'what if' idea rather than the general faculty of imagining.
Sample Sentences:
यह कहानी एक पूरी तरह काल्पनिक कल्पना पर आधारित है।
This story is based on a completely fictional idea.
(yah kahaanii ek poorii tarah kaalpnik kalpnaa par aadhaarit hai।)
लेखक के मन में एक अजीब कल्पना आई कि अगर समय उल्टा चले तो क्या हो।
A strange notion came to the writer's mind: what if time ran backwards?
(lekhak ke man men ek ajiib kalpnaa aaii ki agar samay ultaa chale to kyaa ho।)
उड़ने वाली गाड़ियों की कल्पना अब विज्ञान कथाओं तक सीमित नहीं रही।
The idea of flying cars is no longer confined to science fiction.
(udne vaalii gaadiyon kii kalpnaa ab vigyaan kathaaon tak siimit nahiin rahii।)
क्या तुम्हें यह कल्पना पसंद आई कि रोबोट खाना बनाएँगे?
Did you like this idea, that robots will cook food?
(kyaa tumhen yah kalpnaa pasand aaii ki robot khaanaa banaaenge?)
उपन्यास में लेखक ने एक ऐसी दुनिया की कल्पना गढ़ी है जहाँ इंसान समुद्र के नीचे रहते हैं।
In the novel, the author has crafted an idea of a world where humans live under the ocean.
(upanyaas men lekhak ne ek aisii duniyaa kii kalpnaa gadhii hai jahaan insaan samudr ke niiche rahte hain।)
अगर तुम्हारे पास कोई नई कल्पना हो तो मुझे बताना।
If you have any new idea, do tell me.
(agar tumhaare paas koii naii kalpnaa ho to mujhe bataanaa।)
यह फ़िल्म पूरी तरह लेखक की कल्पना से बनी दुनिया दिखाती है।
This film shows a world built entirely from the writer's imagined concept.
(yah film poorii tarah lekhak kii kalpnaa se banii duniyaa dikhaatii hai।)
बच्चे को समझाओ कि यह सिर्फ़ एक कल्पना है, हकीकत नहीं।
Explain to the child that this is just an imagined idea, not reality.
(bachche ko samjhaao ki yah sirf ek kalpnaa hai, hakiikat nahiin।)
अगर वह अपनी कल्पना को कागज़ पर उतार पाता, तो एक अच्छी किताब बन जाती।
If he had been able to put that idea onto paper, it would have become a good book.
(agar vah apnii kalpnaa ko kaagaz par utaar paataa, to ek achchhii kitaab ban jaatii।)
Sense
3
:
to imagine, to picture mentally
verb, transitive Functions as a compound with करना (karnaa): कल्पना करना (kalpnaa karnaa, 'to imagine'), often followed by कि (ki, 'that') to introduce the imagined scenario, e.g. कल्पना करो कि... (kalpnaa karo ki, 'imagine that...').
Synonyms: सोचना (sochnaa, meaning shades toward 'to think'), तसव्वुर करना (tasavvur karnaa, literary)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: कल्पना करो (kalpnaa karo, 'imagine') is a classic way Hindi teachers or storytellers set a scene, much like English 'picture this' -- it invites the listener into a mental scenario before the sentence continues.
Common Mistakes: 1) This is a noun-plus-करना (karnaa) construction, not a simple verb root -- learners sometimes try to conjugate कल्पना (kalpnaa) itself as though it were a verb.
Sample Sentences:
जरा कल्पना करो कि तुम चाँद पर खड़े हो।
Just imagine that you are standing on the moon.
(jaraa kalpnaa karo ki tum chaand par khade ho।)
मैं कल्पना भी नहीं कर सकता कि उसने ऐसा क्यों किया।
I cannot even imagine why he did such a thing.
(main kalpnaa bhii nahiin kar saktaa ki usne aisaa kyon kiyaa।)
बचपन में हम अक्सर कल्पना करते थे कि हम सुपरहीरो हैं।
In childhood, we would often imagine that we were superheroes.
(bachpan men ham aksar kalpnaa karte the ki ham suprahiiro hain।)
वह अभी भी कल्पना कर रही है कि पहाड़ों पर जीवन कैसा होगा।
She is still imagining what life in the mountains would be like.
(vah abhii bhii kalpnaa kar rahii hai ki pahaadon par jiivan kaisaa hogaa।)
कल्पना कीजिए कि अगर बिजली न होती तो जीवन कैसा होता।
Imagine what life would be like if there were no electricity.
(kalpnaa kiijie ki agar bijlii n hotii to jiivan kaisaa hotaa।)
अगर मुझे पहले पता होता, तो मैं ऐसा नतीजा कभी कल्पना न करता।
If I had known earlier, I would never have imagined such an outcome.
(agar mujhe pahle pataa hotaa, to main aisaa natiijaa kabhii kalpnaa n kartaa।)
शायद वह कल्पना करे कि उसकी कहानी किताब बन जाएगी।
Perhaps he imagines that his story will become a book.
(shaayad vah kalpnaa kare ki uskii kahaanii kitaab ban jaaegii।)
इस दृश्य की कल्पना करते हुए कवि की आँखें भर आईं।
While imagining this scene, the poet's eyes welled up.
(is drishy kii kalpnaa karte hue kavi kii aankhen bhar aaiin।)
क्या आप कल्पना कर सकते हैं कि सौ साल पहले दिल्ली कैसी दिखती थी?
Can you imagine what Delhi looked like a hundred years ago?
(kyaa aap kalpnaa kar sakte hain ki sau saal pahle dillii kaisii dikhtii thii?)
उस भयानक हादसे की कल्पना करके भी रूह काँप जाती है।
Even just imagining that terrible accident makes one's soul shudder.
(us bhayaanak haadse kii kalpnaa karke bhii rooh kaamp jaatii hai।)
बच्चों से कहा गया कि वे कल्पना करें कि वे परियों की दुनिया में हैं।
The children were told to imagine that they were in a world of fairies.
(bachchon se kahaa gayaa ki ve kalpnaa karen ki ve pariyon kii duniyaa men hain।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
कल्पना
(kalpnaa)
(sg.f.oblique):
कल्पना
(kalpnaa)
(pl.f.direct):
कल्पनाएँ
(kalpnaaen)
(pl.f.oblique):
कल्पनाओं
(kalpnaaon)
Verb
infinitive:
कल्पना
(kalpnaa)
infinitive oblique:
कल्पने
(kalpne)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
कल्पता
(kalptaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
कल्पते
(kalpte)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
कल्पती
(kalptii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
कल्पतीं
(kalptiin)
continuous (sg.m):
कल्प रहा
(kalp rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
कल्प रहे
(kalp rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
कल्प रही
(kalp rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
कल्प रहीं
(kalp rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
कल्पा
(kalpaa)
perfective (pl.m):
कल्पे
(kalpe)
perfective (sg.f):
कल्पी
(kalpii)
perfective (pl.f):
कल्पीं
(kalpiin)
imperative (informal):
कल्प
(kalp)
imperative (neutral):
कल्पो
(kalpo)
imperative (formal):
कल्पिए
(kalpie)
future (1sg.m):
कल्पूँगा
(kalpoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
कल्पूँगी
(kalpoongii)
future (1pl.m):
कल्पेंगे
(kalpenge)
future (1pl.f):
कल्पेंगी
(kalpengii)
future (2sg.m):
कल्पेगा
(kalpegaa)
future (2sg.f):
कल्पेगी
(kalpegii)
future (2pl.m):
कल्पोगे
(kalpoge)
future (2pl.f):
कल्पोगी
(kalpogii)
future (3sg.m):
कल्पेगा
(kalpegaa)
future (3sg.f):
कल्पेगी
(kalpegii)
future (3pl.m):
कल्पेंगे
(kalpenge)
future (3pl.f):
कल्पेंगी
(kalpengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
कल्पूँ
(kalpoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
कल्पें
(kalpen)
subjunctive (2sg):
कल्पे
(kalpe)
subjunctive (2pl):
कल्पो
(kalpo)
subjunctive (3sg):
कल्पे
(kalpe)
subjunctive (3pl):
कल्पें
(kalpen)