लगाना (lagaanaa)
verb
The transitive causative partner of लगना (lagnaa); core physical sense is 'to affix/apply/plant/set,' extending to 'to invest/apply (effort, money)' and a few fixed idiomatic frames like अंदाज़ा लगाना (andaazaa lagaanaa, 'to guess') and चिल्लाना-type shouting expressions.
Sense
1
:
to apply, stick, affix (something to a surface)
verb, transitive Takes the pattern X ko Y par lagaanaa (X ko Y par lagaanaa) -- 'to put/apply X onto Y' -- e.g. cream on skin, a poster on a wall.
Synonyms: चिपकाना (chipkaanaa, for sticking/pasting), जमाना (jamaanaa, for setting in place)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Very common in everyday grooming and household talk: क्रीम लगाना (kriim lagaanaa, 'to apply cream'), मेहंदी लगाना (mehandii lagaanaa, 'to apply henna'), पोस्टर लगाना (postar lagaanaa, 'to put up a poster'). Picture a mother telling a child तेल लगाना (tel lagaanaa) before a head massage.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for रखना (rakhnaa) when they mean 'apply/stick,' but रखना (rakhnaa) is just 'to place' -- लगाना (lagaanaa) implies the thing now adheres to or is fixed onto the surface, not just resting on it.
Sample Sentences:
रोज़ रात को अपने चेहरे पर क्रीम लगाओ।
Apply cream on your face every night.
(roz raat ko apne chehre par kriim lagaao।)
माँ बच्चे के बालों में तेल लगा रही है।
The mother is applying oil to the child's hair.
(maan bachche ke baalon men tel lagaa rahii hai।)
उसने दीवार पर नया पोस्टर लगाया।
He put up a new poster on the wall.
(usne diivaar par nayaa postar lagaayaa।)
शादी से पहले लड़कियाँ हाथों पर मेहंदी लगाती हैं।
Before a wedding, girls apply henna on their hands.
(shaadii se pahle ladkiyaan haathon par mehandii lagaatii hain।)
अगर तुम्हारी त्वचा जल गई है तो उस पर यह मलहम लगाओ।
If your skin has gotten burnt, apply this ointment on it.
(agar tumhaarii tvachaa jal gaii hai to us par yah malaham lagaao।)
क्या तुमने घाव पर पट्टी लगा दी है?
Have you put a bandage on the wound?
(kyaa tumne ghaav par pattii lagaa dii hai?)
दरवाज़े पर ताला लगाया जाएगा।
A lock will be put on the door.
(darvaaze par taalaa lagaayaa jaaegaa।)
काश मैंने समय पर नाखूनों पर नेल पॉलिश लगाई होती।
I wish I had applied nail polish on my nails in time.
(kaash mainne samay par naakhoonon par nel polish lagaaii hotii।)
मिस्त्री ने दीवार पर सीमेंट लगाया।
The mason applied cement on the wall.
(mistrii ne diivaar par siiment lagaayaa।)
कृपया लिफाफे पर टिकट लगाकर पोस्ट कर दें।
Please stick a stamp on the envelope and post it.
(kripyaa liphaaphe par tikat lagaakar post kar den।)
इस दाग पर साबुन लगाकर रगड़ो, तभी निकलेगा।
Apply soap on this stain and rub it, only then will it come out.
(is daag par saabun lagaakar ragdo, tabhii niklegaa।)
Sense
2
:
to plant, install, set up (a tree, machine, tent, etc.)
verb, transitive
Synonyms: स्थापित करना (sthaapit karnaa, formal, for installing equipment), रोपना (ropnaa, for planting saplings specifically)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Heard constantly around home and garden life: पेड़ लगाना (ped lagaanaa, 'to plant a tree'), पंखा लगाना (pankhaa lagaanaa, 'to install a fan'), टेंट लगाना (tent lagaanaa, 'to set up a tent') for weddings and functions, which are a huge part of North Indian social life.
Sample Sentences:
मेरे दादा जी ने घर के पीछे एक आम का पेड़ लगाया था।
My grandfather had planted a mango tree behind the house.
(mere daadaa jii ne ghar ke piichhe ek aam kaa ped lagaayaa thaa।)
गर्मियों से पहले हर कमरे में पंखा लगाना पड़ता है।
Before summer, you have to install a fan in every room.
(garmiyon se pahle har kamre men pankhaa lagaanaa padtaa hai।)
शादी के लिए आँगन में बड़ा टेंट लगाया जा रहा है।
A big tent is being set up in the courtyard for the wedding.
(shaadii ke lie aangan men badaa tent lagaayaa jaa rahaa hai।)
कल मज़दूर आकर नई मशीन लगाएँगे।
Tomorrow the workers will come and install the new machine.
(kal mazdoor aakar naii mashiin lagaaenge।)
पहले बगीचे में फूलों की क्यारी लगाओ, फिर बाकी काम करेंगे।
First set up the flower bed in the garden, then we'll do the rest.
(pahle bagiiche men phoolon kii kyaarii lagaao, phir baakii kaam karenge।)
अगर जगह होती तो हम यहाँ भी एक पेड़ लगाते।
If there had been space, we would have planted a tree here too.
(agar jagah hotii to ham yahaan bhii ek ped lagaate।)
सरकार चाहती है कि हर घर में सोलर पैनल लगाया जाए।
The government wants a solar panel to be installed in every house.
(sarkaar chaahtii hai ki har ghar men solar painal lagaayaa jaae।)
पंचायत ने गाँव के चौराहे पर एक स्मारक लगाया है।
The panchayat has installed a memorial at the village crossroads.
(panchaayat ne gaanv ke chauraahe par ek smaarak lagaayaa hai।)
क्या आप कृपया रसोई में नया चूल्हा लगा सकते हैं?
Could you please install a new stove in the kitchen?
(kyaa aap kripyaa rasoii men nayaa choolhaa lagaa sakte hain?)
जब भी वे नए घर में जाते हैं, सबसे पहले तुलसी का पौधा लगाते हैं।
Whenever they move into a new house, they first plant a tulsi sapling.
(jab bhii ve nae ghar men jaate hain, sabse pahle tulsii kaa paudhaa lagaate hain।)
मंदिर के आँगन में बरसों पहले यह बरगद लगाया गया था।
This banyan tree was planted in the temple courtyard years ago.
(mandir ke aangan men barson pahle yah bargad lagaayaa gayaa thaa।)
Sense
3
:
to invest or apply (effort, money, time) as an agent
verb, transitive The agent is the grammatical subject actively spending the resource: मेहनत लगाना (mehnat lagaanaa, 'to put in effort'), पैसा लगाना (paisaa lagaanaa, 'to invest money'). Contrast with लगना (lagnaa), where the resource itself is the subject and is described as being required, e.g. समय लगना (samay lagnaa, 'time is required') -- that construction belongs to लगना, not this word.
Synonyms: निवेश करना (nivesh karnaa, formal, for money specifically), खर्च करना (kharch karnaa, for spending money)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Common in business and effort-related talk: पैसा लगाना (paisaa lagaanaa) is what people say about investing in a shop or a stock, and पूरी मेहनत लगाना (poorii mehnat lagaanaa) is the classic encouragement before an exam.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes try to say 'it took me two hours' with लगाना (lagaanaa) and an agent subject; that meaning uses लगना (lagnaa) instead (मुझे दो घंटे लगे, mujhe do ghante lage, 'it took me two hours'), not this transitive verb.
Sample Sentences:
उसने अपनी सारी बचत इस दुकान में लगा दी।
He put all his savings into this shop.
(usne apnii saarii bachat is dukaan men lagaa dii।)
परीक्षा में पूरी मेहनत लगाओ, फिर नतीजे की चिंता मत करो।
Put in your full effort for the exam, then don't worry about the result.
(pariikshaa men poorii mehnat lagaao, phir natiije kii chintaa mat karo।)
बहुत से लोग शेयर बाज़ार में पैसा लगाते हैं।
Many people invest money in the stock market.
(bahut se log sheyar baazaar men paisaa lagaate hain।)
अगर तुम इस प्रोजेक्ट में थोड़ा और वक़्त लगाते, तो बेहतर नतीजा मिलता।
If you had put in a bit more time on this project, you would have gotten a better result.
(agar tum is projekt men thodaa aur vaqt lagaate, to behtar natiijaa miltaa।)
इस बार मैं अपनी सारी ताकत इस काम में लगा दूँगा।
This time I will put all my strength into this work.
(is baar main apnii saarii taakat is kaam men lagaa doongaa।)
क्या आपने इस कंपनी में कोई पैसा लगाया है?
Have you put any money into this company?
(kyaa aapne is kampnii men koii paisaa lagaayaa hai?)
निवेशकों को सलाह दी जाती है कि वे अपनी पूरी पूँजी एक ही जगह न लगाएँ।
Investors are advised not to put their entire capital in one place.
(niveshkon ko salaah dii jaatii hai ki ve apnii poorii poonjii ek hii jagah n lagaaen।)
उसने अपनी सारी जमा-पूँजी एक नए बिज़नेस में लगा दी थी।
He had invested all his savings in a new business.
(usne apnii saarii jamaa-poonjii ek nae biznes men lagaa dii thii।)
बेहतर होगा कि तुम अपनी सारी ऊर्जा पढ़ाई में लगाओ, फालतू कामों में नहीं।
It would be better if you put all your energy into studying, not into useless things.
(behtar hogaa ki tum apnii saarii oorjaa padhaaii men lagaao, phaaltoo kaamon men nahiin।)
कंपनी में लगाई गई हर रकम का हिसाब रखा जाना चाहिए।
An account should be kept of every amount invested in the company.
(kampnii men lagaaii gaii har rakam kaa hisaab rakhaa jaanaa chaahie।)
जिस तरह उसने इस काम में अपना दिल लगाया है, उससे कामयाबी ज़रूर मिलेगी।
The way he has put his heart into this work, success will surely follow.
(jis tarah usne is kaam men apnaa dil lagaayaa hai, usse kaamyaabii zaroor milegii।)
Sense
4
:
to guess or estimate (in the fixed idiom अंदाज़ा लगाना)
verb, transitive Occurs almost exclusively in the fixed collocations अंदाज़ा लगाना (andaazaa lagaanaa) and अनुमान लगाना (anumaan lagaanaa), both meaning 'to make a guess/estimate.'
Synonyms: अनुमान लगाना (anumaan lagaanaa, more formal variant)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: ज़रा अंदाज़ा लगाओ (zaraa andaazaa lagaao, 'just take a guess') is a very natural conversational opener before sharing surprising news -- a staple of casual storytelling among friends.
Sample Sentences:
ज़रा अंदाज़ा लगाओ, आज कौन आया था!
Just take a guess, who came today!
(zaraa andaazaa lagaao, aaj kaun aayaa thaa!)
मैं अंदाज़ा लगा रहा हूँ कि वह कितने बजे पहुँचेगा।
I'm guessing what time he'll arrive.
(main andaazaa lagaa rahaa hoon ki vah kitne baje pahunchegaa।)
उसने सही अंदाज़ा लगाया कि पार्टी में कितने लोग आएँगे।
She correctly guessed how many people would come to the party.
(usne sahii andaazaa lagaayaa ki paartii men kitne log aaenge।)
क्या तुम अंदाज़ा लगा सकते हो कि यह चीज़ कितने की है?
Can you guess how much this thing costs?
(kyaa tum andaazaa lagaa sakte ho ki yah chiiz kitne kii hai?)
मुझे अंदाज़ा लगाना पड़ा क्योंकि कोई जवाब नहीं दे रहा था।
I had to guess because no one was giving an answer.
(mujhe andaazaa lagaanaa padaa kyonki koii javaab nahiin de rahaa thaa।)
अगर मैं ठीक अंदाज़ा लगा पाता, तो हम समय पर पहुँच जाते।
If I had guessed correctly, we would have arrived on time.
(agar main thiik andaazaa lagaa paataa, to ham samay par pahunch jaate।)
सर्दियों में तापमान का अंदाज़ा लगाना मुश्किल हो जाता है।
In winter, it becomes hard to guess the temperature.
(sardiyon men taapmaan kaa andaazaa lagaanaa mushkil ho jaataa hai।)
उनकी उम्र का अंदाज़ा लगाया गया, पर वह गलत निकला।
Their age was estimated, but it turned out wrong.
(unkii umr kaa andaazaa lagaayaa gayaa, par vah galat niklaa।)
शायद वह पहले से ही अंदाज़ा लगा चुका हो कि क्या होने वाला है।
Perhaps he had already guessed what was going to happen.
(shaayad vah pahle se hii andaazaa lagaa chukaa ho ki kyaa hone vaalaa hai।)
विशेषज्ञों ने आर्थिक हालात के आधार पर भविष्य का अंदाज़ा लगाया।
The experts estimated the future based on the economic conditions.
(visheshgyon ne aarthik haalaat ke aadhaar par bhavishy kaa andaazaa lagaayaa।)
Sense
5
:
to let out, raise (a shout, cry, or similar vocal act)
verb, transitive Appears in fixed frames like चीख़ लगाना (chiikh lagaanaa, 'to let out a scream') and नारा लगाना (naaraa lagaanaa, 'to raise a slogan').
Synonyms: चिल्लाना (chillaanaa, plain verb 'to shout,' not a collocation with लगाना)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: नारा लगाना (naaraa lagaanaa) is the verb for chanting slogans at protests and rallies, a fixture of Indian political and campus life.
Sample Sentences:
छात्रों ने सड़क पर नारा लगाया।
The students shouted a slogan on the street.
(chhaatron ne sadak par naaraa lagaayaa।)
वह डर के मारे चीख़ लगा रही थी।
She was letting out a scream out of fear.
(vah dar ke maare chiikh lagaa rahii thii।)
भीड़ हर पाँच मिनट में नारा लगाती है।
The crowd lets out a chant every five minutes.
(bhiid har paanch minat men naaraa lagaatii hai।)
जोर से नारा लगाओ, तभी नेता सुनेगा!
Shout the slogan loudly, only then will the leader hear!
(jor se naaraa lagaao, tabhii netaa sunegaa!)
काश वह इतनी ज़ोर से हाँक ना लगाता, बच्चा डर गया।
If only he hadn't let out such a loud shout, the child got scared.
(kaash vah itnii zor se haank naa lagaataa, bachchaa dar gayaa।)
रैली में सैकड़ों लोगों ने मिलकर नारे लगाए।
Hundreds of people together let out chants at the rally.
(railii men saikdon logon ne milkar naare lagaae।)
प्रधानमंत्री के भाषण के दौरान समर्थकों ने जय-जय के नारे लगाए।
During the prime minister's speech, supporters let out chants of praise.
(pradhaanmantrii ke bhaashan ke dauraan samarthkon ne jay-jay ke naare lagaae।)
क्या तुम मेरे साथ यह नारा लगाओगे?
Will you chant this slogan with me?
(kyaa tum mere saath yah naaraa lagaaoge?)
सम्भव है कि आयोजक भीड़ से नारे लगवाएँ।
It's possible the organizers might get the crowd to chant slogans.
(sambhav hai ki aayojak bhiid se naare lagvaaen।)
पुलिस के आते ही मैदान में नारे लगाए जाने लगे।
As soon as the police arrived, slogans began to be chanted in the field.
(pulis ke aate hii maidaan men naare lagaae jaane lage।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
लगाना
(lagaanaa)
infinitive oblique:
लगाने
(lagaane)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
लगाता
(lagaataa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
लगाते
(lagaate)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
लगाती
(lagaatii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
लगातीं
(lagaatiin)
continuous (sg.m):
लगा रहा
(lagaa rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
लगा रहे
(lagaa rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
लगा रही
(lagaa rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
लगा रहीं
(lagaa rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
लगाया
(lagaayaa)
perfective (pl.m):
लगाए
(lagaae)
perfective (sg.f):
लगाई
(lagaaii)
perfective (pl.f):
लगाईं
(lagaaiin)
imperative (informal):
लगा
(lagaa)
imperative (neutral):
लगाओ
(lagaao)
imperative (formal):
लगाइए
(lagaaie)
future (1sg.m):
लगाऊँगा
(lagaaoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
लगाऊँगी
(lagaaoongii)
future (1pl.m):
लगाएँगे
(lagaaenge)
future (1pl.f):
लगाएँगी
(lagaaengii)
future (2sg.m):
लगाएगा
(lagaaegaa)
future (2sg.f):
लगाएगी
(lagaaegii)
future (2pl.m):
लगाओगे
(lagaaoge)
future (2pl.f):
लगाओगी
(lagaaogii)
future (3sg.m):
लगाएगा
(lagaaegaa)
future (3sg.f):
लगाएगी
(lagaaegii)
future (3pl.m):
लगाएँगे
(lagaaenge)
future (3pl.f):
लगाएँगी
(lagaaengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
लगाऊँ
(lagaaoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
लगाएँ
(lagaaen)
subjunctive (2sg):
लगाए
(lagaae)
subjunctive (2pl):
लगाओ
(lagaao)
subjunctive (3sg):
लगाए
(lagaae)
subjunctive (3pl):
लगाएँ
(lagaaen)