भूख लगना (bhookh lagnaa)
verb
A body-as-experiencer construction meaning 'to feel hungry,' literally 'hunger to attach/strike (someone).' Also used figuratively for a strong craving or appetite for something non-food related.
Sense
1
:
to feel hungry
verb, intransitive Person who is hungry is marked with को (ko), e.g. मुझे भूख लगी है (mujhe bhookh lagii hai, 'I am hungry'). भूख (bhookh) is the grammatical subject and agrees with the verb; the experiencer is a dative-marked non-agent, so ने (ne) is never used here.
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Hindi treats hunger, like sleep (नींद आना, niind aanaa) and fear (डर लगना, dar lagnaa), as something that happens to you rather than something you actively feel -- the body is on the receiving end, not the agent. This is a great early example for learners of the 'dative subject' pattern they have studied with लगना (lagnaa) and चाहिए (chaahie): the experiencer takes को (ko) and the real grammatical subject is the sensation itself.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often try to say मैं भूखा हूँ (main bhookhaa hoon) as if translating 'I am hungry' directly with the adjective भूखा (bhookhaa) -- this is grammatical but less natural in casual speech than मुझे भूख लगी है (mujhe bhookh lagii hai), which describes hunger as something that arrives. 2) Learners sometimes wrongly add ने (ne) to the experiencer, producing मैंने भूख लगी (mainne bhookh lagii), which is incorrect -- the experiencer always takes को (ko), never ने (ne).
Sample Sentences:
मुझे भूख लगी है।
I am hungry.
(mujhe bhookh lagii hai।)
क्या तुम्हें भूख लगी है?
Are you hungry?
(kyaa tumhen bhookh lagii hai?)
सुबह से कुछ नहीं खाया, अब जोर से भूख लग रही है।
I haven't eaten anything since morning, now I'm getting really hungry.
(subah se kuchh nahiin khaayaa, ab jor se bhookh lag rahii hai।)
बच्चों को स्कूल से आते ही भूख लगती है।
The children get hungry as soon as they come home from school.
(bachchon ko skool se aate hii bhookh lagtii hai।)
कल रात मुझे बहुत भूख लगी थी, पर घर में कुछ नहीं था।
Last night I was very hungry, but there was nothing at home.
(kal raat mujhe bahut bhookh lagii thii, par ghar men kuchh nahiin thaa।)
अगर तुम्हें भूख लगे तो फ्रिज में खाना रखा है।
If you get hungry, there's food kept in the fridge.
(agar tumhen bhookh lage to phrij men khaanaa rakhaa hai।)
अगर उसे भूख लगती तो वह जरूर कुछ माँगता।
If he were hungry, he would definitely have asked for something.
(agar use bhookh lagtii to vah jaroor kuchh maangtaa।)
यात्रा के बाद सबको जोरों की भूख लग रही थी।
After the journey, everyone was getting terribly hungry.
(yaatraa ke baad sabko joron kii bhookh lag rahii thii।)
मुझे इतनी भूख लगी है कि मैं एक पूरी थाली खा सकता हूँ।
I am so hungry that I could eat a whole plate of food.
(mujhe itnii bhookh lagii hai ki main ek poorii thaalii khaa saktaa hoon।)
डॉक्टर ने कहा कि दवा से मरीज़ को ज़्यादा भूख लगने लगेगी।
The doctor said that the medicine would make the patient start feeling hungrier.
(doktar ne kahaa ki davaa se mariiz ko zyaadaa bhookh lagne lagegii।)
भूख लगे तो शरमाना मत, बता देना।
If you get hungry, don't be shy, just say so.
(bhookh lage to sharmaanaa mat, bataa denaa।)
Sense
2
:
to develop a craving or strong desire (figurative)
verb, intransitive Used with an oblique noun phrase plus की भूख लगना (kii bhookh lagnaa) to express craving for something abstract, e.g. शोहरत की भूख लगना (shohrat kii bhookh lagnaa, 'to hunger for fame').
Synonyms: तरसना (tarasnaa, to yearn), लालायित होना (laalaayit honaa, literary)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Just as English speakers say someone has 'a hunger for power,' Hindi extends भूख (bhookh) the same way -- power, fame, knowledge, or money can all be objects of भूख (bhookh), showing how naturally the appetite metaphor crosses into ambition and desire in both languages.
Sample Sentences:
उसे शुरू से ही सत्ता की भूख लगी हुई थी।
He had a hunger for power right from the start.
(use shuroo se hii sattaa kii bhookh lagii huii thii।)
पैसे की भूख इंसान को अंधा बना देती है।
A hunger for money makes a person blind.
(paise kii bhookh insaan ko andhaa banaa detii hai।)
जैसे-जैसे उसे शोहरत मिलती गई, उसे और शोहरत की भूख लगती गई।
As he got more fame, he kept craving even more of it.
(jaise-jaise use shohrat miltii gaii, use aur shohrat kii bhookh lagtii gaii।)
अगर उसे ज्ञान की भूख न होती, तो वह इतनी किताबें कभी न पढ़ता।
If he hadn't hungered for knowledge, he would never have read so many books.
(agar use gyaan kii bhookh n hotii, to vah itnii kitaaben kabhii n padhtaa।)
क्या तुम्हें कभी नाम कमाने की भूख नहीं लगी?
Have you never hungered to make a name for yourself?
(kyaa tumhen kabhii naam kamaane kii bhookh nahiin lagii?)
इस पद पर पहुँचने के बाद उसे और ऊँचाइयों की भूख लगने लगी है।
After reaching this position, he has started craving even greater heights.
(is pad par pahunchne ke baad use aur oonchaaiyon kii bhookh lagne lagii hai।)
नेताओं को सत्ता की जो भूख लगती है, वह कभी नहीं मिटती।
The hunger for power that politicians develop never gets satisfied.
(netaaon ko sattaa kii jo bhookh lagtii hai, vah kabhii nahiin mittii।)
काश मुझे भी सफलता की ऐसी भूख लगे।
I wish I too developed such a hunger for success.
(kaash mujhe bhii saphaltaa kii aisii bhookh lage।)
अधिकार की भूख में इंसान अपने ही लोगों को धोखा दे देता है।
In the hunger for authority, a person even betrays his own people.
(adhikaar kii bhookh men insaan apne hii logon ko dhokhaa de detaa hai।)
Morphology
Verb
infinitive:
भूख लगना
(bhookh lagnaa)
infinitive oblique:
भूख लगने
(bhookh lagne)
habitual/simple (sg.m):
भूख लगता
(bhookh lagtaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m):
भूख लगते
(bhookh lagte)
habitual/simple (sg.f):
भूख लगती
(bhookh lagtii)
habitual/simple (pl.f):
भूख लगतीं
(bhookh lagtiin)
continuous (sg.m):
भूख लग रहा
(bhookh lag rahaa)
continuous (pl.m):
भूख लग रहे
(bhookh lag rahe)
continuous (sg.f):
भूख लग रही
(bhookh lag rahii)
continuous (pl.f):
भूख लग रहीं
(bhookh lag rahiin)
perfective (sg.m):
भूख लगा
(bhookh lagaa)
perfective (pl.m):
भूख लगे
(bhookh lage)
perfective (sg.f):
भूख लगी
(bhookh lagii)
perfective (pl.f):
भूख लगीं
(bhookh lagiin)
imperative (informal):
भूख लग
(bhookh lag)
imperative (neutral):
भूख लगो
(bhookh lago)
imperative (formal):
भूख लगिए
(bhookh lagie)
future (1sg.m):
भूख लगूँगा
(bhookh lagoongaa)
future (1sg.f):
भूख लगूँगी
(bhookh lagoongii)
future (1pl.m):
भूख लगेंगे
(bhookh lagenge)
future (1pl.f):
भूख लगेंगी
(bhookh lagengii)
future (2sg.m):
भूख लगेगा
(bhookh lagegaa)
future (2sg.f):
भूख लगेगी
(bhookh lagegii)
future (2pl.m):
भूख लगोगे
(bhookh lagoge)
future (2pl.f):
भूख लगोगी
(bhookh lagogii)
future (3sg.m):
भूख लगेगा
(bhookh lagegaa)
future (3sg.f):
भूख लगेगी
(bhookh lagegii)
future (3pl.m):
भूख लगेंगे
(bhookh lagenge)
future (3pl.f):
भूख लगेंगी
(bhookh lagengii)
subjunctive (1sg):
भूख लगूँ
(bhookh lagoon)
subjunctive (1pl):
भूख लगें
(bhookh lagen)
subjunctive (2sg):
भूख लगे
(bhookh lage)
subjunctive (2pl):
भूख लगो
(bhookh lago)
subjunctive (3sg):
भूख लगे
(bhookh lage)
subjunctive (3pl):
भूख लगें
(bhookh lagen)