मन करना (man karnaa)

verb A dative-subject construction meaning 'to feel like (doing something)' -- literally 'the mind/heart does (something)'. Used constantly in everyday speech to express spontaneous desire or mood.
Sense 1 : to feel like, to have an urge or desire to do something
verb, intransitive The person who feels the urge is marked with को (ko), and मन (man) is the grammatical subject: मुझे खाना खाने का मन कर रहा है (mujhe khaanaa khaane kaa man kar rahaa hai, 'I feel like eating food'). The thing desired is expressed either as a verb infinitive plus का (kaa) before मन (man), or as a plain noun plus का (kaa).
Synonyms: इच्छा होना (ichchhaa honaa, formal), जी करना (jii karnaa, colloquial variant)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: This is a classic example of Hindi's 'body/mind as agent, person as experiencer' pattern, in the same family as भूख लगना (bhookh lagnaa) and नींद आना (niind aanaa) -- the mind, not the person, is grammatically doing the wanting. You'll hear this everywhere in Delhi households when someone is deciding what to eat or whether to go out: क्या करने का मन है? (kyaa karne kaa man hai?, 'what do you feel like doing?') is a very natural way to ask a friend or family member their preference in the moment.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often try to make the को-marked person the subject of agreement, but the verb करना (karnaa) here agrees with मन (man) (masculine singular), not with the person: मुझे... मन करता है (mujhe... man kartaa hai), never a form agreeing with मुझे (mujhe). 2) The infinitive before मन (man) must be marked with का/की/के (kaa) agreeing with मन (man) (so almost always का (kaa) since मन (man) is masculine), not से (se) or को (ko): खाने का मन (khaane kaa man), not खाने से मन (khaane se man). 3) In the continuous/habitual present, the auxiliary agrees with मन (man) throughout, even when describing an ongoing feeling: मन कर रहा है (man kar rahaa hai), not मन कर रही है (man kar rahii hai).
Sample Sentences:
आज मेरा कुछ मीठा खाने का मन कर रहा है। Today I feel like eating something sweet.
(aaj meraa kuchh miithaa khaane kaa man kar rahaa hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
क्या करने का मन है? What do you feel like doing?
(kyaa karne kaa man hai?)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
कल मेरा घूमने जाने का मन नहीं किया। Yesterday I didn't feel like going out.
(kal meraa ghoomne jaane kaa man nahiin kiyaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
बचपन में मेरा हर शाम बाहर खेलने का मन करता था। In my childhood, I used to feel like playing outside every evening.
(bachpan men meraa har shaam baahar khelne kaa man kartaa thaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
अगर बारिश हो रही होती, तो मेरा चाय पीने का मन करता। If it were raining, I would feel like having tea.
(agar baarish ho rahii hotii, to meraa chaay piine kaa man kartaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
पता नहीं क्यों, पर उसका किसी से बात करने का मन नहीं कर रहा। I don't know why, but he doesn't feel like talking to anyone.
(pataa nahiin kyon, par uskaa kisii se baat karne kaa man nahiin kar rahaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
शायद उसका फिल्म देखने का मन करे, पूछ लो। Maybe she'll feel like watching a movie, just ask her.
(shaayad uskaa philm dekhne kaa man kare, poochh lo।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
जब भी मैं थक जाता हूँ, मेरा सोने का मन करने लगता है। Whenever I get tired, I start feeling like sleeping.
(jab bhii main thak jaataa hoon, meraa sone kaa man karne lagtaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
कल पार्टी में मेरा नाचने का बहुत मन कर रहा था। Yesterday at the party, I really felt like dancing.
(kal paartii men meraa naachne kaa bahut man kar rahaa thaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
उम्मीद है कल तुम्हारा हमारे साथ आने का मन कर जाएगा। Hopefully, tomorrow you'll feel like coming along with us.
(ummiid hai kal tumhaaraa hamaare saath aane kaa man kar jaaegaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Future -- Voice: Active
बीमार होने के बावजूद उसका काम करने का मन नहीं माना। Despite being sick, he just couldn't shake off the urge to work.
(biimaar hone ke baavjood uskaa kaam karne kaa man nahiin maanaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
Morphology
Verb (irregular)
infinitive: मन करना (man karnaa)
infinitive oblique: मन करने (man karne)
habitual/simple (sg.m): मन करता (man kartaa)
habitual/simple (pl.m): मन करते (man karte)
habitual/simple (sg.f): मन करती (man kartii)
habitual/simple (pl.f): मन करतीं (man kartiin)
continuous (sg.m): मन कर रहा (man kar rahaa)
continuous (pl.m): मन कर रहे (man kar rahe)
continuous (sg.f): मन कर रही (man kar rahii)
continuous (pl.f): मन कर रहीं (man kar rahiin)
perfective (sg.m): मन किया (man kiyaa)
perfective (pl.m): मन किए (man kie)
perfective (sg.f): मन की (man kii)
perfective (pl.f): मन कीं (man kiin)
imperative (informal): मन कर (man kar)
imperative (neutral): मन करो (man karo)
imperative (formal): मन कीजिए (man kiijie)
future (1sg.m): मन करूँगा (man karoongaa)
future (1sg.f): मन करूँगी (man karoongii)
future (1pl.m): मन करेंगे (man karenge)
future (1pl.f): मन करेंगी (man karengii)
future (2sg.m): मन करेगा (man karegaa)
future (2sg.f): मन करेगी (man karegii)
future (2pl.m): मन करोगे (man karoge)
future (2pl.f): मन करोगी (man karogii)
future (3sg.m): मन करेगा (man karegaa)
future (3sg.f): मन करेगी (man karegii)
future (3pl.m): मन करेंगे (man karenge)
future (3pl.f): मन करेंगी (man karengii)
subjunctive (1sg): मन करूँ (man karoon)
subjunctive (1pl): मन करें (man karen)
subjunctive (2sg): मन करे (man kare)
subjunctive (2pl): मन करो (man karo)
subjunctive (3sg): मन करे (man kare)
subjunctive (3pl): मन करें (man karen)