لگنا Expressions (Time, Feelings, Beginnings) in Urdu

Overview

The verb لگنا lagnā is one of the most versatile verbs in Urdu, with multiple distinct meanings depending on context. At the CEFR A2 level, understanding its various uses unlocks a wide range of everyday expressions covering time duration, beginning actions, emotional/physical sensations, and attachment.

لگنا literally means "to strike/attach" but its figurative extensions are vast. It appears in experiencer constructions (مجھے اچھا لگتا ہے, "I like it"), time expressions (دو گھنٹے لگے, "it took two hours"), inception (پڑھنے لگا, "started reading"), and physical attachment (دیوار سے لگاؤ, "attach to wall").

How It Works

Major Uses of لگنا

Use	Pattern	Example	Meaning
Time duration	Time + لگنا	دو گھنٹے لگے	It took two hours
Beginning	Infinitive oblique + لگنا	پڑھنے لگا	Started reading
Sensation/feeling	Experiencer + کو + noun + لگنا	مجھے ٹھنڈ لگتی ہے	I feel cold
Liking/seeming	Experiencer + کو + adj + لگنا	مجھے اچھا لگتا ہے	I like it
Fire/catching	Noun + لگنا	آگ لگ گئی	Fire broke out
Physical attachment	Noun + سے + لگنا	دیوار سے لگا ہوا	Attached to wall

Time Duration Pattern

Destination/activity + میں + time + لگنا:

• اسلام آباد جانے میں پانچ گھنٹے لگتے ہیں (It takes 5 hours to go to Islamabad)

Inception Pattern

Oblique infinitive (-نے) + لگنا:

• بچے رونے لگے (The children started crying)
• وہ ہنسنے لگی (She started laughing)

Examples in Context

Urdu	Transliteration	English	Note
اسلام آباد جانے میں پانچ گھنٹے لگتے ہیں۔	islāmābād jāne meṅ pāṅch ghanṭe lagte haiṅ	It takes 5 hours to go to Islamabad.	Time duration
بچے رونے لگے۔	bachche rone lage	The children started crying.	Inception
مجھے یہ جگہ اچھی لگتی ہے۔	mujhe yeh jagah acchī lagtī hai	I like this place.	Liking
آگ لگ گئی!	āg lag gaī!	Fire broke out!	Fire/catching
مجھے بھوک لگی ہے۔	mujhe bhūk lagī hai	I'm hungry.	Sensation
کتنا وقت لگے گا؟	kitnā vaqt lage gā?	How much time will it take?	Time question
وہ سوچنے لگا۔	voh sochne lagā	He started thinking.	Inception
مجھے ڈر لگتا ہے۔	mujhe ḍar lagtā hai	I feel afraid.	Fear
اس کام میں دو دن لگیں گے۔	is kām meṅ do din lageṅ ge	This work will take two days.	Future time
وہ مجھے اچھا آدمی لگتا ہے۔	voh mujhe acchā ādmī lagtā hai	He seems like a good person to me.	Seeming

Common Mistakes

Confusing Different Uses

• Wrong: Not distinguishing inception from sensation
• Right: Recognize the pattern: infinitive + لگنا = beginning; experiencer + noun + لگنا = feeling
• Why: The same verb has completely different meanings depending on the construction.

Wrong Case in Time Expressions

• Wrong: پانچ گھنٹے لگتا ہے
• Right: پانچ گھنٹے لگتے ہیں
• Why: The time expression (پانچ گھنٹے, plural) is the subject and the verb must agree.

Usage Notes

لگنا is one of those verbs that learners encounter constantly and must gradually master in all its uses. Native speakers use it instinctively across all these meanings. Each use has become so conventionalized that it functions almost as a separate verb.

Practice Tips

• Learn each use of لگنا separately, then practice recognizing which use is intended in context.
• Create sentences for each major pattern: time, inception, feeling, liking.
• Pay attention to لگنا in spoken Urdu — you will hear it multiple times in any conversation.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Present Habitual Tense — لگنا conjugates in habitual and other tenses