B1 · Verbs in pairs
Beginning to: करने लगा
inceptive लगना
Oblique infinitive + लगना: वह रोने लगी, “she began to cry” — with no ने, whatever the verb.
At a glance
- Remember
- Infinitive in -ne plus lagna: began to — and the subject keeps its plain form.
- Form
- रोने लगा / रोने लगीbegan to (m / f)
- Signal words
- -ने लगा
- -ने लगी
- -ने लगे
- अचानक
- Trap
- Wrong:उसने खाना खाने लगा।Right:वह खाना खाने लगा।
Your turn
10 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.
The form
The patterns at a glance
Each row first says when or what the pattern is used for, then gives an example in Hindi.
| began to (m / f) | रोने लगा / रोने लगी |
| began to, plural | हँसने लगे |
| has started to (habit) | उठने लगा है |
| deliberate start, with ने | उसने काम करना शुरू किया |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
Oblique infinitive in -ने + लगना.
फ़िल्म देखकर वह रोने लगी।Watching the film, she began to cry.
No ने; लगना agrees with the subject.
वह खाना खाने लगा।He started eating.
In the perfect it marks a new habit.
आजकल मैं सुबह जल्दी उठने लगा हूँ।These days I’ve started getting up early.
A deliberate start is शुरू करना, with ने.
उसने नौकरी ढूँढना शुरू किया।He started looking for a job.
Example sentences
फ़िल्म देखकर वह रोने लगी।Watching the film, she began to cry.
अचानक बारिश होने लगी।Suddenly it began to rain.
बच्चे ज़ोर-ज़ोर से हँसने लगे।The children started laughing loudly.
आजकल मैं सुबह जल्दी उठने लगा हूँ।These days I’ve started getting up early.
वह चुपचाप खाना खाने लगा।He quietly started eating.
मुझे हिंदी अच्छी लगने लगी है।I’ve begun to like Hindi.
5 more example sentences
ख़बर सुनकर सब लोग हँसने लगे।When they heard the news, everyone began to laugh.
अचानक बिजली चमकने लगी।Suddenly lightning began to flash.
बच्चा चलने लगा है।The baby has started walking.
गाड़ी अजीब आवाज़ करने लगी।The car began to make a strange noise.
धीरे-धीरे मैं हिंदी समझने लगी।Little by little I began to understand Hindi.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
The tense sits on लगना, and लगना is intransitive, so there is no ने. Only the alternative with शुरू करना takes it: उसने खाना शुरू किया.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
To say that someone began to do something, change the infinitive’s -ना to -ने and add लगना: रोना → वह रोने लगी, “she began to cry”; होना → बारिश होने लगी, “it began to rain”. लगना carries tense and agreement.
लगना is intransitive, so this construction never takes ने, even with a transitive verb: वह खाना खाने लगा, “he started eating”, not उसने. The verb agrees with the subject.
It often describes a start that is sudden or not quite planned: a child bursting into tears, rain coming on, people beginning to laugh. For a deliberate start, especially with a clear object, Hindi prefers शुरू करना, which does take ने: उसने गाना शुरू किया, “she started singing”.
In the perfect it describes a new habit or state: आजकल मैं सुबह जल्दी उठने लगा हूँ, “these days I’ve started getting up early”; मुझे हिंदी अच्छी लगने लगी है, “I’ve begun to like Hindi”.
A closer look
Three verbs called लगना
The same लगना means “to seem, to be felt” (मुझे ठंड लग रही है), “to take time” (दो घंटे लगते हैं) and, after an oblique infinitive, “to begin”. The infinitive in front is the signal: होने लगी can only be “began to be”.
Worth knowing (1)
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लग गया: really got going
In speech, the compound लग जाना adds a sense of getting thoroughly under way: बारिश होने लग गई is a little more vivid than होने लगी. Both are correct.
बच्चे फिर से खेलने लग गए।The children got back to playing.
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