-نے + لگنا

Starting an Activity

Level 2

Focus on the point where an activity begins.

How It Works

Start from the infinitive بولنا, change it to بولنے, then add a form of لگنا. The ordinary pattern agrees with the person or thing beginning the activity.

A transitive embedded action does not by itself introduce a نے-marked subject: مریم خط لکھنے لگی keeps Maryam unmarked.

This construction says the activity began; it does not say that the whole activity finished. The bare experience expression بھوک لگنا follows a different structure.

Examples (4)

  1. مریم خط لکھنے لگی۔

    Maryam started writing a letter.

    The subject controls لگی, although writing has an object.

  2. بچے ہنسنے لگے۔

    The children started laughing.

    The plural group selects لگے.

  3. بارش ہونے لگی۔

    It started to rain.

    Feminine بارش selects لگی.

  4. میں پھر بولنے لگا۔

    I started speaking again.

    The speaker uses masculine لگا.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding subject نے because the embedded action has an object.

    مریم نے خط لکھنے لگی۔
    مریم خط لکھنے لگی۔

    The start construction has an unmarked subject here.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

-نے + لگناLevel 2Starting an Activity

Learn This First

Conjugate the main verb that marks the beginning of an activity.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

لگنا