चाहना means “want/desire” and, with a person as object, can mean “love, be fond of.” It is a transitive stative verb with stem चाह-. A same-subject desired action appears as an infinitive; a different-subject desire normally takes कि + subjunctive. Future-shaped forms also support polite “would like” meanings.
Principal parts and object types
| Category | Form | Illustration |
|---|---|---|
| stem | चाह- | सफलता चाह- |
| infinitive | चाहना | जाना चाहना |
| habitual | चाहता / चाहती / चाहते | वह जाना चाहती है |
| perfective | चाहा / चाही / चाहे / चाहीं | उसने आज़ादी चाही |
| conjunctive | चाहकर | चाहकर भी |
A noun object can name what is desired: शांति चाहना, बदलाव चाहना. In everyday transactions, however, मुझे चाय चाहिए is usually more natural than emphatic मैं चाय चाहता हूँ.
हम इस समस्या का स्थायी समाधान चाहते हैं।
ham is samasyā kā sthāyī samādhān cāhte haiṃ.
We want a lasting solution to this problem.
With a human object, को is normal. The affection reading can be romantic or familial, depending on context, but everyday speakers also use प्यार करना.
वह अपने बच्चों को बहुत चाहती है।
vah apne baccoṃ ko bahut cāhtī hai.
She loves her children very much.
Habitual and progressive
| Subject | Simple/habitual present | Progressive present |
|---|---|---|
| मैं, masculine | चाहता हूँ | चाह रहा हूँ |
| मैं, feminine | चाहती हूँ | चाह रही हूँ |
| वह, masculine | चाहता है | चाह रहा है |
| वह, feminine | चाहती है | चाह रही है |
| हम / आप / वे, masculine or mixed | चाहते हैं | चाह रहे हैं |
| हम / वे, all feminine | चाहती हैं | चाह रही हैं |
The simple/habitual form is neutral for a state of desire. Progressive चाहना is possible when the desire is developing, temporarily foregrounded, or insistently pursued; it is not required merely because English says “want right now.”
मैं बस यही चाह रहा हूँ कि सबकी बात सुनी जाए।
maĩ bas yahī cāh rahā hū̃ ki sabkī bāt sunī jāe.
All I want is for everyone to be heard. (male speaker; foregrounded current desire)
Infinitive and subjunctive complements
When the wanter will perform the desired action, use an infinitive in default -ना. चाहना carries the subject agreement.
दीपा अगले साल विदेश में पढ़ना चाहती है।
dīpā agle sāl videś meṃ paṛhnā cāhtī hai.
Deepa wants to study abroad next year.
When the actors differ, use कि and a finite subjunctive.
दीपा चाहती है कि उसका भाई भी आवेदन करे।
dīpā cāhtī hai ki uskā bhāī bhī āvedan kare.
Deepa wants her brother to apply too.
The matrix verb agrees with Deepa; embedded करे belongs to भाई. Hindi does not productively copy English want + object + to-infinitive. See the subjunctive after चाहना.
Perfective alignment
As a transitive verb, perfective चाहना canonically marks the experiencer with ने. An unmarked noun object can control agreement; a clausal or infinitival desire commonly leaves default चाहा.
लोगों ने बदलाव चाहा, लेकिन हिंसा नहीं।
logoṃ ne badlāv cāhā, lekin hiṃsā nahīṃ.
People wanted change, but not violence.
उसने हमेशा अपने बच्चों की ख़ुशी चाही।
usne hameśā apne baccoṃ kī xuśī cāhī.
They always wished for their children's happiness.
मैंने जवाब देना चाहा, पर सही शब्द नहीं मिले।
maĩne javāb denā cāhā, par sahī śabd nahīṃ mile.
I wanted to answer, but couldn't find the right words.
Perfective चाहना often sounds narrative and bounded; ordinary ongoing desire favors चाहता था/चाहती थी.
Future, subjunctive, and polite framing
| Person | Subjunctive | Future masculine | Future feminine |
|---|---|---|---|
| मैं | चाहूँ | चाहूँगा | चाहूँगी |
| तुम | चाहो | चाहोगे | चाहोगी |
| वह / यह | चाहे | चाहेगा | चाहेगी |
| हम / आप / वे / ये | चाहें | चाहेंगे | चाहेंगी |
मैं आपके सुझाव पर थोड़ा समय लेकर सोचना चाहूँगी।
maĩ āpke sujhāv par thoṛā samay lekar socnā cāhū̃gī.
I would like to take some time to think about your suggestion. (female speaker; polite/formal)
क्या आप पहले चाय पीना चाहेंगे?
kyā āp pahle cāy pīnā cāheṅge?
Would you like to have tea first? (respectful offer)
Direct imperatives चाह, चाहो are grammatically possible but pragmatically restricted because desire is not normally commanded. चाहिए is a separate invariant necessity predicate in modern Hindi, not the productive respectful imperative learners should build from चाहना. Common non-finite forms include चाहता, चाहा, चाहते हुए, चाहकर, चाहने, चाहने वाला.
Causation, compounds, and idioms
चाहना has no common productive causative meaning “make someone want.” Hindi expresses that idea analytically: चाहने पर मजबूर करना “compel someone to want” is semantically unusual, while advertising may इच्छा पैदा करना “create desire.”
The stative verb also resists ordinary vector compounds: forms such as चाह लेना are not neutral equivalents of simple चाहना. This absence is part of its lexical grammar.
A high-frequency idiomatic form is न चाहते हुए भी “even though unwilling / despite not wanting to.” The paired connective चाहे...चाहे... means “whether...or...” and is synchronically a fixed connective, not ordinary person agreement.
Common Mistakes
❌ नैना बाज़ार जानी चाहती है।
Incorrect — the same-subject infinitive remains default जाना.
✅ नैना आज बाज़ार जाना चाहती है।
nainā āj bāzār jānā cāhtī hai.
Naina wants to go to the market today.
❌ मैं चाहता हूँ वह जल्दी आना।
Incorrect — a different actor requires कि plus a finite subjunctive.
✅ मैं चाहता हूँ कि वह जल्दी आए।
maĩ cāhtā hū̃ ki vah jaldī āe.
I want them to come early. (male speaker)
❌ मीना नया अवसर चाहता है।
Incorrect — present चाहना agrees with feminine मीना, not with अवसर.
✅ मीना नया अवसर चाहती है।
mīnā nayā avsar cāhtī hai.
Meena wants a new opportunity.
❌ मुझे विदेश जाना चाहता हूँ।
Incorrect — चाहना takes a nominative wanter; the dative frame belongs to चाहिए.
✅ मैं विदेश जाना चाहता हूँ।
maĩ videś jānā cāhtā hū̃.
I want to go abroad. (male speaker)
Key Takeaways
चाहना is a transitive desire verb that agrees with the wanter outside the perfective. Use an infinitive for a same-subject action and कि + subjunctive for a different actor. Perfective चाहना uses ने and object agreement where available. Future-shaped forms support polite “would like” meanings, while invariant चाहिए belongs to a different construction.
Related Topics
- चाहना desire and polite requestsA2 — Express wants with चाहना and use its conditional and future-shaped forms to frame tactful questions, offers, and request prefaces.
- Subjunctive after चाहनाB1 — Choose between an infinitive and a कि-clause with the subjunctive after चाहना, while keeping desire-holder and embedded-subject agreement separate.
- चाहिए necessity and advisabilityA2 — Use invariant चाहिए for needs, advice, and normative necessity, with dative experiencers and agreement on infinitives or past auxiliaries.
- Control with चाहना सकना and कहनाB2 — Track the understood subject of Hindi non-finite complements with चाहना, सकना, and कहना, and know when a finite कि clause is required.
- Making requests across honorific levelsB1 — Match Hindi requests to intimate, familiar, and respectful relationships by coordinating address level, verb form, indirectness, particles, and tone.
- पसंद होना pasand honā: to likeA2 — Reference पसंद होना as a dative-experiencer predicate in which the liked item controls agreement, with dynamic, infinitival, and preference frames.