Forum: ell.stackexchange.com
Tags: <word-request><verbs><idioms><adjectives><nouns>
Title: How do I express दिल लगाना in English? It literally means 'attaching heart.'
Question: I am Indian, not a native English speaker.  I can't figure out the English expression. We Indians use  दिल लगाना  literal translation  ' to attach heart ' which implies to be in love with someone in Hindi. Please help me to understand this or provide other English expressions that implies to be in love   For example:   He has attached his heart to her,  now he cannot live without her because he loves her so much

Answers:
sents: text: दिल लगाना has nothing to do with love!
text: Rather, you can consider that as मन बहलाना .
text: The meaning of this phrase in Hindi changes according to the usage of it in a sentence.
text: Study this: उसका वहा पे
text: दिल
text: नही
text: लगता|
text: (Literal translation: her heart is not attached/involved there) -
text: She's not happy there!
text: So, yes, in a way, you attach your heart with something or someone you like.
text: But it is not always love.
text: If you want to talk about the intensity of love, there are many ways.
text: One such way is: He loves her so deeply that he cannot live without her.
text: For non-native speakers of Hindi, we have this idiom to talk about one's heart being happy doing something or being with someone.
text: That something/one could be animate or inanimate object.
text: दिल (pronounced: dee-l) means heart , and लगाना (pronounced: la-gaa-naa) means attached .
text: Together they translate:
text: heart attached/involved.
answer_details: author: ell.stackexchange.com/users/3187/Maulik V
score: 16
sents: text: That isn't an idiomatic expression in English, but it's not weird, and the meaning is quite clear.
text: In fact, it's rather pretty.
text: The closest idiomatic expression in English might be "He had his heart set on her."
text: But you could use that in contexts where you weren't in love.
text: For example, "he had his heart set on the prize" would mean getting the prize was very important to him.
text: I like your expression better.
answer_details: author: ell.stackexchange.com/users/66098/joiedevivre
score: 12
sents: text: The most similar English idiom to your provided one would be:
text: He has given her his heart
text: Similarly you can say "his heart belongs to her."
text: Here's some more soppy romance stuff:
text: she stole his heart
text: he has given himself to her his heart
text: is no longer his [to command] etc.
answer_details: author: ell.stackexchange.com/users/29750/theonlygusti
score: 9
sents: text: If the question is about idiomatic expressions of love, any of the following would be candidates:
text: She is the apple of his eye.
text: She is head over heels about him.
text: He takes her breath away.
text: He fancies her.
text: He has eyes only for her.
text: She is smitten by him.
text: They are going steady.
text: They are a match made in heaven.
text: etc.
text: To say, "he attached his heart to her," isn't specifically known as an idiomatic expression of love, but it would generally work since it doesn't idiomatically refer to anything other specific thing.
answer_details: author: ell.stackexchange.com/users/10407/Octopus
score: 4
sents: text: The closest that I can think of is to find a way into someone's heart .
text: Example: When he proposed to her the first time, he got rejected.
text: But he didn't give up and later was able to finally find a way into her heart and make her love him.
answer_details: author: ell.stackexchange.com/users/6450/Michael Rybkin
score: 3
sents: text: A common way to express a similar sentiment in English would be:
text: She stole my heart , I cannot live without her.
answer_details: author: ell.stackexchange.com/users/40004/BradC
score: 0
sents: text: To catch is more common than attach in that context, a catch is also the hook on a door.
text: You can catch someone's eye, and catch someone's fancy, and yet hearts are rarely caught.
text: They are bewitched, charmed, stolen, put under a spell.
text: There are other very useful words other than attach, Snag and Hitch laced up , captured , bridled , and you may use litterary licence and use a new combination of word which pleases you and coin a new term.
text: Ensnared is a gothic way of saying it, and laced up is a figurative one.
text: In french they also say accroche-coeur very often and coup-de-coeur.
answer_details: author: ell.stackexchange.com/users/62378/aliential
score: 0

Summary of the answers:
The closest idiomatic expression in English might be "to have your heart set on someone or something".
He had his heart set upon her could be the closest idiomatic phrase in English.