Hindi/Everyday Phrases

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What does your typical day looks like?

Phrases[edit | edit source]

  • Hello - नमस्कार (namaskar) or namaste (नमस्ते)
  • Goodbye -अलविदा (Alvida), चलता/चलती/चलते हूँ/है (chaltā/chalti/chalte hūn/hai) [chaltā hūn is used by a boy whereas chalti hū is used by a girl. chalte hai is used by a group of people]
  • Please be seated- पधारिये। (Padhāriye.)
  • See you again. - फिर मिलेंगे। (Phir mileṅge.)
  • Thank you - धन्यवाद (dhanyavād)
  • It is nice to meet you, I felt good meeting you. - आप से मिल के ख़ुशी हुई, आप से मिल के अच्छा लगा। (Āp se mil ke xuśī huī, āp se mil ke acchā lagā.)
  • Please take me to my hotel. - कृप्या मुझे मेरे होटल ले चलिये। (kripyā mujhe mere hoṭel le caliye.)
  • Where is the bathroom? - शौंचालय किधर है? (Śauncālay kidhar hai?)
  • How much does this cost? - यह कितने का है? (Yah kitne kā hai?)
  • How is your health? How is it? What is going on? - क्या हाल है? कैसे हो/हैं? क्या चल रहा है? (Kyā hāl hai? Kaise ho/hain? Kyā chal rahā hai?
  • Where's the phone? - फ़ोन कहाँ है? (Fon kahān hai?)
  • Where are you? - किधर हो तुम? / कहाँ हो तुम? / कहाँ हैं आप? (Kidhar ho tum? / Kahān ho tum? / Kahān hain āp?)
  • Can I sit here? (speaker is male) - क्या मैं यहाँ बैठ सकता हूँ? (Kyā main yahān baiṭh saktā hūn?)
  • Can I sit here? (speaker is female) - क्या मैं यहाँ बैठ सकती हूँ? (Kyā main yahān baiṭh saktī hūn?)
  • I need a (taxi, car, telephone, pen). - मुझे एक (टैक्सी, कार/गाड़ी, फ़ोन, क़लम/पेन) चाहिये। (Mujhe ek (ṭaiksī, kār/gaṛī, fon, qalam/pen) cāhiye.)
  • I need to go./I will have to go.- मुझे जाना है mujhe jāna hai / मुझे जाना पड़ेगा mujhe jānā paṛegā / मुझे जाना होगा mujhe jānā hogā
  • You need/have to go - आपको जाना है āpko jānā hai / आपको जाना पड़ेगा āpko jānā paṛegā / आपको जाना होगा āpko jānā hogā / तुम्हें जाना है tumhe jānā hai / तुझे जाना है tujhe jānā hai
Translation Phrase Transliteration
Hindi हिन्दी hindī
hello/goodbye (Hindu, north) नमस्ते namaste
hello/goodbye (Hindu, south) नमस्कार namaskār
hello/goodbye (Sikh) सत श्री अकाल sat śrī akāl
hello (Muslim) अस्सलाम अलैकुम assalām alaikum
hello (Muslim reply) वालैकुम अस्सलाम vālaikum assalām
goodbye (Muslim) ख़ुदा हाफ़िज़ khuda hāfiz
please* (Urdu) मेहरबानी करके mehrbānī karke
please* कृपया kṛipaya
thank you* (Sanskrit origin) धन्यवाद dhanyavād
thank you* (Arabic origin) शुक्रिया śukriyā
thank you very much बहुत बहुत धन्यवाद/शुक्रिया bahut bahut dhanyavād/śukriyā
you're welcome (don’t mention it) कोई बात नहीं koī bāt nahīn
excuse me, sorry, please forgive me माफ़ कीजिये māf kījiye
excuse me (lit. please listen) ज़रा सुनिये zarā suniye
yes जी हाँ jī hān
no/not जी नहीं jī nahīn
good!/awesome!/oh.../really?!/well! अच्छा! acchā!
(all-purpose adj./interj.)
How are you? आप कैसे/कैसी हैं? āp kaise/kaisī hai?
(male/female respondent)
Okay! ठीक है! ṭhīk hai!
one minute! (“just a sec”; interj.) एक मिनट ek minaṭ
I don’t understand मैं नहीं समझा/समझी main nahīn samjha/samjhī (m/f)
I don’t know मैं नहीं जानता/जानती हूँ main nahīn jāntā/jāntī hun (m/f)
English अंग्रेज़ी angrezī
what is your name? आप का नाम क्या है? āp kā nām kyā hai?
my name is ... मेरा नाम ... है mera nām ... hai
It was nice to meet you आप से मिलकर बहुत ख़ुशी हुई āp se milkar bahut khuśī huī
It was nice to meet you too (lit. to me also) मुझे भी mujhe bhī
Do you speak English? क्या आप अंग्रेज़ी बोलते/बोलती है? kyā āp angrezī bolte/boltī (m/f) hain?
  • *These are not used nearly as casually in Hindi and Urdu as they are in western languages. कृपया especially is used only in cases of true importance or urgency, and using it otherwise would sound incredibly stilted and formal. Instead, politeness is achieved by proper address and verb forms and body language/tone of voice.

Actions[edit | edit source]

  • To make a phone call: PHONE KAR-NAA.

Hindi uses two forms of address. One is honoring and the other is common. Honoring address is used when talking to first acquaintances, unfamiliar people, and to elders (relations and age).... Examples include

  1. Where are you? => aap kahan hain
  2. What is your name? => aapka naam kya hai , aapka naam jaan sakta hoon?
  3. Please have a seat. => kripya baithiye, virajiye

The common type of address is used with friends and those of the same age group with whom one is familiar.... Examples include

  1. Where are you? => kahan ho?
  2. What is your name? => tumhara naam kya hai,
  3. Have a seat. => baitho, baith.

For Hindi learners, it is better to stick to the first type of address.

Hindi speakers normally use 'namaste' or 'namaskar' for all occasions (meaning good morning/afternoon/day/evening/night) especially with honorific use. Although these may also be used in pure Hindi:

  • good morning => su-pra-bhaa't
  • good evening => shubh-sun-dhyaa
  • good night => shubh raat-ri

Simple words[edit | edit source]

  • Help: मदद (madad), सहायता (sahāyata)
  • Doctor: डाक्टर (ḍākṭar), चिकित्सक, (cikitsak)
  • Police: पोलिस (polis)
  • Pharmacy: दवाख़ाना (davāḫānā), चिकित्सालय (cikitsālaya)
  • Taxi: टैक्सी (ṭaiksī)
  • Train: ट्रेन (ṭren), रेल (rel), रेलगाड़ी (relgāṛī)
  • Subway: सबवे (sabwe), भूमिगत पैदल पार पथ (bhūmigat paidal pār path)
  • Bus: बस (bas)
  • Street: सड़क (sadak)
  • Way: रास्ता (rāstā), राह (rāh), मार्ग (mārg)
  • Left: बायाँ (bāyān)
  • To the left: बाएँ (bāen)
  • Right: दायाँ (dāyān)
  • To the right: दाएँ (dāen)
  • Middle: बीच (bīc), मध्य (madhya)
  • In the middle: बीच में (bīc men), बीचों बीच (bīcon bīc)
  • Under, below: नीचे (nīce) (pronounced NEE-CHE, not like English "nice")
  • Beef: गाय का गोश्त (gāe kā gośt)
  • Chicken: चिकन (cikan), मुर्ग़ (murġ)
  • Fish: मछली (machlī)
  • Pork: सुअर का गोश्त (suar kā gośt)
  • Veal: बछडे (bachde)
  • Broil: भूनना (bhūnnā)
  • Bake (v.): सेकना (seknā)
  • Baked: सिका (sikā), सेंका (senkā)
  • Boil (v.): उबालना (ubālnā)
  • Boiled: उबला (ublā)
  • Fry (v.): तलना (talnā)
  • Fried: तला (talā)
  • Vegetable: सबज़ी (sabzī)
  • Salad: सलाद (salād)
  • Bread: रोटी (roṭī)
  • Cheese: पनीर (panīr) (A fresh cheese, closer to curd. True, cured cheeses are rare in India.)
  • Rice: चावल (cāwal)
  • Potato: आलू (ālū)
  • Chick peas: चना (canā)
  • Pickle: अचार (achār)
  • Soup: सूप (sūp)
  • Chocolate: चाकलेट (cākaleṭ)
  • Dessert: मिठाई (miṭhāī)
  • Coffee: काफ़ी (kāfī)
  • Tea: चाय (chāi)
  • Milk: दूध (dūdh)
  • Water: पानी (pānī), जल (jal)

Phrases[edit | edit source]

नमस्ते (namaste) - a standard greeting (literally means "I bow to you")

नमस्कार (namaskār) - a standard greeting

आप कैसे हैं? (Āp kaise hain?) - How are you?

आप का नाम क्या है? (Āp kā nām kyā hai?) - What is your name?

आप कहाँ जा रहे हैं? (Āp kahān jā rahe hain?) - Where are you going?

शुक्रिया (shukriyā) - thanks

बहुत बहुत शुक्रिया (bahut bahut shukriyā) - thanks a lot

आपका बहुत बहुत शुक्रिया (āpka bahut bahut shukriyā) - thank you so much

प्रणाम (pranām) - a greeting, similar to नमस्ते (namaste) but used for much older or respectful people

सही (sahī) - nice, right, good

बहुत सही (bahut sahī) - very good

आप की उम्र (āp kī umr) - your age

आप का नाम (āp kā nām) - your name

आप का पता (āp kā patā) - your address

आज का मौसम कैसा है? (Āj ka mausam kaisā hai?) - How is the weather today?

बैठिये (bathiye) - have a seat

और सबज़ी लेंगे? (Aur sabzī lenge?) - Will you have more vegetables?

और चावल लीजिये। (Aur chāwal lījiye.) - Have more rice.

थोड़ी देर इन्तज़ार कीजिये। (Thoṛī der intzār kījiye.) - Wait for some time.

ठहरिये (ṭhahriye) - wait a little

समय क्या है? (Samay kyā hai?) - What's the time? Kya hal he apka

Conversation[edit | edit source]

Here's a complete conversation in Hindi:

नीरजः मैं विद्यालय /पाठशाला /स्कूल जा रहा हूँ। (Nīraj: Mainn vidhyalay/paathshaala/skūl jā rahā hūn.)
Neeraj: I am going to school.

माँः ठीक है बेटा। (Mān: Ṭīk hai beṭā.)
Mom: All right son.

नीरजः आज डिब्बे में क्या दिया है? (Nīraj: Āj dibbe men kyā diyā hai?)
What have you given me in tiffin?

माँः आज मैं ने सैंडविच और कुछ लड्डू दिये हैं। (Mān: Āj main ne sainḍwic aur kuch ladū diye hain.)
I have given some sandwich and sweet called ladoo.

नीरजः वाह! (Nīraj: Wāh!)
Nice!

माँः बेटा समय से वापस आ जाना। (Mān: Beṭā samay se wāpas ā jānā.)
Son, come back on time. or Honey, come back promptly.

नीरजः हाँ माता जी! स्कूल ख़त्म होते सीधा घर आऊँगा। (Nīraj: Hān Mātā-jī! Skūl ḫatm hote sidhā ghar āūngā.)
Yes Mom! I'll be back home straight after school ends.