Basic Hindi for Travelers 
                
               This is a brief introduction to Hindi, one of the official languages of India. This introduction 
               contains basic instruction about pronunciation and important words and phrases. Anywhere 
               you travel in India, the ability to communicate in Hindi will greatly enhance your experience. 
               Even if you do not plan on studying the language in-depth, we strongly suggest learning and 
               using basic greetings and phrases. The locals will greatly appreciate your efforts and will be all 
               the more welcoming to you during your stay. If you would like to complete a beginning course 
               in Hindi, there are a number of self-study books and tapes. Lonely Planet‟s Hindi, Urdu & 
               Bengali Phrasebook (2005) and Berlitz‟s Hindi Phrase Book and Dictionary (2006) are two very 
               helpful books. 
                
                                                       Pronunciation 
                
               Hindi is written in the Devanagari script, which is also the script used for Sanskrit, Nepali, and 
               many other languages. There are 67 characters, each with only one pronunciation. The 
               Devanagari script is not used in this guide; however, a list of the Devanagari characters can 
               be found at the end of this document.                 
                                                                     
               Hindi has eleven vowel sounds.                        
                                                                     
                   a „u‟ as in run aa „a‟                           ee „ee‟ as in bee i 
                   as in father ai „ai‟ as                          „i‟ as in bit 
                                                                     
                   in aisle ay „ay‟ as in                           o „o‟ as in go oo 
                   day au „ow‟ as in                                „oo‟ as in fool u „u‟ 
                   cow e „e‟ as in bed                              as in put 
                
               Generally, Hindi consonants are pronounced the same as in English. 
                
                   b as in bat                                      ng as in finger 
                   ch as in chew                                    ny as in canyon 
                   d as in dog                                      p as in pin 
                   f as in frog                                     r as in rabbit, but slightly trilled 
                   g as in go                                       s as in sit 
                   h as in hit                                      sh as in ship 
                   j as in jaw                                      t as in stop 
                   k as in kennel                                   v as in van 
                   l as in last                                     y as in yolk 
                   m as in mill                                     z as in zero 
                   n as in neat 
                
                
                
                
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                There are two special types of consonants: aspirated consonants and retroflex consonants. 
                Aspirated consonants are pronounced much more forcefully and with a puff of air. Below 
                are the proper pronunciations of the aspirated consonants. 
                 
                bh           „b‟ as in bus     
                chh          „ch‟ + „h‟ as in punch hard 
                dh           „d‟ in duck gh     „g‟ in go 
                jh           „j‟ in jump kh     „k‟ in kill 
                ph           „p‟ in pit, or like an „f‟ 
                th           „t‟ in time       
                 
                Retroflex consonants are pronounced by touching the tongue to the roof of the mouth while 
                pronouncing the consonants. Only four consonants can be pronounced this way (d, t, n, dh). In 
                this guide, we have not distinguished between regular consonants, and the aspirated and 
                retroflex consonants. You will still be understood if you do not use them. 
                 
                In Hindi, word stress is very light, and is determined by a complex set of rules. In this 
                guide, however, the stressed syllable will be in italics. 
                 
                                                              Greetings 
                 
                Hello                                     na-ma-ste Goodbye na-ma-ste 
                 
                See you later.                            pir mi-leng-ge 
                How are you?                              aap kay-se/kay-see hayng (m/f) 
                 
                I‟m fine, and you?                        mayng theek hoong aap su-naa-i-ye 
                 
                Okay                                      theek 
                 
                                                            Introductions 
                 
                My name is…                               me-raa naam … hay. 
                 
                What is your name?                        aap kaa naam kyaa hay? 
                 
                Pleased to meet you.                      aap se mil-kar ba-hut ku-shee he-ee 
                I am from America.                        mayng am-ree-kaa kaa/kee hoong (m/f) 
                 
                Where are you from?                       aap ha-haang ke/kee hayng? (m/f) 
                 
                I am a student.                           mayng chaa-tra hoong 
                I work in…                                mayng … meng  kaam kar-taa/kar-tee hoong (m/f) 
                 
                                                              Etiquette 
                 
                Thank you                                 thayn-kyoo; dhan-ya- 
                waad You‟re welcome                       ko-ee baat na-heeng 
                 
                Please                                    kri-pa-yaa 
                Sorry                                     maaf kee-ji-ye 
                Excuse me (to get attention)              su-ni-ye 
                Excuse me (to pass)                       raas-taa de dee-ji-ye 
                 
                 
                 
                 
                 
                 
                 
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                                                   Relationships/Titles 
                   
                  I/me                             mayng 
                  You (formal)                     aap 
                  You (informal)                   tum 
                   
                  Friend                           dost 
                  Family                           pa-ri-vaar 
                   
                  Daughter                         be-tee 
                  Son                              be-taa 
                  Brother                          baa-ee 
                  Sister                           be-han 
                  Father                           pi-taa 
                  Mother                           maang 
                  Husband                          pa-ti 
                   
                  Wife                             pat-nee 
                  Doctor                           daak-tar 
                  Teacher                          tee-char 
                  Man                              aad-mee 
                   
                  Mister/Sir                       shree-man/sar 
                  Woman                            stree 
                  Mrs./Madam                       shree-ma-tee/may-dam 
                   
                  Ms./Miss                         mis/ku-maa-ree 
                   
                   
                                                    Food and Drinks 
                   
                  I am hungry.                   mu-je book la-gee hay 
                   
                  I am thirsty.                  mu-je pyaas la-gee hay 
                  I would like…                  mu-je … chaa-hi-ye 
                   
                  Food                           kaa-naa 
                  Bread                          ro-tee naan 
                  Meat                           gosht 
                   
                  Fish                           mach-lee 
                  Vegetables                     sab-zee 
                   
                  Fruit                          pal 
                  Chicken                        mur-gee 
                   
                  Rice                           chaa-val 
                  Lentils                        daal 
                  Coffee                         kaa-fee 
                   
                  Tea                            chaai 
                  Water                          paa-nee 
                   
                  Milk                           dood 
                   
                  Beer                           bi-yar 
                  The meal was delicious.        ba-hut ma-ze-daar hu-aa 
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
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                                                                                    Important Locations 
                          
                         Market                                                   baa-zaar 
                         Temple                                                   man-dir 
                         Mosque                                                   mas-jid 
                         Church                                                   gir-jaa 
                         Shop                                                     du-kaan 
                         School                                                   skool 
                         Hospital                                                 as-pa-taal 
                         Home                                                     ghar 
                         Bathroom                                                 baat-rum 
                         Toilet (flushing)                                        taa-i-let 
                         Shower                                                   shaa-var 
                         Kitchen                                                  ra-so-ree 
                          
                         Garden                                                   ba-gee-cha 
                          
                          
                                                                                                  Cost 
                                                                               
                         How much is it?                                          kit-ne kaa hay? 
                         Money                                                    pay-se 
                                                                               
                         Price                                                    daam ma-
                         Expensive                                                han-gaa 
                         Cheap                                                    sas-taa 
                                                                               
                                                                               
                                                                                            Time of Day 
                          
                                                                               
                         Today                                                    aaj sa-
                         Morning                                                  ve-raa 
                          
                         Afternoon                                                do-pa-har 
                         Evening                                                  shaam 
                                                                                  raat 
                         Night                                                 
                          
                                                                               
                                                                              Useful Words and Phrases 
                          
                                                                               
                         Yes                                                      jee haang 
                                                                                  na-heeng 
                         No 
                         Maybe                                                    shaa-yad 
                         Now                                                      ab 
                         May I use the… ?                                         kyaa mayng … kaa is-te-maal kar sak-taa/sak-
                                                                                  tee hoong? (m/f) 
                         What is this?                                            voh kyaa hay? 
                                                                                  … ka-haang hay?  
                         Where is the… ?                                       
                         I want to go…                                            … jaa-ne  kaa  man  ho  ra-haa 
                          
                         I would like to buy…                                     hay mu-je … chaa-hi-ye  
                                                                                  mu-je ta-kaan hu-ee hay  
                         I am tired.                                           
                         I  am lost.                                              mu-je ko ga-yaa/ga-yee hoong (m/f) 
                         I am ill.                                                mayng bee-maar hoong  
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