A little Hindi goes a long way in India
Hindi can be quite challenging for the average English speaker. It is a phonetic language, so it’s spoken as it is written. Hindi uses a lot of English words so you can often replace Hindi words with English. For example, there are no words for “station” or “doctor” in Hindi (if there is one, I am not aware of it and have been speaking Hindi all my life). Some other commonly used English words include railway, hospital, train, cycle, motor, bus, cricket, karma, thug, guru, jungle, bungalow and so on.
[NOTE: some of these English words originated in India.] If you are stuck on a Hindi word, then replace it with its English equivalent.
Below are some common Hindi words, phrases and sentences widely used in India. Just pronounce the words the way they’re written.
Basic Hindi words, phrases and sentences
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Hello – Namaste or Pranam
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Hello Amit – Namaste Amit ji (ji at the end of the name is used to show respect)
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Me – Mai
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I am from USA – Mai USA se hun
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Mine – Mera
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This is mine – Ye mera hai
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Yours – App ka
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Is this yours – Kya ye aap ka hai
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Who – Kaun
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Who are you – Aap kaun hai
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Clothes – Kapra
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Where are my clothes – Mera kapra kaha hai
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Tea – Chai
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I need a cup of tea – Mujhe ek cup chai chahiye
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Water – Paani
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I need a bottle of water – Mujhe ek bottle paani chahiye
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Food – Khana
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Give me food – Mujhe khana do
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Do you speak English – Kya apa English bolte hai
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Speak slowly – Dheray boliye
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Yes – Haa
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No – Nahi
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Please – Kripya
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Thank you – Dhanevaad
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How are you – App kaise hai
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I am fine – Mai thik hu
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Nice to meet you – Aap se milkar khusi hui
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Who are you – App kaun hai
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What is your name – Aap ka kya naam hai
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My name is Mariellen – Mera naam Mariellen hai
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Where are you from – Aap kaha se hai
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I am from Canada – Mai Canada se hu
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Where is the station – Station kaha hai
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Where is the bus stand – Bus stand kaha hai
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Where is the toilet – Toilet kaha hai
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Can you help me – Kya aap meri madaad karenge
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What’s this – Ye kya hai
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I want to buy this – Mujhe ye kharidna hai
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How much is this for? – Ye kitnay ka hai
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Lower the price – Daam kum kijiye