Hindi: Start Here
Hindi is a language I have only just begun to explore. These are my starting notes and the resources I use.
1. Script and pronunciation
Hindi is written in Devanagari (देवनागरी), left to right, with letters hanging from a line along the top. Each consonant carries a built-in a; other vowels are added as marks: क ka, कि ki, की kī, कु ku, के ke, को ko.
Two contrasts English speakers must learn to hear:
- Aspirated vs plain: क ka vs ख kha (a puff of air), प pa vs फ pha.
- Dental vs retroflex: त ta (tongue on the teeth) vs ट ṭa (tongue curled back).
2. Core grammar
- Word order is subject–object–verb: Main chāy pītā hūn. (मैं चाय पीता हूँ) I drink tea.
- Two genders, and verbs agree with them: a man says main pītā hūn, a woman says main pītī hūn.
- Postpositions come after the noun: ghar mein (in the house), Dubai se (from Dubai).
- “To be”: main hūn (I am), āp hain (you are, polite), vah hai (he/she is).
- Questions: put kyā at the start of a yes/no question: Kyā āp Hindī bolte hain? Do you speak Hindi?
3. Essential phrases
| Hindi | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| नमस्ते | namaste | Hello, goodbye |
| आप कैसे हैं? | āp kaise hain? | How are you? (polite) |
| मैं ठीक हूँ | main ṭhīk hūn | I’m fine |
| मेरा नाम … है | merā nām … hai | My name is … |
| धन्यवाद / शुक्रिया | dhanyavād / shukriyā | Thank you |
| हाँ / नहीं | hān / nahīn | Yes / No |
| मुझे समझ नहीं आया | mujhe samajh nahīn āyā | I didn’t understand |
| कितने का है? | kitne kā hai? | How much is it? |
| फिर मिलेंगे | phir milenge | See you again |