Essential Hindi for foreign travellers

Hindi is an Indo-European language which its roots in Sanskrit. It is spoken widely in India; in fact, it is thought that more than 60% of the population of India are able to speak Hindi or at least understand it. It is one of the many official languages and is the national language of the Republic of India. Hindi is the official language of the states of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana.

Learning Hindi is perhaps beyond the scope a traveller but it’s quite possible to learn some words and phrases. Although, leaning Hindi is not that hard at all but English speakers might find it a little challenging since Hindi has 11 separate vowels and 35 consonants.

But don’t let this trouble you; most Hindi speakers don’t speak the standard Hindi anyway. I myself speak Hindi with a Bihari accent which is sometimes subject to ridicule in India. My personal opinion is that the worst Hindi speakers are from Delhi itself.

A little local knowledge can go a long way. Here’s some the common Hindi phrases and words that you must learn if you wish to communicate with the locals in India, at least in Hindi speaking regions of India.

Some Hindi phrases and words useful for travellers to India. Listen to me speaking in Hindi, pay careful attention to the pronunciation. If you want a complete list of Hindi words and phrases for your travels to India then you might wish to buy “Essential Hindi Words And Phrases For Travelers To India” on Amazon.

The basics

Hello = Namaste or Pranaam
Morning = subhah
Night = raat
Left = baiye
Right (direction) = daiye
Yes = haa
No = nahi
Good = accha
Today = aaj
Tomorrow = kal
Temple = mandir
Local = desi
Time = samay
Okay/good/whatever = thik hai
Stop= ruko
Please = kripya
Thank you = dhanyevad or shukriya
Sorry or Excuse me = maaf kijiye

Food

Tea = chai
Sugar = cheeni
Water = pani
Chapattis = roti
Rice = chawal or bhaat
Food = khaana
Breakfast = naasta

Greetings in Hindi

What’s your name = app ka kya naam hai
My name is Shalu = mera naam Shalu hai
How are you = aap kaisi hai
I am fine = mai thik hu
We’ll meet again = phir milenge
I am going = mai jaa raha hu (male); mai jaa rahi hu (female)
I am from America = mei America se hu
Nice to meet you = aap se milke khusi hui
How’s your family= aap ka parivar kaise hai?

Hindi phrases when shopping in India

Any discount = daam kum kijiye
How much or what is the cost = kitnay ka hai
This is expensive = yeh bahut mehanga hai
Bill please = bill de dijiye
What happened = kya hua
I want a ticket = mujhe ek ticket chahiye
How much is this = ye kitne ka hai

Out and about

Let’s go = chalo
Go away = chale jayo
Get lost = chal bhaag (just in case if you want to use it)
Please take me to my hotel = kripya mujhe mera hotel le chaliye
I need a taxi = mujhe ek taxi chahiye
I don’t know = mujhe nahi malum
Who are you = aap kaun hai
I understand = samagh gaye
Where is the toilet = toilet kidhar hai
Leave me alone = mujhe akela chhor do
I am coming = mai aa raha hu (male); mai aa rahi ho (female)
What are you thinking = aap kya sooch rahe hai
How to get to the station = station ka rasta bataiye

Hindi numericals

0 = shunya
1 = ek
2 = do
3 = teen
4 = char
5 = panch
6 = cchhai
7 = saath
8 = aath
9 = nau
10 = dus

Those wishing to travel in India should learn a little Hindi to let the locals know that you are not new to the place and mean business. (Here are more Hindi words and phrases).

If you want me to translate anything into Hindi then ask below in the comments. Alternatively for a professional Hindi translation services of any kind use PoliLingua that deals the most challenging translation project whether its website localization, transcription, voice-over, video game localization, or interpreting and multilingual website development.

Bengali numbers 1 to 100 in words in English

Bengali (or Bangla) is the second most widely spoken language in India after Hindi . It happens to be the seventh most spoken language in the world. If you are considering visiting the state of West Bengal, then these Bengali numbers 1 to 100 will come in handy. These Bengali numbers will certainly come in handy when in Kolkata or any other place in Bengal. Important point to remember is that Bengali is also spoken in Bangladesh hence these numbers will be useful if you are planning to visit Bangladesh as well. These Bengali numbers can be used for haggling or simply trying to understand what you are being sold or told in a shop or street seller. It will also be useful when ordering something in a restaurant or eating street food . This will indicate the listener that you have done your homework when comes to Bengali numbers. Please note that these Bengali numbers are similar to Hindi numbers and if you were to say the Hindi version , it will be well understood but nonetheles...

Hindi Numbers 1 to 100 in English

To explain the Hindi numbers from 1 to 100 to someone unfamiliar with the language, it's essential to start with the basics. Hindi, one of India's prominent languages, uses its own set of numbers, and they can be related to their English counterparts through pronunciation. Each Hindi number is written in the Devanagari script, and it has a corresponding English pronunciation. For example, " एक (Ek)" in Hindi means "One" in English, and " दो (Do)" translates to "Two." Visual aids can be incredibly helpful in this process, as they provide a clear connection between the script and pronunciation. It's important to note that Hindi numbers are grouped similarly to English, with tens and ones. For instance, " तीन (Teen)" in Hindi corresponds to "Three" in English, and " चार (Char)" means "Four." Patterns can be identified as well, such as the unique names for numbers from 1 to 10 and a common pr...

Tamil numbers 1 to 100

Are you planning a travel to Tamil Nadu? Do you want to learn some Tamil numbers? Are you learning Tamil? Whatever you want to do, here are Tamil numbers 1 to 100 in English . These Tamil Numbers from 1 to 100 will certainly come in handy while shopping or travelling to places. These numbers can be used for bargaining or simply trying to understand what you are being sold or told. These numbers are different to Hindi number s hence if you are considering visiting the state of Tamil Nadu then these numbers will come in handy. Nowadays people from South India do understand Hindi to a great extent but it’s worth learning a few Tamil numbers just in case. Learn 1 to 100 Tamil Numbers in English. Make sure you watch the video for the pronunciation. Tamil numbers from 1 to 100: 1 – Onnu 2 – Rendu 3 – Moonu 4 – Naalu 5 – Anju 6 – Aaru 7 – Yelu 8 – Ettu 9 – Onbadhu 10 – Pathu 11 – Pathi nonnu 12 – Pannandu 13 – Pathi monnu 14 – Pathi naalu 15 – Pathi nanju 16 – Pathi naaru 17 – Pathi nelu ...

Filipino Tagalog numbers 1 to 100 in words

If you are traveling to the Philippines, then these Tagalog numbers (Filipino numbers) will be useful for you. Tagalog is spoken as a language in the Philippines and is the official language of the Philippines. There are two forms of Tagalog namely Old Tagalog which is an ancient form of the language while Batangas Tagalog is a dialect of the language. In addition, the Filipino language is a standardised form of the Tagalog language that forms the official language of the Philippines. If you traveling to the Philippines, then you might wish to learn a few words and numbers for your travels. Here’s a list of Tagalog numbers 1-100 compiled by Amihan Balasaba s. Feel free to print them out if you wanted to them with you. If you press the print button then you can eastly print them as printable Tagalog numbers 1 100 in words. Tagalog numbers in 1 to 100 One 1 ...

Most sexually open countries in the world to travel

Many countries in the world have laws which forbid sexual openness. If you were to go to virtually any Middle Eastern country, you would find no sexual openness whatsoever. But if you were to go to Europe or America, then it would be a different story. For a long time, the culture in these countries made people think that women were not interested in sex the way men were. However, this was really just society trying to make women feel guilty for wanting sexual pleasure like men do. Ever since feminists started coming out of the woodwork, women have been able to become more sexually open and not be ashamed of it. So, which are some of the most sexually open countries in the world? Below is a list of the top 5 countries and many of them might surprise you. Japan From the outside, Japan is certainly not a country that you would think is sexually open. They are a country that believes in hard work, respect, and honor. With that being said, the Japanese people are very open-minded when it c...

Shalu Sharma's Blog

Search This Blog