Welcome to your very first Hindi lesson! Today you'll learn the most essential word in Hindi — नमस्ते [namaste] — and how to greet people, ask how they're doing, and say goodbye. Hindi has a beautiful system of showing respect through language, and you'll start learning that right away. By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to have a simple greeting conversation. Let's begin!
Learning tips
- नमस्ते [namaste] works in every situation — morning, afternoon, evening, formal or informal. It's your Swiss Army knife greeting.
- Hindi has three levels of formality: आप [āp] (formal), तुम [tum] (informal), and तू [tū] (intimate). When in doubt, always use आप [āp] — it's never wrong to be too polite.
- Don't worry about reading Devanagari perfectly yet — focus on the sounds first. The romanized text (IAST) under each line will help you.
- Practice saying नमस्ते [namaste] with your hands pressed together at chest level — it's both a greeting and a gesture.
Warm-up & Active Recall
Dialog
Follow Sita and Ravi through three encounters in one day in Delhi. In the morning they meet at a chai stall, in the evening they bump into each other outside the office, and at night they say goodbye on the way home. Notice how they use आप [āp] (the formal 'you') and add जी [jī] after names as a sign of respect. Hindi has time-specific greetings: सुप्रभात [suprabhāt] (good morning), शुभ संध्या [śubh sandhyā] (good evening), and शुभ रात्रि [śubh rātri] (good night) — but नमस्ते [namaste] works anytime. Hindi has two words for 'thank you': धन्यवाद [dhanyavād] (Sanskrit-origin, formal) and शुक्रिया [śukriyā] (Urdu-origin, everyday). Both are correct!
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| नमस्ते | namaste | /nə.mə.ste/ | hello, greetings | The universal Hindi greeting — works any time, any situation. Literally means 'I bow to you'. |
| नमस्कार | namaskār | /nə.mə.skaːr/ | greetings (formal) | More formal than नमस्ते [namaste] — used in official or very respectful contexts |
| आप | āp | /aːp/ | you (formal) | The respectful form of 'you' — always safe to use with strangers and elders |
| कैसे | kaise | /kɛː.se/ | how | Used in questions — कैसे [kaise] for masculine, कैसी [kaisī] for feminine |
| हैं | haĩ | /hɛ̃ː/ | are (formal/plural) | The verb 'to be' used with आप [āp] — always हैं [haĩ], never है [hai] |
| अच्छा | acchā | /ət͡ʃ.t͡ʃʰaː/ | good, nice | Masculine form — changes to अच्छी [acchī] for feminine |
| ठीक | ṭhīk | /ʈʰiːk/ | fine, okay, alright | Very common response — doesn't change for gender |
| धन्यवाद | dhanyavād | /d̪ʰən.jə.vaːd̪/ | thank you (formal) | Sanskrit-origin — used in formal or written contexts |
| शुक्रिया | śukriyā | /ʃʊk.ri.jaː/ | thank you, thanks | Urdu-origin — the everyday 'thanks' in casual Hindi |
| अलविदा | alvidā | /əl.vi.d̪aː/ | goodbye | Urdu-origin farewell — common in everyday Hindi |
Passive words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| सुप्रभात | suprabhāt | /sʊp.rə.bʰaːt̪/ | good morning | Sanskrit-origin — more formal, often used in news/radio |
| शुभ संध्या | śubh sandhyā | /ʃʊbʰ sən.d̪ʰjaː/ | good evening | Used from late afternoon onward |
| शुभ रात्रि | śubh rātri | /ʃʊbʰ raːt̪.ri/ | good night | Used when parting in the evening or at bedtime |
| जी | jī | /d͡ʒiː/ | respectful particle | Added after names or 'yes/no' to show respect — like 'sir/ma'am' but lighter |
| जी हाँ | jī hā̃ | /d͡ʒiː haː̃/ | yes (polite) | Polite way to say yes — जी [jī] alone can also mean yes |
| जी नहीं | jī nahī̃ | /d͡ʒiː nə.hĩː/ | no (polite) | Polite way to say no — softer than just नहीं [nahī̃] |
Useful chunks
| Word | Romanization | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| आप कैसे हैं? | āp kaise haĩ? | How are you? (formal) |
| मैं अच्छा हूँ | maĩ acchā hū̃ | I am good (masculine speaker) |
| फिर मिलेंगे | phir milẽge | See you again / We'll meet again |
Grammar: नमस्ते [namaste] and the three-level formality system
| Register | Pronoun | 'How are you?' | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Formal — आदरसूचक [ādarsūcak] | आप [āp] | आप कैसे हैं? [āp kaise haĩ?] | Strangers, elders, professional |
| Informal — अनौपचारिक [anaupacārik] | तुम [tum] | तुम कैसे हो? [tum kaise ho?] | Friends, peers |
| Intimate — अंतरंग [antaraṅg] | तू [tū] | तू कैसा है? [tū kaisā hai?] | Very close friends, children |
Hindi uses three pronouns for 'you', each carrying a different level of respect:
आप [āp] is the formal, respectful 'you.' Use it with strangers, elders, teachers, and anyone you want to show respect to. In Delhi, many people use आप [āp] even with friends — it's the safest default.
तुम [tum] is the informal 'you.' Use it with close friends, younger people, and peers once you know them well.
तू [tū] is the intimate 'you.' Reserved for very close relationships — best friends, small children, or in prayer. Using तू [tū] with the wrong person can be very rude.
Notice how the verb changes: आप कैसे [āp kaise] हैं [haĩ]? (formal) vs. तुम कैसे [tum kaise] हो [ho]? (informal) vs. तू कैसा [tū kaisā] है [hai]? (intimate). The verb form signals the respect level.
Unlike English, Hindi adjectives also change: कैसे [kaise] (masculine plural/formal) vs. कैसी [kaisī] (feminine) vs. कैसा [kaisā] (masculine singular).
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the missing Hindi word.
- ! आप कैसे हैं?(a universal greeting)
- मैं हूँ, धन्यवाद।(a positive response — 'good')
- संध्या! , रवि जी।(evening greeting / farewell)
- मैं हूँ, ।(fine, okay / everyday thanks)
- ! फिर मिलेंगे।(farewell)
Grammar Application
Choose the correct word or expression based on the situation.
- You meet your boss. Which pronoun? → (formal pronoun)
- You greet a shopkeeper. Which greeting? → (universal greeting)
- Someone asks 'आप कैसे हैं? [āp kaise haĩ?]' and you feel fine → (fine + thanks)
- You say goodbye formally → (farewell word)
- You thank someone using the Urdu-origin word → (Urdu-origin thanks)
Translation (English → Hindi)
Translate each sentence into Hindi.
- Hello! How are you?
- I am good, thank you.
- Good night! Goodbye.
- I am fine, thanks.
- Greetings! Good evening.
Creative Construction
Write a short greeting exchange (2-3 lines) using the words from this lesson. Imagine meeting someone in Delhi.
Writing: Introduction to Devanagari — Vowels
Practice words
| Word | Romanization |
|---|---|
| आप | āp |
| इधर | idhar |
| ऊपर | ūpar |
Devanagari (देवनागरी [devnāgrī]) is the script used to write Hindi. It's an 'abugida' — each consonant carries an inherent 'a' vowel unless modified. Today we start with the six basic vowels.
The horizontal line across the top of Devanagari letters is called the शिरोरेखा [śirorekha] or 'headline.' When writing by hand, you write each letter first, then connect them with the headline.
Devanagari is written left to right, just like English. Each vowel has two forms: an independent form (used at the start of words) and a dependent form (a mark added to consonants).
Today's vowels:
- अ [a] — like the 'u' in 'but'
- आ [ā] — like the 'a' in 'father' (longer)
- इ [i] — like the 'i' in 'bit'
- ई [ī] — like the 'ee' in 'feet' (longer)
- उ [u] — like the 'u' in 'put'
- ऊ [ū] — like the 'oo' in 'food' (longer)
Notice the pattern: each vowel has a short and long pair (अ [a] / आ [ā], इ [i] / ई [ī], उ [u] / ऊ [ū]).
Takeaway
नमस्ते [namaste] is the most important word in Hindi — it works as both hello and goodbye, at any time of day, with anyone. When in doubt about formality, always use आप [āp] — being too polite is never a mistake in Hindi!