शिष्टाचार — कृपया और धन्यवाद
Congratulations on reaching the final lesson of Unit 1! You've built a strong foundation — greetings, introductions, origins, professions, and numbers. Now we'll bring it all together with the art of politeness in Hindi. Indian culture places enormous value on respect and courtesy, and this lesson gives you the key phrases to navigate any social situation gracefully. Let's master Hindi politeness!
Learning tips
- The -इए [-ie] ending on verbs (कीजिए [kījie], दीजिए [dījie], बताइए [batāie]) is the polite imperative form used with आप [āp]. It's the safest way to make requests.
- कोई बात नहीं [koī bāt nahī̃] (no problem / it's nothing) is used constantly — it's the standard response to माफ़ कीजिए [māf kījie] (excuse me / sorry).
- Many of these polite phrases are multi-word expressions. Learn them as chunks rather than individual words.
- जी [jī] can be added to almost anything to make it more polite: हाँ जी [hā̃ jī] (yes, politely), नमस्ते जी [namaste jī] (hello, very respectfully).
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| एक | ek | one |
| दो | do | two |
| तीन | tīn | three |
| चार | cār | four |
| पाँच | pā̃c | five |
| नंबर | nambar | number |
| फ़ोन | fon | phone |
| कृपया | kr̥payā | please |
| दीजिए | dījie | please give (formal) |
| कितने | kitne | how many, how much |
Dialog
Sita is out shopping in Lajpat Nagar, one of Delhi's busiest market areas. She politely asks to see a dupatta (scarf), then runs into her neighbor on the stairs of her apartment building. Notice the polite imperative forms: सुनिए [sunie] (please listen), बताइए [batāie] (please tell), कीजिए [kījie] (please do), and चलिए [calie] (let's go). The shopkeeper is addressed as भैया [bhaiyā] (brother) — a common, affectionate way to address male shopkeepers in Delhi. The neighbor is called आंटी जी [āṇṭī jī] — a respectful term for older women in the neighborhood.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| कृपया | kr̥payā | /kr̩.pə.jaː/ | please | Sanskrit-origin — the most standard polite word, used before or after requests |
| माफ़ कीजिए | māf kījie | /maːf kiː.d͡ʒi.e/ | excuse me, I'm sorry | Literally 'please forgive' — माफ़ [māf] (forgive) + कीजिए [kījie] (please do). Used for both apologies and getting attention. |
| कोई बात नहीं | koī bāt nahī̃ | /koː.iː baːt̪ nə.hĩː/ | no problem, it's nothing, don't mention it | The standard reassuring response — literally 'no matter/thing not' |
| बहुत अच्छा | bahut acchā | /bə.hʊt̪ ət͡ʃ.t͡ʃʰaː/ | very good, great, wonderful | Used as an exclamation of approval — बहुत [bahut] (very) + अच्छा [acchā] (good) |
| ज़रूर | zarūr | /zə.ruːr/ | of course, certainly, surely | Urdu-origin — shows enthusiastic agreement. जी ज़रूर [jī zarūr] = 'yes, absolutely!' |
| सुनिए | sunie | /sʊ.ni.e/ | please listen (formal) | Polite imperative of सुनना [sunnā] — commonly used to get someone's attention |
| बताइए | batāie | /bə.t̪aː.i.e/ | please tell (formal) | Polite imperative of बताना [batānā] — used when asking for information |
| ठीक है | ṭhīk hai | /ʈʰiːk hɛː/ | it's okay, alright, fine | ठीक [ṭhīk] (fine) + है [hai] (is) — used to agree, confirm, or reassure |
| चलिए | calie | /t͡ʃə.li.e/ | let's go, come on | Polite imperative of चलना [calnā] — used to suggest action together |
| फिर मिलेंगे | phir milẽge | /pʰir mi.lẽ.ge/ | see you again, we'll meet again | A warm farewell — literally 'again we-will-meet' (future tense) |
Passive words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| क्षमा | kṣamā | /kʂə.maː/ | forgiveness, pardon | Sanskrit-origin — more formal than माफ़ी [māfī]; rarely used in conversation |
| आज्ञा | ājñā | /aːɡ.jaː/ | permission, order | Used in the phrase आज्ञा दीजिए [ājñā dījie] = 'please give me leave' (very formal farewell) |
| सेवा | sevā | /seː.vaː/ | service | Used in polite expressions: सेवा में [sevā mẽ] = 'at your service' |
| स्वागत | svāgat | /svaː.gət̪/ | welcome | Used in स्वागत है [svāgat hai] = 'welcome' — heard at shops and events |
| आभार | ābhār | /aː.bʰaːr/ | gratitude, thanks (formal) | More formal than धन्यवाद [dhanyavād] — used in written/official contexts |
| कृपा | kr̥pā | /kr̩.paː/ | kindness, grace | Root word of कृपया [kr̥payā] — कृपा करके [kr̥pā karke] also means 'please' |
Useful chunks
| Word | Romanization | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| माफ़ कीजिए, कृपया | māf kījie, kr̥payā | Excuse me, please (getting attention or apologizing) |
| कोई बात नहीं, ठीक है | koī bāt nahī̃, ṭhīk hai | No problem, it's fine (reassuring response) |
| जी ज़रूर! | jī zarūr! | Yes, of course! / Absolutely! |
Grammar: Polite imperative forms and जी [jī] as a respect marker
| Verb infinitive | Formal imperative (आप [āp]) | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| करना [karnā] | कीजिए [kījie] | please do | माफ़ कीजिए [māf kījie] |
| देना [denā] | दीजिए [dījie] | please give | कृपया दीजिए [kr̥payā dījie] |
| बताना [batānā] | बताइए [batāie] | please tell | बताइए, क्या चाहिए? [batāie, kyā cāhie?] |
| सुनना [sunnā] | सुनिए [sunie] | please listen | सुनिए भैया! [sunie bhaiyā!] |
| चलना [calnā] | चलिए [calie] | let's go | चलिए, चलते हैं! [calie, calte haĩ!] |
| आना [ānā] | आइए [āie] | please come | कृपया आइए! [kr̥payā āie!] |
The polite imperative is the formal way to make requests, give invitations, or issue polite commands. It's used with आप [āp] and is the safest choice for all situations.
Formation: Verb stem + -इए [-ie] or -ईजिए [-ījie]
The exact ending depends on the verb, but common patterns:
- करना [karnā] → कीजिए [kījie] (please do)
- देना [denā] → दीजिए [dījie] (please give)
- बताना [batānā] → बताइए [batāie] (please tell)
- सुनना [sunnā] → सुनिए [sunie] (please listen)
- चलना [calnā] → चलिए [calie] (let's go / please come)
- आना [ānā] → आइए [āie] (please come)
जी [jī] as a respect marker:
जी [jī] is a versatile particle that adds politeness to almost anything:
- After names: रवि जी [ravī jī], सीता जी [sītā jī]
- After 'yes': जी हाँ [jī hā̃] or just जी [jī]
- After 'no': जी नहीं [jī nahī̃]
- After relationship terms: आंटी जी [āṇṭī jī], भैया जी [bhaiyā jī]
In Delhi Hindi, जी [jī] is used so frequently that its absence can sound curt. When in doubt, add जी [jī]!
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the missing Hindi word or phrase.
- , वह दुपट्टा दिखाइए।(please)
- , मैं आपका रास्ता रोक रही थी!(sorry / please-do)
- अरे, ! है।(any / matter / not / fine)
- जी ! कल आइए!(certainly / certainly)
- ! , आंटी जी!(very good / again / will-meet)
Grammar Application
Convert each verb to its polite imperative form (आप [āp] command).
- करना [karnā] → formal imperative: (to do → polite form)
- देना [denā] → formal imperative: (to give → polite form)
- बताना [batānā] → formal imperative: (to tell → polite form)
- सुनना [sunnā] → formal imperative: (to listen → polite form)
- Add जी [jī] to 'yes' → (yes + respect marker)
Translation (English → Hindi)
Translate each sentence into Hindi.
- Please tell me!
- Excuse me! No problem.
- Let's go!
- Very good! It's fine.
- Yes, of course! See you again!
Creative Construction
Write a short polite interaction (2-3 lines). Imagine you're at a shop in Delhi or meeting a neighbor.
Writing: Consonants — ta-group (त थ द ध न)
Practice words
| Word | Romanization |
|---|---|
| धन्यवाद | dhanyavād |
| नमस्ते | namaste |
| दो | do |
Today's consonant group is the ta-group (तवर्ग [tavarga]) — dental consonants. These are made with your tongue touching the back of your upper front teeth. This is different from the retroflex ट-group [ṭa-group] where the tongue curls back to touch the roof of the mouth.
Today's consonants:
- त [ta] — like 't' in French 'tu' (tongue on teeth, NOT like English 't')
- थ [tha] — like त [ta] with a puff of air
- द [da] — like 'd' in French 'du' (tongue on teeth)
- ध [dha] — like द [da] with a puff of air
- न [na] — like 'n' (dental, tongue on teeth)
The dental vs. retroflex distinction is crucial in Hindi:
- त [ta] (dental) vs. ट [ṭa] (retroflex)
- द [da] (dental) vs. ड [ḍa] (retroflex)
Practice: say 'ten' with your tongue touching your teeth (that's closer to त [ta]) vs. touching the ridge behind your teeth (closer to ट [ṭa]). You've now learned 4 of the 5 consonant groups — great progress!
Takeaway
कृपया [kr̥payā] (please) and माफ़ कीजिए [māf kījie] (excuse me/sorry) are the foundation of Hindi politeness. The polite imperative (-इए [-ie] / -ईजिए [-ījie]) is your go-to for making requests. And when in doubt, add जी [jī] — it makes everything more polite!