Welcome to Unit 3 — Daily Life! In this lesson, you'll learn how to describe your morning routine in Hindi. From waking up to having breakfast, you'll master the vocabulary every Hindi speaker uses every single day. Sita will walk you through her morning at her PG accommodation near Delhi University. By the end, you'll be able to describe your own morning routine using the present habitual tense. Let's start the day!
Learning tips
- Hindi daily routine verbs use the present habitual tense — think of it as 'I do this regularly.' The ending changes by gender: -ता [-tā] for masculine, -ती [-tī] for feminine.
- Time in Hindi uses बजे [baje] (literally 'struck') after the number: छह बजे [chah baje] = '6 o'clock.' Think of a clock striking the hour.
- दूध वाली चाय [dūdh vālī cāy] (milk tea) is the default in India — if you just say चाय [cāy], they'll assume you mean tea with milk and sugar!
- Practice saying your own morning routine out loud in Hindi — repetition of real daily activities is the fastest way to internalize new vocabulary.
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| त्योहार [tyohār] | festival | |
| दिवाली [divālī] | Diwali | |
| होली [holī] | Holi | |
| रक्षाबंधन [rakṣābandhan] | Raksha Bandhan | |
| मिठाई [miṭhāī] | sweets | |
| दीया [dīyā] | lamp/diya | |
| रंग [raṅg] | color | |
| ख़ुशी [ḳhuśī] | happiness | |
| निमंत्रण [nimantraṇ] | invitation | |
| पूजा [pūjā] | worship/prayer |
Dialog
Follow Sita through her morning routine at her PG (Paying Guest) accommodation near Delhi University. She wakes up early, bathes, and has her typical Indian breakfast of roti, milk, and chai. Ravi calls her in the morning and they compare routines. Notice how Sita uses the present habitual tense: उठती हूँ [uṭhtī hū̃] (I get up, feminine) while Ravi says उठता हूँ [uṭhtā hū̃] (I get up, masculine). The word बजे [baje] tells the time: छह बजे [chah baje] = 6 o'clock, आठ बजे [āṭh baje] = 8 o'clock.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| उठना | uṭhnā | /ʊʈʰ.naː/ | to get up, to wake up | Infinitive form — the base dictionary form of Hindi verbs ends in -ना [-nā] |
| नहाना | nahānā | /nə.haː.naː/ | to bathe, to shower | Indians typically say नहाना [nahānā] for the full bathing process, not just 'shower' |
| तैयार | taiyār | /tɛː.jaːr/ | ready, prepared | Used with होना [honā]: तैयार होना [taiyār honā] = to get ready |
| नाश्ता | nāśtā | /naːʃ.t̪aː/ | breakfast | From नाश्ता करना [nāśtā karnā] = to have breakfast. Urdu-origin word. |
| चाय | cāy | /t͡ʃaːj/ | tea | India is the world's largest tea consumer! चाय [cāy] usually means milky, sweet tea by default. |
| दूध | dūdh | /d̪uːd̪ʰ/ | milk | Milk is central to Indian cuisine — in tea, sweets, yogurt, paneer, and lassi |
| रोटी | roṭī | /roː.ʈiː/ | roti, flatbread | The staple bread of North India — made fresh daily in most households |
| जल्दी | jaldī | /d͡ʒəl.d̪iː/ | quickly, early, fast | Very common word — जल्दी करो [jaldī karo]! = Hurry up! |
| सुबह | subah | /sʊ.bəh/ | morning | सुबह-सुबह [subah-subah] = very early morning (reduplication for emphasis) |
| बजे | baje | /bə.d͡ʒe/ | o'clock (time marker) | Literally 'struck' — from the verb बजना [bajnā] (to ring/strike). Always comes after the number. |
Passive words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| अलार्म | alārm | /ə.laːrm/ | alarm | English loanword, commonly used in Hindi |
| ब्रश | braś | /brəʃ/ | brush (toothbrush) | English loanword — ब्रश करना [braś karnā] = to brush teeth |
| कपड़े | kapṛe | /kəp.ɽe/ | clothes | Plural form — singular would be कपड़ा [kapṛā] |
| बैग | baig | /bɛːɡ/ | bag | English loanword, very common |
| तौलिया | tauliyā | /t̪ɔː.li.jaː/ | towel | Used in everyday Hindi |
| साबुन | sābun | /saː.bʊn/ | soap | Common household word |
Useful chunks
| Word | Romanization | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| जल्दी उठना | jaldī uṭhnā | to wake up early / to get up quickly |
| तैयार होना | taiyār honā | to get ready |
| नाश्ता करना | nāśtā karnā | to have breakfast |
Grammar: Present habitual tense (सामान्य वर्तमान काल [sāmānya vartamān kāl]) and time with बजे [baje]
| Subject | Verb stem | Habitual ending | Full form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| मैं [maĩ] (m.) | उठ [uṭh] | -ता हूँ [-tā hū̃] | मैं उठता हूँ [maĩ uṭhtā hū̃] | I get up |
| मैं [maĩ] (f.) | उठ [uṭh] | -ती हूँ [-tī hū̃] | मैं उठती हूँ [maĩ uṭhtī hū̃] | I get up |
| आप [āp] | नहा [nahā] | -ते हैं [-te haĩ] | आप नहाते हैं [āp nahāte haĩ] | You bathe |
| वह [vah] (m.) | पी [pī] | -ता है [-tā hai] | वह पीता है [vah pītā hai] | He drinks |
| वह [vah] (f.) | पी [pī] | -ती है [-tī hai] | वह पीती है [vah pītī hai] | She drinks |
| Time | Hindi | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 6:00 | छह बजे [chah baje] | chah baje |
| 7:00 | सात बजे [sāt baje] | sāt baje |
| 8:00 | आठ बजे [āṭh baje] | āṭh baje |
| 9:00 | नौ बजे [nau baje] | nau baje |
The present habitual tense (सामान्य वर्तमान काल [sāmānya vartamān kāl]) describes actions you do regularly — your routine, habits, and general truths.
How to form it:
1. Take the verb stem (remove -ना [-nā] from the infinitive): उठना → उठ [uṭh]
2. Add the habitual suffix based on the subject's gender:
- Masculine singular: -ता [-tā] → उठता [uṭhtā]
- Feminine singular/plural: -ती [-tī] → उठती [uṭhtī]
- Masculine plural/formal: -ते [-te] → उठते [uṭhte]
3. Add the appropriate form of होना [honā] (to be):
- मैं [maĩ]: हूँ [hū̃]
- वह/यह [vah/yah]: है [hai]
- आप/वे [āp/ve]: हैं [haĩ]
Time with बजे [baje]:
Simply put the number before बजे [baje]: छह बजे [chah baje] = 6 o'clock. For 1 o'clock, use बजा [bajā] (singular): एक बजा [ek bajā]. Add सुबह [subah]/शाम [śām]/रात [rāt] before for AM/PM context.
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the missing Hindi word from this lesson's vocabulary.
- मैं सुबह छह बजे हूँ।(verb: to get up — habitual form)
- सीता रोज़ पीती है।(the drink Sita can't start her morning without)
- में रोटी और दूध है।(the meal at the start of the day)
- मुझे तैयार होना है।(quickly / early)
- क्लास आठ है।(time marker — 'o'clock')
Grammar Application
Fill in the correct habitual tense ending (-ता/-ती/-ते) based on the subject's gender.
- रवि सुबह उठ है। (masculine habitual)(Ravi = masculine)
- सीता रोज़ नहा है। (feminine habitual)(Sita = feminine)
- मैं (f.) चाय पी हूँ। (feminine habitual)(मैं, feminine speaker)
- आप सुबह क्या खा हैं? (formal habitual)(आप = formal/plural → -ते)
- वह जल्दी तैयार हो है। (masculine habitual)(वह, masculine)
Translation (English → Hindi)
Translate each sentence into Hindi using present habitual tense.
- I wake up early in the morning. (masculine)
- She eats roti for breakfast.
- I drink milk tea. (masculine)
- Class is at eight o'clock.
- Sita gets ready quickly.
Creative Construction
Describe a morning routine in 1-2 Hindi sentences using at least 3 words from this lesson. You can describe your own routine or make one up!
Writing: Writing simple words — combining consonants with matras
Practice words
| Word | Romanization |
|---|---|
| चाय | cāy |
| दूध | dūdh |
| रोटी | roṭī |
| सुबह | subah |
Now that you know the vowels and basic consonants, it's time to combine them! When a vowel follows a consonant, it appears as a matra (vowel mark) attached to the consonant rather than as a standalone letter.
For example, the consonant क [ka] with different matras:
- क [ka] — inherent 'a' vowel, no mark needed
- का [kā] — the ा matra extends to the right
- कि [ki] — the ि matra goes to the LEFT of the consonant (unique!)
- की [kī] — the ी matra extends to the right
- कु [ku] — the ु matra goes below
- कू [kū] — the ू matra goes below (longer hook)
- के [ke] — the े matra goes above
- को [ko] — the ो matra combines above and right
Notice that इ [i] is the only matra that goes to the LEFT of its consonant — this catches many beginners off guard! Practice writing today's vocabulary words, paying attention to where each matra is placed.
Takeaway
To describe daily habits in Hindi, use the present habitual tense with -ता/-ती/-ते [-tā/-tī/-te] endings. For time, put the number before बजे [baje]: सात बजे [sāt baje] = 7 o'clock. Now you can describe your entire morning in Hindi!