Getting lost in Delhi is practically a rite of passage! In this lesson, you'll learn to ask for and give directions — one of the most practical skills for navigating any Indian city. You'll master polite imperatives like जाइए [jāie] (please go) and मुड़िए [muṛie] (please turn), and learn to describe distances. After this lesson, you'll never be truly lost in Delhi!
Learning tips
- When asking directions in India, start with 'भाई साहब' [bhāī sāhab] (brother sir) or 'बहन जी' [bahan jī] (sister ji) — Indians are incredibly helpful when approached politely.
- The polite imperative (-इए [-ie]) is your best friend: जाइए [jāie] (please go), मुड़िए [muṛie] (please turn), बताइए [batāie] (please tell). It's formed by adding -इए to the verb stem.
- Indians often give distances in minutes rather than kilometers: 'बस दस मिनट है' [bas das minaṭ hai] (just ten minutes) — take these estimates with a grain of salt!
- दाएँ [dāẽ] (right) and बाएँ [bāẽ] (left) both end with the nasal sound -एँ [-ẽ]. Practice saying them as a pair.
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| स्कूल [skūl] | school | |
| अस्पताल [aspatāl] | hospital | |
| बैंक [baiṅk] | bank | |
| डाकघर [ḍākghar] | post office | |
| मंदिर [mandir] | temple | |
| पार्क [pārk] | park | |
| बाज़ार [bāzār] | market | |
| सड़क [saṛak] | road | |
| गली [galī] | lane | |
| चौराहा [caurāhā] | intersection |
Dialog
Ravi needs to get to Connaught Place (कनॉट प्लेस [kanŏṭ ples]) — Delhi's famous circular market. Watch how Sita gives him directions using polite imperatives: जाइए [jāie] (please go), मुड़िए [muṛie] (please turn). Notice the pattern: सीधा जाइए [sīdhā jāie] (go straight), बाएँ मुड़िए [bāẽ muṛie] (turn left). These -इए [-ie] forms are the polite way to give instructions — always use them with strangers!
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| रास्ता | rāstā | /raːs.t̪aː/ | way, path, route | From Persian — used in everyday Hindi for directions |
| सीधा | sīdhā | /siː.d̪ʰaː/ | straight | Also means 'simple' or 'honest' in other contexts |
| दाएँ | dāẽ | /d̪aː.ẽː/ | right (direction) | Has the nasal vowel -एँ [-ẽ] — different from दायाँ [dāyā̃] (right-hand side) |
| बाएँ | bāẽ | /baː.ẽː/ | left (direction) | Pair with दाएँ [dāẽ] — both have the same nasal ending |
| मोड़ | moṛ | /moːɽ/ | turn, bend | Used as both noun ('a turn') and verb stem ('to turn' = मुड़ना [muṛnā]) |
| आगे | āge | /aː.ɡe/ | ahead, forward | Also means 'in the future' — context tells you which |
| पीछे | pīche | /piː.t͡ʃʰe/ | behind, back | Can mean spatial 'behind' or temporal 'ago' |
| पास | pās | /paːs/ | near, close | Already learned as postposition (के पास [ke pās]) — also works alone: पास है [pās hai] (it's near) |
| दूर | dūr | /d̪uːr/ | far, distant | Opposite of पास [pās] — दूर है [dūr hai] (it's far) |
| तक | tak | /t̪ək/ | until, up to, as far as | Used for distance and time: यहाँ से वहाँ तक [yahā̃ se vahā̃ tak] (from here to there) |
Passive words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| नक्शा | nakśā | /nək.ʃaː/ | map | From Arabic/Urdu — the traditional word for map |
| गूगल मैप | gūgal maip | /ɡuː.ɡəl mɛːp/ | Google Maps | Used as-is in Hindi — everyone in Delhi relies on it! |
| फ़ुटपाथ | fuṭpāth | /fʊʈ.paːt̪ʰ/ | footpath, sidewalk | Borrowed from English — walking space alongside the road |
| सिग्नल | signal | /sɪɡ.nəl/ | traffic signal | Borrowed from English — a key landmark for giving directions in India |
| फ़्लाईओवर | flāīovar | /flaː.iː.o.vər/ | flyover, overpass | Borrowed from English — Delhi has many flyovers |
| अंडरपास | aṇḍarpās | /ən.ɖər.paːs/ | underpass | Borrowed from English — a tunnel under a road |
Useful chunks
| Word | Romanization | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| सीधा जाइए | sīdhā jāie | Go straight (polite) |
| दाएँ मुड़िए | dāẽ muṛie | Turn right (polite) |
| बाएँ मुड़िए | bāẽ muṛie | Turn left (polite) |
| रास्ता बताइए | rāstā batāie | Please tell (me) the way |
Grammar: Imperative for directions — जाइए [jāie], मुड़िए [muṛie]; distance with दूर [dūr] / पास [pās]
| Verb | आप form (polite) | तुम form (informal) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| जाना [jānā] | जाइए [jāie] | जाओ [jāo] | go |
| मुड़ना [muṛnā] | मुड़िए [muṛie] | मुड़ो [muṛo] | turn |
| चलना [calnā] | चलिए [calie] | चलो [calo] | walk/move |
| देखना [dekhnā] | देखिए [dekhie] | देखो [dekho] | look |
| बताना [batānā] | बताइए [batāie] | बताओ [batāo] | tell |
| Distance Pattern | Hindi | IAST | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| X is near | X पास है | X pās hai | बाज़ार पास है [bāzār pās hai] |
| X is far | X दूर है | X dūr hai | स्टेशन दूर है [sṭeśan dūr hai] |
| from here to X | यहाँ से X तक | yahā̃ se X tak | यहाँ से बाज़ार तक [yahā̃ se bāzār tak] |
Hindi has a beautiful polite imperative form using -इए [-ie]. This is the form you should always use with strangers and elders:
Formation: Verb stem + इए [-ie]
- जाना [jānā] (to go) → जा [jā] + इए [ie] = जाइए [jāie] (please go)
- मुड़ना [muṛnā] (to turn) → मुड़ [muṛ] + इए [ie] = मुड़िए [muṛie] (please turn)
- बताना [batānā] (to tell) → बता [batā] + इए [ie] = बताइए [batāie] (please tell)
For friends, use the -ओ [-o] form: जाओ [jāo], मुड़ो [muṛo], बताओ [batāo].
Distance expressions: Use पास [pās] (near) and दूर [dūr] (far) with है [hai]:
- बाज़ार पास है [bāzār pās hai] = The market is near
- स्टेशन दूर है [sṭeśan dūr hai] = The station is far
For 'from X to Y', use से [se]...तक [tak]: यहाँ से बाज़ार तक [yahā̃ se bāzār tak] = from here to the market.
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the missing direction word.
- कनॉट प्लेस का बताइए।(way/route)
- जाइए, फिर दाएँ मुड़िए।(direction: straight)
- बाज़ार यहाँ से है — दस मिनट पैदल।(near or far?)
- सिग्नल पर मुड़िए।(left or right?)
- यहाँ से स्टेशन पाँच मिनट है।(until/up to)
Grammar Application
Form the polite imperative or fill in the correct postposition.
- जाना → आप form → (polite imperative of 'to go')
- मुड़ना → आप form → (polite imperative of 'to turn')
- 'The market is near' → बाज़ार है(near/far)
- 'From here to the station' → यहाँ स्टेशन (from...to)
- बताना → आप form → (polite imperative of 'to tell')
Translation (English → Hindi)
Translate each direction into Hindi.
- Go straight, then turn left.
- The market is far — take an auto.
- Tell me the way — where is the station?
- There's a turn ahead — turn right.
- It's close from here to the park.
Creative Construction
Write directions from one place to another using at least 3 direction words from this lesson.
Writing: Reading simple sentences — directions
Practice words
| Word | Romanization |
|---|---|
| सीधा जाइए | sīdhā jāie |
| दाएँ मुड़िए | dāẽ muṛie |
| बाएँ मुड़िए | bāẽ muṛie |
| रास्ता बताइए | rāstā batāie |
Now try reading simple direction sentences in Devanagari. Start by identifying each word separately, then read the full sentence. Direction words like सीधा [sīdhā], दाएँ [dāẽ], and बाएँ [bāẽ] appear on road signs across India. The chandrabindu (ँ) in दाएँ [dāẽ] and बाएँ [bāẽ] marks nasalization.
Takeaway
When asking for directions in Delhi, start with a respectful address (भाई साहब [bhāī sāhab] or बहन जी [bahan jī]) and use polite imperatives: सीधा जाइए [sīdhā jāie] (go straight), दाएँ मुड़िए [dāẽ muṛie] (turn right). People will happily help!