From dhabas to fine dining! In this lesson, you'll learn restaurant vocabulary — from asking for a टेबल [ṭebal] (table) to paying the बिल [bil] (bill). More importantly, you'll master the भूख लगना [bhūkh lagnā] / प्यास लगना [pyās lagnā] pattern — Hindi's unique way of saying 'I'm hungry' and 'I'm thirsty.' It's Sita's birthday, and Ravi is treating her to dinner at a nice restaurant in Khan Market!
Learning tips
- Hindi doesn't say 'I am hungry' — it says 'to me hunger has attached': मुझे भूख लगी है [mujhe bhūkh lagī hai]. This is an 'indirect experience' pattern!
- भूख [bhūkh] and प्यास [pyās] are both feminine nouns, so the verb is always लगी [lagī] (feminine past), never लगा [lagā].
- शाकाहारी [śākāhārī] (vegetarian) — look for the green dot (●) on Indian menus. This is legally required on all packaged food and most restaurant menus.
- Tipping in India: 10% is standard at restaurants. At dhabas, tipping is optional but appreciated.
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| चाय | tea | |
| दूध | milk | |
| चीनी | sugar | |
| पानी | water | |
| लस्सी | lassi | |
| जूस | juice | |
| गरम | hot | |
| ठंडा | cold | |
| कप | cup | |
| गिलास | glass |
Dialog
It's Sita's birthday and Ravi takes her to a restaurant in Khan Market (one of Delhi's poshest areas). Notice the restaurant vocabulary: टेबल [ṭebal], वेटर [veṭar], मेनू [menū], बिल [bil]. The key grammar point appears when Sita says मुझे भूख लगी है [mujhe bhūkh lagī hai] (I'm hungry) and Ravi says मुझे प्यास लगी है [mujhe pyās lagī hai] (I'm thirsty). Watch how शाकाहारी [śākāhārī] (vegetarian) comes up naturally — this is a daily consideration in Indian dining.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| रेस्टोरेंट | resṭoreṇṭ | /res.ʈo.reɳʈ/ | restaurant | Borrowed from English, written in Devanagari. Masculine. More formal than ढाबा [ḍhābā]. |
| टेबल | ṭebal | /ʈe.bəl/ | table | Borrowed from English. Masculine. टेबल बुक करना [ṭebal buk karnā] = to book a table. |
| वेटर | veṭar | /ve.ʈər/ | waiter | Borrowed from English. Masculine. In India, you can also call them भैया [bhaiyā] (brother). |
| मेनू | menū | /me.nuː/ | menu | Same word from lesson 6.2 — reinforced in the restaurant context. |
| बिल | bil | /bɪl/ | bill, check | Borrowed from English. Masculine. बिल लाइए [bil lāiye] = bring the bill please. |
| टिप | ṭip | /ʈɪp/ | tip, gratuity | Borrowed from English. Feminine. 10% is standard in Indian restaurants. |
| स्वादिष्ट | svādiṣṭ | /svaː.d̪ɪʂʈ/ | delicious, tasty | Sanskrit-origin adjective. Doesn't change for gender (unusual!). खाना बहुत स्वादिष्ट है [khānā bahut svādiṣṭ hai]. |
| भूख | bhūkh | /bʰuːkʰ/ | hunger | Feminine noun. Used with लगना [lagnā]: भूख लगना [bhūkh lagnā] = to feel hungry. |
| प्यास | pyās | /pjaːs/ | thirst | Feminine noun. Used with लगना [lagnā]: प्यास लगना [pyās lagnā] = to feel thirsty. |
| शाकाहारी | śākāhārī | /ʃaː.kaː.haː.riː/ | vegetarian | From शाक [śāk] (vegetable) + आहार [āhār] (diet). Green dot (●) on menus. |
Passive words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| रिज़र्वेशन | rizarveśan | /rɪ.zər.ve.ʃən/ | reservation | Borrowed from English. Used in upscale restaurants. |
| स्टार्टर | sṭārṭar | /sʈaːr.ʈər/ | starter, appetizer | Borrowed from English. The first course in a restaurant meal. |
| मेन कोर्स | men kors | /men koːrs/ | main course | Borrowed from English. The primary dish of the meal. |
| डेज़र्ट | ḍezarṭ | /ɖe.zərʈ/ | dessert | Borrowed from English. Indians love their मीठा [mīṭhā] (sweets) after a meal! |
| माँसाहारी | mā̃sāhārī | /maː̃.saː.haː.riː/ | non-vegetarian | From माँस [mā̃s] (meat) + आहार [āhār] (diet). Red dot (●) on menus. |
| बुफ़े | bufe | /bʊ.fe/ | buffet | Borrowed from French/English. Popular for lunch in Indian restaurants. |
Useful chunks
| Word | Romanization | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| भूख लगी है | bhūkh lagī hai | I am hungry (literally: 'to me hunger has attached') |
| प्यास लगी है | pyās lagī hai | I am thirsty (literally: 'to me thirst has attached') |
| बिल लाइए | bil lāiye | Bring the bill, please |
Grammar: भूख लगना / प्यास लगना [bhūkh lagnā / pyās lagnā] — indirect experience pattern
| Hindi | IAST | Meaning | Structure |
|---|---|---|---|
| मुझे भूख लगी है | mujhe bhūkh lagī hai | I am hungry | मुझे + fem. noun + लगी + है |
| मुझे प्यास लगी है | mujhe pyās lagī hai | I am thirsty | मुझे + fem. noun + लगी + है |
| आपको भूख लगी है? | āpko bhūkh lagī hai? | Are you hungry? | आपको + भूख + लगी + है? |
| उसे प्यास नहीं लगी | use pyās nahī̃ lagī | He/she is not thirsty | उसे + प्यास + नहीं + लगी |
| हमें बहुत भूख लगी है | hamẽ bahut bhūkh lagī hai | We are very hungry | हमें + बहुत + भूख + लगी + है |
Hindi expresses hunger and thirst as experiences that 'happen to' you, not things you 'are':
English: I am hungry → Hindi: मुझे भूख लगी है [mujhe bhūkh lagī hai]
Literally: 'To me hunger has attached'
This is called the indirect experience pattern. The person feeling hungry takes को [ko] (मुझे = मुझ + को), and the verb लगना [lagnā] agrees with the experience (भूख/प्यास), NOT with the person.
Since भूख [bhūkh] and प्यास [pyās] are both feminine, the verb is always लगी [lagī] (feminine past participle):
- मुझे भूख लगी है [mujhe bhūkh lagī hai] (I'm hungry)
- मुझे प्यास लगी है [mujhe pyās lagī hai] (I'm thirsty)
- आपको भूख लगी है? [āpko bhūkh lagī hai?] (Are you hungry?)
- उसे प्यास नहीं लगी [use pyās nahī̃ lagī] (He/she isn't thirsty)
This pattern is also used for other experiences: ठंड लगना [ṭhaṇḍ lagnā] (to feel cold), गर्मी लगना [garmī lagnā] (to feel hot), नींद लगना [nī̃d lagnā] (to feel sleepy).
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the missing Hindi restaurant word.
- यह बहुत अच्छा है। दिखाइए।(restaurant / menu)
- मुझे लगी है! कुछ खाना चाहिए।(hunger / delicious)
- , लाइए। भी डालना।(waiter / bill / tip)
- खाना बहुत था! मुझे न है, न ।(delicious / hunger / thirst)
- मेनू में खाना कहाँ है?(vegetarian)
Grammar Application
Complete using the भूख लगना/प्यास लगना pattern.
- Say 'I am hungry' → मुझे ।(hunger + attached + is)
- Ask 'Are you thirsty?' → आपको ?(thirst + attached + is?)
- Say 'He is not hungry' → उसे ।(hunger + not + attached)
- Say 'We are very thirsty' → हमें ।(very + thirst + attached + is)
- Say 'She is hungry and thirsty' → उसे भी है और भी।(hunger + also + attached + and + thirst + also)
Translation (English → Hindi)
Translate each sentence into Hindi.
- I am very hungry.
- Waiter, bring the bill please.
- This restaurant is very delicious.
- I need vegetarian food.
- Put water on the table. I'm thirsty.
Creative Construction
Write a restaurant scene (2-3 lines) using at least 4 words from this lesson.
Writing: Reading restaurant signs and menus
Practice words
| Word | Romanization |
|---|---|
| रेस्टोरेंट | resṭoreṇṭ |
| वेटर | veṭar |
| बिल | bil |
| शाकाहारी | śākāhārī |
Today we practice reading restaurant-related words — many of which are English words written in Devanagari:
- रेस्टोरेंट [resṭoreṇṭ] — 'restaurant' in Devanagari
- वेटर [veṭar] — 'waiter' in Devanagari
- बिल [bil] — 'bill' in Devanagari
- शाकाहारी [śākāhārī] — a pure Hindi/Sanskrit word meaning 'vegetarian'
Borrowed English words in Devanagari are very common in modern Hindi. Learning to recognize them gives you a huge advantage when reading menus, signs, and labels in India!
Takeaway
भूख लगना [bhūkh lagnā] and प्यास लगना [pyās lagnā] — in Hindi, hunger and thirst 'attach to' you, they don't 'are' you! Always feminine: मुझे भूख **लगी** [mujhe bhūkh lagī], never लगा [lagā].