India is a land of languages — 22 official languages and over 19,500 dialects! In this lesson, you'll learn to talk about books, reading, writing, and the languages you know. You'll master two key patterns: saying 'in a language' with में [mẽ] and expressing language proficiency with मुझे...आती है [mujhe...ātī hai]. Sita and Ravi explore the Delhi Book Fair — let's join them!
Learning tips
- मुझे हिंदी आती है [mujhe hindī ātī hai] literally means 'Hindi comes to me' — it's the natural way to say you know a language. आती [ātī] is feminine because भाषा [bhāṣā] (language) is feminine.
- For 'in Hindi/English,' just add में [mẽ]: हिंदी में [hindī mẽ], अंग्रेज़ी में [aṅgrezī mẽ].
- किताब [kitāb] is from Arabic/Urdu — it's the everyday word. The Sanskrit equivalent पुस्तक [pustak] is more formal.
- Hindi speakers in Delhi constantly code-switch between Hindi and English — this is called 'Hinglish' and is completely normal!
Warm-up & Active Recall
Recap: In Lesson 8.3, you learned to express opinions with मुझे लगता है [mujhe lagtā hai]. Today you'll talk about languages and reading.
| Word | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| फ़िल्म [film] | film, movie | |
| गाना [gānā] | song | |
| संगीत [saṅgīt] | music | |
| सिनेमा [sinemā] | cinema | |
| अभिनेता [abhinetā] | actor | |
| अभिनेत्री [abhinetrī] | actress | |
| देखना [dekhnā] | to watch | |
| सुनना [sunnā] | to listen | |
| अच्छा [acchā] | good | |
| बुरा [burā] | bad |
Dialog
Sita and Ravi visit the Delhi Book Fair (World Book Fair) at Pragati Maidan — Asia's largest book fair. Sita finds a Hindi poetry collection by Gulzar, while Ravi prefers stories. They discuss which languages they know — Ravi can read Hindi but not Urdu, while Sita knows English from DU. The conversation naturally introduces all 10 active words across three culturally authentic Delhi scenes.
📚 दोपहर — दिल्ली पुस्तक मेला, प्रगति मैदान
dopahar — dillī pustak melā, pragati maidān
Sita
रवि जी, यह किताब देखिए! यह हिंदी कविता की किताब है।
ravī jī, yah kitāb dekhie! yah hindī kavitā kī kitāb hai.
(Ravi ji, this book see! This Hindi poetry's book is.)
Ravi ji, look at this book! It's a Hindi poetry book.
Ravi
वाह! मुझे कहानी की किताबें ज़्यादा पसंद हैं। यह लेखक कौन है?
vāh! mujhe kahānī kī kitābẽ zyādā pasand haĩ. yah lekhak kaun hai?
(Wow! To-me story's books more liked are. This writer who is?)
Wow! I prefer story books. Who is this writer?
Sita
गुलज़ार साहब। वे हिंदी और उर्दू दोनों में लिखते हैं।
gulzār sāhab. ve hindī aur urdū donõ mẽ likhte haĩ.
(Gulzar sahab. They Hindi and Urdu both in write.)
Gulzar sahab. He writes in both Hindi and Urdu.
Ravi
मुझे उर्दू नहीं आती, लेकिन हिंदी में पढ़ सकता हूँ।
mujhe urdū nahī̃ ātī, lekin hindī mẽ paṛh saktā hū̃.
(To-me Urdu not comes, but Hindi in read can.)
I don't know Urdu, but I can read in Hindi.
📖 भाषा सेक्शन — अंग्रेज़ी किताबों की दुकान
bhāṣā sekśan — aṅgrezī kitābõ kī dukān
Sita
मुझे अंग्रेज़ी भी आती है। DU में सब कुछ अंग्रेज़ी में पढ़ना होता है।
mujhe aṅgrezī bhī ātī hai. DU mẽ sab kuch aṅgrezī mẽ paṛhnā hotā hai.
(To-me English also comes. DU in everything English in reading has-to.)
I also know English. At DU everything has to be read in English.
Ravi
हाँ, ऑफ़िस में भी अंग्रेज़ी में लिखना पड़ता है। लेकिन मैं हिंदी में सोचता हूँ!
hā̃, ŏfis mẽ bhī aṅgrezī mẽ likhnā paṛtā hai. lekin maĩ hindī mẽ soctā hū̃!
(Yes, office in also English in writing have-to. But I Hindi in think!)
Yes, at the office too I have to write in English. But I think in Hindi!
☕ कैफ़े — पुस्तक मेले के बाद
kaife — pustak mele ke bād
Sita
आप कौन-सी भाषा सीखना चाहते हैं?
āp kaun-sī bhāṣā sīkhnā cāhte haĩ?
(You which language learning want?)
Which language do you want to learn?
Ravi
मुझे जापानी सीखनी है! उनकी कहानियाँ बहुत अच्छी हैं। मैं जापानी में पढ़ना और लिखना सीखना चाहता हूँ।
mujhe jāpānī sīkhnī hai! unkī kahāniyā̃ bahut acchī haĩ. maĩ jāpānī mẽ paṛhnā aur likhnā sīkhnā cāhtā hū̃.
(To-me Japanese learning is! Their stories very good are. I Japanese in reading and writing learning want.)
I want to learn Japanese! Their stories are very good. I want to learn to read and write in Japanese.
Sita
बहुत अच्छा! और मुझे कविता उर्दू में लिखना सीखना है।
bahut acchā! aur mujhe kavitā urdū mẽ likhnā sīkhnā hai.
(Very good! And to-me poetry Urdu in writing learning is.)
Great! And I want to learn to write poetry in Urdu.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| किताब | kitāb | /kɪ.t̪aːb/ | book | Urdu/Arabic origin — the everyday word. पुस्तक [pustak] is the Sanskrit equivalent (more formal). |
| कहानी | kahānī | /kə.haː.niː/ | story | Used for any narrative — short stories, tales, even gossip (उसकी कहानी [uskī kahānī] = their story) |
| कविता | kavitā | /kə.vɪ.t̪aː/ | poem, poetry | Sanskrit origin. कवि [kavi] = poet (male), कवयित्री [kavayitrī] = poet (female). |
| लेखक | lekhak | /leː.kʰək/ | writer, author | From लिखना [likhnā] (to write). लेखिका [lekhikā] = female writer. |
| भाषा | bhāṣā | /bʰaː.ʂaː/ | language | Sanskrit origin. India has 22 official languages recognized in the Constitution. |
| हिंदी | hindī | /hɪn̪.d̪iː/ | Hindi | The most widely spoken language in India, and one of the two official languages of the central government. |
| अंग्रेज़ी | aṅgrezī | /əŋ.ɡreː.ziː/ | English | India's other official language — widely used in business, education, and government in Delhi. |
| उर्दू | urdū | /ʊr.d̪uː/ | Urdu | Closely related to Hindi — shares grammar but uses Persian/Arabic vocabulary and Nastaliq script. |
| पढ़ना | paṛhnā | /pəɽʰ.naː/ | to read, to study | पढ़ना [paṛhnā] means both 'to read' and 'to study' — context determines which. |
| लिखना | likhnā | /lɪkʰ.naː/ | to write | लिखना [likhnā] — a basic literacy verb. चिट्ठी लिखना [ciṭṭhī likhnā] = to write a letter. |
Passive words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| उपन्यास | upanyās | /ʊ.pən.jaːs/ | novel | Sanskrit compound: उप [upa] + न्यास [nyās]. Premchand's गोदान [godān] is India's most famous Hindi novel. |
| पत्रिका | patrikā | /pət̪.rɪ.kaː/ | magazine | Hindi magazines like इंडिया टुडे [India Today] and आउटलुक [Outlook] are widely read. |
| अख़बार | axbār | /əx.baːr/ | newspaper | Urdu origin. दैनिक [dainik] = daily newspaper. Delhi has papers in Hindi, English, and Urdu. |
| ई-बुक | ī-buk | /iː.bʊk/ | e-book | Digital reading is growing fast — Kindle and Google Books are popular in urban India. |
| प्रकाशक | prakāśak | /prə.kaː.ʃək/ | publisher | From प्रकाशन [prakāśan] (publishing). Delhi is India's publishing capital. |
| अनुवाद | anuvād | /ə.nʊ.vaːd̪/ | translation | From अनु [anu] + वाद [vād]. India's multilingual reality means translation is everywhere. |
Useful chunks
| Word | Romanization | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| हिंदी में | hindī mẽ | in Hindi (language + में) |
| मुझे...आती है | mujhe...ātī hai | I know (a language/skill) — lit. 'it comes to me' |
| पढ़ना-लिखना | paṛhnā-likhnā | reading and writing (compound) |
Pronunciation: पढ़ना [paṛhnā] has the retroflex flap ड़ [ṛ] — your tongue flaps quickly against the roof of your mouth. It's like a very fast English 'd' but further back. Compare with पना [panā] (to get) — the ड़ [ṛ] makes a big difference! भाषा [bhāṣā] has the retroflex ष [ṣ] — similar to English 'sh' but with the tongue curled further back.
Grammar: Languages with में [mẽ] + मुझे...आती है [mujhe...ātī hai] for language proficiency
| Structure | Hindi | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| In Hindi | हिंदी में | hindī mẽ | in Hindi |
| I know Hindi | मुझे हिंदी आती है | mujhe hindī ātī hai | I know Hindi |
| I don't know Urdu | मुझे उर्दू नहीं आती | mujhe urdū nahī̃ ātī | I don't know Urdu |
| Read in English | अंग्रेज़ी में पढ़ना | aṅgrezī mẽ paṛhnā | to read in English |
| Write in Hindi | हिंदी में लिखना | hindī mẽ likhnā | to write in Hindi |
| Which language? | कौन-सी भाषा? | kaun-sī bhāṣā? | which language? |
Two important patterns for talking about languages:
1. Language + में [mẽ] = 'in a language'
- हिंदी में [hindī mẽ] — in Hindi
- अंग्रेज़ी में पढ़ना [aṅgrezī mẽ paṛhnā] — to read in English
- उर्दू में लिखना [urdū mẽ likhnā] — to write in Urdu
2. मुझे + language + आती है [mujhe + language + ātī hai] = 'I know (a language)'
- मुझे हिंदी आती है [mujhe hindī ātī hai] — I know Hindi
- मुझे उर्दू नहीं आती [mujhe urdū nahī̃ ātī] — I don't know Urdu
Why आती [ātī] (feminine)? Because भाषा [bhāṣā] (language) is feminine, and the implied subject is the language itself. This is the same आना [ānā] construction used for skills: मुझे तैरना आता है [mujhe tairnā ātā hai] (I know how to swim) — here आता [ātā] is masculine because तैरना [tairnā] is masculine.
Asking about languages:
- कौन-सी भाषा? [kaun-sī bhāṣā?] — which language?
- आपको कौन-सी भाषा आती है? [āpko kaun-sī bhāṣā ātī hai?] — which language(s) do you know?
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the missing Hindi word.
- मुझे की किताबें पसंद हैं।(story)
- यह बहुत अच्छा ता है।(writer / writes)
- मुझे आती है, लेकिन नहीं आती।(a language you know / a language you don't)
- मैं में और सकता हूँ।(a language / read / write)
- गुलज़ार और उर्दू में लिखते हैं।(Hindi / poetry)
Grammar Application
Express each idea using the correct Hindi pattern.
- Say 'I know English' → (use मुझे...आती है [mujhe...ātī hai])
- Say 'I don't know Urdu' → (negative: नहीं आती [nahī̃ ātī])
- Say 'I read in Hindi' → (language + में [mẽ])
- Ask 'Which language do you want to learn?' → (कौन-सी भाषा [kaun-sī bhāṣā])
- Say 'I want to learn to write poetry' → (कविता लिखना सीखना [kavitā likhnā sīkhnā])
Translation (English → Hindi)
Translate each sentence into Hindi.
- I like reading books.
- He writes stories in Hindi.
- I know English and Hindi.
- This writer writes very good poetry.
- Which language do you want to learn?
Creative Construction
Write 2 sentences about languages you know or books you like. Use at least one language pattern from this lesson.
Writing: Visarga and Avagraha (विसर्ग [visarg] : और अवग्रह [avagrah] ऽ)
ः
ḥ (visarg)
ऽ
' (avagrah)
Practice words
| Word | Romanization |
|---|---|
| दुःख | duḥkh |
| प्रातःकाल | prātaḥkāl |
| मनोऽभिलाषा | mano'bhilāṣā |
विसर्ग (ः) एक ह-जैसी ध्वनि है जो संस्कृत से आई है। अवग्रह (ऽ) 'a' ध्वनि के लोप को दर्शाता है। दोनों आधुनिक हिंदी में कम दिखते हैं।
visarg (ḥ) ek ha-jaisī dhvani hai jo sanskṛt se āī hai. avagrah (') 'a' dhvani ke lop ko darśātā hai. donõ ādhunik hindī mẽ kam dikhte haĩ.
Two rare but important Devanagari marks:
विसर्ग (ः) [visarg] — two dots after a vowel:
- Represents a light 'h' sound at the end of a syllable
- दुःख [duḥkh] — sorrow (pronounced 'duh-kh')
- प्रातःकाल [prātaḥkāl] — morning time
- Mostly found in Sanskrit-origin words; rare in everyday Hindi
अवग्रह (ऽ) [avagrah] — the S-shaped mark:
- Shows that an 'a' vowel has been dropped (elision)
- मनोऽभिलाषा [mano'bhilāṣā] — heart's desire
- Very rare in modern Hindi — mostly in Sanskrit texts
You'll encounter these mainly in formal writing, poetry, and religious texts. In everyday Hindi, they're almost never used.
Takeaway
Language + में [mẽ] = 'in a language', and मुझे भाषा आती है [mujhe bhāṣā ātī hai] = 'I know a language' — remember these two patterns!
Culture note: India has 22 official languages and over 19,500 dialects! In Delhi, most people speak both Hindi and English — this mix is called 'Hinglish' and is the city's true lingua franca. The Delhi World Book Fair at Pragati Maidan is Asia's largest book fair, held every January. Premchand, Gulzar, and Harivansh Rai Bachchan (Amitabh Bachchan's father!) are among India's most beloved writers and poets. Hindi and Urdu share the same grammar but differ in vocabulary — Hindi draws from Sanskrit while Urdu draws from Persian and Arabic. Many of Bollywood's most beautiful songs are written in Urdu-influenced Hindi.
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