countryside and robbed and killed travelers in the name of Goddess Kali.)
• To loot (from lūṭnā, to rob, plunder)
• Verandah (from baraṇḍā)
Pronunciation, the pitfalls
As we have seen, there are different kinds of consonants in Hindi (“regular” and retroflex, aspirated and unaspirated), as well as different kinds of vowels (long and short). To the untrained ear, the difference may appear minor, but employing the wrong type of consonant or wrong length of vowel can fatally alter the meaning of a word. For example:
ḍāl = a lentil dish; dal = group, team, (political) party.
nāṭā = small in stature; nātā = relationship.
Pronunciation, some encouragement
Initially, pronouncing a new language might get your tongue in a proverbial twist, but practice makes perfect—so don’t be shy at speaking, even at the risk of making mistakes or gaffes. There are only a few non-Indian Hindi speakers, and the locals will be absolutely delighted to find a foreigner making the effort to learn their mother tongue. They will gladly help you improve your skills. Simply go for it!
The Hindi alphabet
| Hindi letter | Roman equivalent |
| अ | a |
| आ | ā |
| इ | i |
| ई | ī |
| उ | u |
| ऊ | ū |
| ऋ | ri |
| ए | e |
| ऐ | ai |
| ओ | o |
| औ | au |
| क/क़ | k/k |
| ख/ख़ | kh/kh |
| ग | g |
| घ | gh |
| च | c |
| छ | ch |
| ज/ज़ | j/z |
| झ | jh |
| ट | ṭ |
| ठ | ṭh |
| ड | ḍ |
| ढ | ḍh |
| ण | ṇ |
| त | t |
| थ | th |
| द | d |
| ध | dh |
| न | n |
| प | p |
| फ/फ़ | ph/f |
| ब | b |
| भ | bh |
| म | m |
| य | y |
| र | r |
| ल | l |
| व | v |
| श | sh |
| ष | ṣ |
| स | s |
| ह | h |
| क्ष | kṣ |
| ज्ञ | jny |
The full forms of the vowels are written at the beginning or end of a word, or when they are in combination with another vowel. Otherwise Hindi writes the vowels with small signs over, under, before or after the consonant that comes before them.
A TINY BIT OF GRAMMAR
The old sex thing
We knew that this would get your attention, so let’s talk about …well, actually, gender. In Hindi grammar there are two genders, male and female. Nouns have either male or female gender and any adjective relating to a noun has to adjust its gender to the gender of the noun—somewhat like in French. Verbs also have male and female forms. Depending on who is acting, the verb will have to adopt the male form ♂ or female♀form.
What’s Your Address?
Nope, we’re not gonna write you a letter. It’s all about addressing people. There are three types of addresses in Hindi, three words for the simple English “you”. Which of the three you use depends on your relationship with, or the status of, the person you wish to address.
• tū – OK among very close relatives, friends and lovers, otherwise it’s insulting. It’s sometimes deliberately used to demean someome.
• tum – Used among friends, family members and good acquaintances.
• āp – the most polite form of address, for people of high standing, strangers, and in formal situations.
Similarly, the possessive pronoun “your” has three forms: terā/terī, tumhārā/tumhārī and āpkā/āpkī. Grammatically, the pronouns are treated like adjectives, so their gender would have to be adjusted to the gender of the associated noun.
1
What’s Up?
Good morning/afternoon/evening!
Namaskār!
नमस्कार!
Note: Unlike English, Hindi has different forms of greeting depending on the speaker’s religion. Hindus use Namaskār!, Namaste! or Rām rām!, Sikhs use Sat srī akāl! and Muslims greet each other with Salām alaikum!.
How are you?
Āp
