You can apply a general rule to determine the gender for a noun. Words that end with the vowel आ aa are usually masculine and words that end with the vowel ई ee are usually feminine. Keep in mind there are many exceptions to this rule. To be on the safe side, you should still learn the gender of all nouns by memorizing them and lots of practice using them in Hindi sentences and phrases. [3] X Research source For example, the noun for boy is: लड़का ladkaa (M) and the noun for girl is: लड़की ladkee (F). The general rule of gender applies in the case of these nouns. Some feminine nouns in Hindi can also be created by adding ‘ya’. Example, old lady translates to बूढ़ी budhi and also बूढ़ीया budhiya. But nouns like मेज़ mez - Desk (F) or घर ghar - House (M) are all exceptions to the general rule of gender.
First person singular: मैं main - I First person plural: हम hum - We Second person singular: तू too - You (Intimate) Second person plural: तुम tum - You (Informal), आप aap - You (Formal) Keep in mind each pronoun is used based on the level of politeness in a conversation. You should use the formal आप aap when you are meeting someone for the first time, talking to an elder or if you wish to show respect to the person whom you are speaking to. The informal तुम thum is used when you are talking with your friends or close relatives. The informal तू too can be used when you are having an informal or intimate conversation, such as a conversation with your partner or with your young children. Do not use the informal तू too when speaking to a stranger or someone you do not know well, as this is considered as very rude remark. Third person singular: यह yah - He / She/ It / This Third person plural: वह vah - He / She/ It / That In spoken Hindi these words are pronounced slightly differently: यह is pronounced yeh and वह is pronounced voh. You should use यह yeh when speaking about someone or something close to you. For example, if someone is standing next to you, you would use यह yeh. You should use वह voh when speaking about someone or something further away. For example, if someone is standing across the street, you would use वह voh. When in doubt, use वह voh. Third person plural: ये ye - These / They Third person plural: वे ve- Those / They You will often hear वे ve being pronounced as the singular “voh”. The third person plural pronouns follow the same rules: ये ye for people / things close to you (in the distance sense) and वे vo for people / things further away. Note that both यह yeh or वह voh could mean either “he” or “she”. In Hindi, the third person pronoun is not based on the gender of the person you are talking about. To determine if the person is talking to a “he” or “she”, you must consider the context of the sentence.
Examples of Hindi infinitives include: होना honaa - to be; पढ़ना padnaa - to read or to study; बोलना bolnaa - to speak; सीखना seekhnaa - to learn; जाना jaanaa - to go. [5] X Research source
For example, the infinitive verb होना honaa- to be, conjugated for number becomes:[7] X Research source : मैं हूँ main hoon(’n’ is silent) - I am हम हैं ham hain(’n’ is silent) - We are तू है thoo hai - You are (intimate) तुम हो thum ho – You are (informal) आप हैं aap hain - You are (formal) यह है yah hai - he/she/this is वह है voh hai - he/she/that is ये हैं ye hain - these/they are वे हैं ve hain - those/they are There are three conjugations for gender in the present verb tense: For masculine singular subjects, drop the infinitive ending ना naa and add ता taa. For masculine plural subjects, drop the infinitive ending ना naa and add ते te. For feminine singular or feminine plural subjects, drop the infinitive ending ना naa and add ती tee. Hindi verbs have many tenses so you will need to use reference materials such as textbooks and language guides to learn how to conjugate verbs beyond the present tense. You can also use a good reference dictionary to assist you in conjugating new verbs.
“Good morning” in Hindi is “Suprabhaat”, and “Good evening” in Hindi is “Shub sundhyaa”. “Welcome” in Hindi is “Aapka swaagath hai!” A pronunciation guide for these words can be found here: https://www. youtube. com/watch?v=hD9serDDbY8#t=17.
Sunday: RaveevaaR Monday: SomvaaR Tuesday: MangalvaaR Wednesday: BudvaaR Thursday: guRoovaaR Friday: shukRavaaR Saturday: shaneevaaR You can also practice saying “yesterday” and “tomorrow”, which are “kal”; today, which is “aaj”; Day, which is “dhin”; Night, which is “raath”.
Zero: shunya/sifer One: eyk Two: dho Three: theen Four: chaar Five: paanch Six: chey Seven: saath Eight: aat Nine: now Ten:dhas Eleven: gyaaRah Twelve: baaRah Thirteen: teyRah Fourteen: chowdhah Fifteen: pandhRaah Sixteen: solah Seventeen: sathRah Eighteen: ataaRaah Nineteen: unnees Twenty: bees
You can also learn how to respond when someone asks you your name in Hindi by saying, “My name is…” or “Mera nam. . . hein”, pronounced “MAY-ra naam. . . hay. ” For example, if your name is Mindy, you may say, “Mera naam Mindy hein. ”
You may then respond to the question with “I’m fine, thanks!” or “Mein theek hoon, shukriya!” You can also practice saying “thank you” or “Dhanya vaad”, pronounced “DUN-y e vaad. ” You can respond when someone thanks you in Hindi by saying “your welcome” or “Shukriyaa. ”
“Namaste!” (or “Arrey, Dost!” which is “Hi friend!”, a less formal greeting) “Namaste!” “Aap kaisey hain?” (How are you?) “Mein theek hoon, shukriya! Aur aap?” (I’m good, thanks. And you?) “Theek-thaak. ” (Good) “Alvida!” (Good bye!) “Namaste!” (Bye!)
“I’m lost”: “Mein kho gaya hoon” “Can you help me?”: “Kya aap meri madad kar sakte hain?” “Where is the bathroom?”: “śaucaghara kahaan hai?” “How much is this?”: “Yeh kaisey diyaa?” “Excuse me…” (to ask for something): “Kshama keejeeae…” “Excuse me…” (to pass by someone): “Kshama keejeeae…”
“Would you like a …?” : “kya aapko … pasand hai?” “What would you like to drink?”: “Aap kya pina pasand karenge?” “I would like to …”: “main … lena pasand karunga. ” “I don’t eat meat or fish. ”: “Main macchi ya maas nahin khata. ” “I don’t drink. ”: “main shrab nahin pita. ” “It’s awful!”: “yah bhayankar hai!” “It’s delicious!”: “yah swadisht hai!”
It can also be useful to be surrounded by other students who are also learning the language, as you can all act as supports for each other and practice the language together. Look for Hindi language classes at your local college or university, or at an Indian community center in your area. Find an online language tutor as an alternative.
There are videos on Hindi pronunciation that can be found here: http://www. linguanaut. com/videos. htm. You can access a podcast that focuses on learning Hindi here: http://www. hindipod101. com/?src=bc_LearnHindi1_Search_learning%20Hindi_{creative}_{placement}.
You can find over 60 Hindi children’s books here: http://www. learning-hindi. com/, some with accompanying audio recordings of the books to get better at pronunciation.
You can also reach out to meet up groups in your area to see if there is a Hindi group where you can practice your Hindi with a more fluent speaker. Have your friend ask you open-ended questions and practice responding for 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
You may want to start with popular films in Hindi cinema like Mughal-e-Azam (frequently ranked the greatest Bollywood movie of all time), the comedy Golmaal, and the drama Kahaani. [16] X Research source
