India has 22 official languages. English is widely spoken in cities. So why learn Hindi?
Because the moment you say namaste with a slight head nod, something shifts. Shopkeepers smile differently. Conversations open up. You move from "tourist to sell to" toward "guest to welcome."
Hindi won't work everywhere in India—Southern India has its own languages—but across North and Central India, basic Hindi transforms your travel experience.
Here are the essentials, with Devanagari script, transliteration, and the cultural context that makes them work.
The Foundation: Greetings
Hello/Goodbye
नमस्ते namaste
The most important word you'll learn. It means hello, goodbye, and conveys respect. Works in almost any situation.
How to use it: Slight bow with palms pressed together at chest level. The gesture alone, without the word, also works.
Variations:
- नमस्कार (namaskār) - more formal, same meaning
- प्रणाम (praṇām) - very respectful, used for elders
Informal Greetings
Among younger people and friends:
- हाय (hāy) - "Hi" (borrowed from English)
- हेलो (helo) - "Hello" (also borrowed)
These work in modern urban contexts but namaste is never wrong.
Time-Based Greetings
These exist but are less common than in English:
शुभ प्रभात (śubh prabhāt) - Good morning (formal) शुभ रात्रि (śubh rātri) - Good night (formal)
In practice, namaste covers all times of day.
How Are You?
आप कैसे हैं? āp kaise haiṁ? (to a man, formal)
आप कैसी हैं? āp kaisī haiṁ? (to a woman, formal)
तुम कैसे हो? tum kaise ho? (informal, to a man)
तुम कैसी हो? tum kaisī ho? (informal, to a woman)
Responses
मैं ठीक हूँ maiṁ ṭhīk hūṁ "I am fine"
बहुत अच्छा bahut acchā "Very good"
ठीक-ठाक ṭhīk-ṭhāk "Okay/So-so"
Essential Polite Words
Thank You
धन्यवाद dhanyavād "Thank you" (formal)
शुक्रिया śukriyā "Thank you" (common, from Urdu)
Note: In everyday Indian culture, thank you between friends or family can feel oddly formal or distant. It's used more with strangers or in clearly transactional contexts.
Please
कृपया kṛpayā "Please" (formal)
In casual speech, you often just add -ना (-nā) or ज़रा (zarā) to soften requests:
- ज़रा सुनिए (zarā suniye) - "Excuse me/Listen please"
Sorry/Excuse Me
माफ़ कीजिए māf kījie "Sorry/Excuse me" (formal)
सॉरी sŏrī "Sorry" (borrowed, common in cities)
Introducing Yourself
मेरा नाम [name] है merā nām [name] hai "My name is [name]"
मैं [country] से हूँ maiṁ [country] se hūṁ "I am from [country]"
मैं हिंदी सीख रहा/रही हूँ maiṁ hindī sīkh rahā/rahī hūṁ "I am learning Hindi" (rahā for men, rahī for women)
This last phrase works magic. Indian people are often surprised and delighted when foreigners attempt Hindi, and will enthusiastically help you practice.
Understanding Respect: आप vs तुम vs तू
Hindi has three levels of "you":
आप (āp) - formal/respectful Use with: elders, strangers, professional contexts, anyone you want to show respect to. When in doubt, use आप.
तुम (tum) - informal/familiar Use with: friends, peers, younger people (after establishing rapport)
तू (tū) - very informal/intimate Use with: very close friends, children, or in some regions casually. Can be rude if used inappropriately.
For travelers: Default to आप. It's never offensive to be too polite.
Common Traveler Situations
At a Shop/Market
यह कितने का है? yah kitne kā hai? "How much is this?" (for masculine nouns)
यह कितने की है? yah kitne kī hai? "How much is this?" (for feminine nouns)
If unsure about gender, just point and ask: इसका दाम क्या है? iskā dām kyā hai? "What's the price of this?"
बहुत महँगा है bahut mahaṅgā hai "It's very expensive"
थोड़ा कम कीजिए thoṛā kam kījie "Please reduce a little"
ठीक है, मैं लूँगा/लूँगी ṭhīk hai, maiṁ lūṅgā/lūṅgī "Okay, I'll take it" (lūṅgā for men, lūṅgī for women)
Getting Around
[place] कहाँ है? [place] kahāṁ hai? "Where is [place]?"
यहाँ से कितनी दूर है? yahāṁ se kitnī dūr hai? "How far is it from here?"
दाएँ / बाएँ / सीधे dāeṁ / bāeṁ / sīdhe "Right / Left / Straight"
रुकिए rukiye "Stop" (to a driver)
यहाँ रोक दीजिए yahāṁ rok dījie "Please stop here"
At a Restaurant
मेन्यू दीजिए menyū dījie "Please give the menu"
यह क्या है? yah kyā hai? "What is this?"
पानी चाहिए pānī cāhie "I need water"
बिल दीजिए bil dījie "Please give the bill"
बहुत स्वादिष्ट था bahut svādiṣṭ thā "It was very delicious"
Dietary Needs
मैं शाकाहारी हूँ maiṁ śākāhārī hūṁ "I am vegetarian"
इसमें मांस है? ismeiṁ māṁs hai? "Is there meat in this?"
मुझे [ingredient] से एलर्जी है mujhe [ingredient] se elarjī hai "I am allergic to [ingredient]"
At a Hotel
मुझे एक कमरा चाहिए mujhe ek kamrā cāhie "I need a room"
एक रात के लिए कितना? ek rāt ke lie kitnā? "How much for one night?"
AC वाला कमरा AC vālā kamrā "Room with AC"
वाई-फाई का पासवर्ड क्या है? vāī-fāī kā pāsvarḍ kyā hai? "What's the WiFi password?"
Numbers (Essential for Shopping)
| Number | Hindi | Transliteration | |--------|-------|-----------------| | 1 | एक | ek | | 2 | दो | do | | 3 | तीन | tīn | | 4 | चार | cār | | 5 | पाँच | pāṁc | | 10 | दस | das | | 20 | बीस | bīs | | 50 | पचास | pacās | | 100 | सौ | sau | | 1000 | हज़ार | hazār |
For prices, you'll often hear mixed Hindi-English: "पचास rupees" (50 rupees).
Useful Phrases for Difficulties
मुझे समझ नहीं आया mujhe samajh nahīṁ āyā "I didn't understand"
कृपया धीरे बोलिए kṛpayā dhīre boliye "Please speak slowly"
क्या आप अंग्रेज़ी बोलते हैं? kyā āp aṅgrezī bolte haiṁ? "Do you speak English?"
इसे लिख दीजिए ise likh dījie "Please write it down"
मदद कीजिए madad kījie "Please help"
Cultural Tips for Conversations
Head Wobble
The famous Indian head wobble (side to side) usually means "yes," "okay," or "I understand." It's not "no." Learning to read—and use—it takes practice.
Personal Questions Are Normal
Don't be surprised if people ask about your marriage status, age, salary, or why you don't have children. This isn't rude in Indian culture—it's showing interest. You can deflect politely or answer vaguely.
Saying "No" Indirectly
Direct refusals can feel harsh. Instead of nahīṁ (no), Indians often say:
- देखते हैं (dekhte haiṁ) - "Let's see" (often means no)
- थोड़ा मुश्किल है (thoṛā muśkil hai) - "It's a bit difficult"
- Head wobble with uncertain expression
Time Is Flexible
"Five minutes" might mean thirty. "Tomorrow" might mean next week. This isn't dishonesty—it's a different relationship with time and a preference for keeping interactions positive.
Physical Space
India is crowded. Personal space expectations are different. Queuing may be less linear than you're used to.
Building From Here
These basics cover survival. For more complex travel situations, airport and hotel scripts provide frameworks you can adapt to Hindi contexts.
And for general strategies on starting conversations abroad, essential first conversation phrases gives you templates that work across languages.
Practice Dialogue
Here's a typical interaction:
You: नमस्ते। (namaste) Shopkeeper: नमस्ते जी। (namaste jī - jī adds respect) You: यह कितने का है? (yah kitne kā hai?) Shopkeeper: पाँच सौ रुपये। (pāṁc sau rupaye - 500 rupees) You: बहुत महँगा है। तीन सौ? (bahut mahaṅgā hai. tīn sau?) Shopkeeper: नहीं साहब, चार सौ लास्ट। (nahīṁ sāhab, cār sau lāsṭ) You: ठीक है। (ṭhīk hai) Shopkeeper: धन्यवाद जी! (dhanyavād jī!)
The effort you make to speak Hindi—even imperfectly—will be appreciated enormously. Dhanyavād for learning.
See also: