Learning the Hindi Writing System
Become familiar with Devanagari Script. Devanagari is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal and is the main script used to write Hindi, Marathi, and Nepali. It is written from left to right, lacks distinct letter cases, and is recognizable by a distinctive horizontal line running along the tops of the letters that links them together. A chart with the Devanagari alphabet is available here: http://www.omniglot.com/charts/print/hindi.pdf.
Study the Hindi vowels. Hindi has 11 vowels, some of which are indicated by the use of diacritic marks, or symbols added to the letters of an alphabet in order to show different pronunciations. Vowels in Hindi have two forms: one form for when they are used by themselves, and one form for when the vowel is joined to a consonant in a word. अ a and आ aa अ does not change the consonant, so if you see a consonant without a modifying symbol, it will have this vowel sound. When आ is added to a consonant, you add the symbol ा to the end of the consonant (for example, न na becomes ना naa when आ is added to it). इ i and ई ee When इ is added to a consonant, you add the symbol ि to the left-hand side of the consonant (before the consonant). When ई is added to a consonant, you add the symbol ी to the right-hand side of the consonant (after the consonant). उ u and ऊ oo When उ is added to a consonant, you add the symbol ु beneath the consonant. When ऊ is added to a consonant, you add the symbol ू beneath the consonant. ए e and ऐ ai When ए is added to a consonant, you add the symbol े above the consonant. When ऐ is added to a consonant, you add the symbol ै above the consonant. ओ o and औ au When ओ is added to a consonant, you add the symbol ो to the right-hand side of the consonant (after the consonant). When औ is added to a consonant, you add the symbol ौ to the right-hand side of the consonant (after the consonant). ऋ ri When ऋ is added to a consonant, you add the symbol ृ beneath the consonant. This vowel isn't very common in Hindi and is only found in Hindi words of Sanskrit origin.
Study the Hindi consonants. There are 33 consonants in Hindi. They are organized in the alphabet by how you use your mouth and throat to pronounce them. Because Hindi uses more consonants than English does, some of them have no direct equivalent in English. The (a) next to some consonants indicates that they are pronounced as aspirated (i.e., with a strong breath of air such as p in "pit" or "puff"). Velar consonants, pronounced by using the back of the tongue at the roof of your mouth (e.g., k or g in English): क k, ख k (a), ग g, घ g (a), ङ n Palatal consonants, pronounced by raising the front of the tongue just behind the gums (e.g., j in "job"): च ch, छ ch (a), ज j, झ j (a), ञ n Retroflex consonants, pronounced by curling the tongue backward and touching the roof of your mouth just behind the gums (none exist in English): ञ t, ट t (a), ड d, ढ d (a), ण n Flap consonants, pronounced by "flapping" the tip of your tongue toward the roof of your mouth behind your upper front teeth (e.g., the t softening in words like "butter," which often sounds like "budder") : ड़ d and ढ़ d (a) Dental consonants, pronounced by touching the tip of your tongue behind the back of your upper front teeth (e.g., th in "thin"): त t, थ t (a), थ d, ध d (a), न n Labial consonants, pronounced by using the lips together (e.g., b in "baby"): प p, फ p (a), ब b, भ b (a), म m Semivowels are vowel-like consonants, such as the w in "wet": य y (as in "young"), य r, ल l, व w or v Sibilant consonants, pronounced by using the tip of the tongue to push air out in a hissing noise: श sh, ष sh, स s Glottal consonants, pronounced by using the glottis at thee back of the throat: स h
Distinguish between "voiced" and "unvoiced" consonants. Hindi consonants have two basic different ways of pronouncing them: voiced and unvoiced. Reading explanations for these pronunciations may seem a little complicated, but don't worry; once you start trying to practice the sounds, you'll be able to feel the difference between voicing and not voicing. Voiced consonants are pronounced by vibrating your vocal cords. For example, voiced consonants in English include z in "zoo" and g in "good". Unvoiced consonants are pronounced without vibrating your vocal cords. For example, unvoiced consonants in English include s in "snap" and k in "kitten".
Distinguish between "aspirated" and "unaspirated" consonants. Hindi consonants also fall into two basic subcategories, unaspirated and aspirated. You can have unvoiced unaspirated consonants, unvoiced aspirated consonants, etc. Aspiration is another term for a burst of air released through your mouth. The only way to really understand how this works in Hindi is to listen to recordings.
Listen to a recording of the Hindi alphabet and then try to mimic the recording. The Hindi alphabet may look a little alien to you, especially if you are a native English speaker, but with some practice, you'll be able to understand how to make all the Hindi letter sounds yourself. Once you have listened to the recording a few times, pause the recording and try to mimic the pronunciation of the speaker. Take your time and work your way slowly through alphabet.
Learn how to write the Hindi alphabet. You may find it easier to learn the Devanagari script if you can see how it is written. There are several tutorials available online.
Learning Hindi Grammar
Become familiar with Hindi nouns. Nouns are words for objects, places, emotions, animals, and people. In Hindi, all nouns have a gender: masculine (M) or feminine (F). The gender of Hindi nouns is essential for proper grammar and communication, so when learning Hindi nouns, you must also learn their genders so you can use the nouns correctly. A very general rule to determine the gender for a noun is words that end with the vowel आ aa are usually masculine and words that end with the vowel ई ee are usually feminine. However, there are many exceptions to this rule, so it's important to still learn the gender of every noun through memorization and practice. For example: The noun for boy is: लड़का ladkaa (M) and the noun for girl is: लड़की ladkee (F). So in the case of these nouns, the general rule of gender applies. On the other hand, nouns like केला kelaa - Banana (M) and मेज़ mez - Desk (F) or घर ghar - House (M) are all exceptions to the general rule of gender.
Become familiar with Hindi pronouns. Simple pronouns like “he, she, I, we, they” are key to communicating in any language, including Hindi. The pronouns in Hindi are: First person singular: मैं main - I First person plural: हम ham - We Second person singular: तू too - You (Intimate) Second person plural: तुम tum - You (Informal/casual), आप aap - You (Formal/respectful) A note on informal and formal pronouns: each pronoun is used based on the level of politeness in a conversation. Use the formal आप aap when meeting someone for the first time, talking to someone older than you or simply to show respect to the person you are addressing. Use the informal तुम tum when chatting with your friends or close relatives. Use तू too when you are in a very informal or intimate conversation, such as talking to your partner or to young children. It would be considered extremely rude in Hindi to use तू too when talking to a stranger or someone you barely know. 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. Use यह yeh when talking about someone or something close to you, so if someone is standing right next to you, use यह yeh. Use वह voh when talking about someone or something further away, so if someone is standing on the other side of the street, 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”, so there is no difference based on the gender of how you are talking to. You must rely on the context of the sentence to determine if a person is talking to a “he” or “she”.
Become familiar with Hindi verbs. Verbs describe an action, occurrence, or state of being. Learn Hindi verbs in the infinitive form (in English, “to ___”), as verbs are conjugated by dropping the infinitive ending and adding other suffixes. Hindi infinitives end in ना naa. Examples of Hindi infinitives include: होना honaa - to be; पढ़ना pahrnaa - to read or to study; बोलना bolnaa - to speak; सीखना seekhnaa - to learn; जाना jaanaa - to go.
Learn the basics of conjugating verbs. Like nouns, verbs in Hindi must be conjugated to reflect grammatical categories such as number, gender, tense, and mood. For example, the infinitive verb होना honaa- to be, conjugated for number becomes: मैं हूँ main hoon - I am हम हैं ham hain - We are तू है too hai - You are (intimate) तुम हो tum 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. Because Hindi verbs have many tenses, you’ll want to use a textbook or other reference materials to learn verb conjugations beyond the basic present tense. A good reference dictionary will also help you conjugate new verbs.
Continue to practice your conversational Hindi with longer phrases and sentences. Once you become more comfortable with Hindi nouns, pronouns, and verbs, you can move on to studying other elements of Hindi.
Practicing Words and Phrases in Hindi
Purchase a good Hindi dictionary. Oxford University Press publishes the gold standard of dictionaries, the Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary. While smaller pocket dictionaries are fine if you just need to look up a word or two, invest in a more substantial academic dictionary if you are serious about more formal study. There are also Hindi dictionaries online. The University of Chicago’s “Digital Dictionaries of South Asia” project includes a dictionary of Urdu and Classical Hindi.
Learn the days of the week. Start with basic words that will help you become familiar with how Hindi vowels and consonants work together to create a word or phrase. Focus on recognizing the Hindi words and the Devanagari script. The days of the week are: Sunday, Hindi word: RaveevaaR, Devanagari script: रविवार Monday, Hindi word: SomvaaR, Devanagari script: सोमवार Tuesday, Hindi word: MangalvaaR, Devanagari script: मंगलवार Wednesday, Hindi word: BudhvaaR, Devanagari script: बुधवार Thursday, Hindi word: GuRoovaaR, Devanagari script:गुरुवार Friday, Hindi word: ShukRavaaR, Devanagari script: शुक्रवार Saturday, Hindi word: ShaneevaaR, Devanagari script:शनिवार
Learn basic words for time and place. Once you become familiar with the days of the week, move on to other basic Hindi words, keeping in mind the Devanagari script. Yesterday, Hindi word: kal, script:कल Today, Hindi word: aaj, script: आज Tomorrow, Hindi word: kal, script: कल Day, Hindi word: din, script: दिन Night, Hindi word: raat, script: रात Week, Hindi word: haftaa, script: हफ़्ता Month, Hindi word: maheenaa, script: महीना Years, Hindi word: saal, script: साल Second, Hindi word: doosRaa Minute, Hindi word: mint, script: मिनट Hour, Hindi word: ghantaa, script: घंटा Morning, Hindi word: saveyRey, script: सवेरे Evening, Hindi word: shaam, script: शाम Noon, Hindi word: dopaheR, script: दो पहर Midnight, Hindi word: aadheeRaat, script: आधी रात Now, Hindi word: ab, script: अब Later, Hindi word: baad mey, script: बाद में
Practice common phrases with a partner or with a recording. Learning conversational Hindi is a great way to practice your alphabet skills and prepare you for lessons on basic Hindi grammar. Actually having a conversation in Hindi is the most important way to learn the language. Find a friend in your language class or look online in language forums for individuals looking to practice their conversational Hindi. There are also recordings of basic phrases online that you can refer to. Focus on phrases like: Hi!, Hindi: Namastey!, script: नमस्ते Good morning!, Hindi: Suprabhaat, script: सुप्रभात Good evening!, Hindi: Shubh sundhyaa, script: शुभ संध्या Welcome! (to greet someone), Hindi: Aapka swaagat hai!, script: आपका स्वागत हैं। How are you?, Hindi: Aap kaisey hain?, script: आप कैसे हैं ? I'm fine, thanks!, Hindi: Main theek hoon, shukriya!, script: मैं ठीक हुँ । And you?, Hindi: Aur aap?, script: और आप? Good/ So-So, Hindi: Accha/ Theek-thaak, script: अच्छा/ ठीक-ठाक Thank you (very much)!, Hindi: Shukriyaa (Bahut dhanyavaad), script: शुक्रीया (बहुत धन्यवाद)
Expanding Your Knowledge
Use online lessons to practice your skills. Visit language forums, websites, and social media sites dedicated to learning Hindi grammar. Check out YouTube videos, virtual language workshops, and private online tutors as well. There are several universities that offer free online lessons. Find audio and video lessons whenever possible so that you can hear the language being spoken. North Carolina State University offers a series of 24 video lessons that include instruction on script, vocabulary, grammar, and culture, as well as exercises and quizzes. The University of Pennsylvania offers a series of 20 audio lessons that cover the basics of Hindi grammar.
Find a good textbook. Once you become familiar with the basics of Hindi vocabulary and grammar, you'll need a more in-depth source to learn the more complicated elements of the language. Try to find a textbook that includes audio elements if possible. Rupert Snell's Teach Yourself Hindi course and book is highly recommended for beginners and includes audio. Elementary Hindi by Richard Delacy and Sudha Joshi comprises a textbook and workbook with audio CD. Sonia Taneja's Practice Makes Perfect Basic Hindi is a workbook full of exercises to help you build on existing knowledge and practice concepts such as conjugation.
Read as much as you can in Hindi. Fortunately, there is a wealth of online resources available in Hindi, including newspapers, blogs, and social media. There is also a tradition of Hindi literature dating back to the 760s CE, full of poets, philosophers, and religious writers. Dainik Jagaran is the most popular Hindi newspaper in India. Other important newspapers published in Hindi include Hindustan, Dainik Bhaskar, and Rajasthan Patrika. The BBC also has a BBC India site. The Parikalpana Award is an annual award given to Indian blogs, much like the Bloggie Awards in English. As in most other places, popular social media in India include Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter. Visiting social media pages in Hindi will give you an accessible “in” to the language and to popular cultural topics. Prominent authors in Hindi literature include Chanda Bardai, author of the Prathviraj Rasau (12th century); Kabir (14th century), a devotional author; poet Ganga Das (1823-1913); novelist Munshi Premchand (19th century); Dharmavir Bharati (20th century); and novelist Jainendra Kumar (20th century). Children’s books can be a great place to start because they are written very simply and often include pictures. Learning-Hindi.com has a collection of children’s books online.
Watch movies in Hindi. India has a huge movie industry, popularly known as “Bollywood”-- it’s actually the most prolific film industry in the world, with over 1,000 films released per year. Indians LOVE going to the movies; more tickets are sold in India than in any other country (2.7 billion tickets per year). Many movies in Hindi are released every year, and thanks to online streaming services such as Netflix and content providers such as iTunes, you can watch many of them right from your own home. Watch them in the original language with English subtitles so you can practice your Hindi listening skills. Important films in Hindi cinema include Mughal-e-Azam (frequently ranked the greatest Bollywood movie of all time), the comedy Golmaal, and the drama Kahaani. If you enjoy superhero movies, India has quite a few of them. Popular films include Krrish and Ra.One.
Attend Indian cultural events. If you live near a college or university, there will probably be a variety of cultural events hosted by international students. Many towns and cities with high Indian populations have festivals and other cultural events where you can meet new friends and learn about Indian culture. If there is an Indian or Hindu cultural center near you, you can check their events calendar or contact their organizer. If there are no cultural events nearby, look around online! Wesleyan University even maintains a “Virtual Village” where you can explore cultural topics and read interviews with “villagers.”
Find friends who speak Hindi. Because so many people speak Hindi, the chances are good that you know people who can speak the language. Particularly if they live far away from home, people will often be happy to chat with you in their native language. Websites such as meetup.com offer you the chance to find groups of people who are interested in learning more about Hindi language and Indian culture. Meetup currently has 103 groups in 70 countries, but if there isn’t one near you, why not start your own? Try striking up a chat with someone in your local Indian restaurant or grocery store. Not only will you get practice with your language, you will learn more about delicious Indian cuisine!
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