Module 1: Hindi Sounds, Script Basics, and Survival Phrases

New Words and Phrases: Greetings and Survival Expressions

In this step you will learn essential Hindi survival phrases: hello, how are you, my name is…, thank you, sorry, and excuse me. You will also see how they are written in the Devanagari script and how to pronounce them using English sounds.

Language Pattern: Basic Greeting + Name + Thanks

In this step, you will see how Hindi builds a simple conversation pattern using the phrases above, and you will also notice some key pronunciation features.

1. Basic Conversation Pattern

A very common first exchange in Hindi is:

1. Greeting
2. Ask how the other person is
3. Answer how you are
4. Say your name
5. Say thank you

Putting this together:

• "नमस्ते, आप कैसे हैं?"
• Phonetic: "na-MAS-teh, aap KAI-sey hain?"
• Meaning: "Hello, how are you?"

• "मैं ठीक हूँ, धन्यवाद।"
• Phonetic: "main theek hoon, dhun-yuh-VAAD."
• Meaning: "I am fine, thank you."

• "मेरा नाम अलेक्स है।"
• Phonetic: "MAY-raa naam Alex hai."
• Meaning: "My name is Alex."

2. The Pattern "मेरा नाम _ है।" (My name is _.)

• मेरा ("MAY-raa") = "my"
• नाम ("naam") = "name"
• ___ = your name
• है ("hai") = "is"

So literally, "मेरा नाम अलेक्स है।" = "My name Alex is."

You can change only the name and keep the pattern:

• "मेरा नाम सोफिया है।"
• Phonetic: "MAY-raa naam Sophia hai."
• Translation: "My name is Sophia."

3. Politeness with "आप" and "जी"

• आप ("aap") is the polite form of "you". For now, always use आप with new people.
• जी ("jee") is a polite particle. Adding it can make your speech softer and more respectful.

Examples:

• "नमस्ते जी" ("na-MAS-teh jee") = "Hello (sir/ma’am)."
• "जी, मैं ठीक हूँ।" ("jee, main theek hoon.") = "Yes, I am fine." (polite)

4. Survival Phrase for Interrupting or Apologizing

• माफ़ कीजिए ("maaf kee-JI-yeh") is used like "excuse me" or "I’m sorry" in many situations.
• To get attention: "माफ़ कीजिए, एक मिनट।" ("Excuse me, one minute.")
• To apologize: "माफ़ कीजिए, मेरी ग़लती है।" ("I’m sorry, it’s my mistake.")

• मुझे माफ़ करें ("moo-JHAY maaf kuh-REHN") is a bit stronger: "please forgive me."

5. Sound System Note: Aspirated vs. Unaspirated

Hindi consonants often come in pairs:

• One without a strong puff of air (unaspirated)
• One with a noticeable puff of air (aspirated)

In this module, notice:

• त ("ta" with little air) vs. थ ("tha" with a puff, as in "थीक" in careful speech)
• द ("da") vs. ध ("dha" with a puff, as in धन्यवाद "dhun-yuh-VAAD")

When you say धन्यवाद, feel a small breath after ध: "dh" + air.

6. Devanagari Overview (Recognition Only)

For now, just recognize a few shapes:

• नमस्ते: you will often see this on signs and messages. It has a horizontal line on top (like most Hindi words) and the characters न-म-स-्ते.
• धन्यवाद: often after services or on posters. Starts with the special aspirated ध.
• नाम in "मेरा नाम _ है।" shows the long "aa" sound written with a vertical line after न (the long vowel marker).

You are not expected to write these yet—just start to visually connect the shapes with the phrases you are hearing.

Practice Dialogue: Meeting Someone for the First Time

In this conversation, two people meet for the first time. Notice the pattern: greeting → asking how someone is → answering → saying your name → thanking. Read the Hindi, then the English, and pay attention to the pronunciation notes you learned.

Check Your Understanding: Survival Phrases and Patterns

Answer this question to check your understanding of the basic greeting and introduction pattern in Hindi.