Module 2: Introducing Yourself and Getting to Know Others - Conversational Hindi for Everyday Situations

Q: How would you politely ask someone: "Where are you from?" in Hindi?

आप कहाँ से हैं?. The correct polite question is "आप कहाँ से हैं?" (aap kahaan se hain?) meaning "Where are you from?". "तुम कहाँ से हो?" is informal, "आपका नाम कहाँ है?" means "Where is your name?" (incorrect meaning), and "मैं कहाँ से हूँ?" means "Where am I from?" (about yourself, not a question to another person).

New Words and Phrases (in English)

In this step, you will learn useful phrases to introduce yourself: saying your name, where you are from, what you do, and asking others the same questions politely.

Word	Pronunciation	Translation	Example
मेरा नाम ___ है।	mera naam ___ hai	My name is ___.	मेरा नाम अलेक्स है।(My name is Alex.)
आपका नाम क्या है?	aap-ka naam kya hai?	What is your name? (polite)	नमस्ते, आपका नाम क्या है?(Hello, what is your name?)
मैं ___ से हूँ।	main ___ se hoon	I am from ___.	मैं दिल्ली से हूँ।(I am from Delhi.)
आप कहाँ से हैं?	aap kahaan se hain?	Where are you from? (polite)	माफ़ कीजिए, आप कहाँ से हैं?(Excuse me, where are you from?)
मैं ___ में काम करता हूँ। / मैं ___ में काम करती हूँ।	main ___ mein kaam karta hoon (male) / main ___ mein kaam karti hoon (female)	I work in ___.	मैं एक कंपनी में काम करता हूँ।(I work in a company. (male speaker))
आप क्या करते हैं? / आप क्या करती हैं?	aap kya karte hain? (to a man) / aap kya karti hain? (to a woman)	What do you do? (polite)	अच्छा, आप क्या करते हैं?(Oh, what do you do? (speaking to a man))
आप कौन‑कौन सी भाषाएँ बोलते हैं? / आप कौन‑कौन सी भाषाएँ बोलती हैं?	aap kaun-kaun see bhaashaaen bolte hain? (to a man) / aap kaun-kaun see bhaashaaen bolti hain? (to a woman)	Which languages do you speak? (polite)	आप कौन‑कौन सी भाषाएँ बोलते हैं?(Which languages do you speak?)
मैं हिंदी और अंग्रेज़ी बोलता हूँ। / मैं हिंदी और अंग्रेज़ी बोलती हूँ।	main Hindi aur angrezi bolta hoon (male) / main Hindi aur angrezi bolti hoon (female)	I speak Hindi and English.	मैं थोड़ा हिंदी और अंग्रेज़ी बोलता हूँ।(I speak a little Hindi and English. (male speaker))

Language Pattern (in English)

1. Using "to be" in the present: है (hai), हूँ (hoon), हैं (hain)

In Hindi, the verb "to be" changes depending on the subject, similar to "am / is / are" in English.

मैं ... हूँ (main ... hoon) = "I am ..."
Example:
Hindi: मैं दिल्ली से हूँ।

Phonetic: main dilli se hoon

English: I am from Delhi.

आप ... हैं (aap ... hain) = "you are" (polite)
Example:
Hindi: आप कहाँ से हैं?

Phonetic: aap kahaan se hain?

English: Where are you from?

वह ... है (vah ... hai) = "he/she/that is"
Not a main focus in this module, but useful to notice.

2. Question words you need now

क्या (kya) = "what"
Hindi: आपका नाम क्या है?

Phonetic: aap-ka naam kya hai?

English: What is your name?

कहाँ (kahaan) = "where"
Hindi: आप कहाँ से हैं?

Phonetic: aap kahaan se hain?

English: Where are you from?

कौन‑कौन सी (kaun-kaun see) = "which (all)" (for listing several items, here: languages)
Hindi: आप कौन‑कौन सी भाषाएँ बोलते हैं?

Phonetic: aap kaun-kaun see bhaashaaen bolte hain?

English: Which languages do you speak?

3. Polite vs informal "you": आप (aap), तुम (tum), तू (tu)

आप (aap) = polite "you" (safe default for adults, strangers, formal situations)
We use aap in this module.
Verb with aap: usually हैं (hain) or plural forms like करते/करती हैं (karte/karti hain).
Example:
Hindi: आप क्या करते हैं?

Phonetic: aap kya karte hain?

English: What do you do? (to a man, politely)

तुम (tum) = informal "you" (friends, same age, children). Verbs usually end in -ते हो / -ती हो. Not the main focus here, but good to know.

तू (tu) = very intimate or very rude "you" (close family, or insulting). Avoid using it for now.

4. Talking about what you do (occupation / work)

The basic pattern is:

मैं ___ में काम करता हूँ। (for a male speaker)

Phonetic: main _ mein kaam karta hoon

English: I work in _.

मैं ___ में काम करती हूँ। (for a female speaker)

Phonetic: main _ mein kaam karti hoon

English: I work in _.

To ask someone politely:

आप क्या करते हैं? (to a man)

Phonetic: aap kya karte hain?

English: What do you do?

आप क्या करती हैं? (to a woman)

Phonetic: aap kya karti hain?

English: What do you do?

Notice how करते (karte) is used when talking to or about a man, and करती (karti) when talking to or about a woman.

Practice Dialogue (in English)

In this dialogue, two people meet for the first time at a language class and introduce themselves. Read the Hindi, check the pronunciation, and then the English meaning.

Two students meet for the first time in a Hindi class.

Person A

नमस्ते, आपका नाम क्या है?

Namaste, what is your name? (polite)

Person B

नमस्ते, मेरा नाम मारिया है। आपका नाम क्या है?

Namaste, my name is Maria. What is your name?

Person A

मेरा नाम जॉन है। आप कहाँ से हैं?

My name is John. Where are you from?

Person B

मैं स्पेन से हूँ। आप कहाँ से हैं?

I am from Spain. Where are you from?

Person A

मैं अमेरिका से हूँ। आप क्या करती हैं?

I am from the U.S. What do you do? (to a woman, polite)

Person B

मैं एक स्कूल में काम करती हूँ। आप क्या करते हैं?

I work in a school. What do you do? (to a man, polite)

Person A

मैं एक कंपनी में काम करता हूँ। आप कौन‑कौन सी भाषाएँ बोलती हैं?

I work in a company. Which languages do you speak? (to a woman, polite)

Person B

मैं स्पेनिश, अंग्रेज़ी और थोड़ा हिंदी बोलती हूँ।

I speak Spanish, English, and a little Hindi.

Check Your Understanding (in English)

Choose the best answer based on what you learned in this module.

How would you politely ask someone: "Where are you from?" in Hindi?

आप कहाँ से हैं?
तुम कहाँ से हो?
आपका नाम कहाँ है?
मैं कहाँ से हूँ?

Show Answer

Answer: A) आप कहाँ से हैं?

The correct polite question is "आप कहाँ से हैं?" (aap kahaan se hain?) meaning "Where are you from?". "तुम कहाँ से हो?" is informal, "आपका नाम कहाँ है?" means "Where is your name?" (incorrect meaning), and "मैं कहाँ से हूँ?" means "Where am I from?" (about yourself, not a question to another person).

Key Terms

आप: aap – polite form of "you"; safe default with adults and strangers.
तू: tu – very intimate or very rude "you"; avoid using it as a learner.
है: hai – "is" used with वह (he/she/that) and many singular subjects.
तुम: tum – informal "you" for friends, children, or same age; less polite than aap.
हूँ: hoon – "am" used with मैं (I).
हैं: hain – "are" used with आप (you, polite) and plural subjects.
कहाँ: kahaan – question word meaning "where".
क्या: kya – question word meaning "what".
कौन‑कौन सी: kaun-kaun see – "which (all)"; used when asking about multiple items, like several languages.
मैं ___ से हूँ।: I am from ___. Pattern for saying your origin; use a place name in the blank.
मेरा नाम ___ है।: My name is ___. Used to introduce your name; literally "my name ___ is".
आप कहाँ से हैं?: Where are you from? Polite question; कहाँ (kahaan) means where.
आप क्या करती हैं?: What do you do? (to a woman, politely) Same meaning, feminine verb form.
आप क्या करते हैं?: What do you do? (to a man, politely) Used to ask about someone's job or main activity.
आपका नाम क्या है?: What is your name? Polite form using aap and the question word kya (what).
मैं ___ में काम करता हूँ।: I work in ___. Used by a male speaker to talk about his work; literally "I ___ in work do am".
मैं ___ में काम करती हूँ।: I work in ___. Used by a female speaker to talk about her work.
आप कौन‑कौन सी भाषाएँ बोलती हैं?: Which languages do you speak? (to a woman, politely).
आप कौन‑कौन सी भाषाएँ बोलते हैं?: Which languages do you speak? (to a man, politely) कौन‑कौन सी suggests more than one language.
मैं हिंदी और अंग्रेज़ी बोलता हूँ।: I speak Hindi and English. Said by a male speaker.
मैं हिंदी और अंग्रेज़ी बोलती हूँ।: I speak Hindi and English. Said by a female speaker.