Module 3: Numbers, Time, and Everyday Small Talk - Conversational Hindi for Everyday Situations

Q: What is the best translation of "आज मौसम कैसा है?"

How is the weather today?. The question "आज मौसम कैसा है?" (aaj mausam kaisā hai?) literally means "Today the weather is how?", which we translate as "How is the weather today?". It does not ask about time, the day of the week, or studying Hindi.

New Words and Phrases (in English)

In this step you will learn useful numbers, time, and small-talk phrases that appear in many everyday conversations.

Word	Pronunciation	Translation	Example
समय क्या हुआ है?	samay kyā huā hai?	What time is it?	माफ़ कीजिए, समय क्या हुआ है?(Excuse me, what time is it?)
साढ़े तीन	saaṛhe tīn	three-thirty (3:30)	क्लास साढ़े तीन बजे है।(The class is at three-thirty.)
आज मौसम कैसा है?	aaj mausam kaisā hai?	How is the weather today?	आपके शहर में आज मौसम कैसा है?(How is the weather today in your city?)
मैं ठीक हूँ, धन्यवाद।	main ṭhīk hū̃, dhanyavād.	I am fine, thank you.	आप कैसे हैं? — मैं ठीक हूँ, धन्यवाद।(How are you? — I am fine, thank you.)
मैं हर दिन हिंदी पढ़ता हूँ।	main har din hindī paṛhtā hū̃. (male)	I study Hindi every day.	मैं हर दिन सुबह हिंदी पढ़ता हूँ।(I study Hindi every morning.)
मैं हर दिन हिंदी पढ़ती हूँ।	main har din hindī paṛhtī hū̃. (female)	I study Hindi every day.	मैं हर दिन शाम को हिंदी पढ़ती हूँ।(I study Hindi every evening.)
आप क्या करते हैं?	aap kyā karte hain? (to a man or in general)	What do you do? / What is your job?	माफ़ कीजिए, आप क्या करते हैं?(Excuse me, what do you do?)
आज सोमवार है।	aaj somvār hai.	Today is Monday.	आज सोमवार है, कल मंगलवार होगा।(Today is Monday, tomorrow will be Tuesday.)

Language Pattern (in English)

1. Using the present habitual tense: “I do X (regularly)”

In Hindi, to talk about habits and routines (things you do regularly), we use the present habitual tense. The pattern is:

Subject + verb stem + ता/ती + हूँ
For a male speaker: ता हूँ (tā hū̃)
For a female speaker: ती हूँ (tī hū̃)

Examples:

Male speaker:
मैं हर दिन हिंदी पढ़ता हूँ।
main har din hindī paṛhtā hū̃.
"I study Hindi every day."

Female speaker:
मैं हर दिन हिंदी पढ़ती हूँ।
main har din hindī paṛhtī hū̃.
"I study Hindi every day."

Another example with the verb करना (karnā) – to do:

आप क्या करते हैं? (to a man or in general)
aap kyā karte hain?
"What do you do? / What is your job?"

Here करते (karte) is the habitual form of करना (karnā) used with आप (aap).

2. Asking polite questions for small talk

Polite small-talk questions in Hindi often use क्या (kyā – what) or कैसा/कैसी (kaisā/kaisī – how) plus the verb है (hai – is) or हुआ है (huā hai – has happened / is now).

Patterns:

समय क्या हुआ है?

samay kyā huā hai?
Literally: "What has the time become?" → "What time is it?"

आज मौसम कैसा है?

aaj mausam kaisā hai?
Literally: "Today the weather is how?" → "How is the weather today?"

To answer, you keep the same structure and replace क्या/कैसा with the information:

आज मौसम अच्छा है।
aaj mausam acchā hai.
"The weather is good today."

अभी साढ़े तीन बजे हैं।
abhī saaṛhe tīn baje hain.
"It is three-thirty now."

3. Days of the week (quick pattern)

You saw:

आज सोमवार है।
aaj somvār hai.
"Today is Monday."

The pattern is:

आज + [day] + है। → "Today is [day]."

You can plug in other days later (e.g., मंगलवार – Tuesday, बुधवार – Wednesday) using the same structure.

Practice Dialogue (in English)

In this dialogue, two classmates talk before Hindi class. They ask about the time, the weather, how they are feeling, and their daily Hindi study routine.

Two students are waiting outside their classroom and making small talk.

माफ़ कीजिए, समय क्या हुआ है?

Excuse me, what time is it?

अभी साढ़े तीन बजे हैं। क्लास साढ़े तीन बजे शुरू होती है।

It is three-thirty now. Class starts at three-thirty.

अच्छा। आज सोमवार है, है ना?

Oh, okay. Today is Monday, right?

हाँ, आज सोमवार है। आज मौसम कैसा है आपके शहर में?

Yes, today is Monday. How is the weather today in your city?

आज मौसम अच्छा है, थोड़ा ठंडा है। आप कैसे हैं?

The weather is good today, it is a bit cold. How are you?

मैं ठीक हूँ, धन्यवाद। आप क्या करते हैं?

I am fine, thank you. What do you do? (What is your job?)

मैं स्टूडेंट हूँ। मैं हर दिन हिंदी पढ़ता हूँ।

I am a student. I study Hindi every day. (male speaker)

बहुत अच्छा! मैं भी हर दिन हिंदी पढ़ती हूँ।

Very good! I also study Hindi every day. (female speaker)

Check Your Understanding (in English)

Choose the best English translation for the Hindi sentence.

What is the best translation of "आज मौसम कैसा है?"

How is the weather today?
What time is it today?
Today is Monday.
I study Hindi every day.

Show Answer

Answer: A) How is the weather today?

The question "आज मौसम कैसा है?" (aaj mausam kaisā hai?) literally means "Today the weather is how?", which we translate as "How is the weather today?". It does not ask about time, the day of the week, or studying Hindi.

Key Terms

अभी: abhī – "now". Used in time expressions, e.g., अभी साढ़े तीन बजे हैं। – "It is three-thirty now."
मौसम: mausam – "weather". Common in small talk.
हर दिन: har din – "every day". Used to talk about routines/habits.
स्टूडेंट: sṭūḍenṭ – "student" (loanword from English). Used for male or female.
साढ़े तीन: saaṛhe tīn – "three-thirty (3:30)". साढ़े (saaṛhe) means "half past".
बहुत अच्छा: bahut acchā – "very good" or "great". Common positive reaction.
आज सोमवार है।: aaj somvār hai. – "Today is Monday." Pattern for saying the day of the week.
आज मौसम कैसा है?: aaj mausam kaisā hai? – "How is the weather today?" Common small-talk question.
समय क्या हुआ है?: samay kyā huā hai? – "What time is it?" Polite way to ask the time.
आप क्या करते हैं?: aap kyā karte hain? – "What do you do? / What is your job?" Polite question, present habitual of करना (karnā – to do).
मैं ठीक हूँ, धन्यवाद।: main ṭhīk hū̃, dhanyavād. – "I am fine, thank you." Standard polite reply to "How are you?"
मैं हर दिन हिंदी पढ़ता हूँ।: main har din hindī paṛhtā hū̃. – "I (male) study Hindi every day." Present habitual tense, male form.
मैं हर दिन हिंदी पढ़ती हूँ।: main har din hindī paṛhtī hū̃. – "I (female) study Hindi every day." Present habitual tense, female form.