SkarpChapter 5 of 8
Module 5: Shopping, Money, and Eating Out
Practice the language you need in markets, shops, and restaurants, including asking prices, bargaining politely, and ordering food and drinks.
New Words and Phrases (in English)
In this step, you will learn essential Hindi words and phrases for shopping, prices, and ordering food. Pay attention to the polite forms and how quantities are expressed.
| Word | Pronunciation | Translation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| कितने का है? | kit-ne ka hai? | How much is it? / What is the price? | यह बैग कितने का है?(How much is this bag?) |
| थोड़ा सस्ता कर दीजिए, कृपया। | tho-da sas-ta kar dee-jie, kri-pya. | Please make it a little cheaper. | बहुत महंगा है, थोड़ा सस्ता कर दीजिए, कृपया।(It’s very expensive, please make it a little cheaper.) |
| दे दीजिए | de dee-jie | Please give (me) / I’ll take it | एक किलो सेब दे दीजिए।(Please give me one kilo of apples.) |
| आधा किलो | aa-dha ki-lo | half a kilo | मुझे आधा किलो टमाटर चाहिए।(I need half a kilo of tomatoes.) |
| बिना मसाला | bi-na ma-sa-la | without spice / non-spicy | मुझे खाना बिना मसाला चाहिए।(I want the food without spice.) |
| पानी की बोतल | paa-ni ki bo-tal | bottle of water | एक पानी की बोतल दे दीजिए।(Please give me one bottle of water.) |
| बिल ले आइए, कृपया। | bil le aa-i-ye, kri-pya. | Please bring the bill. | हमने खाना खा लिया है, बिल ले आइए, कृपया।(We have finished eating, please bring the bill.) |
| बहुत स्वादिष्ट है। | bo-hut swaa-disht hai. | It is very tasty. | आपकी चाय बहुत स्वादिष्ट है।(Your tea is very tasty.) |
Language Pattern (in English)
1. Polite requests with -दीजिए (dee-jie)
In Hindi, a very common and polite way to ask for something is to use a verb + दीजिए (dee-jie), which means roughly “please give / please do”. It is a formal, respectful form.
- दे दीजिए (de dee-jie) – "please give (me) / I’ll take it"
- Example: एक किलो सेब दे दीजिए।
ek ki-lo seb de dee-jie. – "Please give me one kilo of apples."
You can put the thing you want before "दीजिए":
- पानी की बोतल दे दीजिए।
paa-ni ki bo-tal de dee-jie. – "Please give (me) a bottle of water."
2. Talking about price: कितने का है?
To ask the price of a single item, use:
- कितने का है? (kit-ne ka hai?) – "How much is it?"
You can add the item before it:
- यह बैग कितने का है?
yah bag kit-ne ka hai? – "How much is this bag?"
For plural items (more than one), you often hear कितने के हैं? (kit-ne ke hain?), but at beginner level कितने का है? is widely understood in markets.
3. Polite bargaining phrase
A very useful, soft way to bargain:
- थोड़ा सस्ता कर दीजिए, कृपया।
tho-da sas-ta kar dee-jie, kri-pya. – "Please make it a little cheaper."
Structure:
- थोड़ा – a little
- सस्ता – cheaper / cheap
- कर दीजिए – please do (make it)
You can add a reason before it:
- बहुत महंगा है, थोड़ा सस्ता कर दीजिए, कृपया।
bo-hut me-hn-ga hai, tho-da sas-ta kar dee-jie, kri-pya. – "It’s very expensive, please make it a little cheaper."
4. Quantities with किलो and आधा
- किलो (ki-lo) – kilo (kilogram)
- आधा (aa-dha) – half
Examples:
- एक किलो सेब दे दीजिए। – "Please give me one kilo of apples."
- आधा किलो टमाटर दे दीजिए। – "Please give me half a kilo of tomatoes."
You can also say थोड़ा (tho-da – "a little/some") in informal situations:
- थोड़ा चावल दे दीजिए। – "Please give me some rice."
5. At restaurants: special requests and the bill
To say you want something without spice:
- बिना मसाला (bi-na ma-sa-la) – "without spice"
- मुझे खाना बिना मसाला चाहिए।
mu-jhe kha-na bi-na ma-sa-la chaa-hi-ye. – "I want the food without spice."
To ask for the bill politely:
- बिल ले आइए, कृपया।
bil le aa-i-ye, kri-pya. – "Please bring the bill."
To compliment the food:
- बहुत स्वादिष्ट है।
bo-hut swaa-disht hai. – "It is very tasty."
Practice Dialogue (in English)
Now read a short dialogue between a customer and a shopkeeper in a market, and then between a customer and a waiter in a simple restaurant. Notice how they ask prices, bargain politely, and order food.
First, a foreign customer is buying fruit at a local market. Then, the same customer eats at a small restaurant.
नमस्ते, यह सेब कितने का है?
Namaste, how much are these apples?
नमस्ते, एक किलो सौ रुपये का है।
Namaste, one kilo is for 100 rupees.
थोड़ा सस्ता कर दीजिए, कृपया।
Please make it a little cheaper.
ठीक है, नब्बे रुपये में दे दूँगा।
Alright, I will give it for 90 rupees.
ठीक है, आधा किलो सेब दे दीजिए।
Okay, please give me half a kilo of apples.
ये लीजिए।
Here you go.
धन्यवाद।
Thank you.
नमस्ते, क्या लेंगे?
Namaste, what will you have?
एक पानी की बोतल और एक थाली दे दीजिए। खाना बिना मसाला चाहिए।
Please give me one bottle of water and one thali (set meal). I want the food without spice.
ठीक है, थोड़ी देर में ले आता हूँ।
Okay, I will bring it in a little while.
खाना बहुत स्वादिष्ट है।
The food is very tasty.
बिल ले आइए, कृपया।
Please bring the bill.
अभी लाता हूँ।
I’ll bring it right away.
Check Your Understanding (in English)
Choose the best answer based on what you learned in this module.
You are in a small restaurant and you want the bill politely. What should you say in Hindi?
- बिल ले आइए, कृपया।
- कितने का है?
- थोड़ा सस्ता कर दीजिए, कृपया।
- बहुत स्वादिष्ट है।
Show Answer
Answer: A) बिल ले आइए, कृपया।
“बिल ले आइए, कृपया।” (bil le aa-i-ye, kri-pya.) means “Please bring the bill.” The other options mean “How much is it?”, “Please make it a little cheaper.”, and “It is very tasty.”
Key Terms
- थाली
- Thali – A set meal with several small dishes, very common in Indian restaurants.
- महंगा
- Expensive – Often used in bargaining to say something costs too much.
- आधा किलो
- Half a kilo – Common way to ask quantity by weight.
- दे दीजिए
- Please give (me) / I’ll take it – Polite request used in shops and restaurants.
- ये लीजिए
- Here you go / Here it is – Polite phrase when handing something over.
- बिना मसाला
- Without spice – Use for non-spicy food or to reduce spices.
- कितने का है?
- How much is it? – Use to ask the price of an item.
- पानी की बोतल
- Bottle of water – Useful basic item to order or buy.
- बिल ले आइए, कृपया।
- Please bring the bill – Polite way to ask for the check in a restaurant.
- बहुत स्वादिष्ट है।
- It is very tasty – Compliment for food or drink.
- थोड़ा सस्ता कर दीजिए, कृपया।
- Please make it a little cheaper – Very common polite bargaining phrase.