Well, to begin with, we have listed more than 40 beginner Hindi phrases for you, covering a variety of everyday situations. This includes greetings, courtesy phrases, expressions for dining and shopping, and different ways to ask for help. Wherever applicable, we have included both the natural translation and the literal translation for the phrases in this article. We have also thrown in a few phrase patterns, for which we’ve provided two to three sample sentences each.
Please note that, in Hindi, phrases may undergo changes to reflect formality level and gender.
The first category in our list of Hindi phrases for beginners is greetings and self-introductions. There are ample ways to greet others in both formal and informal contexts, so let’s start with the simplest ones and work our way up.
1 – Greetings
नमस्ते।(NamaSTe.)
“Hello.” (Formal / Informal)
This phrase can be used in both formal and informal situations. Informally, it’s used to greet the elderly or those who are close in age to you (but with whom you wish to maintain a respectful distance).
नमस्कार।(NamaSkaar.)
“Hello!” (Formal)
शुभ प्रभात।(subh prabhaaT.)
“Good morning.” (Highly Formal)
People never use this phrase in day-to-day life, as it’s highly formal. However, you can hear Hindi-speaking news anchors use it quite frequently.
शुभ संध्या।(subh SaNDHyaa.)
“Good evening.” (Highly Formal)
People never use this phrase in day-to-day life, as it’s highly formal. However, you can hear Hindi-speaking news anchors use it quite frequently.
2 – Asking How They Are
कैसे हैं आप?(kaiSe hain aap?) = [To a male]
“How are you?” (Formal)
कैसी हैं आप?(kaiSii hain aap?) = [To a female]
“How are you?” (Formal)
क्या हाल है?(kyaa haaL hai?) [Literal Meaning: “What’s the situation?”]
“What’s up?” (Informal)
कैसे हो?(kaiSe ho?) = [To a male]
“How are you?” (Informal)
कैसी हो?(kaiSii ho?) = [To a female]
“How are you?” (Informal)
3 – Responding Back
मैं ठीक हूँ।(main thiik huun.)
“I am okay.” (Formal / Informal)
मैं अच्छा हूँ।(main acchaa huun.) = [Male]
“I am good.” (Formal / Informal)
मैं अच्छी हूँ।(main acchii huun.) = [Female]
“I am good.” (Formal / Informal)
एकदम बढ़िया!(ekaDam badhiyaa!) [Literal Meaning: “Absolutely great!”]
आपसे मिलकर बहुत अच्छा लगा।(aapaSe miLakar bahuT acchaa Lagaa.)
“It’s great to meet you.” (Formal)
तुमसे मिलकर बहुत अच्छा लगा।(TumaSe miLakar bahuT acchaa Lagaa.)
“It’s great to meet you.” (Informal)
मिलकर अच्छा लगा।(miLakar acchaa Lagaa.)
“Nice meeting you.” (Informal)
बहुत दिन बाद मिलना हुआ।(bahuT DiN baaD miLaNaa huaa.) [Literal Meaning: “We met after so many days.”]
“It’s been so long!” (Informal)
4 – Introducing Yourself
Phrase Pattern
मेरा नाम …. है। (meraa Naam … hai.)
“My name is… ”
मेरा नाम सूरज है।(meraa Naam Suuraj hai.) = [Male]
“My name is Suraj.” (Formal / Informal)
मेरा नाम पूनम है।(meraa Naam puuNam hai.) = [Female]
“My name is Poonam.” (Formal / Informal)
Phrase Pattern
मैं …. से हूँ। (main … Se huun.)
“I’m from…”
मैं दिल्ली से हूँ।(main DiLLii Se huun.)
“I’m from Delhi.” (Formal / Informal)
मैं केरल से हूँ।(main keraL Se huun.)
“I’m from Kerala.” (Formal / Informal)
Phrase Pattern
मैं ……. का रहने वाला हूँ। (main … kaa rahaNe vaaLaa huun.) = [Male]
“I live in…”
मैं दिल्ली का रहने वाला हूँ।(main DiLLii kaa rahaNe vaaLaa huun.) = [Male]
“I live in Delhi.” (Formal / Informal)
मैं केरल का रहने वाला हूँ।(main keraL kaa rahaNe vaaLaa huun.) = [Male]
“I live in Kerala.” (Formal / Informal)
Phrase Pattern
मैं ……. की रहने वाली हूँ। (main … kii rahaNe vaaLii huun.) = [Female]
“I live in…”
मैं दिल्ली की रहने वाली हूँ।(main DiLLii kii rahaNe vaaLii huun.) = [Female]
“I live in Delhi.” (Formal / Informal)
मैं केरल की रहने वाली हूँ।(main keraL kii rahaNe vaaLii huun.) = [Female]
“I live in Kerala.” (Formal / Informal)
2. Courtesy Phrases & Social Expressions
Thank you so much for everything!
Some of the most common Hindi words and phrases for beginners include the typical courtesy phrases. Memorizing these expressions and learning how to use them will help you put your best foot forward and leave a good impression on native speakers.
धन्यवाद।(DHaNyavaaD.)
“Thank you.” (Formal / Informal)
शुक्रिया।(sukriyaa.)
“Thank you.” (Formal / Informal)
मुझे ख़ुशी हुई।(mujhe khusii huii.) [Literal Meaning: “It made me happy.”]
“It’s a pleasure.” (Formal / Informal)
मैं माफ़ी चाहता हूँ।(main maafii caahaTaa huun.) = [Male]
“I am sorry.” (Formal)
मैं माफ़ी चाहती हूँ।(main maafii caahaTii huun.) = [Female]
“I am sorry.” (Formal)
माफ़ करना।(maaf karaNaa.)
“Sorry.” (Informal)
मुझे माफ़ कर दो।(mujhe maaf kar Do.)
“Please forgive me.” (Informal)
कोई बात नहीं।(koii baaT Nahiin.)
“No problem.” (Informal)
फिर मिलते हैं।(phir miLaTe hain.) [Literal Meaning: “Let’s meet again.”]
Many cities in India have restaurants, dhabas, food stalls, and small fast-food shops at almost every corner. Turns out, we Indians are big foodies. If you get a chance to dine at a fine restaurant or have a quick bite at a local dhaba, here are some useful Hindi phrases for beginners you’ll need to know for the best experience.
Quick Note: The Hindi word for “payment” is rarely used in spoken language. Instead, use the English word “payment.”
चाय है?(caay hai?) [Literal Meaning: “Is there tea?”]
“Do you have tea?” (Informal)
कॉफ़ी है? (kaufii hai?) [Literal Meaning: “Is there coffee?”]
“Do you have coffee?” (Informal)
खाने में क्या है?(khaaNe men kyaa hai?) [Literal Meaning: “What is there in the food?”]
“What do you have?” (Informal)
Phrase Pattern
क्या मुझे ….. मिल सकता है? (kyaa mujhe … miL SakaTaa hai?)
“Can I get…?”
क्या मुझे बिरयानी और दही मिल सकती है?(kyaa mujhe birayaaNii aur Dahii miL SakaTii hai?)
“Can I get biryani and curd?” (Formal)
क्या मुझे सब्ज़ी-चावल मिल सकता है?(kyaa mujhe Sabzii-caavaL miL SakaTaa hai?)
“Can I get curry and rice?” (Formal)
Can I get some cold coffee, please?
Phrase Pattern
क्या आपके पास …… है? (kyaa aapake paaS … hai?)
“Do you have…?”
क्या आपके पास बिरयानी और दही है?(kyaa aapake paaS birayaaNii aur Dahii hai?)
“Do you have biryani and curd?” (Formal)
क्या आपके पास सब्ज़ी-चावल है?(kyaa aapake paaS Sabzii-caavaL hai?)
“Do you have curry and rice?” (Formal)
बिल कितना हुआ?(biL kiTaNaa huaa?)
“How much is the bill?” (Informal)
कितना हुआ?(kiTaNaa huaa?)
“How much?” (Informal)
कितने पैसे हुए?(kiTaNe paiSe huye?)
“How much?” (Informal)
Handy Phrases When Dining at a Restaurant
कितना देना है?(kiTaNaa DeNaa hai?)
“How much to pay?” (Informal)
क्रेडिट कार्ड चलेगा?(kredit kaard caLegaa?)
“Is a credit card okay?” (Informal)
कार्ड से भुगतान हो जायेगा?(kaard Se bhugaTaaN ho jaayegaa?)
“Will the credit card work?” (Formal)
4. Asking for Help in Hindi
Asking for help is inevitable when you’re in a foreign land. It’s always a great idea to learn phrases you could use in times of emergency. That’s why our final section focuses on beginner Hindi phrases that will help you get help or resolve issues in a pinch.
Phrase Pattern
…… कहाँ / किधर है? (…… kahaan / kiDHar hai?)
“Where is…?”
पुस्तकालय कहाँ है?(puSTakaaLay kahaan hai?)
“Where is the library?” (Formal / Informal)
पुलिस चौकी किधर है?(puLiS caukii kiDHar hai?)
“Where is the police station?” (Formal / Informal)
In case you get stuck somewhere, we’re just one click away. You can always reach out with questions in the comments or email us directly, though we recommend upgrading to Premium PLUS so you can take advantage of our MyTeacher service. For even greater convenience, you can download our mobile app to dive into the world of Hindi anywhere, anytime.
Coming back to today’s lesson, which of these Hindi phrases for beginners do you feel are the easiest to use? Did you know any of them before reading this article? Let us know in the comments below!
Table of Contents
