Dialogue

Vocabulary (Review)

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Neha: "Namaste," I'm Neha.
Maya: "Namaste," I'm Maya and welcome to HindiPod101.com, Absolute Beginner Season 1, Lesson 3, Responding to "How are you?" in Hindi.
Neha: In this lesson you’ll learn the many different ways you can answer the question, "How are you?" or आप कैसे हैं? (aap kaiSe hain?) in Hindi.
Maya: The conversation takes place at a school.
Neha: It's between Kajol and Rani who are waiting to pick their kids up from school.
Maya: They'll be using formal Hindi in order to be more respectful towards each other.
Neha: Let's listen to their conversation.

Lesson conversation

काजोल (kaajoL): रानी, नमस्ते! आप कैसी हैं? (raaNii, NamaSTe! aap kaiSii hain?)
रानी (raaNii): नमस्ते, काजोल। मैं अच्छी हूँ, शुक्रिया। और आप? (NamaSTe, kaajoL. main acchii huun, sukriyaa. aur aap?
काजोल (kaajoL): मैं थक गई हूँ। (main THak gayii huun.)
रानी (raaNii): क्यों? आप बीमार हैं? (kyon? aap biimaar hain?)
काजोल (kaajoL): नहीं, नहीं। मैं आज व्रत कर रही हूँ। इसलिए मैं भूखी भी हूँ। (Nahiin, Nahiin. main aaj vraT kar rahii huun. iSaLiye main bhuukhii bhii huun.)
Maya: Now let's listen to it one time slowly.
काजोल (kaajoL): रानी, नमस्ते! आप कैसी हैं? (raaNii, NamaSTe! aap kaiSii hain?)
रानी (raaNii): नमस्ते, काजोल। मैं अच्छी हूँ, शुक्रिया। और आप? (NamaSTe, kaajoL. main acchii huun, sukriyaa. aur aap?
काजोल (kaajoL): मैं थक गई हूँ। (main THak gayii huun.)
रानी (raaNii): क्यों? आप बीमार हैं? (kyon? aap biimaar hain?)
काजोल (kaajoL): नहीं, नहीं। मैं आज व्रत कर रही हूँ। इसलिए मैं भूखी भी हूँ। (Nahiin, Nahiin. main aaj vraT kar rahii huun. iSaLiye main bhuukhii bhii huun.)
Maya: Now, let's now listen to it with the English translation.
काजोल (kaajoL): रानी, नमस्ते! आप कैसी हैं? (raaNii, NamaSTe! aap kaiSii hain?)
Neha: "Rani, hello! How are you?"
रानी (raaNii): नमस्ते, काजोल। मैं अच्छी हूँ, शुक्रिया। और आप? (NamaSTe, kaajoL. main acchii huun, sukriyaa. aur aap?
Maya: "Hello Kajol. I am good, thank you. And you?"
काजोल (kaajoL): मैं थक गई हूँ। (main THak gayii huun.)
Neha: "I am tired."
रानी (raaNii): क्यों? आप बीमार हैं? (kyon? aap biimaar hain?)
Maya: "Why? Are you sick?"
काजोल (kaajoL): नहीं, नहीं। मैं आज व्रत कर रही हूँ। इसलिए मैं भूखी भी हूँ। (Nahiin, Nahiin. main aaj vraT kar rahii huun. iSaLiye main bhuukhii bhii huun.)
Neha: "No, no. I am fasting today. So I am also hungry."
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
Neha: Maya, did you know that fasting is a common practice among Hindu followers in India, especially among women?
Maya: Really?
Neha: Absolutely. So the above conversation we just heard between Kajol and Rani is very common, in the sense that women often fast ...hoping that their wishes will come true.
Maya: What do they usually wish for?
Neha: Well, any wish is okay. Like getting good grades, making more money, having a healthy family...
Maya: That sounds nice. I have so many things I want to wish for.
Neha: Yeah, but fasting is not that easy, you know. Some people might not allow themselves even a drop of water while others might allow fruits, juice, and water during a fast.
Maya: Wow...seems like you really need a lot of faith and discipline.
Neha: Yes, you do.
Maya: Ok, let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson.
VOCAB LIST
Maya: The first word we shall see is....
Neha: आप कैसी हैं? (aap kaiSii hain?)
Maya: How are you?
Neha: आप कैसी हैं? (aap kaiSii hain?) आप कैसी हैं? (aap kaiSii hain?)
Maya: Next is...
Neha: अच्छी (acchii).
Maya: good.
Neha: अच्-छी (ac-chii). अच्छी (acchii).
Maya: Next is...
Neha: हूँ (huun).
Maya: am, infinitive, to be.
Neha: हूँ (huun). हूँ (huun).
Maya: Next is...
Neha: थक गई (THak gayii).
Maya: tired.
Neha: थक गई (THak gayii). थक गई (THak gayii).
Maya: Next is...
Neha: क्यों (kyon).
Maya: why.
Neha: क्यों (kyon). क्यों (kyon).
Maya: Next is...
Neha: बीमार (biimaar).
Maya: sick.
Neha: बी-मा-र (bii-maa-ra). बीमार (biimaar).
Maya: Next is...
Neha: व्रत (vraT).
Maya: to fast.
Neha: व्र-त (vra-Ta). व्रत (vraT).
Maya: Next is...
Neha: कर रही हूँ (kar rahii huun).
Maya: am doing.
Neha: कर रही हूँ (kar rahii huun). कर रही हूँ (kar rahii huun).
Maya: Next is...
Neha: इसलिए (iSaLiye).
Maya: so, that's why.
Neha: इ-स-लि-ए (i-Sa-Li-ye). इसलिए (iSaLiye).
Maya: Last is...
Neha: भूखी (bhuukhii).
Maya: hungry
Neha: भू-खी (bhuu-khii). भूखी (bhuukhii).
Maya: Let`s have a closer look at the usage for some of the words and phrases from this lesson.
KEY VOCABULARY AND PHRASES
Maya: The first word we'll look at is...
Neha: अच्छी (acchii). It means "good" and is such a diverse word just as its English equivalent.
Maya: Yes, but before we get further into it, we need to tell you a very important thing.
Neha: That`s right. So, you can use अच्छी (acchii) only if you are a female or are talking about a female.
Maya: Sounds complicated? Not really. It's pretty straight forward. In Hindi, all nouns are either masculine or feminine and a lot of adjectives and verbs change accordingly. So if you are a girl and you want to say, "I am good,", you say...
Neha: मैं अच्छी हूँ (main acchii huun). मैं अच्छी हूँ (main acchii huun).
Maya: Where, मैं (main) means "I", अच्छी (acchii) means "good", and हूँ (huun) is the verb "am". But if you're a male and you want to say "I am good", you say...,
Neha: मैं अच्छा हूँ (main acchaa huun). मैं अच्छा हूँ (main acchaa huun).
Maya: So, there you have it. अच्छा (acchaa) is for male and अच्छी (acchii) is for female.
Neha: If you want to just say "good" on its own, like if you just want to agree to something or acknowledge something, you can use its masculine form अच्छा (acchaa).
Maya: In the same way, the adjective "hungry" in Hindi has a feminine and a masculine case.
Neha: That's right. If you are a female or are talking about a female, you'd use भूखी (bhuukhii) and if you are a male or are talking about a male, you'd use भूखा (bhuukhaa).
Maya: Great. So, भूखा (bhuukhaa) for male and भूखी (bhuukhii) for female. OK, now onto the grammar.

Lesson focus

Maya: The focus of this lesson is to learn about the the verb "am," which is
Neha: हूँ (huun).
Maya: And also to learn how adjectives change their forms in Hindi.
Neha: Let's get started with the sentence we're already familiar with. मैं अच्छी हूँ (main acchii huun), when said by a female.
Maya: This literally means, "I good am.".
Neha: Remember that Hindi is a verb final language and follows the subject, object, verb order.
Maya: And if you want to say how you are feeling, that is, if you want to say something like "I am good, tired, hungry, sweaty, or whatever", that is "I am" + an adjective, then the general rule is...
Neha: मैं (main) + adjective + हूँ (huun).
Maya: Where मैं (main) is "I", and हूँ (huun) is "am".
Neha: Sounds easy, right? And it is. The only thing you'd need to remember is to change the adjectives depending on whether you're a male or a female.
Maya: But not for all. Some stay the same.
Neha: That's right. In Hindi, there are two types of adjectives: inflecting and non-inflecting.
Maya: As their names might already suggest, inflecting adjectives change according to the gender and the number of the noun they are describing whereas non-inflecting adjectives remain the same at all times.
Neha: Don't worry. They're pretty easy to spot. Inflecting adjectives always end with आ (aa).
Maya: And they stay the same for a masculine singular but for a feminine singular, आ (aa) changes into ई [ii].
Neha: Do you remember अच्छा (acchaa) and अच्छी (acchii)?
Maya: अच्छा (acchaa) means "good". It ends with an आ (aa) and therefore is an inflecting adjective.
Neha: For male, it stays the same and is अच्छा (acchaa) while for female आ (aa) changes into ई [ii] and it becomes अच्छी (acchii).
Maya: Let's now try to form a sentence.
Neha: Sure. So, how would you say, "I am thirsty" in Hindi if you are a male speaker?
Maya: Well, "thirsty" in Hindi is प्यासा (pyaaSaa) and is an inflecting adjective, but for males it stays the same. So, if we put it in the rule that we laid out earlier, which is मैं (main) + adjective + हूँ (huun), it would be मैं प्यासा हूँ (main pyaaSaa huun).
Neha: Well done! Listeners, please repeat: मैं प्यासा हूँ (main pyaaSaa huun). And if you're a female, you'd just change प्यासा (pyaaSaa) to प्यासी (pyaaSii) and you'd say, मैं प्यासी हूँ (main pyaaSii huun). Please repeat: मैं प्यासी हूँ (main pyaaSii huun).
Maya: Now that we're experts at using inflecting adjective for singular cases, non-inflecting adjectives are a piece of cake!
Neha: Yes! So if you want to say, "I am okay" in Hindi and if "okay" is ठीक (thiik), how would you phrase it?
Maya: That's very easy. Since ठीक (thiik) doesn't end with an आ (aa), it needs no changing. So, I'd say मैं ठीक हूँ (main thiik huun), regardless of what gender I am.
Neha: Yes, very good. Listeners, please repeat: मैं ठीक हूँ (main thiik huun).
Maya: In this lesson, we've only covered how to change adjectives according to genders in their singular cases, we still have to study how to change them for plural cases and that will come in later lessons.
Neha: But for now, we hope that you're a bit more comfortable with saying how you're feeling in Hindi.
Maya: In the lesson notes, you can find more examples and explanations for this topic, so be sure to read them! Want a free way to build your Hindi vocabulary?
Neha: Follow our Hindi Word of the Day at HindiPod101.com.
Maya: See and hear The Word of the Day,
Neha: the sample phrases and the sentences.
Maya: Get these daily vocabulary alerts on Facebook, Twitter, and the HindiPod101.com blog.
Neha: And add this widget to your own website and blog. They are available in 35 languages.
Maya: Get these easy instructions at HindiPod101.com. Thank you for listening!
Neha: Until next time! शुक्रिया और फिर मिलेंगे (sukriyaa aur phir miLenge)!

Comments

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126 Comments
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HindiPod101.com
2012-01-17 18:30:00

Let us know if you have any questions.

HindiPod101.com
2025-02-12 19:41:05

Hi Pritha!

हम बहुत खुश हैं कि आपको HindiPod101 आसान लग रहा है। 😊 (Hum bahut khush hain ki aapko HindiPod101 aasan lag raha hai. "We are very happy that you find HindiPod101 easy.") Keep up the great work!

If you have any questions in your language learning journey, please let us know.

धन्यवाद (Dhanyavaad)

Team HindiPod101.com

Pritha
2025-02-09 10:41:28

hindipod101 is so easy.

HindiPod101.com
2024-08-05 21:19:31

Hello Yuki,

Thanks for your post!

This is how this will work.

आप कर रहे हैं। (aap kar rahe hain.) - You are doing. (polite) (male)

आप कर रही हैं। (aap kar rahii hain.) - You are doing. (polite) (female)

वह कर रहा है। (vah kar rahaa hai.) - He is doing. (far) male)

वह कर रही है। (vah kar rahii hai.) - She is doing. (far) (female)

यह कर रहा है। (yah kar rahaa hai.) - He is doing. (near) male)

यह कर रही है। (yah kar rahii hai.) - She is doing. (near) (female)

I hope this helps!

Roohi

Team HindiPod101.com

Yuki
2024-07-30 12:06:35

Thank you for the lesson!

It might come up in the later lessons, but if you want to say “(you) are doing” in Hindi, will it be like

“(आप/वह/यह)कर रहा है” for a male, and “(आप/वह/यह) कर रही है” for the female?

HindiPod101.com
2023-11-24 21:59:07

Hello Benjamin,

Thanks for your post!

If the adjective ends with an आ ("aa"), it is inflecting, example, अच्छा (acchaa), which changes to अच्छी (acchii) (feminine) or अच्छे (acche) (plural). If not, it is non-inflecting, example, ठीक (thiik).

I hope this helps!

Roohi

Team HindiPod101.com

Benjamin Keller
2023-11-14 05:43:15

Hello! Are there any general rules to determine noninflecting adjectives, or is it just a case by case basis?

Thanks. I am finding this website very helpful.

HindiPod101.com
2023-03-15 13:05:57

Hi Sajini,

Thank you for your post!

If you have any questions, feel free to let us know.

All the best!

Roohi

Team HindiPod101.com

Sajini
2023-03-06 01:33:57

Bohoth shukriya ❤️

HindiPod101.com
2022-11-30 13:19:26

Hi Jennifer,

Thanks for your post!

I think you meant to type धन्यवाद बहुत (DHaNyavaaD bahuT).

Keep learning and let us know if you have any questions.

All the best!

Roohi

Team HindiPod101.com

Jennifer
2022-11-27 18:03:21

Tanya ward bahut

HindiPod101.com
2022-11-11 14:10:02

Hi Robert,

Thanks for your positive feedback! We are glad you like the course.

If you have any questions, feel free to let us know.

All the best!

Roohi

Team HindiPod101.com

robert burry
2022-11-02 21:17:37

BahuT shukriyaa

this course is most excellent.

HindiPod101.com
2022-07-06 20:34:03

Hi Marjorie,

Thanks for your post!

We are glad you like the lesson.

If you have any questions, please let us know.

All the best!

Roohi

Team HindiPod101.com

Marjorie Shreve
2022-06-18 22:31:07

I like the inclusion of several useful adjectives. 👍

HindiPod101.com
2022-05-18 09:40:46

नमस्ते (Namaste) Rithika Vannada,

Thank you so much for the heart and thumbs up!😇❤️️

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

We wish you good luck with your language studies.

Kind regards,

लेवेन्टे (Levente)

Team HindiPod101.com

Rithika Vannada
2022-05-15 07:50:22

I❤️️hindipod101.com❤️️👍

HindiPod101.com
2022-04-12 10:22:02

नमस्ते (Namaste) RASEL SK,

Welcome.😇😇 It's so great to have you join us! ❤️️

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

We wish you good luck with your language studies.

Kind regards,

लेवेन्टे (Levente)

Team HindiPod101.com

RASEL SK
2022-04-09 00:15:48

Hello LEARNERS

HindiPod101.com
2022-03-17 12:46:24

Hi Daryl,

Thanks for your questions!

vraT (व्रत) does have a "r" sound. It is pronounced as "vra" + "ta"

kyon (क्यों) has a nasalization at the end and is pronounced as "kyon". It is not "kyo", but "kyon". Just like the nasalization in "hain" (हैं).

I hope this helps!

Roohi

Team HindiPod101.com

Daryl Tickles Jr.
2022-03-06 05:50:43

क्यों kyon = why

I read 2 sounds but 1 I don't yet know here.

ka, ya, but what is that dotted third letter's sound?

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