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Lesson Transcript

namasTe meraa naam preranaa hai. Hi everybody! My name is Prerana. Welcome to HindiPod101.com’s “Tiin minat mein hinDi siikhiye”. The fastest, easiest, and most fun way to learn Hindi.
In the last lesson, we learned the most common forms of greeting in Hindi. Do you remember them?
In this lesson we’re going to learn a very useful phrase: “Do you speak English?”
If you find yourself in a situation where you need assistance in English, this phrase can be a lifesaver. And because you’re asking it in Hindi, you can be sure that everyone will understand what you’re saying, even if their answer is ‘No’.
Let’s start with the formal expression. First, though, we need to make note that, in Hindi, verbs change depending on the number and gender of the noun.
So, when asking a man if he speaks English, you would say:
kyaa aap angrezii bolte hain?
[slowly] kyaa aap angrezii bolte hain?
But to ask a woman if she speaks English, you’d say
kyaa aap angrezii boltii hain?
[slowly] kyaa aap angrezii boltii hain?
Let’s have a closer look at this sentence by breaking it down.
kyaa
kyaa is a question marker which comes at beginning of the sentence.
Next is aap
aap means “you”. This is the respectful word for you and is used in formal situations. You should always use it with people you don't know or with elders.
Next we have, angrezii
अंग्रेजी means "English"
Next is bolte
bolte means “to speak”. It is used when the subject is masculine.
We use बोलती when is the subject is feminine.
And finally, hain
hain is a sentence ending particle used with the formal you.
Once more, for a man, it’s:
kyaa aap angrezii bolte hain?
[slowly] kyaa aap angrezii bolte hain?
and, for a woman:
kyaa aap angrezii boltii hain?
[slowly] kyaa aap angrezii boltii hain?
We’re now going to make this sentence informal. First, we need to use the informal version of “you,” which is Tum. If we change the word for “you,” we will also change the sentence ending particle to ho. Everything else stays the same:
When speaking to younger people, it's acceptable to use this informal form. In which
case, you will say kyaa tum angrezii bolte ho? to ask a young man or a boy.
or :kyaa tum angrezii bolti ho? to ask a young woman or a girl.
Again, for a boy
kyaa tum angrezii bolte ho?
(slow)kyaa tum angrezii bolte ho?
and for a girl
kyaa tum angrezii boltii ho?
(slow)kyaa tum angrezii boltii ho?
The responses you will receive could be one of these three:
haan "Yes."
[slowly] haan.
thodi bahut "A little."
[slowly] थोड़ी बहुत .
nahiin "No, I don’t”
[slowly] nahiin
Now let’s review one more time.
To ask a man in a formal situation if he knows English, we’d say:
kyaa aap angrezii bolte hain?
To ask a woman in a formal situation if she knows English, we’d say:
kyaa aap angrezii boltii hain?
To ask a man in an informal situation if he knows English, we’d say:
kyaa Tum angrezii bolte ho?
To ask a woman in an informal situation if she knows English, we’d say:
kyaa Tum angrezii boltii ho?
Now it’s time for Prerana’s Insights.
India was once, for a long time, part of the British Empire, and so today English is one of the national languages of India. When visiting tourist areas, you are sure to meet many people who can communicate with you in English. Still, a large part of the population can't understand English, and you can never go wrong knowing the local language.
How do you say, I’m sorry, in Hindi? In the next lesson we will learn ways to apologize. It’s never too late to show your good manners with Indian people!
I'll see you in our next lesson!.
Phir milenge!

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