If you are a foreigner visiting India, and do not know the local language and find yourself in a situation where the other person does not understand or speak English, it is good to have some basic Hindi sentences that could help you make out the context or the gist of your conversation–however small it might be.
Knowing these basic and useful Hindi sentences is particularly helpful if you are traveling in the Northern part of the country because it is understood in almost all the states of the country, though the regional state languages of almost every state differ from one another.
For the ease of readers and users who don’t understand the Devanagari script in which Hindi is written, we have a provided a phonetic transliteration in English alphabet so that they could have a basic understanding of intonations and diacriticals etc. Also, a lot of sentences in Hindi change with the change in gender. I have tried to point out which ones can be used by both male and female users and which ones need some tweaks.
I intend to build on this list of basic and useful phrases in Hindi for foreign visitors and also for Indians who don’t understand the Hindi language. Please feel free to ask anything related to these phrases and also if you have any suggestion or feedback to make it more interesting and helpful.
Useful Sentences in Hindi
- What’s your name? (Gender Agnostic)
तुम्हारा क्या नाम है?–Tumhārā Kyā Nāma hai?
आपका क्या नाम है?–Āpkā Kyā Nāma hai?
- My name is __________. (Gender Agnostic)
मेरा नाम __________ है।–Merā Nāma __________ hai?
- Where are you from?
तुम कहाँ से हो?–Tuma Kaha’ṅ Se Ho?
तुम कहाँ के रहने वाले हो?–Tuma Kaha’ṅ Ke Rahane Vāle Ho? (Male)
तुम कहाँ की रहने वाली हो?–Tuma Kaha’ṅ Kī Rahane Vālī Ho? (Female)
आप कहाँ से हैं?–Āpa Kaha’ṅ Se Hai’ṅ?
आप कहाँ के रहने वाले हैं?–Āpa Kaha’ṅ Ke Rahane Vāle Hai’ṅ? (Male)
आप कहाँ की रहने वाली हैं?–Āpa Kaha’ṅ Kī Rahane Vālī Hai’ṅ? (Female)
- I am from ___________.
मैं ___________ से हूँ।–Mai’ṅ ________ Se Hū’ṅ.
मैं __________ का रहने वाला हूँ।–Mai’ṅ ________ Kā Rahane Vālā Hū’ṅ. (Male)
मैं __________ की रहने वाली हूँ।–Mai’ṅ ________ Kī Rahane Vālī Hū’ṅ. (Female)
- Can you speak English?
क्या तुम अंग्रेज़ी बोल सकते हो?–Kyā Tuma Aṅgrezī Bola Sakate Ho? (Male)
क्या तुम अंग्रेज़ी बोल सकती हो?–Kyā Tuma Aṅgrezī Bola Sakatī Ho? (Female)
क्या आप अंग्रेज़ी बोल सकते हैं?–Kyā Āpa Aṅgrezī Bola Sakate Hai’ṅ? (Male)
क्या आप अंग्रेज़ी बोल सकते हैं?–Kyā Āpa Aṅgrezī Bola Sakatī Hai’ṅ? (Female)
- I can’t speak in Hindi.
मैं हिन्दी नहीं बोल सकता।–Mai’ṅ Hindī Nahī’ṅ Bola Sakatā. (Male)
मैं हिन्दी नहीं बोल सकती।–Mai’ṅ Hindī Nahī’ṅ Bola Sakatī. (Female)
- I want to eat/have food.
मैं कुछ खाना चाहता हूँ।–Mai’ṅ Kucha Khānā Cāhatā Hū’ṅ. (Male)
मैं कुछ खाना चाहती हूँ।–Mai’ṅ Kucha Khānā Cāhatī Hū’ṅ. (Female)
- I want to have sleep.
मैं सोना चाहता हूँ।–Mai’ṅ Sonā Cāhatā Hū’ṅ. (Male)
मैं सोना चाहती हूँ।–Mai’ṅ Sonā Cāhatī Hū’ṅ. (Female)
- I want to go to_______.
मैं __________ जाना चाहता हूँ।–Mai’ṅ ___________ Jānā Cāhatā Hū’ṅ. (Male)
मैं __________ जाना चाहती हूँ।–Mai’ṅ ___________ Jānā Cāhatī Hū’ṅ. (Female)
- I need to call my friend.
मुझे अपने मित्र को फ़ोन करना है।–Mujhe Apne Mitra Ko Phona Karnā Hai. (Gender Agnostic)
मुझे अपनी सहेली को फ़ोन करना है।–Mujhe Apnī Sahelī Ko Phona Karnā Hai. (Particularly for Female)
