Free Hindi course
Hindi is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. Every word is shown in the Hindi script (Devanagari) with a Latin-letter spelling, so you can start before you can read the script.
Below you'll find how the course works, what the levels mean and where everything is. If you'd rather start right away, chapter 1 assumes no Hindi at all.
How the course works
The course takes you from your first words to everyday conversations with native speakers, in 48 chapters over four levels. Work through the chapters in order: each one builds on the words and grammar of the ones before.
Listen
A short dialogue from everyday life. Listen to it whole, then line by line, at normal or slow speed.
Understand
The new grammar and words, explained in plain English with examples you can play.
Practise
Exercises that tell you straight away if you're right, and sentences to say out loud.
Check
A five-question quiz. Finish the chapter to add its words to your review deck.
Time. A chapter takes about 30–45 minutes. You can stop after any step and come back later.
Remembering. The words from finished chapters come back in Review at growing intervals, just before you would forget them.
Your progress is saved in this browser. A free account keeps it safe and lets you continue on any device.
The four levels
The course has four levels of twelve chapters: Beginner, Elementary, Intermediate and Upper intermediate. Each one says what you'll be able to do when you finish it.
The codes in brackets, A1 to B2, are from the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages), an international scale used by many schools, employers and language exams. You don't need to know it to use the course. Hindi has no official CEFR exams; here the levels simply describe what you can do at each stage.
- Beginner (A1)Introduce yourself, order food and drink, ask for directions and understand simple, slow speech.12 chapters →
- Elementary (A2)Handle shopping, travel and everyday errands, and talk about your work, your home and what you did last weekend.12 chapters →
- Intermediate (B1)Get by on your own when travelling, describe experiences and plans, and explain your opinions.12 chapters →
- Upper intermediate (B2)Hold normal conversations with native speakers, follow most films and news, and write clear, detailed texts.12 chapters →
Finding your way
The bar under the site's header takes you to every part of the Hindi course, wherever you are:
- Course →
- This page, with every chapter in order. The list on the left of each chapter takes you to any other chapter.
- Grammar →
- 31 short pages, one rule each, with tables and examples. Each chapter links to the pages it uses.
- Verbs →
- Full tables for 41 common verbs, in every tense the course teaches, with audio.
- Vocabulary →
- Every word the course teaches, level by level and topic by topic, with audio.
- Phrasebook →
- Ready-made phrases for 10 everyday situations, from greetings to emergencies.
- Review →
- Flashcards with the words of the chapters you've finished, and a passport with a stamp for each chapter.
- Before you start
- How the Hindi script works, letter by letter, with audio:
All chapters
Beginner (A1)
12 chaptersYou'll be able to: Introduce yourself, order food and drink, ask for directions and understand simple, slow speech.
Test yourself (24 questions)All the words of this level
- Hello and goodbyeनमस्ते, फिर मिलेंगेSay hello and goodbye in Hindi and where you're from, learn the words for I, you, we and they with the verb “to be”, and meet the Devanagari script.
- Numbers and pricesगिनती और दामCount to 20 and in tens to 100 in Hindi, ask how much something costs in rupees and understand the answer.
- At the tea stallचाय की दुकान परOrder tea politely in Hindi, ask what it costs, and learn when to say तुम (tum) and when to say आप (aap).
- Getting aroundरास्ता पूछनाAsk the way in Hindi, understand directions, ask questions with क्या (kyaa) and the question words, and say “not” with नहीं (naheen).
- Family and friendsपरिवार और दोस्तTalk about your family in Hindi: say “my” and “your” correctly with मेरा, मेरी, मेरे, say who you have and how old people are.
- My homeमेरा घरDescribe your home in Hindi: rooms, furniture and colours, adjectives that agree with the noun, and where things are.
- My dayमेरा दिनDescribe your daily routine in Hindi with the present habitual (करता हूँ / करती हूँ) and tell the time with बजे.
- Food and shoppingखाना और ख़रीदारीBuy fruit and vegetables at an Indian market: say what you need with मुझे … चाहिए, ask prices per kilo and use plurals.
- Time and datesदिन और तारीख़Say the days of the week, months and dates in Hindi, use आज and कल, and make an appointment on the phone.
- Likes and dislikesपसंद और नापसंदSay what you like and don't like in Hindi with मुझे … पसंद है, make sentences negative with नहीं, and talk about food.
- Hobbies and free timeशौक़ और ख़ाली समयTalk about hobbies in Hindi, say what you can and can't do with सकना, say how often you do things, and invite a friend.
- Your first conversationआपकी पहली बातचीतPut all of A1 Hindi together in a real conversation on a train: introductions, family, likes, time and polite requests.
Elementary (A2)
12 chaptersYou'll be able to: Handle shopping, travel and everyday errands, and talk about your work, your home and what you did last weekend.
Test yourself (24 questions)All the words of this level
- Talking about the pastकल क्या किया?Say what you did at the weekend in Hindi: the simple past, the ने (ne) construction, and words like last week and two days ago.
- Travel and hotelsहोटल मेंCheck in at a hotel in Hindi, ask about breakfast, report a problem in your room and ask politely for what you need.
- At the doctor'sडॉक्टर के पासTell a doctor in Hindi what hurts and since when, name parts of the body and understand advice with चाहिए (should).
- Home and housingकिराए का घरCompare flats in Hindi: bigger, cheaper and the best with से (se) and सबसे (sabse), talk about rent and big numbers like हज़ार and लाख.
- Work and studiesकाम और पढ़ाईTalk about your job and studies in Hindi: what you used to do with करता था, was and were, and how long you've been working somewhere.
- Weather and seasonsमौसमTalk about the weather and India's seasons in Hindi, give the temperature and say what will happen with the future tense.
- Clothes and shoppingकपड़ों की दुकान परExchange clothes in a shop in Hindi: sizes and colours, this and that before में (इस, उस), it and them, and ले लेना, दे देना.
- Plans and invitationsप्लान बनानाMake plans with a friend in Hindi: suggest with “shall we…?” (चलें?), say what you have to do, and accept, decline or change a plan.
- Directions and transportस्टेशन परFind your platform in Hindi, deal with a late train, give instructions in all three forms of “you”, and say what you'll have to do with पड़ना.
- Describing peopleवे कैसी दिखती हैं?Describe people in Hindi: what they look like, what they wear, what they used to be like, and “the one who…” with जो (jo).
- Phone calls and messagesफ़ोन पर बातMake a phone call in Hindi: ask to speak to someone, leave a message, spell your name, and say what you were doing with रहा था.
- A weekend awayपहाड़ों में वीकेंडReview A2 Hindi in one conversation: tell the story of a weekend trip in the past and plan your own with want, should and will.
Intermediate (B1)
12 chaptersYou'll be able to: Get by on your own when travelling, describe experiences and plans, and explain your opinions.
Test yourself (24 questions)All the words of this level
- Stories and memoriesपुरानी यादेंTell a story about the past in Hindi: the past perfect (आई थी, देखा था), the -कर (-kar) form and words like first, then and in the end.
- Opinions and reasonsराय और कारणGive your opinion in Hindi with मुझे लगता है कि (mujhe lagtaa hai ki), give reasons with क्योंकि and इसलिए, and agree or disagree politely.
- News and current eventsआज की ख़बरेंUnderstand simple news in Hindi: the passive (बनाया जा रहा है, खोला जाएगा) and reporting what someone said with कि (ki).
- Feelings and relationshipsदिल की बातTalk about feelings in Hindi (मुझे ग़ुस्सा आया, मुझे डर लगता है), react to news, say “each other” and give a friend advice.
- Hopes and wishesउम्मीदें और सपनेTalk about hopes and dreams in Hindi: उम्मीद है कि (ummeed hai ki), “I want you to” with the subjunctive, and काश (kaash) for wishes.
- Solving problemsशिकायत और हलComplain about something broken or lost in Hindi, find solutions with अगर … तो (if … then), and say “it broke” and “the broken lid”.
- Culture and traditionsत्योहार और परंपराएँTalk about festivals and customs in Hindi: relative pairs like जो … वह and जहाँ … वहाँ, and “people say” with कहते हैं कि.
- Work and careersनौकरी का इंटरव्यूHandle a job interview in formal Hindi: talk about your experience with किया है (kiyaa hai) and explain your aims with ताकि (taaki) and के लिए.
- Health and lifestyleसेहत और आदतेंTalk about healthy habits in Hindi: ज़रूरी है कि (it's important that), can and can't manage with पाना, know how with आना, and let with -ने देना.
- Money and everyday servicesबैंक मेंOpen a bank account in Hindi: get things done with causative verbs (खुलवाना, करवाना), make formal requests and handle lakhs and crores.
- Travel storiesसफ़र की कहानीTell the story of a trip in Hindi: “if I had known” (अगर मुझे पता होता), “as soon as” (-ते ही), “already” (चुकना) and ways to show surprise.
- Telling your storyअपनी कहानीReview B1 Hindi in one conversation: a shopkeeper in Agra tells the story of his life, his work and his hopes for the future.
Upper intermediate (B2)
12 chaptersYou'll be able to: Hold normal conversations with native speakers, follow most films and news, and write clear, detailed texts.
Test yourself (24 questions)All the words of this level
- Discussing and debatingअपनी बात रखनाArgue your point in Hindi: concede with हालाँकि (although) and भले ही (even if), structure an argument and interrupt politely.
- Work in depthऑफ़िस की मीटिंगTalk shop in Hindi: say what is probably true with the presumptive (होगा), give and take feedback, and negotiate a deadline.
- Film, books and mediaफ़िल्म की कहानीReview a film in Hindi: tell the plot in the present, use -ते हुए (while) and -ने वाला (about to), and give opinions with nuance.
- Science and technologyयह कैसे काम करता है?Explain how something works in Hindi: the passive in depth, cause and effect (की वजह से, जिससे) and chains of -कर for steps.
- Society and the environmentशहर की हवाTalk about pollution in Hindi: unreal conditions (कर रहा होता, किया होता), “may have done” (किया हो) and worries with कहीं … न.
- Public lifeख़बरों की भाषाReport what public figures said in Hindi: full reported speech, verbs like announce, claim and deny, and the formal words of the news.
- Education and learningपढ़ाई और परीक्षाTalk about exams and learning in Hindi: regrets with चाहिए था (should have), the more … the more (जितना … उतना) and the subjunctive after इससे पहले कि.
- Idioms and everyday speechमुहावरे और बोलचालSound natural in Hindi: common idioms (मुहावरे), fillers like मतलब and वैसे, and the shortcuts of relaxed speech.
- Humour and informal languageयारों की बातेंUnderstand casual Hindi between friends: तू and its forms, slang everyone knows (यार, जुगाड़, मस्त), irony, and how register changes a sentence.
- Formal writingशिकायत का पत्रWrite a formal letter or email in Hindi: the fixed parts (सेवा में, विषय, महोदय), formal requests and written connectors like अतः and किंतु.
- Giving a presentationप्रेज़ेंटेशन देनाGive a presentation in Hindi: signpost your talk, handle questions politely and add emphasis with ही, भी and तो.
- Final reviewपुराने दोस्त, नई बातेंReview B2 Hindi in one conversation: two old friends catch up, look back, switch to formal Hindi on a work call and make a plan.