Hindi · Beginner (A1) · Chapter 5 of 12
Family and friends
परिवार और दोस्तparivaar aur dost
Talk about your family in Hindi: say “my” and “your” correctly with मेरा, मेरी, मेरे, say who you have and how old people are.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Introduce the people in your family
- Say my, your, his, her, our and their correctly
- Say what family and things you have
- Say how old someone is
Listen
At the office, Jyoti shows her colleague Arjun a photo of her family. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Arjun
ज्योति जी, ये कौन हैं?
Jyoti jee, ye kaun hain?
Jyoti, who are they?
Jyoti
ये मेरी माँ हैं, और ये मेरे पापा हैं।
Ye meree maan hain, aur ye mere paapaa hain.
This is my mother, and this is my dad.
Arjun
और यह?
Aur yah?
And this one?
Jyoti
यह मेरा भाई विक्रम है। वह बीस साल का है।
Yah meraa bhaaee Vikram hai. Vah bees saal kaa hai.
This is my brother Vikram. He's twenty.
Arjun
क्या आपकी कोई बहन भी है?
Kyaa aapkee koee bahan bhee hai?
Do you have a sister too?
Jyoti
हाँ, मेरी एक बहन है। उसका नाम नेहा है। वह मुंबई में डॉक्टर है।
Haan, meree ek bahan hai. Uskaa naam Nehaa hai. Vah Mumbaee men doktar hai.
Yes, I have a sister. Her name is Neha. She's a doctor in Mumbai.
Arjun
आपका परिवार बहुत अच्छा है।
Aapkaa parivaar bahut achchhaa hai.
You have a lovely family.
Jyoti
धन्यवाद। और आपका परिवार?
Dhanyavaad. Aur aapkaa parivaar?
Thank you. And your family?
Arjun
मेरी पत्नी और एक बेटा। बेटा पाँच साल का है।
Meree patnee aur ek betaa. Betaa paanch saal kaa hai.
My wife and a son. He's five.
Understand
My, your, his, her: मेरा, मेरी, मेरे
“My” changes to match the person or thing you have, not you. Use (meraa) before a masculine word, (meree) before a feminine word, and (mere) before a masculine plural. So Jyoti says (meraa bhaaee, my brother) and Arjun says (meree patnee, my wife).
Hindi shows respect with the plural. For parents and other older people, use (ye) and (hain), even for one person. For a man, also becomes : (ye mere paapaa hain). For a woman, stays the same: (ye meree maan hain).
Every person has its own word, and they all change like (meraa): (aapkaa bhaaee), your brother; (tumhaaree bahan), your sister (to a friend); (hamaare paapaa), our dad. (uskaa) means both “his” and “her”: (uskaa naam), his name or her name.
| Person | + masculine word | + feminine word | + masc. plural or respect |
|---|---|---|---|
| (main), I | (meraa) | (meree) | (mere) |
| (too), you (intimate) | (teraa) | (teree) | (tere) |
| (tum), you (friendly) | (tumhaaraa) | (tumhaaree) | (tumhaare) |
| (aap), you (polite) | (aapkaa) | (aapkee) | (aapke) |
| (yah), he, she (near) | (iskaa) | (iskee) | (iske) |
| (vah), he, she | (uskaa) | (uskee) | (uske) |
| (ham), we | (hamaaraa) | (hamaaree) | (hamaare) |
| (ye), they (near) | (inkaa) | (inkee) | (inke) |
| (ve), they | (unkaa) | (unkee) | (unke) |
Rohan's sister: का, की, के
To say “Rohan's”, put (kaa), (kee) or (ke) after the name. They follow the same pattern as (meraa), (meree), (mere): the choice depends on the person or thing that comes next.
- रोहन का भाईRohan kaa bhaaeeRohan's brother
- रोहन की बहनRohan kee bahanRohan's sister
- रोहन के पापाRohan ke paapaaRohan's dad
“I have” and age
Hindi has no verb “to have”. For family and friends, you say “my one brother is”: (meraa ek bhaaee hai), I have a brother. For things you own or have with you, say “near me … is”: (mere paas ek pen hai), I have a pen. In the same way: (aapke paas), you have; (uske paas), he or she has.
For age, say “… years of”, and (kaa) / (kee) follow the person: (vah bees saal kaa hai), he is twenty; (vah bees saal kee hai), she is twenty.
- मेरी एक बहन है।Meree ek bahan hai.I have a sister.
- मेरे पास एक पेन है।Mere paas ek pen hai.I have a pen.
- वह पाँच साल का है।Vah paanch saal kaa hai.He is five.
- वह पाँच साल की है।Vah paanch saal kee hai.She is five.
More in the grammar: Asking questions · Possession: my, your and “to have” · Postpositions and the oblique case · Pronouns and politeness
New words
- कौनkaunwho
- येyethese; this (for someone you respect) · You know it as “they” (near). For one person it shows respect: (ye mere paapaa hain).
- माँmaanmother · feminine
- पापाpaapaadad · masculine; (pitaa jee) is more formal
- भाईbhaaeebrother · masculine
- सालsaalyear · masculine
- कोईkoeeany, some · (kyaa aapkee koee bahan hai?), Do you have a sister?
- बहनbahansister · feminine
- उसकाuskaahis, her · Changes like (meraa): (uskaa naam), (uskee bahan), (uske paapaa).
- डॉक्टरdoktardoctor · for a man or a woman
- परिवारparivaarfamily · masculine
- पत्नीpatneewife · feminine; husband is (pati)
- बेटाbetaason · masculine; daughter is (betee)
- दोस्तdostfriend · a man or a woman: (meraa dost, a male friend), (meree dost, a female friend)
Practise
1.Arjun is talking about his wife. Which is correct?
2.Put the words in order: say that you have a brother.
Tap the words below in the right order.I have a brother.
3.Match the family words.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
4.How do you say “Rohan's sister”?
5.Arjun needs a pen, and Jyoti has one with her. How does she say “I have a pen”?
6.Put the words in order: say that her name is Neha.
Tap the words below in the right order.Her name is Neha.
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
यह मेरा भाई है।
Yah meraa bhaaee hai.
This is my brother.
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.