Hindi · Beginner (A1) · Chapter 4 of 12
Getting around
रास्ता पूछनाraastaa poochhnaa
Ask the way in Hindi, understand directions, ask questions with क्या (kyaa) and the question words, and say “not” with नहीं (naheen).
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Ask where a place is
- Understand simple directions
- Ask whether there is a bank or a station nearby
- Ask questions with क्या (kyaa) and the question words, and say “not” with नहीं (naheen)
Listen
Preeti is visiting Jaipur and asks a man in the street for the way. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Preeti
माफ़ कीजिए, बाज़ार कहाँ है?
Maaf keejiye, baazaar kahaan hai?
Excuse me, where is the market?
Man
बाज़ार? सीधे जाइए, फिर बाएँ मुड़िए।
Baazaar? Seedhe jaaiye, phir baayen muriye.
The market? Go straight on, then turn left.
Preeti
क्या बाज़ार दूर है?
Kyaa baazaar door hai?
Is the market far?
Man
नहीं, पास में है। पाँच मिनट।
Naheen, paas men hai. Paanch minat.
No, it's nearby. Five minutes.
Preeti
क्या यहाँ पास में बैंक है?
Kyaa yahaan paas men baink hai?
Is there a bank near here?
Man
हाँ, बाज़ार में दो बैंक हैं।
Haan, baazaar men do baink hain.
Yes, there are two banks in the market.
Preeti
और मेट्रो स्टेशन?
Aur metro steshan?
And the metro station?
Man
वह भी पास में है। बाज़ार से दाएँ मुड़िए।
Vah bhee paas men hai. Baazaar se daayen muriye.
That's nearby too. At the market, turn right.
Preeti
बहुत धन्यवाद।
Bahut dhanyavaad.
Thank you very much.
Man
कोई बात नहीं।
Koee baat naheen.
No problem.
Understand
Is, there is, is not: है, हैं, नहीं
To ask where something is, put the place first and (kahaan hai?) after it: (baazaar kahaan hai?), Where is the market?
(hai) means “is” and also “there is”. For more than one thing use (hain): “are”, “there are”. To say “not”, put (naheen) just before the verb: (baazaar door naheen hai), the market isn't far.
| Hindi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (baink kahaan hai?) | Where is the bank? |
| (baazaar men ek baink hai.) | There is a bank in the market. |
| (baazaar men do baink hain.) | There are two banks in the market. |
| (baazaar door naheen hai.) | The market isn't far. |
Asking questions: क्या and the question words
To turn a sentence into a yes/no question, put (kyaa) at the start. Nothing else changes: (baazaar door hai), the market is far, becomes (kyaa baazaar door hai?), Is the market far? Here (kyaa) doesn't mean “what”: it just tells the listener a question is coming.
Question words don't move to the front as in English. They stand where the answer goes, usually just before the verb: (aap kahaan se hain?), and the answer, (main Dillee se hoon). (kaisaa), (kitnaa) and (kaun-saa) change like (achchhaa): (aap kaisee hain?)
| Hindi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (kyaa) | what |
| (kaun) | who |
| (kahaan) | where |
| (kab) | when |
| (kyon) | why |
| / / (kaisaa / kaisee / kaise) | how, what … like |
| / / (kitnaa / kitnee / kitne) | how much, how many |
| / / (kaun-saa / kaun-see / kaun-se) | which |
- क्या बाज़ार दूर है?Kyaa baazaar door hai?Is the market far?
- यह क्या है?Yah kyaa hai?What is this?
- वह कौन है?Vah kaun hai?Who is that?
Directions
Directions use the polite -iye form you know from (deejiye): (jaaiye), please go, and (muriye), please turn. Between friends you'll hear (jaao) and (muro). (phir) means “then”.
| Hindi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (seedhe jaaiye) | go straight on |
| (baayen muriye) | turn left |
| (daayen muriye) | turn right |
| (phir) | then |
In and on: में and पर
Words like “in” and “on” come after the noun in Hindi, so they're called “postpositions”. (men) means “in”: (baazaar men), in the market. (par) means “on” or “at”: (sarak par), on the road; (chaay kee dukaan par), at the tea stall.
- बैंक बाज़ार में है।Baink baazaar men hai.The bank is in the market.
- मेट्रो स्टेशन सड़क पर है।Metro steshan sarak par hai.The metro station is on the road.
More in the grammar: Asking questions · Negation: not, no and don't · Postpositions and the oblique case · To be: am, is, are, was, were · Word order: the verb goes last · Commands and requests: आ, आओ, आइए
New words
- माफ़ कीजिएmaaf keejiyeexcuse me; sorry · Use it to stop someone politely before you ask a question.
- बाज़ारbaazaarmarket · masculine
- सीधेseedhestraight on
- जाइएjaaiyeplease go · From (jaanaa), to go. Polite form, with (aap).
- बाएँbaayen(to the) left
- मुड़िएmuriyeplease turn · Polite form, with (aap).
- दूरdoorfar
- पास मेंpaas mennearby, close
- यहाँyahaanhere · “There” is (vahaan).
- बैंकbainkbank · masculine
- मेट्रो स्टेशनmetro steshanmetro station · masculine
- दाएँdaayen(to the) right
- बहुतbahutvery, very much; a lot
- कोई बात नहीं।Koee baat naheen.No problem. Don't mention it.
Practise
1.Match the directions with their meanings.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
2.Put the words in order to ask for the metro station.
Tap the words below in the right order.Where is the metro station?
3.Which sentence means “There are two banks in the market”?
4.Someone tells you (daayen muriye). What do you do?
5.Put the words in order to give directions.
Tap the words below in the right order.Go straight on, then turn left.
6.Preeti asks if the station is far. The man says it isn't. What does he say?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
माफ़ कीजिए, बाज़ार कहाँ है?
Maaf keejiye, baazaar kahaan hai?
Excuse me, where is the market?
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.