Hindi · Elementary (A2) · Chapter 4 of 12
Home and housing
किराए का घरkiraaye kaa ghar
Compare flats in Hindi: bigger, cheaper and the best with से (se) and सबसे (sabse), talk about rent and big numbers like हज़ार and लाख.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Compare two things: bigger, cheaper, better
- Say which is the biggest, the cheapest or the best
- Talk about rent and understand हज़ार (hazaar) and लाख (laakh)
- Give your opinion with मेरे ख़याल से (mere khayaal se)
Listen
Aditi has looked at two flats to rent in Noida. She talks them over with her friend Sana. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Sana
अदिति, तुम्हें कौन-सा फ़्लैट ज़्यादा पसंद है?
Aditi, tumhen kaun-saa flait zyaadaa pasand hai?
Aditi, which flat do you like more?
Aditi
पहला फ़्लैट बड़ा है, लेकिन दूसरा मेट्रो के पास है।
Pahlaa flait baraa hai, lekin doosraa metro ke paas hai.
The first flat is big, but the second is near the metro.
Sana
हाँ, पहला फ़्लैट दूसरे से बड़ा है। उसकी रसोई भी ज़्यादा अच्छी है।
Haan, pahlaa flait doosre se baraa hai. Uskee rasoee bhee zyaadaa achchhee hai.
Yes, the first flat is bigger than the second. Its kitchen is nicer too.
Aditi
लेकिन वह महँगा भी है। उसका किराया पच्चीस हज़ार है।
Lekin vah mahangaa bhee hai. Uskaa kiraayaa pachchees hazaar hai.
But it's expensive too. The rent is twenty-five thousand.
Sana
और दूसरे का?
Aur doosre kaa?
And the second one's?
Aditi
बीस हज़ार। वह पाँच हज़ार सस्ता है, और मेरे ऑफ़िस से ज़्यादा दूर नहीं है।
Bees hazaar. Vah paanch hazaar sastaa hai, aur mere ofis se zyaadaa door naheen hai.
Twenty thousand. It's five thousand cheaper, and it isn't too far from my office.
Sana
आस-पास क्या है?
Aas-paas kyaa hai?
What's in the area?
Aditi
पास में एक बाज़ार है। और सबसे अच्छी बात: सामने एक बड़ा पार्क है।
Paas men ek baazaar hai. Aur sabse achchhee baat: saamne ek baraa paark hai.
There's a market nearby. And the best thing: there's a big park opposite.
Sana
तो मेरे ख़याल से दूसरा फ़्लैट ज़्यादा अच्छा है।
To mere khayaal se doosraa flait zyaadaa achchhaa hai.
Then in my opinion the second flat is better.
Aditi
हाँ। मैं कल मकान-मालिक से बात करती हूँ।
Haan. Main kal makaan-maalik se baat kartee hoon.
Yes. I'll talk to the landlord tomorrow.
Understand
Bigger than: से
Hindi adjectives have no “-er” ending. To compare, put (se, than) after the thing you compare with, and keep the plain adjective: (pahlaa flait doosre se baraa hai), the first flat is bigger than the second. Word for word: “first flat second than big is”. The adjective still agrees with its noun: (rasoee kamre se baree hai), the kitchen is bigger than the room.
Before (se), the usual change happens: (doosraa) → (doosre se), (kamraa) → (kamre se). When there's no “than”, use (zyaadaa, more) or (kam, less): (zyaadaa achchhaa), better; (kam mahangaa), less expensive.
- पहला फ़्लैट दूसरे से बड़ा है।Pahlaa flait doosre se baraa hai.The first flat is bigger than the second.
- रसोई कमरे से बड़ी है।Rasoee kamre se baree hai.The kitchen is bigger than the room.
- दिल्ली जयपुर से बड़ा शहर है।Dillee Jaipur se baraa shahar hai.Delhi is a bigger city than Jaipur.
- दूसरा फ़्लैट ज़्यादा अच्छा है।Doosraa flait zyaadaa achchhaa hai.The second flat is better.
The biggest: सबसे
For “the most” or “-est”, put (sabse) before the adjective. It means “than all”: (sabse baraa), the biggest; (sabse sastaa), the cheapest; (sabse achchhaa), the best. (sabse achchhee baat) means “the best thing”, with (achchhee) because (baat) is feminine.
- यह सबसे सस्ता फ़्लैट है।Yah sabse sastaa flait hai.This is the cheapest flat.
- मेट्रो सबसे आसान है।Metro sabse aasaan hai.The metro is the easiest.
- यह रसोई सबसे बड़ी है।Yah rasoee sabse baree hai.This kitchen is the biggest.
Rent and big numbers: हज़ार and लाख
(hazaar) is a thousand and (laakh) is a hundred thousand. Indians count big numbers in lakhs and write them that way too: 1,00,000 is (ek laakh). You'll also hear “lakh” in Indian English.
Rent is given per month: (kiraayaa bees hazaar rupaye maheenaa hai), the rent is twenty thousand rupees a month, just like (chaalees rupaye kilo), forty rupees a kilo.
| Number | Hindi |
|---|---|
| 1,000 | (ek hazaar) |
| 5,000 | (paanch hazaar) |
| 25,000 | (pachchees hazaar) |
| 1,00,000 | (ek laakh) |
| 10,00,000 | (das laakh) |
More in the grammar: Adjectives: changing and unchanging · Hindi numbers: from 0 to a million
New words
- कौन-साkaun-saawhich · / / (kaun-saa / kaun-see / kaun-se)
- फ़्लैटflaitflat, apartment · masculine
- पहलाpahlaafirst · second is (doosraa), third is (teesraa)
- सेsethan · after the thing you compare with: (doosre se baraa), bigger than the second
- महँगाmahangaaexpensive · / / (mahangaa / mahangee / mahange)
- किरायाkiraayaarent · masculine; (kiraaye kaa ghar), a rented home
- हज़ारhazaarthousand
- सस्ताsastaacheap · / / (sastaa / sastee / saste)
- आस-पासaas-paasaround, in the area, nearby
- सबसेsabsemost, -est · (sabse achchhaa), the best
- बातbaatthing, matter · feminine; you know it from (koee baat naheen), no problem
- सामनेsaamneopposite, in front
- मेरे ख़याल सेmere khayaal sein my opinion, I think
- मकान-मालिकmakaan-maaliklandlord · masculine. … (main kal … baat kartee hoon), I'll talk … tomorrow: the present often covers a near plan.
Practise
1.How do you say “The kitchen is bigger than the room”?
2.Put the words in order to talk about the rent.
Tap the words below in the right order.The rent is twenty-five thousand.
3.Match the Hindi with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
4.How do you say “the cheapest flat”?
5.Aditi says (vah paanch hazaar sastaa hai). What does she mean?
0 of 5 exercises done.
Say it out loud
पहला फ़्लैट दूसरे से बड़ा है।
Pahlaa flait doosre se baraa hai.
The first flat is bigger than the second.
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.