Hindi · Elementary (A2) · Chapter 5 of 12
Work and studies
काम और पढ़ाईkaam aur padhaaee
Talk 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.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Say what you used to do with करता था (kartaa thaa)
- Say where you worked and studied
- Say how long you've been doing something
Listen
Imran has just started at a company in Gurugram. At lunch, his colleague Kavya asks him about his work. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Kavya
इमरान जी, आप पहले कहाँ काम करते थे?
Imraan jee, aap pahle kahaan kaam karte the?
Imran, where did you work before?
Imran
मैं जयपुर में एक बैंक में काम करता था।
Main Jaipur men ek baink men kaam kartaa thaa.
I worked at a bank in Jaipur.
Kavya
अच्छा? आपने वहाँ कितने साल काम किया?
Achchhaa? Aapne vahaan kitne saal kaam kiyaa?
Really? How many years did you work there?
Imran
चार साल। लेकिन मुझे वह नौकरी पसंद नहीं थी। मैं हर दिन दस घंटे काम करता था।
Chaar saal. Lekin mujhe vah naukree pasand naheen thee. Main har din das ghante kaam kartaa thaa.
Four years. But I didn't like that job. I worked ten hours every day.
Kavya
और आपने पढ़ाई कहाँ की?
Aur aapne padhaaee kahaan kee?
And where did you study?
Imran
दिल्ली में। मैंने कंप्यूटर साइंस पढ़ा। तब मैं हॉस्टल में रहता था।
Dillee men. Mainne kampyootar saains padhaa. Tab main hostal men rahtaa thaa.
In Delhi. I studied computer science. At that time I lived in a hostel.
Kavya
मैं भी दिल्ली में पढ़ती थी।
Main bhee Dillee men padhtee thee.
I studied in Delhi too.
Imran
अच्छा? और आप यहाँ कब से काम कर रही हैं?
Achchhaa? Aur aap yahaan kab se kaam kar rahee hain?
Really? And how long have you been working here?
Kavya
छह साल से। पहले मैं यहाँ इंटर्न थी।
Chhah saal se. Pahle main yahaan intarn thee.
For six years. At first I was an intern here.
Imran
छह साल! आपको यहाँ का काम अच्छा लगता है?
Chhah saal! Aapko yahaan kaa kaam achchhaa lagtaa hai?
Six years! Do you like the work here?
Kavya
हाँ, बहुत। लोग अच्छे हैं, और बॉस भी ठीक हैं।
Haan, bahut. Log achchhe hain, aur bos bhee theek hain.
Yes, very much. The people are nice, and the boss is all right too.
Understand
Used to: करता था
To talk about habits and situations in the past (what you used to do, where you lived, where you worked), take the present habitual from A1 and replace / / / (hoon / ho / hai / hain) with (thaa), (thee), (the) or (theen). This is the past habitual: (main kaam kartaa thaa), I used to work, I worked.
The past habitual never takes (ne), even with an object: it always agrees with the person. English often uses the simple past here: (main hostal men rahtaa thaa), I lived in a hostel.
| Meaning | a man, men | a woman, women |
|---|---|---|
| I used to work | (main kaam kartaa thaa) | (main kaam kartee thee) |
| you used to work (friendly) | (tum kaam karte the) | (tum kaam kartee theen) |
| you used to work (polite) | (aap kaam karte the) | (aap kaam kartee theen) |
| he / she used to work | (vah kaam kartaa thaa) | (vah kaam kartee thee) |
| we used to work | (ham kaam karte the) | (ham kaam kartee theen) |
| they used to work | (ve kaam karte the) | (ve kaam kartee theen) |
Was and were: था with पसंद
You know , , and (thaa, thee, the, theen) from chapter 1. Remember that they change like an adjective, and that (aap) and (tum) always take (the) or (theen), even for one person. Kavya says (main intarn thee), I was an intern.
With (pasand), the verb agrees with the thing that is liked. (naukree, job) is feminine, so Imran says (mujhe vah naukree pasand naheen thee), I didn't like that job.
| Person | Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|---|
| , , , (main, too, yah, vah) | (thaa) | (thee) |
| , , , , (tum, aap, ham, ye, ve) | (the) | (theen) |
| several people | (the) | (theen) |
How long? Still going on, or finished
For something that is still going on, Hindi uses the present continuous with (se): (main chhah saal se yahaan kaam kar rahee hoon), I've been working here for six years. English says “have been”, Hindi says “am”.
For something that is finished, use the simple past without (se): (mainne vahaan chaar saal kaam kiyaa), I worked there for four years.
- आप यहाँ कब से काम कर रहे हैं?Aap yahaan kab se kaam kar rahe hain?How long have you been working here? (to a man)
- मैं दो साल से हिंदी सीख रहा हूँ।Main do saal se Hindee seekh rahaa hoon.I've been learning Hindi for two years. (a man speaking)
- मैंने वहाँ चार साल काम किया।Mainne vahaan chaar saal kaam kiyaa.I worked there for four years.
More in the grammar: To be: am, is, are, was, were · The continuous tenses: रहा है and रहा था · The past habitual: करता था (used to)
New words
- करता था / करती थीkartaa thaa / kartee theeused to do, did (a man / a woman) · The past habitual of (karnaa).
- नौकरीnaukreejob · feminine
- घंटाghantaahour · masculine; plural (ghante)
- पढ़ाईpadhaaeestudies, studying · feminine; (padhaaee karnaa), to study
- कंप्यूटर साइंसkampyootar saainscomputer science · masculine
- तबtabthen, at that time
- हॉस्टलhostalhostel, student hall · masculine
- पढ़ती थीpadhtee theeused to study (a woman) · A man says (padhtaa thaa).
- कर रही हैंkar rahee hainhave been doing (with se) · (aap kab se kaam kar rahee hain?), How long have you been working? (to a woman)
- इंटर्नintarnintern · for a man or a woman
- यहाँ काyahaan kaaof this place, here · (yahaan kaa kaam), the work here
- लोगlogpeople · masculine plural
- बॉसbosboss · for a man or a woman; here with the respectful plural (hain)
Practise
1.Kavya wants to say “I used to study in Delhi.” Which sentence is correct?
2.Imran is talking. Put the words in order, starting with (main).
Tap the words below in the right order.I used to live in a hostel.
3.Match the Hindi with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
4.A woman wants to say “I've been working here for six years.” What does she say?
5.Imran didn't like his old job. Which word fits? ___ (mujhe vah naukree pasand naheen ___)
0 of 5 exercises done.
Say it out loud
मैं पहले एक बैंक में काम करता था।
Main pahle ek baink men kaam kartaa thaa.
I used to work at a bank. (a man speaking)
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.