Hindi · Intermediate (B1) · Chapter 6 of 12
Solving problems
शिकायत और हलshikaayat aur hal
Complain about something broken or lost in Hindi, find solutions with अगर … तो (if … then), and say “it broke” and “the broken lid”.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Explain what is wrong with something you bought
- Talk about real possibilities with अगर … तो (agar … to)
- Tell “it broke” from “I broke it”
- Describe a state with the -आ हुआ (-aa huaa) form
Listen
In Nagpur, Deepak takes a new mixer back to the shop where he bought it. Sunita works at the service desk. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Sunita
नमस्ते। बताइए, मैं आपकी क्या मदद कर सकती हूँ?
Namaste. Bataaiye, main aapkee kyaa madad kar saktee hoon?
Hello. How can I help you?
Deepak
नमस्ते। मैंने पिछले हफ़्ते यहाँ से यह मिक्सर ख़रीदा था, लेकिन यह दो दिन में ही ख़राब हो गया।
Namaste. Mainne pichhle hafte yahaan se yah miksar khareedaa thaa, lekin yah do din men hee kharaab ho gayaa.
Hello. I bought this mixer here last week, but it went wrong within two days.
Sunita
ओह, माफ़ कीजिए। इसमें क्या दिक़्क़त है?
Oh, maaf keejiye. Ismen kyaa dikkat hai?
Oh, I'm sorry. What's the problem with it?
Deepak
यह चलता तो है, लेकिन बहुत आवाज़ करता है। और कल इसका ढक्कन भी टूट गया। यह देखिए, टूटा हुआ ढक्कन।
Yah chaltaa to hai, lekin bahut aavaaz kartaa hai. Aur kal iskaa dhakkan bhee toot gayaa. Yah dekhiye, tootaa huaa dhakkan.
It does work, but it makes a lot of noise. And yesterday the lid broke too. Look, here's the broken lid.
Sunita
अच्छा। क्या आपके पास बिल है?
Achchhaa. Kyaa aapke paas bil hai?
I see. Do you have the bill?
Deepak
बिल तो खो गया। मैंने उसे कहीं रखा था, लेकिन अब मिल नहीं रहा।
Bil to kho gayaa. Mainne use kaheen rakhaa thaa, lekin ab mil naheen rahaa.
I've lost the bill, I'm afraid. I put it somewhere, but now I can't find it.
Sunita
कोई बात नहीं। अगर आपने कार्ड से पैसे दिए थे, तो हम कंप्यूटर में बिल ढूँढ लेंगे।
Koee baat naheen. Agar aapne kaard se paise diye the, to ham kampyootar men bil dhoondh lenge.
No problem. If you paid by card, we'll find the bill on the computer.
Deepak
हाँ, कार्ड से दिए थे। तो क्या आप मुझे नया मिक्सर दे देंगी?
Haan, kaard se diye the. To kyaa aap mujhe nayaa miksar de dengee?
Yes, I paid by card. So will you give me a new mixer?
Sunita
पहले हमारा मैकेनिक इसे देखेगा। अगर मोटर ख़राब है, तो हम पूरा मिक्सर बदल देंगे।
Pahle hamaaraa maikenik ise dekhegaa. Agar motar kharaab hai, to ham pooraa miksar badal denge.
First our mechanic will look at it. If the motor is faulty, we'll replace the whole mixer.
Deepak
और अगर मोटर ठीक है, तो?
Aur agar motar theek hai, to?
And if the motor is fine?
Sunita
तो हम इसे ठीक करके दो दिन में आपको वापस दे देंगे, और ढक्कन भी मुफ़्त में बदल देंगे।
To ham ise theek karke do din men aapko vaapas de denge, aur dhakkan bhee muft men badal denge.
Then we'll repair it and give it back to you in two days, and we'll replace the lid free of charge too.
Deepak
ठीक है। लेकिन अगर फिर से कोई दिक़्क़त हुई, तो मुझे पैसे वापस चाहिए।
Theek hai. Lekin agar phir se koee dikkat huee, to mujhe paise vaapas chaahiye.
All right. But if there's any problem again, I want my money back.
Understand
If it's faulty, we'll replace it: अगर … तो
For real possibilities, things that may be true or may still happen, use … … (agar … to …) with normal tenses. The part can be in the present, the future or the subjunctive: (agar motar kharaab hai), if the motor is faulty; (agar zaroorat ho), if necessary. For something that may already have happened, it can be in a past tense: (agar aapne kaard se paise diye the), if you paid by card. The part is usually a future or a request: (to ham miksar badal denge), then we'll replace the mixer.
Hindi often uses the simple past after for something that may happen later: … (agar koee dikkat huee, to …), if there's any problem, … Compare chapter 5, where the -ता (-taa) form was for things that are not true: (agar mere paas paise hote), if I had the money.
- अगर आप कल आएँगे, तो मिक्सर तैयार होगा।Agar aap kal aayenge, to miksar taiyaar hogaa.If you come tomorrow, the mixer will be ready.
- अगर कोई दिक़्क़त हो, तो मुझे फ़ोन कीजिए।Agar koee dikkat ho, to mujhe fon keejiye.If there's any problem, call me.
- अगर बारिश हुई, तो हम घर पर रहेंगे।Agar baarish huee, to ham ghar par rahenge.If it rains, we'll stay at home.
It broke, I broke it: compound verbs
Many verbs come in pairs: one for what happens by itself, one for what someone does. (tootnaa) is “to break” as in “the lid broke”; (tornaa) is “to break something”. For things that happen, add (jaanaa), with no (ne): (dhakkan toot gayaa), (bil kho gayaa), (miksar kharaab ho gayaa). For things done, add (denaa) or (lenaa): (theek kar denge), (dhoondh lenge).
To admit that you broke something by accident, Hindi puts you with (se) and uses the “happening” verb: (mujhse gilaas toot gayaa), I broke the glass (I didn't mean to). (mainne gilaas tor diyaa) is also heard, but it can sound as if you did it on purpose.
| Happens (with , jaanaa) | Someone does it (with , , denaa, lenaa) |
|---|---|
| (toot gayaa), it broke | (tor diyaa), (someone) broke it |
| (khul gayaa), it opened | (khol diyaa), (someone) opened it |
| (kharaab ho gayaa), it went wrong | (theek kar diyaa), (someone) repaired it |
| (kho gayaa), it got lost | (dhoondh liyaa), (someone) found it |
The broken lid: -आ हुआ
To describe a state, take the simple past form and add / / (huaa / huee / huye). Both parts agree like adjectives: (tootaa huaa dhakkan), the broken lid; (tootee huee kursee), the broken chair; (khulee huee khirkee), the open window.
With (hai) it tells you how something is now: (dhakkan tootaa huaa hai), the lid is broken. (dhakkan toot gayaa) tells you what happened: the lid broke. In speech is often dropped: (dukaan khulee hai), the shop is open.
More in the grammar: Compound verbs: ले लेना, दे देना, हो जाना · If and if only: अगर … तो, काश · Joining actions: -कर, -आ हुआ, -ते ही · Verb families: खुलना, खोलना, खुलवाना
New words
- ख़राब होनाkharaab honaato go wrong, to break down; to go bad · (kharaab), bad, faulty, never changes
- दिक़्क़तdikkatproblem, trouble · feminine; (koee dikkat naheen), no problem
- आवाज़aavaaznoise; voice, sound · feminine; (aavaaz karnaa), to make a noise
- ढक्कनdhakkanlid · masculine
- टूटनाtootnaato break (by itself) · (toot gayaa), it broke. To break something is (tornaa).
- टूटा हुआtootaa huaabroken · / / (tootaa huaa / tootee huee / toote huye)
- खो जानाkho jaanaato get lost · (bil kho gayaa), the bill got lost, I've lost the bill
- रखनाrakhnaato put, to keep · (mainne use kaheen rakhaa thaa), I had put it somewhere
- मिल नहीं रहाmil naheen rahaa(I) can't find it · (milnaa) also means “to be found”: literally “it isn't being found”
- ढूँढनाdhoondhnaato look for; to find · (dhoondh lenaa), to find (after looking)
- मैकेनिकmaikenikmechanic, repair person · masculine
- ठीक करनाtheek karnaato repair, to fix · (theek karke), after repairing it
- मुफ़्त मेंmuft menfree of charge · (muft), free
- फिर सेphir seagain
Practise
1.The lid broke by itself. What do you say?
2.You broke a glass at a friend's house by accident. What do you say?
3.Deepak shows Sunita the lid. Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.Its lid has broken too.
4.Match the Hindi with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
5.How do you say “If there's any problem, call me”?
6. (kursee, chair) is feminine. How do you say “the broken chair”?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
मेरा फ़ोन ख़राब हो गया है।
Meraa fon kharaab ho gayaa hai.
My phone has stopped working.
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.