Hindi · Intermediate (B1) · Chapter 12 of 12
Telling your story
अपनी कहानीapnee kahaanee
Review B1 Hindi in one conversation: a shopkeeper in Agra tells the story of his life, his work and his hopes for the future.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Tell the story of your life with all the past tenses
- Explain how something is done and what you have done
- Talk about regrets, hopes and advice
- Combine the B1 ways of joining sentences
Listen
Tanya is writing about old family businesses in Agra for her college magazine. She talks to Iqbal Qureshi, 68, in his shoe shop. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Tanya
इक़बाल जी, आप यह दुकान कब से चला रहे हैं?
Ikbaal jee, aap yah dukaan kab se chalaa rahe hain?
Mr Qureshi, how long have you been running this shop?
Iqbal
पैंतालीस साल से ज़्यादा हो गए हैं। यह दुकान मेरे अब्बा ने उन्नीस सौ साठ में खोली थी, और बाईस साल की उम्र में मैंने इसे संभाला।
Paintaalees saal se zyaadaa ho gaye hain. Yah dukaan mere abbaa ne unnees sau saath men kholee thee, aur baaees saal kee umr men mainne ise sambhaalaa.
It's been more than forty-five years. My father opened this shop in 1960, and I took it over when I was twenty-two.
Tanya
क्या आप हमेशा यही काम करना चाहते थे?
Kyaa aap hameshaa yahee kaam karnaa chaahte the?
Did you always want to do this work?
Iqbal
नहीं। मैं पढ़-लिखकर डॉक्टर बनना चाहता था, लेकिन अब्बा की तबीयत ख़राब हो गई, इसलिए मुझे पढ़ाई छोड़नी पड़ी।
Naheen. Main padh-likhkar doktar bannaa chaahtaa thaa, lekin abbaa kee tabeeyat kharaab ho gaee, isliye mujhe padhaaee chhornee paree.
No. I wanted to study and become a doctor, but my father fell ill, so I had to give up my studies.
Tanya
क्या आपको इसका अफ़सोस है?
Kyaa aapko iskaa afsos hai?
Do you regret it?
Iqbal
कभी-कभी होता है। अगर मैं डॉक्टर बनता, तो शायद ज़िंदगी कुछ और होती। लेकिन जो मिला, उससे मैं ख़ुश हूँ।
Kabhee-kabhee hotaa hai. Agar main doktar bantaa, to shaayad zindagee kuchh aur hotee. Lekin jo milaa, usse main khush hoon.
Sometimes. If I had become a doctor, life would probably have been different. But I'm happy with what I've had.
Tanya
आपके जूते तो पूरे आगरा में मशहूर हैं। ये कैसे बनाए जाते हैं?
Aapke joote to poore Aagraa men mashhoor hain. Ye kaise banaaye jaate hain?
Your shoes are famous all over Agra. How are they made?
Iqbal
हमारा हर जूता हाथ से बनाया जाता है। चमड़ा हम कानपुर से मँगवाते हैं, क्योंकि वहाँ का चमड़ा सबसे अच्छा होता है।
Hamaaraa har jootaa haath se banaayaa jaataa hai. Chamraa ham Kaanpur se mangvaate hain, kyonki vahaan kaa chamraa sabse achchhaa hotaa hai.
Every one of our shoes is made by hand. We have the leather sent from Kanpur, because the leather there is the best.
Tanya
और आगे क्या? क्या आपके बच्चे यह काम संभालेंगे?
Aur aage kyaa? Kyaa aapke bachche yah kaam sambhaalenge?
And what next? Will your children take over the business?
Iqbal
मेरी बेटी ज़ैनब ने एमबीए किया है। वह चाहती है कि हम जूते ऑनलाइन भी बेचें, ताकि विदेश से भी ऑर्डर आएँ।
Meree betee Zainab ne em-bee-e kiyaa hai. Vah chaahtee hai ki ham joote onlaain bhee bechen, taaki videsh se bhee ordar aayen.
My daughter Zainab has done an MBA. She wants us to sell shoes online too, so that orders come in from abroad as well.
Tanya
यह तो बहुत अच्छा आइडिया है! आख़िर में, आप आज के नौजवानों को क्या सलाह देना चाहेंगे?
Yah to bahut achchhaa aaidiyaa hai! Aakhir men, aap aaj ke naujavaanon ko kyaa salaah denaa chaahenge?
That's a very good idea! Finally, what advice would you like to give young people today?
Iqbal
जो भी काम करो, दिल से करो। और जब मौक़ा मिले, तब उसे मत छोड़ो। मैंने ज़िंदगी में यही सीखा है।
Jo bhee kaam karo, dil se karo. Aur jab maukaa mile, tab use mat chhoro. Mainne zindagee men yahee seekhaa hai.
Whatever work you do, do it with all your heart. And when you get a chance, don't let it go. That's what I've learned in life.
Understand
A life story: the tenses together
The interview uses almost every tense to tell Iqbal's story. The past perfect takes us back to the beginning: (abbaa ne dukaan kholee thee). The simple past tells the main events: (mainne ise sambhaalaa). The present perfect links the past to now: (Zainab ne em-bee-e kiyaa hai), (mainne yahee seekhaa hai). And the present continuous with (se) says how long something has been going on: (kab se chalaa rahe hain?).
(padh-likhkar), literally “having read and written”, means “after getting an education”. (parnaa) from A2 tells you what someone was forced to do: (mujhe padhaaee chhornee paree), I had to give up my studies.
| Hindi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| … (meraa janm … men huaa thaa.) | I was born in … |
| … (mainne … se padhaaee kee hai.) | I studied at, in … |
| … … / (main … saal se … men kaam kar rahaa / rahee hoon.) | I've been working at … for … years. |
| … … / (… kee umr men main … aayaa / aaee.) | At the age of …, I came to … |
| … (mujhe … chhornaa paraa.) | I had to leave, give up … |
Joining ideas: B1 in one table
These are the main ways of building longer sentences that you have learned in B1.
| Hindi | Meaning | Chapter |
|---|---|---|
| (joote haath se banaaye jaate hain.) | The shoes are made by hand. | 3 |
| (vah chaahtee hai ki ham joote bechen.) | She wants us to sell shoes. | 5 |
| … (agar main doktar bantaa, to …) | If I had become a doctor, … | 5, 11 |
| … (agar maukaa mile, to …) | If you get a chance, … | 6 |
| (jo milaa, usse main khush hoon.) | I'm happy with what I've had. | 7 |
| (taaki videsh se bhee ordar aayen) | so that orders come from abroad too | 8 |
| (chamraa Kaanpur se mangvaate hain.) | We have the leather sent from Kanpur. | 10 |
Regrets, hopes and advice
To talk about regret, use (afsos) with (mujhe), like other feelings: (mujhe iskaa afsos hai), I regret it; (mujhe koee afsos naheen), I have no regrets. For hopes, use (ummeed hai ki) from chapter 5.
Advice to everyone in general often uses the (tum) form and a relative pair: (jo bhee kaam karo, dil se karo), whatever work you do, do it with all your heart. (dil) is the heart, and (dil se) means “wholeheartedly, sincerely”.
More in the grammar: If and if only: अगर … तो, काश · Relative clauses: जो … वह, जब … तब, जहाँ … वहाँ · The passive: किया जाता है · Verb families: खुलना, खोलना, खुलवाना
New words
- चलानाchalaanaato run (a shop, a business); to drive · (dukaan chalaanaa), to run a shop
- अब्बाabbaafather, dad · used in many Muslim families, like (abboo)
- पढ़-लिखकरpadh-likhkarafter studying, with an education · the -कर (-kar) form of (padhnaa-likhnaa), to get an education
- अफ़सोसafsosregret; sorrow · masculine; (mujhe afsos hai), I regret it, I'm sorry
- ज़िंदगीzindageelife · feminine
- कुछ औरkuchh aursomething else, different · (zindagee kuchh aur hotee), life would have been different
- जूताjootaashoe · masculine; plural (joote)
- मशहूरmashhoorfamous · never changes
- चमड़ाchamraaleather · masculine
- मँगवानाmangvaanaato order, to have (something) sent · the causative of (maangnaa), to ask for
- बेचनाbechnaato sell
- विदेशvideshabroad, a foreign country · masculine; (videsh se), from abroad; (videshee), foreign
- नौजवानnaujavaanyoung person, young people · masculine; plural oblique (naujavaanon)
- सलाहsalaahadvice · feminine; (salaah denaa), to give advice
Practise
1.How do you say “Every shoe is made by hand”?
2.How do you say “I had to give up my studies”?
3.Tanya asks a personal question. Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.Do you regret it?
4.Match the Hindi with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
5.A man says “If I had become a doctor, life would have been different.” Which sentence is correct?
6.Which word fits? , ___ (jab maukaa mile, ___ use mat chhoro.)
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
मेरा जन्म लखनऊ में हुआ था।
Meraa janm Lakhnaoo men huaa thaa.
I was born in Lucknow.
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.