Hindi · Intermediate (B1) · Chapter 11 of 12
Travel stories
सफ़र की कहानीsafar kee kahaanee
Tell the story of a trip in Hindi: “if I had known” (अगर मुझे पता होता), “as soon as” (-ते ही), “already” (चुकना) and ways to show surprise.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Tell the story of a trip that went wrong
- Say what you would have done with अगर मुझे पता होता (agar mujhe pataa hotaa)
- Say “as soon as” and “had already”
- React with surprise
Listen
Back home in Mumbai, Priyanka tells her friend Vivek about her trip to Ladakh with her sister. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Vivek
प्रियंका, लद्दाख का सफ़र कैसा रहा? फ़ोटो तो बहुत सुंदर थीं!
Priyankaa, Laddaakh kaa safar kaisaa rahaa? Foto to bahut sundar theen!
Priyanka, how was the trip to Ladakh? The photos were beautiful!
Priyanka
बहुत अच्छा रहा, लेकिन पहले ही दिन एक गड़बड़ हो गई।
Bahut achchhaa rahaa, lekin pahle hee din ek garbar ho gaee.
It was great, but something went wrong on the very first day.
Vivek
क्या हुआ?
Kyaa huaa?
What happened?
Priyanka
हमें लेह से पैंगोंग झील जाना था। बस सुबह छह बजे चलती थी, लेकिन जब हम बस स्टैंड पहुँचे, तब तक बस निकल चुकी थी।
Hamen Leh se Paingong jheel jaanaa thaa. Bas subah chhah baje chaltee thee, lekin jab ham bas staind pahunche, tab tak bas nikal chukee thee.
We had to get from Leh to Pangong Lake. The bus left at six in the morning, but by the time we got to the bus stand, it had already gone.
Vivek
अरे! क्यों, तुम लोग देर से उठे थे?
Are! Kyon, tum log der se uthe the?
Oh no! Why, had you got up late?
Priyanka
नहीं, टैक्सी वाले ने हमें आधा घंटा इंतज़ार करवाया। अगर मुझे पता होता, तो मैं रात को ही दूसरी टैक्सी बुक कर लेती।
Naheen, taiksee vaale ne hamen aadhaa ghantaa intazaar karvaayaa. Agar mujhe pataa hotaa, to main raat ko hee doosree taiksee buk kar letee.
No, the taxi driver kept us waiting for half an hour. If I'd known, I would have booked another taxi the night before.
Vivek
तो फिर तुम झील तक कैसे पहुँचीं?
To phir tum jheel tak kaise pahuncheen?
So how did you get to the lake, then?
Priyanka
बस स्टैंड पर पुणे का एक परिवार मिला। उनकी बस भी छूट गई थी, इसलिए हमने मिलकर एक गाड़ी कर ली।
Bas staind par Pune kaa ek parivaar milaa. Unkee bas bhee chhoot gaee thee, isliye hamne milkar ek gaaree kar lee.
At the bus stand we met a family from Pune. They had missed the bus too, so we hired a car together.
Vivek
क्या बात है! और झील कैसी थी?
Kyaa baat hai! Aur jheel kaisee thee?
Nice one! And what was the lake like?
Priyanka
झील पर पहुँचते ही मैं हैरान रह गई। पानी का रंग बदलता रहता था: कभी नीला, कभी हरा!
Jheel par pahunchte hee main hairaan rah gaee. Paanee kaa rang badaltaa rahtaa thaa: kabhee neelaa, kabhee haraa!
The moment we got to the lake, I was amazed. The colour of the water kept changing: sometimes blue, sometimes green!
Vivek
सच में? यक़ीन नहीं होता! अगर मुझे छुट्टी मिलती, तो मैं भी तुम्हारे साथ चलता।
Sach men? Yakeen naheen hotaa! Agar mujhe chhuttee miltee, to main bhee tumhaare saath chaltaa.
Really? I can't believe it! If I'd been able to get time off, I'd have come with you too.
Priyanka
तो अगली बार तुम भी साथ चलो। और हाँ, पुणे वाला परिवार अब हमारा दोस्त बन गया है। उन्होंने हमें दिवाली पर अपने घर बुलाया है!
To aglee baar tum bhee saath chalo. Aur haan, Pune vaalaa parivaar ab hamaaraa dost ban gayaa hai. Unhonne hamen Divaalee par apne ghar bulaayaa hai!
Then come with us next time. Oh, and the family from Pune are our friends now. They've invited us to their home for Diwali!
Understand
If I had known: अगर मुझे पता होता
In chapter 5 you used the -ता (-taa) form for things that aren't true: (agar mere paas paise hote), if I had the money. The same form talks about the past that didn't happen: (agar mujhe pataa hotaa, to main doosree taiksee buk kar letee), if I had known, I would have booked another taxi. Both parts take the -ता form.
To make it very clear that you mean a finished past action, put (hotaa) after the simple past: (agar ham jaldee nikal gaye hote, to bas naheen chhoottee), if we had left earlier, we wouldn't have missed the bus.
| Hindi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| , … (agar mujhe pataa hotaa, …) | If I had known, … |
| , … (agar tum bataate, …) | If you had told me, … |
| , … (agar ham jaldee nikal gaye hote, …) | If we had left earlier, … |
| … (… to main bhee chaltaa.) | … I would have come too. (a man) |
| … (… to bas naheen chhoottee.) | … we wouldn't have missed the bus. |
As soon as, already: -ते ही and चुकना
-ते ही (-te hee), the stem + -ते (-te) + (hee), means “as soon as”. It never changes: (jheel par pahunchte hee main hairaan rah gaee), as soon as I got to the lake, I was amazed; (ghar aate hee), as soon as (someone) got home.
चुकना (chuknaa) after a stem means “already”, that something is completely finished: (bas nikal chukee thee), the bus had already left; (main khaanaa khaa chukaa hoon), I've already eaten (a man). agrees with the subject and never takes (ne).
The -ता (-taa) form of a verb, as in the present habitual, + (rahnaa) means “to keep doing”: (rang badaltaa rahtaa thaa), the colour kept changing.
Showing surprise
When a friend tells a story, these reactions keep the conversation going. (hairaan) means “amazed, surprised”; (hairaan rah jaanaa) is “to be left speechless”.
| Hindi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (sach men?) | Really? |
| (yakeen naheen hotaa!) | I can't believe it! |
| (kyaa baat hai!) | Wow! Nice one! (admiring) |
| (are vaah!) | Oh, wonderful! |
| (phir kyaa huaa?) | Then what happened? |
| / (main to hairaan rah gayaa / gaee.) | I was amazed. (a man / a woman) |
More in the grammar: If and if only: अगर … तो, काश · Joining actions: -कर, -आ हुआ, -ते ही · Verb families: खुलना, खोलना, खुलवाना
New words
- सफ़रsafartrip, journey · masculine
- गड़बड़garbarmix-up, something going wrong · feminine; (garbar ho gaee), something went wrong
- झीलjheellake · feminine
- निकलनाnikalnaato leave, to set off; to come out · (bas nikal gaee), the bus has left
- चुकनाchuknaaalready (after a stem) · (nikal chukee thee), had already left
- तुम लोगtum logyou (plural), you all · used when you talk to more than one friend
- देर सेder selate · same as (deree se): (der se uthnaa), to get up late
- वालाvaalaathe … person, the one from … · after a noun: (taiksee vaalaa), the taxi driver; (Pune vaalaa parivaar), the family from Pune. / / (vaalaa / vaalee / vaale)
- इंतज़ार करवानाintazaar karvaanaato keep (someone) waiting · (intazaar), wait, is masculine; (intazaar karnaa), to wait
- छूटनाchhootnaato be missed (a bus, a train) · (meree bas chhoot gaee), I missed my bus
- गाड़ीgaareecar, vehicle · feminine; (gaaree karnaa), to hire a car
- हैरानhairaanamazed, surprised · never changes
- छुट्टीchhutteeholiday, day off, leave · feminine; (chhuttee milnaa), to get time off
- बुलानाbulaanaato invite; to call (someone to come) · (unhonne hamen apne ghar bulaayaa hai), they've invited us to their home
Practise
1.A man says “If I had known, I would have come.” Which sentence is correct?
2.How do you say “The bus had already left”?
3.Priyanka talks about the bus. Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.The bus had already left.
4.Match the Hindi with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
5.How do you say “As soon as I got home, I called her”?
6.What is a (taiksee vaalaa)?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
क्या बात है!
Kyaa baat hai!
Nice one! Wow!
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.