Hindi · Upper intermediate (B2) · Chapter 9 of 12
Humour and informal language
यारों की बातेंyaaron kee baaten
Understand casual Hindi between friends: तू and its forms, slang everyone knows (यार, जुगाड़, मस्त), irony, and how register changes a sentence.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Understand तू and its forms between close friends
- Recognise widely used slang: यार, जुगाड़, मस्त, बिंदास
- Spot irony and teasing
- Say the same thing in four registers
Listen
On the Delhi Metro, college friends Sahil and Megha, both 21, tease each other about a missed class and plan a birthday party. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Sahil
ओए मेघा, इधर आ! मैंने तेरे लिए सीट रखी है, बैठ जा।
Oye Meghaa, idhar aa! Mainne tere liye seet rakhee hai, baith jaa.
Hey Megha, over here! I've saved you a seat, sit down.
Megha
थैंक्स यार। आज तो मेट्रो में बहुत भीड़ है। वैसे तू कल क्लास में क्यों नहीं आया?
Thainks yaar. Aaj to metro men bahut bheer hai. Vaise too kal klaas men kyon naheen aayaa?
Thanks. The metro's really packed today. By the way, why didn't you come to class yesterday?
Sahil
अरे, तबीयत थोड़ी ख़राब थी। पूरा दिन घर पर आराम किया।
Are, tabeeyat thoree kharaab thee. Pooraa din ghar par aaraam kiyaa.
Oh, I wasn't feeling too well. I rested at home all day.
Megha
हाँ, हाँ, बिलकुल। और शाम तक तबीयत इतनी ठीक हो गई कि तू फ़िल्म देखने चला गया? इंस्टाग्राम पर फ़ोटो मैंने भी देखी थी।
Haan, haan, bilkul. Aur shaam tak tabeeyat itnee theek ho gaee ki too film dekhne chalaa gayaa? Instaagraam par foto mainne bhee dekhee thee.
Yeah, right. And by the evening you felt so much better that you went off to see a film? I saw the photo on Instagram too, you know.
Sahil
अच्छा ठीक है, पकड़ा गया। पर प्लीज़ भाव मत खा, अपने नोट्स दे दे। परसों टेस्ट है।
Achchhaa theek hai, pakraa gayaa. Par pleez bhaav mat khaa, apne nots de de. Parson test hai.
OK, fine, you've caught me. But please don't play hard to get, just give me your notes. The test is the day after tomorrow.
Megha
वाह, क्या बात है! क्लास तू छोड़े, और मेहनत मैं करूँ? बड़ा आया नोट्स माँगने वाला!
Vaah, kyaa baat hai! Klaas too chhore, aur mehnat main karoon? Baraa aayaa nots maangne vaalaa!
Oh, brilliant! You skip class and I do the work? Look who's asking for notes!
Sahil
यार, तू तो मेरी सबसे अच्छी दोस्त है। बदले में मैं तुझे कैंटीन में समोसे खिलाऊँगा। डील?
Yaar, too to meree sabse achchhee dost hai. Badle men main tujhe kainteen men samose khilaaoongaa. Deel?
Come on, you're my best friend. In return I'll treat you to samosas in the canteen. Deal?
Megha
सिर्फ़ समोसे? बड़ा कंजूस बंदा है तू। साथ में कोल्ड कॉफ़ी भी चाहिए।
Sirf samose? Baraa kanjoos bandaa hai too. Saath men kold kofee bhee chaahiye.
Just samosas? You're such a stingy guy. I want a cold coffee with them as well.
Sahil
ठीक है, ठीक है, मस्त डील है। अच्छा सुन, शनिवार को राहुल का जन्मदिन है। कुछ प्लान करें? पर बजट कम है।
Theek hai, theek hai, mast deel hai. Achchhaa sun, shanivaar ko Raahul kaa janmdin hai. Kuchh plaan karen? Par bajat kam hai.
Fine, fine, great deal. OK, listen, it's Rahul's birthday on Saturday. Shall we plan something? But we're short of money.
Megha
किसी के घर पर पार्टी कर लें? कोई जुगाड़ है तेरे पास?
Kisee ke ghar par paartee kar len? Koee jugaar hai tere paas?
Shall we have the party at someone's place? Can you sort something out?
Sahil
जुगाड़ हो गया! मम्मी-पापा शनिवार को मामा के यहाँ जा रहे हैं, घर पूरा ख़ाली होगा।
Jugaar ho gayaa! Mammee-paapaa shanivaar ko maamaa ke yahaan jaa rahe hain, ghar pooraa khaalee hogaa.
Sorted! Mum and Dad are going to my uncle's on Saturday, so the house will be completely empty.
Megha
फिर तो बिंदास पार्टी होगी! पर अंकल को पता चल गया तो? बाद में मत कहना कि मैंने बताया नहीं था। चल, अगला स्टेशन हमारा है।
Phir to bindaas paartee hogee! Par ankal ko pataa chal gayaa to? Baad men mat kahnaa ki mainne bataayaa naheen thaa. Chal, aglaa steshan hamaaraa hai.
Then we can party without a care! But what if your dad finds out? Don't say later that I didn't warn you. Come on, the next station's ours.
Understand
तू between close friends
In A2 you met (too) in commands. Between very close friends, brothers and sisters, and when people pray to God, is used in full sentences. Among young people in Delhi it's common between friends of either sex. With anyone else, a stranger or an older person, it sounds rude, so don't use it until your friends do.
takes the same verb forms as (vah), except in the imperative, which is the bare stem: (too kahaan hai?), where are you?; (baith jaa), sit down. With (ne) it becomes (toone), with (ko) (tujhe), and “your” is / / (teraa / teree / tere).
| (tum) | (too) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| (tum kahaan ho?) | (too kahaan hai?) | Where are you? |
| (tum kyon naheen aaye?) | (too kyon naheen aayaa?) | Why didn't you come? (to a man) |
| (tumne dekhaa?) | (toone dekhaa?) | Did you see? |
| , (tumhen, tumse) | , (tujhe, tujhse) | to you, from you |
| (tumhaaraa) | (teraa) | your |
| , (baitho, suno) | , (baith, sun) | sit, listen |
Slang everyone understands
Some informal words are understood everywhere in the Hindi-speaking world and many are used by people of all ages. Use them with friends, not in an interview. (yaar), mate, friend, can be said to men and women alike, and (bandaa), guy, has the feminine (bandee).
| Hindi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (yaar) | mate, friend; come on (in any sentence) |
| / (bandaa / bandee) | guy, girl |
| (jugaar) | a clever fix, a way round a problem |
| (mast) | great, fun |
| (bindaas) | cool, carefree |
| (bhaav khaanaa) | to play hard to get, to act important |
| (tenshan mat le) | don't stress, relax |
| (oye) | hey (to a friend; rude to a stranger) |
Irony and register
Friends tease each other with irony. (vaah, kyaa baat hai!), which you know as real praise, can also mean “oh, brilliant” when something isn't. …! (baraa aayaa …!), literally “the great … has come”, mocks someone: (baraa aayaa nots maangne vaalaa!), look who's asking for notes! The tone of voice tells you which is meant.
The same request can be made in four registers. Choose by who you are talking to.
| Register | Hindi | Use it with |
|---|---|---|
| (too) | (apne nots de de.) | very close friends |
| (tum) | (apne nots de do.) | friends, family, younger people |
| (aap) | (apne nots de deejiye.) | colleagues, older people, strangers |
| formal | (kripyaa apne nots dene kaa kasht karen.) | letters, notices (chapter 10) |
More in the grammar: Pronouns and politeness · Idioms and set phrases (मुहावरे) · Register: everyday and formal Hindi
New words
- यारyaarmate, friend · masculine, but said to women too
- इधरidharhere, over here, this way · (udhar), there, that way
- भीड़bheercrowd · feminine; (bahut bheer hai), it's very crowded
- तेराteraayour (with तू) · / / (teraa / teree / tere); (tere liye), for you
- पकड़ा जानाpakraa jaanaato get caught · (pakraa gayaa), you've caught me (a man)
- भाव खानाbhaav khaanaato play hard to get, to act important · informal; (bhaav mat khaa), don't act so important
- बड़ा आयाbaraa aayaalook who's talking (ironic) · (baree aaee) about a woman
- खिलानाkhilaanaato feed; to treat (someone to food) · (main tujhe samose khilaaoongaa), I'll treat you to samosas
- कंजूसkanjoosstingy, mean with money · never changes
- बंदाbandaaguy, bloke · informal; (bandee), girl
- मस्तmastgreat, fun · informal, never changes
- जुगाड़jugaara clever fix, a makeshift solution · masculine; (jugaar ho gayaa), it's sorted
- मामाmaamaauncle (mother's brother) · (maamaa ke yahaan), at my uncle's
- बिंदासbindaascool, carefree · informal, never changes
Practise
1.Sahil talks to his close friend with (too). How does he ask “Where are you?”
2.Megha says (vaah, kyaa baat hai! klaas too chhore, aur mehnat main karoon?) How does she really feel?
3.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.Don't play hard to get, mate.
4.Match the Hindi with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
5.You'd like to borrow notes from an older colleague. Which is right?
6.What is a (jugaar)?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
टेंशन मत ले, यार।
Tenshan mat le, yaar.
Don't stress, mate.
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.