Hindi · Upper intermediate (B2) · Chapter 4 of 12
Science and technology
यह कैसे काम करता है?yah kaise kaam kartaa hai?
Explain how something works in Hindi: the passive in depth, cause and effect (की वजह से, जिससे) and chains of -कर for steps.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Explain how something works, step by step
- Use the passive, and say who did it in formal Hindi
- Say what happens because of what: की वजह से, जिससे
- Say you can't bring yourself to do something: मुझसे यह नहीं खाया जाता
Listen
In Ahmedabad, engineer Nisha Desai explains to Mr Bhandari, 68, how solar panels on his roof would work. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Mr Bhandari
नमस्ते, निशा जी। मेरे बेटे ने कहा है कि हमें छत पर सोलर पैनल लगवाने चाहिए। लेकिन सच कहूँ तो मुझे समझ नहीं आता कि ये काम कैसे करते हैं।
Namaste, Nishaa jee. Mere bete ne kahaa hai ki hamen chhat par solar painal lagvaane chaahiye. Lekin sach kahoon to mujhe samajh naheen aataa ki ye kaam kaise karte hain.
Hello, Nisha. My son says we should have solar panels put on the roof. But to be honest, I don't understand how they work.
Nisha
जी, मैं समझाती हूँ। जब पैनलों पर धूप पड़ती है, तो सूरज की रोशनी से सीधे बिजली बनती है। इसमें न कोई मशीन चलती है, न कोई आवाज़ होती है।
Jee, main samjhaatee hoon. Jab painlon par dhoop partee hai, to sooraj kee roshnee se seedhe bijlee bantee hai. Ismen na koee masheen chaltee hai, na koee aavaaz hotee hai.
Of course, let me explain. When the sun shines on the panels, its light is turned straight into electricity. No machine runs, and there's no noise.
Mr Bhandari
अच्छा! लेकिन रात को? रात को तो धूप नहीं होती।
Achchhaa! Lekin raat ko? Raat ko to dhoop naheen hotee.
I see! But what about the night? There's no sun at night.
Nisha
सही बात है। दिन में जो बिजली ज़्यादा बनती है, वह ग्रिड में भेज दी जाती है, यानी बिजली कंपनी को बेच दी जाती है। रात को आप ग्रिड से बिजली लेते हैं, और महीने के आख़िर में दोनों का हिसाब किया जाता है।
Sahee baat hai. Din men jo bijlee zyaadaa bantee hai, vah grid men bhej dee jaatee hai, yaanee bijlee kampanee ko bech dee jaatee hai. Raat ko aap grid se bijlee lete hain, aur maheene ke aakhir men donon kaa hisaab kiyaa jaataa hai.
That's right. The extra electricity produced during the day is sent to the grid; in other words, it's sold to the electricity company. At night you take power from the grid, and at the end of the month the two are set against each other.
Mr Bhandari
यानी बिल कम हो जाएगा? पिछली गर्मियों में तो एसी की वजह से हमारा बिल आठ हज़ार तक पहुँच गया था।
Yaanee bil kam ho jaayegaa? Pichhlee garmiyon men to esee kee vajah se hamaaraa bil aath hazaar tak pahunch gayaa thaa.
So the bill will come down? Last summer our bill went up to eight thousand because of the AC.
Nisha
जी, काफ़ी कम। अहमदाबाद में साल के ज़्यादातर दिन तेज़ धूप होती है, जिससे यहाँ पैनल बहुत अच्छा काम करते हैं। कई घरों में बिल आधे से भी कम हो जाता है।
Jee, kaafee kam. Ahmadaabaad men saal ke zyaadaatar din tez dhoop hotee hai, jisse yahaan painal bahut achchhaa kaam karte hain. Kaee gharon men bil aadhe se bhee kam ho jaataa hai.
Yes, quite a lot lower. In Ahmedabad there's strong sunshine on most days of the year, which means panels work very well here. In many homes the bill drops to less than half.
Mr Bhandari
सुनने में तो बहुत अच्छा लगता है। पर इसमें कितना ख़र्च आएगा? और यह सब होगा कैसे?
Sunne men to bahut achchhaa lagtaa hai. Par ismen kitnaa kharch aayegaa? Aur yah sab hogaa kaise?
It certainly sounds very good. But how much will it cost? And how will it all be done?
Nisha
आपकी छत के साइज़ के हिसाब से लगभग दो लाख रुपये। पहले हमारी टीम आकर छत देखेगी, फिर नाप लेकर डिज़ाइन बनाएगी। सब कुछ तय करके ही पैनल लगाए जाएँगे।
Aapkee chhat ke saaiz ke hisaab se lagbhag do laakh rupaye. Pahle hamaaree teem aakar chhat dekhegee, phir naap lekar dizaain banaayegee. Sab kuchh tay karke hee painal lagaaye jaayenge.
Depending on the size of your roof, about two lakh rupees. First our team will come and look at the roof, then take measurements and draw up a design. The panels will only be put up once everything has been settled.
Mr Bhandari
दो लाख! यह तो बहुत है। हालाँकि बिजली का बिल भी तो हर महीने देना पड़ता है।
Do laakh! Yah to bahut hai. Haalaanki bijlee kaa bil bhee to har maheene denaa partaa hai.
Two lakh! That's a lot. Mind you, we have to pay the electricity bill every month too.
Nisha
बिलकुल। आप इसे ख़र्च नहीं, बचत समझिए। ज़्यादातर लोगों का पैसा चार-पाँच साल में वापस आ जाता है, और पैनल पच्चीस साल तक चलते हैं।
Bilkul. Aap ise kharch naheen, bachat samjhiye. Zyaadaatar logon kaa paisaa chaar-paanch saal men vaapas aa jaataa hai, aur painal pachchees saal tak chalte hain.
Exactly. Think of it not as a cost but as savings. Most people get their money back in four or five years, and the panels last for twenty-five years.
Mr Bhandari
और इतनी तेज़ धूप में पैनल ख़राब तो नहीं होंगे? मई में तो मुझसे दस मिनट भी छत पर खड़ा नहीं रहा जाता!
Aur itnee tez dhoop men painal kharaab to naheen honge? Maee men to mujhse das minat bhee chhat par kharaa naheen rahaa jaataa!
And won't the panels get damaged in such strong sun? In May I can't even stand on the roof for ten minutes!
Nisha
पैनल आपसे ज़्यादा मज़बूत हैं, अंकल! बस हर दो हफ़्ते में उन्हें पानी से साफ़ करना पड़ता है, क्योंकि धूल की वजह से बिजली कम बनती है।
Painal aapse zyaadaa mazboot hain, ankal! Bas har do hafte men unhen paanee se saaf karnaa partaa hai, kyonki dhool kee vajah se bijlee kam bantee hai.
The panels are tougher than you, uncle! You just have to wash them with water every two weeks, because dust means less electricity is produced.
Understand
The passive in depth
You know the passive from B1: the simple past form + (jaanaa): (painal lagaaye jaayenge), the panels will be put up. But when a verb has a partner for what happens by itself ( / , / ), Hindi usually prefers that partner: (bijlee bantee hai), electricity is produced. (bijlee banaaee jaatee hai) is also correct, but it suggests that someone is making it.
To say who did it, everyday Hindi uses (se), while news and official texts use (ke dvaaraa), or just (dvaaraa): (yah faislaa sarkaar ke dvaaraa liyaa gayaa), the decision was taken by the government. In conversation an active sentence is more usual: (sarkaar ne faislaa liyaa).
In the negative, the passive with (mujhse) says you can't bring yourself to do something, or can't manage it: (mujhse yah khaanaa naheen khaayaa jaataa), I just can't eat this food. It works with verbs that have no object too, and then the verb stays masculine singular: (mujhse kharaa naheen rahaa jaataa), I can't stand any longer.
| Hindi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (bijlee bantee hai.) | Electricity is produced. (it happens) |
| (bijlee bhej dee jaatee hai.) | The electricity is sent (on). |
| … (… ke dvaaraa liyaa gayaa) | taken by … (formal) |
| (mujhse yah naheen khaayaa jaataa.) | I can't bring myself to eat this. |
| (usse chalaa naheen jaataa.) | He / she can't walk (any more). |
Cause and effect
(kee vajah se) and (ke kaaran) both mean “because of” and come after a noun: (esee kee vajah se bil badh gayaa), the bill went up because of the AC. sounds more formal. Before a whole clause, use (kyonki), as in B1.
(jisse), which means, so that, starts a new clause with the result: (yahaan tez dhoop hotee hai, jisse painal achchhaa kaam karte hain), there's strong sun here, which means panels work well. The -ने (-ne) form + (se) says what an action leads to: (painal saaf karne se bijlee zyaadaa bantee hai), cleaning the panels produces more electricity.
| Hindi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| … , … (… kee vajah se, … ke kaaran) | because of … (+ noun) |
| … (kyonki …) | because … (+ clause) |
| (isliye, is vajah se) | so, for this reason |
| …, … (…, jisse …) | …, which means …; so that … |
| … (iskaa nateejaa yah hotaa hai ki …) | the result is that … |
| … … (… karne se …) | doing … leads to … |
Step by step: chains of -कर
To describe a process, Hindi strings actions together with the -कर (-kar) form, and only the last verb shows the tense: (hamaaree teem aakar chhat dekhegee, phir naap lekar dizaain banaayegee), our team will come and look at the roof, then take measurements and draw up a design. Keep a chain to two or three verbs, and start a new step with (phir).
Some -कर forms are fixed words: (khaaskar), especially; (milkar), together; (hokar), via; (jaan-boojhkar), on purpose. The opposite of a -कर form is (binaa) + the -ए (-e) form: (binaa dekhe), without looking.
- सब कुछ तय करके ही पैनल लगाए जाएँगे।Sab kuchh tay karke hee painal lagaaye jaayenge.The panels will only be put up once everything has been settled.
- हम मुंबई होकर गोवा गए।Ham Mumbaee hokar Govaa gaye.We went to Goa via Mumbai.
- उसने जान-बूझकर ऐसा नहीं किया।Usne jaan-boojhkar aisaa naheen kiyaa.He didn't do it on purpose.
- बिना पढ़े साइन मत कीजिए।Binaa padhe saain mat keejiye.Don't sign without reading it.
More in the grammar: Joining actions: -कर, -आ हुआ, -ते ही · The passive: किया जाता है · Linking ideas: although, because of, therefore
New words
- छतchhatroof · feminine; (chhat par), on the roof
- लगवानाlagvaanaato have (something) put up, installed · the causative of (lagaanaa), to put on, to fix
- समझ नहीं आनाsamajh naheen aanaanot to understand, not to get · … (mujhe samajh naheen aataa ki …), I don't understand how, why …
- सूरजsoorajsun · masculine; (dhoop parnaa), for the sun to shine on something
- रोशनीroshneelight · feminine
- बिजलीbijleeelectricity, power · feminine; (bijlee kaa bil), the electricity bill
- यानीyaaneethat is, in other words, so · (yaanee bil kam ho jaayegaa?), so the bill will come down?
- की वजह सेkee vajah sebecause of · (vajah), reason, is feminine: (is vajah se), for this reason
- ख़र्चkharchcost, expense · masculine; (kitnaa kharch aayegaa?), how much will it cost?
- नाप लेनाnaap lenaato take measurements, to measure · (naap), measurement, is masculine
- तय करनाtay karnaato decide, to settle, to fix · (tay) never changes: (taareekh tay ho gaee), the date has been fixed
- मज़बूतmazbootstrong, tough · never changes
- साफ़ करनाsaaf karnaato clean · (saaf), clean, never changes
- धूलdhooldust · feminine
Practise
1. (painal) is masculine. How do you say “The panels will be put up on the roof”?
2.Which word fits? ___ (esee ___ bil bahut badh gayaa.)
3.Mr Bhandari talks about the heat on his roof. Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.I just can't stand there.
4.Match the Hindi with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
5.What does (yahaan tez dhoop hotee hai, jisse painal achchhaa kaam karte hain) mean?
6.How do you say “Our team will come and look at the roof”?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
मुझे समझ नहीं आता कि यह कैसे काम करता है।
Mujhe samajh naheen aataa ki yah kaise kaam kartaa hai.
I don't understand how it works.
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.