Hindi · Upper intermediate (B2) · Chapter 5 of 12
Society and the environment
शहर की हवाshahar kee havaa
Talk about pollution in Hindi: unreal conditions (कर रहा होता, किया होता), “may have done” (किया हो) and worries with कहीं … न.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Talk about a problem in society and what could be done
- Imagine things differently: कर रहे होते, ध्यान दिया होता
- Say what may have happened: देखा हो
- Express concern: मुझे डर है कि कहीं … न हो जाए
Listen
On a smoggy winter morning in a Delhi office, colleagues Mariam and Tarun talk about the air, their families and what they could do. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Mariam
आज फिर हवा इतनी ख़राब है! सुबह से मुझे खाँसी आ रही है, और आँखें भी जल रही हैं।
Aaj phir havaa itnee kharaab hai! Subah se mujhe khaansee aa rahee hai, aur aankhen bhee jal rahee hain.
The air is so bad again today! I've been coughing since this morning, and my eyes are stinging too.
Tarun
हाँ, आज प्रदूषण का लेवल चार सौ से ज़्यादा है। मैंने तो आज गाड़ी घर पर ही छोड़ दी और मेट्रो से आया।
Haan, aaj pradooshan kaa leval chaar sau se zyaadaa hai. Mainne to aaj gaaree ghar par hee chhor dee aur metro se aayaa.
Yes, the pollution level is over four hundred today. I left the car at home and came by metro.
Mariam
अच्छा किया। अगर सब लोग ऐसा करते, तो सड़कों पर इतनी गाड़ियाँ न होतीं, और हवा भी थोड़ी साफ़ होती।
Achchhaa kiyaa. Agar sab log aisaa karte, to sarkon par itnee gaariyaan na hoteen, aur havaa bhee thoree saaf hotee.
Good for you. If everyone did that, there wouldn't be so many cars on the roads, and the air would be a bit cleaner.
Tarun
सिर्फ़ गाड़ियों की बात नहीं है। फ़ैक्टरियों से और कचरा जलाने से भी बहुत धुआँ होता है।
Sirf gaariyon kee baat naheen hai. Faiktariyon se aur kachraa jalaane se bhee bahut dhuaan hotaa hai.
It's not just the cars. Factories, and people burning rubbish, make a lot of smoke too.
Mariam
सच कहूँ तो मुझे अपने बेटे की सेहत की चिंता है। मुझे डर है कि कहीं उसे भी साँस की कोई बीमारी न हो जाए।
Sach kahoon to mujhe apne bete kee sehat kee chintaa hai. Mujhe dar hai ki kaheen use bhee saans kee koee beemaaree na ho jaaye.
To be honest, I'm worried about my son's health. I'm afraid he might end up with a breathing problem too.
Tarun
मैं समझ सकता हूँ। मेरी माँ को पिछले साल अस्पताल जाना पड़ा था। डॉक्टर ने कहा कि अगर हमने पहले ध्यान दिया होता, तो उनकी हालत इतनी ख़राब नहीं होती।
Main samajh saktaa hoon. Meree maan ko pichhle saal aspataal jaanaa paraa thaa. Doktar ne kahaa ki agar hamne pahle dhyaan diyaa hotaa, to unkee haalat itnee kharaab naheen hotee.
I understand. My mother had to go to hospital last year. The doctor said that if we'd paid attention earlier, she wouldn't have got so ill.
Mariam
ओह, मुझे नहीं पता था। अब वे कैसी हैं?
Oh, mujhe naheen pataa thaa. Ab ve kaisee hain?
Oh, I didn't know. How is she now?
Tarun
अब ठीक हैं, पर डॉक्टर ने उन्हें सर्दियों में सुबह की सैर पर जाने से मना किया है।
Ab theek hain, par doktar ne unhen sardiyon men subah kee sair par jaane se manaa kiyaa hai.
She's fine now, but the doctor has told her not to go for her morning walk in winter.
Mariam
कभी-कभी सोचती हूँ, अगर इस समय हम पहाड़ों में कहीं काम कर रहे होते, तो साफ़ हवा में साँस ले रहे होते।
Kabhee-kabhee sochtee hoon, agar is samay ham pahaaron men kaheen kaam kar rahe hote, to saaf havaa men saans le rahe hote.
Sometimes I think: if we were working somewhere in the hills right now, we'd be breathing clean air.
Tarun
हाँ, लेकिन भागने से कुछ नहीं होगा। यह हम सबकी ज़िम्मेदारी है। कम से कम इतना तो कर सकते हैं कि पेड़ लगाएँ और आस-पास किसी को कचरा न जलाने दें।
Haan, lekin bhaagne se kuchh naheen hogaa. Yah ham sabkee zimmedaaree hai. Kam se kam itnaa to kar sakte hain ki per lagaayen aur aas-paas kisee ko kachraa na jalaane den.
Yes, but running away won't help. It's all our responsibility. At the very least we can plant trees and not let anyone burn rubbish where we live.
Mariam
सही कहा। हमारी सोसाइटी के पास भी रोज़ शाम को कोई कचरा जलाता है। हो सकता है कि गार्ड ने किसी को देखा हो। मैं आज उससे पूछूँगी।
Sahee kahaa. Hamaaree sosaaitee ke paas bhee roz shaam ko koee kachraa jalaataa hai. Ho saktaa hai ki gaard ne kisee ko dekhaa ho. Main aaj usse poochhoongee.
You're right. Someone burns rubbish near our housing society every evening, too. The guard may have seen who it is. I'll ask him today.
Tarun
अच्छा आइडिया है। और अगर वह कुछ न बताए, तो ऑनलाइन शिकायत कर देना। कहीं ऐसा न हो कि हम सिर्फ़ बातें ही करते रह जाएँ।
Achchhaa aaidiyaa hai. Aur agar vah kuchh na bataaye, to onlaain shikaayat kar denaa. Kaheen aisaa na ho ki ham sirf baaten hee karte rah jaayen.
Good idea. And if he doesn't tell you anything, make a complaint online. We mustn't end up just talking about it.
Understand
If things were different: unreal forms
In B1 you used the -ता (-taa) form for things that aren't true: (agar sab log aisaa karte, to sarkon par itnee gaariyaan na hoteen), if everyone did that, there wouldn't be so many cars on the roads. Two more forms make the time clearer.
For an unreal action in progress, put the continuous with (hotaa): (agar ham pahaaron men kaam kar rahe hote, to saaf havaa men saans le rahe hote), if we were working in the hills now, we'd be breathing clean air. For a finished past action that didn't happen, use the simple past + , with (ne) where the verb needs it: (agar hamne pahle dhyaan diyaa hotaa), if we had paid attention earlier.
| Hindi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| , … (agar mujhe pataa hotaa, …) | If I knew, if I had known, … |
| , … (agar main gaaree chalaa rahaa hotaa, …) | If I were driving (right now), … (a man) |
| , … (agar hamne dhyaan diyaa hotaa, …) | If we had paid attention, … |
| … (… to haalat itnee kharaab naheen hotee.) | … things wouldn't be, wouldn't have got, so bad. |
| … (… to ham saans le rahe hote.) | … we would be breathing. |
| (kaash hamne pahle dhyaan diyaa hotaa!) | If only we had paid attention earlier! |
May have done: the perfect subjunctive
To say that something may have happened, use the simple past + the subjunctive of (honaa), / (ho / hon): (ho saktaa hai ki gaard ne kisee ko dekhaa ho), the guard may have seen someone; (shaayad ve ghar pahunch gaye hon), they may have got home.
The presumptive from chapter 2 is surer: (gaard ne kisee ko dekhaa hogaa), the guard must have seen someone.
- हो सकता है कि उसने मेरा मैसेज न देखा हो।Ho saktaa hai ki usne meraa maisej na dekhaa ho.She may not have seen my message.
- शायद मैंने चाबी घर पर छोड़ दी हो।Shaayad mainne chaabee ghar par chhor dee ho.I may have left the key at home.
- जो भी हुआ हो, अब चिंता मत करो।Jo bhee huaa ho, ab chintaa mat karo.Whatever may have happened, don't worry now.
Expressing concern
(chintaa), worry, and (dar), fear, take (mujhe) as in B1: (mujhe apne bete kee sehat kee chintaa hai), I'm worried about my son's health.
For a fear that something might happen, add (kaheen) and (na) to a subjunctive: (mujhe dar hai ki kaheen use beemaaree na ho jaaye), I'm afraid he might get ill. This doesn't make the sentence negative; it marks the fear. … (kaheen aisaa na ho ki …) warns: we mustn't let it happen that …
| Hindi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| … (mujhe … kee chintaa hai.) | I'm worried about … |
| … (mujhe dar hai ki kaheen … na ho jaaye.) | I'm afraid … might happen. |
| … (kaheen aisaa na ho ki …) | We mustn't end up …, let's make sure we don't … |
| … (chintaa kee baat yah hai ki …) | What's worrying is that … |
| (yah ham sabkee zimmedaaree hai.) | It's all our responsibility. |
More in the grammar: If and if only: अगर … तो, काश · Probably: the presumptive (होगा)
New words
- जलनाjalnaato burn; to sting · (aankhen jal rahee hain), my eyes are stinging. To burn something is (jalaanaa).
- प्रदूषणpradooshanpollution · masculine
- कचराkachraarubbish, waste · masculine
- धुआँdhuaansmoke · masculine
- साँसsaansbreath · feminine; (saans lenaa), to breathe
- बीमारीbeemaareeillness, disease · feminine; (beemaar), ill
- कहीं … नkaheen … na(I'm afraid) … might · with the subjunctive, for a fear: (kaheen der na ho jaaye), I hope we won't be late
- ध्यान देनाdhyaan denaato pay attention · (dhyaan), attention, is masculine: (is par dhyaan deejiye), please pay attention to this
- ध्यान दिया होताdhyaan diyaa hotaahad paid attention (but didn't) · the simple past + (hotaa), for a past that didn't happen
- हालतhaalatcondition, state · feminine; (unkee haalat kharaab hai), he's in a bad way
- सोचनाsochnaato think · (sochtee hoon), I think, I wonder (a woman)
- ज़िम्मेदारीzimmedaareeresponsibility · feminine
- पेड़pertree · masculine; (per lagaanaa), to plant trees
- देखा होdekhaa homay have seen · the simple past + (ho), after (ho saktaa hai ki) or (shaayad)
Practise
1.Mariam imagines working in the hills right now. Which sentence means “If we were working in the hills now, …”?
2.Which ending fits? ___ (mujhe dar hai ki kaheen baarish ___)
3.Put the words in order, starting with (mujhe).
Tap the words below in the right order.I'm worried about my son.
4.Match the Hindi with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
5.The doctor said: (agar hamne pahle dhyaan diyaa hotaa, to unkee haalat itnee kharaab naheen hotee). What does it mean?
6.How do you say “She may not have seen my message”?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
मुझे डर है कि कहीं बारिश न हो जाए।
Mujhe dar hai ki kaheen baarish na ho jaaye.
I'm afraid it might rain.
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.