how much hindi should i know

matt_of_sydney

i'm going to india for dec/jan.

how much hindi should you know for getting round and appearing polite etc

mercedes10

Well I suppose the more you know the better, but you'll get by just speaking English too.

Probably the word you would use most is the greeting 'Namaste' (said with palms pressed together). 'Shukriya' for thank you is another obvious one. I found the Rough Guide Hindi phrasebook quite useful for learning the basics. Good luck!

timmy

I only know the two M10 suggested, and I got by OK.

Merchant

Pidgin Hindi (which I speak, cobbled from the movies) is only good for a laugh. It helps break the ice, lets people know you're okay, etc. Knowing the names of the big film stars and cricketers counts big time.

Unless you are really devoted to the language, the average Indian's English will outpace your best efforts in Hindi--and Hindi is only useful in some quarters: i.e., not in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, etc.

I spent some time with some Gujarati saliors in the UAE recently. They spoke almost no English; I spoke no Gujarati and only a smattering of filmi Hindi. But when we were watching videos in the wheelhouse, and Salman Khan dumped Aishwarya in the sequence, I pronounced him "pagal" and everyone went nuts.

Bonita

HI MATT from OZ..
Namaste. Well, i take it you are already a kind-of polite guy, with such a question, so you are on the right path already, and any amount and any effort will be both appreciated and bring alot of smiles...There is no magic formula for how much hindi to learn, and depending on where you are going, it is not a neccessity for you well-being, as so many Indians do speak english, and also because there are so many language variations, and depending on where u are traveling they may not even speak hindi, (kerala, tamil, goa, the list goes on, etc..)....., HOWEVER, i am a big beleiver/practioner in learning the basics of any language whererever you go, and i think it is important to try to understand a wee bit, as it helps u feel the pulse of the people, how they communicate, enriching your experinces and yea, it is nice for the locals too, as they really appreciate the effort.. ....Generally speaking, kindness/respect/humility, a big smile, and a sweet namaste or salam alekum u will be fine and the toast of the town... But that said, if you are in the hindi belt, any amount of hindi will be greatly welcomed, open doors for you or lend to great happiness or amusement for others.!!, It can add to your travel experince, bring alot of smiles to even the weary govt officials, and make you plenty of freinds.. Also, it is really such a fun language to try to speak once you get into the rythym ,and even the most basic, can color up your journey and pass the time on the road.. u can pick up the LP little hindi/urdu book, or the rough guide, or my favorite spoken hindi book, and i recently mentioned it on another post is, "HINDI in three months", by HUgo. THIS book offers amusing colorful spoken hindi, in sentences you will really need, plus some basic grammer, and alot of pointers! things that are useful to learn to say in hindi for starters might be..
1. numbers...
2. how are you, basics...
3. what is your name, etc...
3. (mairital status )
4. what is the name of your country. learn to say oz in hindi....Astreliya
5.if you have kids, boys/girls convos, hom many?
5. how long is the train/bus, etc..?
6. that you do not need anything!
7. no problem!!.
8. Another beer please! Ek aur biya chaiye!..I WILL give you that one, for starters....
**useful expressions/basics like these will be covered in in LP or hugo...
have a great trip...bonita..

__________________
Dreamingofindia@aol.com

Ikuru

"Namaste My Man!" As long as you can say that and make it sound really cool you will be well of in most of india, than if you want so say hello in a more Impressive way (used in some remote holy places) you swap to Hadyom (also some kind of "hello")...

Than If you need to adress someone lets say urgent you can adress them SIR or Baboo (friend) that might be the extra word you will need to make the bussdriver stop the buss or something....

Thast all!

That and "shanti, shanti!" (a word for peace (?)) but said like that it means that you should calm down enjoy and take it easy course everything takes some time in India you see...

At the end of the day the Best comunication is beyond words!

take care, Peace out! and have a nice litle trip mate!

__________________
http://www.ikuru.se My art.

skell

Bonita, thanks again for all your good advice. I just ordered "Hindi in 3 Months" from my favorite book source, Half.com.

matt_of_sydney

Namaste. you people are great. this forum thing gets such wonderful answers so amazingly quick. thank you everyone

beach

Practically non! Try to understand the way India speak English. With people who don’t know English, speak to them in English without grammar! Most of the people you may deal with (common man at street, shopkeepers, taxi drivers, waiters. etc) can either speak or somewhat understand a bit of English. Speak very slowly and distinctively.

BbuSS StaanD is the correct word!
Phify pfor is 54
Jeezoo is 0, well, the rest you can learn hands on

pooch

LMAO I've been trying to get phify pfor right and just can't. Don't the f's go missing in the south beach it more like piptee porr in Chennai.

freenote

a bit worried about "namaste" I thought it was a bit "formal" or "respectful" and not to be used to casualy.Am I wrong

__________________
eyes ,eyes that have seen all , come back to the white chrysanthemum (Basho)

Bonita

tHANX sKELL, , and i am sure you will like the book, HINDI in three months!. I have had it for what seems like three lifetimes, and although it is now all weathered and curry stained, i just love it, as it really gets me/keeps me in the mood for INDIA and Hindi. . About the word Namaste, traditional Hindi greeting, hands togther in prayer postition. I would say it is respectful and traditional, and not neccassarily formal..OF COURSE alot of people in the big cities are saying hello and ciao and all the mod-cons, but it is still the most basic of hindi expressions, and if you go more off the beaten path in small hindu villages, u will find this the most common everyday all-purpose hindi greeting, and bring you alot of smiles and good will...U can really use this greeting for people of any gender/age/etc, as it is a very respectful and simple..*note, a more formal version of namaste is NAMASKAR, perhaps for elders or people in high Govt postions if you need to impress or get a vias extension, etc, or perhaps can use namaskar if you are really feeling the persons loftineess and just want to give them the extra respect!..The actual translations of NAMASTE, are absolutely beautiful, and says both alot about the people, the religon and the language..i have heard a few variations of the theme, but basically means, "the god in me, salutes the god in you", or "i bow to the divine in YOU", OR " the spirit in me greets the spirit in you YOU", ETC...so you can see it is a very beautiful and humbling expression, hits you in the heart, and it connects you immediately with the person on a very human level, and for that matter, to all things.. namaste.. .bonita..

freenote

good word that, namaste !!

eater

If you are going to south india.......you do not need hindi.....english/french is good

Bonita

yes Freenote, a sUperb word, NAMASTE to you!.. .makes you feel good when you say it!. South iNDIA, as i mentioned in a earlier chat is not Hindi speaking, rather each state in the south, and really, in all of INDIA, will have their own language, and very often the second language will be English. However, Hindi has a huge pressence in INDIA , of all the lanugages it has the most speakers, and many of the Northern States that travelers visit, UTTAR pradesh, HIMACHAL pRADESH, MADHYa PRADESH are hindi speaking ,.IF YOU look on a map, u will see the NORTH of INDIA from RAJASTAn all the way to Bihar is HINDI speaking, more or less, with plenty of loCAL dialects too, but they will usually undesrtand and also speak HINDI......*In the south there are plenty of other languages, Malayalam in Kerala, Tamil in Tamil Nadu, Konkani in goa, Marathi in Maharastra, kannada in Karnataka, to name a few examples.. IN these states, u can use english over Hindi, although many do understand a little Hindi from Bollywood. Plus u will find that many INDIAN workers in the south tourist area places are actually HINDI speaking from North India, as well as many NEPALESe, who speak, well, Nepali but also learn Hindi.. So, U will still find opportunites to use HINDI in the south, if you are craving it, like i am when i go down south. ..happy travels, and shall i say, namaste..