Become familiar with Devanagari Script.
Devanagari is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal and is the main script used to write Hindi, Marathi, and Nepali. It is written from left to right, lacks distinct letter cases, and is recognizable by a distinctive horizontal line running along the tops of the letters that links them together.
Study the Hindi vowels.
Hindi has 11 vowels, some of which are indicated by the use of diacritic marks, or symbols added to the letters of an alphabet in order to show different pronunciations.Vowels in Hindi have two forms: one form for when they are used by themselves, and one form for when the vowel is joined to a consonant in a word.
Study the Hindi consonants.
There are 33 consonants in Hindi. They are organized in the alphabet by how you use your mouth and throat to pronounce them. Because Hindi uses more consonants than English does, some of them have no direct equivalent in English. The (a) next to some consonants indicates that they are pronounced as aspirated
Listen to a recording of the Hindi alphabet and then try to mimic the recording.
The Hindi alphabet may look a little alien to you, especially if you are a native English speaker, but with some practice, you’ll be able to understand how to make all the Hindi letter sounds yourself.
Learn how to write the Hindi alphabet.
You may find it easier to learn the Devanagari script if you can see how it is written. There are several tutorials available online, but the one at hindibhasha.com is widely recommended by university language departments.
Become familiar with Hindi nouns.
Nouns are words for objects, places, emotions, animals, and people. In Hindi, all nouns have a gender: masculine (M) or feminine (F). The gender of Hindi nouns is essential for proper grammar and communication, so when learning Hindi nouns, you must also learn their genders so you can use the nouns correctly.
A very general rule to determine the gender for a noun is words that end with the vowel आ aa are usually masculine and words that end with the vowel ई ee are usually feminine. However, there are many exceptions to this rule, so it’s important to still learn the gender of every noun through memorization and practice.
Become familiar with Hindi pronouns.
Simple pronouns like “he, she, I, we, they” are key to communicating in any language, including Hindi. The pronouns in Hindi are:
- First person singular: मैं main – I
- First person plural: हम ham – We
- Second person singular: तू too – You (Intimate)
- Second person plural: तुम tum – You (Informal), आप aap – You (Formal)
Purchase a good Hindi dictionary.
Oxford University Press publishes the gold standard of dictionaries, the Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary.While smaller pocket dictionaries are fine if you just need to look up a word or two, invest in a more substantial academic dictionary if you are serious about more formal study.
Practice common phrases with a partner or with a recording.
Learning conversational Hindi is a great way to practice your alphabet skills and prepare you for lessons on basic Hindi grammar. Actually having a conversation in Hindi is the most important way to learn the language.
- Find a friend in your language class or look online in language forums for individuals looking to practice their conversational Hindi.
- Focus on phrases like:
- Hi!, Hindi: Namastey!, script: नमस्ते
- Good morning!, Hindi: Suprabhaat, script: सुप्रभात
- Good evening!, Hindi: Shubh sundhyaa, script: शुभ संध्या
- Welcome! (to greet someone), Hindi: Aapka swaagat hai!, script: आपका स्वागत हैं।
- How are you?, Hindi: Aap kaisey hain?, script: आप कैसे हैं ?
- I’m fine, thanks!, Hindi: Mein theek hoon, shukriya!, script: मैं ठीक हुँ ।
- And you?, Hindi: Aur aap?, script: और आप?
- Good/ So-So, Hindi: Accha/ Theek-thaak, script: अच्छा/ ठीक-ठाक
- Thank you (very much)!, Hindi: Shukriyaa (Bahut dhanyavaad), script: शुक्रीया (बहुत धन्यवाद)
Read as much as you can in Hindi.
Fortunately, there is a wealth of online resources available in Hindi, including newspapers, blogs, and social media. There is also a tradition of Hindi literature dating back to the 760s CE, full of poets, philosophers, and religious writers.
Dainik Jagaran is the most popular Hindi newspaper in India. Other important newspapers published in Hindi include Hindustan, Dainik Bhaskar, and Rajasthan Patrika. The BBC also has a BBC India site
Find friends who speak Hindi.
Because so many people speak Hindi, the chances are good that you know people who can speak the language. Particularly if they live far away from home, people will often be happy to chat with you in their native language.In short, if you are new to Hindi, your priorities are the following:
- Decide on your motivation, goals, and how much you can dedicate to Hindi. This will help to manage your expectations.
- Build a base of practical vocabulary, including phrases and important verbs and nouns
- Start noticing the grammar in the phrases you learn, and use a grammar reference to look up uses and conjugations
- Get comprehensible input at the earliest opportunity. This should be enjoyable, somewhat challenging, and accessible
- Listen to the sounds of Hindi through podcasts. This will give you an idea of the pronunciation – you can’t pronounce a sound that you can’t hear
- Get out there and communicate as soon as you feel you can string a sentence together. There’s no substitute for practice, and the earlier you can start the sooner you can develop this crucial skill.
