Image by Ron McGeary 
Lesson #123: Hindi Survival Phrases!
Are you planning a trip to India in the near future? Maybe you’re going site-seeing, visiting long lost family or maybe you’re just off on a bit of an adventure! Whatever the reason, if you are going then as well as knowing some Hindi Conversational Phrases it’s probably a good idea to know some Survival and Emergency Hindi phrases.
So that’s what we’re going to cover today - we’re going to have a quick tour of useful phrases that will be essential in if you’re in India. If there’s any Hindi you learn before you go then this should be it! So are you ready? (If you’ve been following the lesson then you will have seen many of these before, but it’s always good to have them all in one place for some revision hey?)
Greetings
नमस्ते namaste - Hello / Goodbye
आप कैसे हैं? aap kaise hain - How are you?
मैं ठीक हूँ main theek hoon - I am fine
धन्यवाद dhanyavaad - Thank you
Speaking
हाँ haan - Yes नहीं naheen - No
अच्छा acchaa - Good / Fine / Great
क्या आप मेरी मदद कर सकते हैं?
kyaa aap meree madad kar sakte hain
- Can you help me?
मैं समझा नहीं main samajhaa naheen - I don’t understand (Male)
मैं समझी नहीं main samajhee naheen - I don’t understand (Female)
मेरी हिन्दी अच्छी नहीं है meree hindee acchee naheen hai
- My Hindi isn’t good
क्या आप अंग्रेज़ी बोल सकते हैं?
kyaa aap angrezee bol sakte hain
- Can you speak English?
और धीरे बोलिए aur dheere bolie - Please speak slower
हिन्दी (अंग्रेज़ी) में ___ कैसे कहते हैं?
hindee (angrezee) men ___ kaise kahte hain?
- How do you say ___ in Hindi (English)?
Shopping + Ordering
यह क्या है? yeh kyaa hai - What is this?
वह क्या है? voh kyaa hai - What is that?
इसका दाम क्या है? iskaa daam kyaa hai - How much is this?
मुझे यह चाहिए mujhe yeh caahie - I want / would like this
मुझे वह नहीं चाहिए mujhe voh naheen caahie - I don’t want that
बहुत महँगा है bahut mahangaa hai - That’s very expensive
माफ़ कीजिए maaf keejie - Sorry / Excuse me
Train Station +Travel
मैं ___ जा रहा हूँ main ___ jaa rahaa hoon
- I am going to ___ (Male)
मैं ___ जा रही हूँ main ___ jaa rahee hoon
- I am going to ___ (Female)
मैं टिकट ख़रीदना चाहता हूँ
main tikat khareednaa caahtaa hoon
- I want to buy a ticket (Male)
मैं टिकट ख़रीदना चाहती हूँ
main tikat khareednaa caahtee hoon
- I want to buy a ticket (Female)
गाड़ी कब जाएगी? gaaree kab jaaegee -
When will the train go?
गाड़ी कब पहुँचेगी? gaaree kab pahuncegee -
When will the train arrive?
क्या दूर है? kyaa door hai - Is it far?
बायाँ baayaan - Left दायाँ daayaan - Right
Emergency
पुलिस बुलाइए pulis bulaaie - Please call the Police
मदद madad - Help! आग aag - Fire! चोर cor - Thief!
मैं बीमार हूँ main beemaar hoon - I am ill / unwell
मुझे चोट लगी mujhe cot lagee - I am injured / hurt
अस्पताल कहाँ है? aspataal kahaan hai - Where is the hospital?
टोयलेट कहाँ है? toylet kahaan hai - Where is the toilet?
मैं गर्भवती हूँ main garbhavtee hoon - I am Pregnant
Phew! That’s it for now. Of course this is very brief and short, but it should give you a little helping hand for your travels! For more detail to some of these phrases be sure to check out the Hindi Conversational Phrases section of this site.
Oh and if you ever do find yourself in an emergency in India the emergency numbers are 100 for Police, 101 for Fire Brigade and 102 for Medical. If you speak in slow and clear English you’ll find a large percentage of people will understand you, which should help if you’re ever in a pickle. Don’t be afraid to speak English!
As always please feel free to leave me a question or comment below if you have any feedback. Is there a certain phrase you want translated into Hindi? Just let me know and I’ll do everything I can to help you!
