नमस्ते! अभिवादन और परिचय
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Greet people and take leave politely in Hindi.
- Introduce yourself and ask another person's name.
- Use basic courtesy expressions, including please, thank you, and excuse me.
- Recognize आप as the safe, respectful default form of address.
- Recognize the Devanagari independent vowels and a first small set of consonants in familiar words.
- Read and copy a small set of high-frequency Devanagari greeting and courtesy words.
- Complete a short, supported greeting and self-introduction exchange, in speech and in writing.
Communication Scenario
Priya is starting a community Hindi class in the evenings after work. On the first night, the instructor, Mr. Sharma, greets each new student at the door, asks for their name, and shows them a small name card written in Devanagari to copy. Everyone in the room is a stranger to everyone else, so the whole evening is built out of short, repeated exchanges: नमस्ते, a name, a "thank you," and a seat.
- This chapter gives you the exact language Priya and her classmates use on that first night: greetings, names, and a small set of courtesy words.
- It also gives you your very first look at Devanagari, the script you will read and write throughout the whole series.
Where This Chapter Fits
Chapter 1 opens Volume I and Unit I. It introduces no full grammar system, no gender agreement, and no verb conjugation. Instead, it gives you a small number of complete, usable formulas and your first Devanagari letters, so that Chapters 2 through 4 can build identity, family, and classroom language on a stable first step.
Coming Into This Chapter
No prior Hindi knowledge is assumed. This is the very first chapter of the very first volume.
New in This Chapter
नमस्ते, धन्यवाद, and other courtesy formulas; मैं ... हूँ for giving your name; आपका नाम क्या है? for asking a name; आप as the safe default address form; the Devanagari independent vowels; and a first set of consonants, including क, ख, ग, घ, म, न, and ह.
Looking Forward
Chapter 2 uses यह and वह to identify other people, introduces nominal sentences with है, and continues building the Devanagari consonant set.
Core Vocabulary
The words below are your very first productive Hindi vocabulary. Read across each row: the Devanagari form first, since Devanagari is the primary script of this course, then a romanized pronunciation guide, then the English meaning. The romanized form is a temporary support only; rely on the Devanagari as soon as you can.
| Devanagari | Romanization | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| नमस्ते | namaste | hello / goodbye | all-purpose greeting and farewell, any time of day |
| धन्यवाद | dhanyavaad | thank you | neutral, widely usable |
| शुक्रिया | shukriya | thanks | very common in everyday speech; receptive here |
| कृपया | kripaya | please | used before a polite request |
| जी हाँ | jee haan | yes | जी adds respect; plain हाँ is also common |
| जी नहीं | jee nahin | no | softer than plain नहीं |
| माफ़ कीजिए | maaf keejiye | excuse me / sorry | polite, formulaic apology or attention-getter |
| स्वागत है | swaagat hai | welcome | said to a guest or new arrival |
| फिर मिलेंगे | phir milenge | see you again | friendly leave-taking formula |
| नाम | naam | name | used in आपका नाम क्या है? |
| क्या | kya | what | question word, used formulaically here |
| मैं | main | I | pronoun, controlled use |
| आप | aap | you (respectful) | safe default address form for learners |
| हूँ | hoon | am | formulaic copula form used with मैं |
संख्याएँ 0–10 — Numbers 0–10 (recognition and supported use):
| Devanagari | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| शून्य | shoonya | 0 |
| एक | ek | 1 |
| दो | do | 2 |
| तीन | teen | 3 |
| चार | chaar | 4 |
| पाँच | paanch | 5 |
| छह | chhah | 6 |
| सात | saat | 7 |
| आठ | aath | 8 |
| नौ | nau | 9 |
| दस | das | 10 |
Numbers appear here as reference support. You are not expected to use them in full sentences yet; simply begin to recognize their shapes and sounds.
Receptive vocabulary (recognize only, do not produce yet): informal greeting variants such as क्या हाल है?; जी used alone in respectful address; तुम and तू as address forms you will meet later; common classroom-management expressions such as बैठिए ("please sit").
Devanagari and Pronunciation
Devanagari is the primary writing system of this course. It is an abugida: each basic consonant letter carries a built-in, or "inherent," vowel sound (a short a, as in "sofa") unless another vowel sign is attached or the vowel is deliberately removed. You will meet this inherent vowel again soon, but for now, simply notice that Hindi letters are not silent shapes — every letter you see in this chapter is meant to be pronounced.
1.1 Independent vowels
These ten vowels can stand alone at the beginning of a word or syllable. Practice saying them aloud, slowly and clearly.
अ and आ are a short-long pair, as are इ/ई and उ/ऊ. Vowel length is a real difference in Hindi, not a stylistic choice — you will keep working on it throughout the course.
1.2 First consonants
Here are your first seven consonants, all of which appear in this chapter's vocabulary. Each is shown with its inherent vowel, so क is pronounced roughly like "kuh," not like a bare English "k."
Hindi distinguishes aspirated consonants, said with a small puff of air, from unaspirated ones. क (ka) is unaspirated; ख (kha) is aspirated. ग (ga) is unaspirated; घ (gha) is aspirated. Hold a hand or a small piece of paper in front of your mouth: for the aspirated sound, you should feel or see a clear puff of air; for the unaspirated sound, almost none. This is a real, meaning-changing contrast in Hindi, not a minor accent detail, and you will keep practicing it across every chapter.
1.3 Listening for greetings and names
Listen for the rise and fall of a greeting exchange, and for the shape of the question आपका नाम क्या है?, before you try to read every letter. Hindi statement and question intonation both matter here: a question rises gently toward the end, while a statement or a name generally falls.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
1.4 Greeting formulas
Purpose: greet someone and take leave, using one all-purpose word.
नमस्ते is used for both "hello" and "goodbye," at any time of day, with people you have just met as well as people you know well. Because it is so flexible, you can use it confidently in almost any first encounter.
- नमस्ते! Namaste! Hello! / Greetings!
- नमस्ते, फिर मिलेंगे। Namaste, phir milenge. Goodbye, see you again.
1.5 मैं ... हूँ for giving your name
Purpose: say who you are, using one fixed frame.
Treat मैं ... हूँ as a complete, memorized frame for now: मैं means "I," and हूँ is a form of "to be" that goes with मैं. You are not yet expected to change हूँ to agree with other subjects — that fuller system develops gradually across the volume.
Fill the blank in the middle with your name, and keep मैं at the start and हूँ at the end: मैं [नाम] हूँ। This is a formulaic pattern. Full explanation of Hindi's pronoun and copula system will come gradually, starting in Chapter 2.
- मैं प्रिया हूँ। Main Priya hoon. I am Priya.
- मैं शर्मा हूँ। Main Sharma hoon. I am Sharma.
1.6 Asking a name: आपका नाम क्या है?
Purpose: ask another person's name, respectfully.
1.7 आप as your safe default address form
Purpose: address anyone respectfully, without needing to judge the relationship first.
Hindi has three words that can correspond to English "you": आप, तुम, and तू. They are not interchangeable — each signals a different level of formality and closeness. आप is respectful and safe with strangers, elders, teachers, and most people you do not know well. तुम is familiar, used among friends, peers, and some family members. तू is very intimate, and can also be affectionate, poetic, religious, or, in the wrong context, insulting.
In this chapter, use आप as your default. You will begin to recognize तुम and तू in later chapters, but you are not expected to produce them yet.
1.8 Yes/no and questions, formulaically
Purpose: answer a simple question and recognize क्या in a memorized frame.
For now, treat जी हाँ and जी नहीं as complete formulas for "yes" and "no," and treat क्या only as it appears inside आपका नाम क्या है?. A full explanation of Hindi question formation begins later in the volume.
Model Dialogue
Setting: Mr. Sharma greets Priya at the door on the first night of the community Hindi class.
Notice that जी is added after शर्मा as a mark of respect. Not every name needs जी in every situation — context and relationship matter, as you will see again in later chapters.
समझ के प्रश्न — Comprehension questions:
- प्रिया का नाम क्या है? (What is Priya's name?)
- शर्मा जी क्या कहते हैं जब प्रिया आती है? (What does Mr. Sharma say when Priya arrives?)
- How does Priya thank Mr. Sharma at the end of the exchange?
Listening Practice
Ask your instructor, a study partner, or a fluent Hindi speaker to read the model dialogue above aloud, at a natural pace, twice. On the first listen, simply notice the greeting words and the two names. On the second listen, complete the table below.
If no speaker is available, this is a Listening Script for Independent Use. Read the passage aloud yourself, slowly and clearly at first, then at a more natural pace. Any spoken model should be verified by a fluent Hindi speaker before being treated as a pronunciation standard.
एक और परिचय — Another introduction:
"नमस्ते! मैं अनिल हूँ। आपका नाम क्या है? ... मैं सुनीता हूँ। नमस्ते, सुनीता जी। स्वागत है। धन्यवाद, अनिल जी।"
सुनने का काम — Listening task:
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| पहले व्यक्ति का नाम क्या है? (What is the first person's name?) | ______ |
| दूसरे व्यक्ति का नाम क्या है? (What is the second person's name?) | ______ |
| Which word is used to welcome the second speaker? | ______ |
Reading Practice
Read the two name cards below aloud, sounding out each Devanagari word slowly. These are the kind of simple cards Mr. Sharma hands to each new student on the first night.
मेरा नाम राज है।
धन्यवाद।
मैं सुनीता हूँ।
स्वागत है।
समझ के प्रश्न — Comprehension questions:
- What two greeting or courtesy words appear on both cards?
- Which card uses the frame from Language Focus 1.5 (मैं ... हूँ), and which uses the alternative frame from 1.6 (मेरा नाम ... है)?
Writing Workshop
Create your own short name card, following the model cards above. Your card should use a greeting, one of the two self-introduction frames, and one courtesy word.
लेखन कार्य — Writing task: Write two or three short sentences in Devanagari, copying letter shapes carefully.
- Choose a greeting. Start with नमस्ते.
- Give your name. Use either मैं [नाम] हूँ। or मेरा नाम [नाम] है।
- Add one courtesy word. Close with धन्यवाद। or स्वागत है।
- Check your letters. Compare each Devanagari letter you wrote against the vowel and consonant charts above.
संपादन सूची — Editing checklist:
- The card opens with a greeting.
- The card gives a name, using one of the two taught frames.
- The card includes at least one courtesy word.
- Devanagari letters are copied carefully and clearly.
- A danda (।) or period ends each sentence.
Speaking Practice
नियंत्रित अभ्यास — Controlled practice: reading the model dialogue aloud
Read the model dialogue above aloud twice: once slowly, sounding out each word, and once at a more natural pace. Pay attention to the rise in pitch at the end of आपका नाम क्या है?
संचार कार्य — Communicative task: greet and introduce yourself
With a partner or small group, greet one another as if you were meeting for the first time on the opening night of a class. Use नमस्ते, ask आपका नाम क्या है?, answer with your own name, and close with धन्यवाद or फिर मिलेंगे.
अकेले अभ्यास — Solo alternative
Record yourself completing both sides of a short greeting and introduction exchange, playing both Mr. Sharma's and Priya's parts. Listen back and check your aspiration in ख and घ sounds if any appear in your recording.
Culture and Communication
नमस्ते is widely understood across Hindi-speaking communities, but greeting practices are not identical everywhere. Some speakers greet with a slight bow or a folded-hands gesture; others simply say the word. Greetings may also vary by religion, region, generation, and setting. Do not assume that one greeting routine represents every Hindi-speaking person.
जी added after a name or title, as in शर्मा जी, signals respect. It is common with teachers, elders, and people you have just met, but it is not automatically attached to every name in every context. As you meet more names and titles in later chapters, you will develop a better sense of when जी fits naturally.
Common Mistakes
Error: Pronouncing क and ख identically, without any breath difference.
Correction: Practice the puff-of-air test from the Pronunciation Focus box above. ख should produce a clearly noticeable puff of air; क should not.
Error: Assuming that any word for "you" is equally safe with any person.
Correction: Use आप as your default in this chapter. Save तुम and तू for later chapters, once you understand more about the relationships they signal.
Error: Trying to guess a different ending for "I am," "you are," or "he/she is," because English changes its verb forms.
Correction: For now, treat मैं ... हूँ as one fixed frame. The fuller copula system, including है and हैं, begins in Chapter 2.
Chapter Review
भाग A — समझ (Comprehension)
1. Return to the model dialogue and answer in English:
- What does Mr. Sharma say to welcome Priya?
- What does Priya say when Mr. Sharma tells her his name?
भाग B — व्याकरण (Grammar)
1. Complete each sentence using the मैं ... हूँ frame with the name given:
- (Anil) ______ अनिल हूँ।
- (Meera) ______ मीरा हूँ।
2. Which address word should a beginner use by default with a stranger: आप, तुम, or तू?
भाग C — पठन (Reading)
1. Return to the two name cards above and answer:
- पहले कार्ड में नाम क्या है? (What is the name on the first card?)
- दूसरे कार्ड में कौन सा शब्द "welcome" के लिए इस्तेमाल होता है? (Which word on the second card means "welcome"?)
भाग D — लेखन (Writing)
1. Write a three-sentence name card for yourself, combining a greeting, one self-introduction frame, and one courtesy word.
भाग E — वाचन (Speaking)
1. Greet a partner, ask their name, give your own name, and close the exchange politely, without reading from a script.
Devanagari Recognition Check
Circle or say aloud the two consonants below that form an aspirated pair, then say the two consonants that form a second aspirated pair.
क ख ग घ म न ह
Practical Performance Task
Chapter 1 Performance Task
Complete Greeting and Introduction Exchange
Complete the following four connected tasks in order, exactly as Priya does on her first night of class.
- Listen to the model dialogue, or a similar exchange read by your instructor or partner, and complete the listening table above.
- Read the two name cards above and answer the comprehension questions.
- Write your own short name card, following the writing workshop steps and editing checklist.
- Speak a complete greeting and introduction exchange with a partner, recording, or instructor, without reading from a script.
| Criterion | What is assessed |
|---|---|
| Greeting and courtesy use | An appropriate greeting, courtesy word, and leave-taking formula are used naturally. |
| Self-introduction | The learner gives a name using one of the two taught frames. |
| Address form | आप is used consistently as the safe default form. |
| Devanagari recognition | Scheduled vowels and consonants are read and copied with reasonable accuracy. |
| Task completion | All four tasks are completed and connect clearly across listening, reading, writing, and speaking. |
This task assesses only what this chapter has taught. It does not require gender agreement, verb conjugation, or full Devanagari mastery, all of which develop gradually across the volume.
Answer Key
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- उसका नाम प्रिया है। (Her name is Priya.)
- वे कहते हैं "नमस्ते! स्वागत है।" (He says "Namaste! Welcome.")
- She says धन्यवाद, शर्मा जी। ("Thank you, Mr. Sharma.")
Listening
- Anil
- Sunita
- स्वागत है (Welcome)
Reading — Comprehension
- नमस्ते and धन्यवाद / स्वागत है appear on both cards, in different combinations.
- The first card (Raj) uses मैं ... हूँ; the second card (Sunita) also uses मैं ... हूँ — both cards use the same frame in this version, which is expected at this early stage.
Chapter Review — भाग B
- (a) मैं (b) मैं
- आप — the safe respectful default for a beginner meeting a stranger.
Chapter Review — भाग C
- (a) Raj (b) स्वागत है
Devanagari Recognition Check — Correct answers
क / ख is one aspirated pair; ग / घ is the other.
Looking Ahead
अब आप क्या कर सकते हैं — What you can do now
You can greet someone, introduce yourself, ask another person's name, use several courtesy formulas, and address people safely with आप. You can also recognize the ten independent Devanagari vowels and your first seven consonants, and you have begun to notice aspiration as a real Hindi sound contrast.