खाना और पीना
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Identify common foods and drinks in Devanagari.
- Say what you like and do not like using मुझे ... पसंद है and मुझे ... पसंद नहीं है.
- Express a need or make a polite request using मुझे ... चाहिए.
- Talk about ordinary eating and drinking habits using मैं ... खाता/खाती हूँ and मैं ... पीता/पीती हूँ.
- Order food or drink politely and accept or decline an offer.
- Ask for a basic quantity using familiar numbers.
- Read a short menu or meal list in Devanagari.
- Write a short statement of preferences and a simple meal plan.
Communication Scenario
Anil's family is having a small evening meal at home, and his friend Priya has come to visit. Anil's mother offers Priya something to eat and drink. Priya says what she likes, asks a question about the food, and politely says what she needs. Later, at a small café near school, Anil and Priya order tea and a snack together.
- This chapter introduces food and drink vocabulary together with three new formulaic patterns: पसंद है, चाहिए, and simple habitual sentences with खाना and पीना.
- You are not yet expected to control the full present-habitual verb system for every person, or any object-marking system. Keep your sentences close to the models below.
Where This Chapter Fits
Chapter 6 opens Unit II, रोज़मर्रा की ज़िंदगी. It builds directly on the greetings, identity, possessives, and classroom language from Unit I, and it introduces the first controlled use of a habitual-present verb pattern.
Coming Into This Chapter
You can greet people, introduce yourself and others, describe a family member or friend with मेरा/मेरी/मेरे, identify classroom objects, express possession with मेरे पास ... है, and read short Devanagari sentences.
New in This Chapter
Food and drink vocabulary; मुझे ... पसंद है and मुझे ... पसंद नहीं है; मुझे ... चाहिए; a first, limited look at habitual-present verb forms with खाना and पीना; and polite service expressions with कृपया and दीजिए.
Looking Forward
Chapter 7, घर कहाँ है?, introduces the home, postpositions such as में and पर, and oblique-form awareness.
Core Vocabulary
These words are productive for this chapter. Devanagari is the primary form; romanization is given only for new or difficult items, following the reduced-romanization policy for Chapters 5–10.
6.1 Meals and general food words
| Devanagari | Romanization | English | Gender |
|---|---|---|---|
| खाना | khaanaa | food / meal; (verb) to eat | m. |
| नाश्ता | naashtaa | breakfast | m. |
| दोपहर का खाना | dopahar kaa khaanaa | lunch | m. |
| रात का खाना | raat kaa khaanaa | dinner | m. |
| पानी | paanee | water | m. |
| चाय | chaay | tea | f. |
| दूध | doodh | milk | m. |
| चावल | chaaval | rice | m. |
| रोटी | rotee | flatbread | f. |
| दाल | daal | lentils | f. |
| सब्ज़ी | sabzee | vegetable(s), vegetable dish | f. |
| फल | phal | fruit | m. |
| मिठाई | mithaaee | sweet(s) | f. |
6.2 Taste, preference, and quantity
| Devanagari | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| पसंद | pasand | liking, preference |
| भूख | bhookh | hunger |
| प्यास | pyaas | thirst |
| थोड़ा / थोड़ी | thoṛaa / thoṛee | a little |
| बहुत | bahut | a lot, very |
| एक कप | ek kap | one cup |
| एक गिलास | ek gilaas | one glass |
| एक प्लेट | ek plet | one plate |
6.3 Polite requests and service expressions
| Devanagari | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| कृपया | kripayaa | please |
| दीजिए | deejiye | please give (polite) |
| जी हाँ | jee haaँ | yes (polite) |
| जी नहीं | jee naheeँ | no (polite) |
| और कुछ? | aur kuchh? | anything else? |
| बस, धन्यवाद | bas, dhanyavaad | that's all, thank you |
Receptive only: शुक्रिया (a common, widely understood alternative to धन्यवाद), regional food terms, and Hindi-English café vocabulary such as कॉफ़ी and सैंडविच. These are recognized, not required for production.
Devanagari and Pronunciation
Chapter 6 introduces no new letters or matras. All ten independent vowels, the scheduled consonants, and the eight matras from Chapters 1–4 remain fully active. Use this chapter's food vocabulary to keep practicing them in new words.
6.4 Matra review through food words
Chapter 4 introduced schwa deletion as an awareness system. Notice it again here: खाना is pronounced closer to "khaanaa," and दोपहर का खाना drops the final inherent vowel in ordinary speech in the same way कलम did in Chapter 4. This awareness continues to build gradually and is not yet a complete rule.
फल ("fruit") uses the plain aspirated फ. Some food and loanwords you will meet later use the nukta letter फ़, which is closer to an English "f" sound. You are only asked to recognize this difference for now; nukta letters become a scheduled system starting in Chapter 8.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
This chapter introduces three closely related formulaic and controlled patterns for talking about food, drink, needs, and habits. None of these patterns requires you to analyze the full Hindi verb or postposition system yet.
6.5 Expressing likes and dislikes
Hindi does not say "I like tea" the way English does. It says something closer to "to me, tea is pleasing," using मुझे ("to me") instead of मैं ("I"). This is called an experiencer construction, and you will meet more examples like it later in the volume. For now, simply learn मुझे ... पसंद है and मुझे ... पसंद नहीं है as complete formulas with familiar food words.
6.6 Expressing need with चाहिए
चाहिए works like पसंद है: it follows मुझे and the thing you need or want. Adding कृपया makes the request polite, in the same way कृपया and माफ़ कीजिए softened requests in Chapter 4.
6.7 Talking about ordinary eating and drinking
Notice that खाता changes to खाती depending on whether the speaker is male or female — this is the same kind of gender agreement you saw with अच्छा/अच्छी in Chapter 3. In this chapter, practice only first-person sentences (मैं ... खाता/खाती हूँ, मैं ... पीता/पीती हूँ) with familiar food words. The full present-habitual system, with all persons and more verbs, is introduced in Chapter 9. Do not extend this pattern to other verbs or other subjects yet.
6.8 Accepting and declining politely
Direct objects such as चाय and चावल appear in these sentences without any object marker. This is intentional: broad object-marking with को is not introduced until later chapters, so keep your object nouns simple and unmarked for now.
Model Dialogue
Setting: Priya visits Anil's home in the evening. Anil's mother offers her food and drink.
समझ के प्रश्न — Comprehension questions:
- प्रिया को क्या पसंद है? (What does Priya like?)
- प्रिया को क्या पसंद नहीं है? (What does Priya not like?)
- प्रिया को और क्या चाहिए? (What else does Priya need?)
Listening Practice
Ask your instructor, a study partner, or a fluent Hindi speaker to read the model dialogue aloud twice. On the first listen, notice only what is offered. On the second listen, complete the table below.
If no speaker is available, this is a Listening Script for Independent Use. Read the passage slowly at first, then at a natural pace. Any spoken model should be verified by a fluent Hindi speaker before being treated as a pronunciation standard.
राज का नाश्ता — Raj's Breakfast:
"नमस्ते! मेरा नाम राज है। मुझे नाश्ते में दूध और फल पसंद है। मुझे चाय पसंद नहीं है। मुझे एक गिलास पानी चाहिए।"
सुनने का काम — Listening task:
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| राज को नाश्ते में क्या पसंद है? (What does Raj like for breakfast?) | ______ |
| राज को क्या पसंद नहीं है? (What does Raj not like?) | ______ |
| राज को क्या चाहिए? (What does Raj need?) | ______ |
Reading Practice
Read the short menu below aloud, sounding out each Devanagari word carefully, then answer the questions.
दूध — एक गिलास
पानी — एक गिलास
रोटी और सब्ज़ी — एक प्लेट
चावल और दाल — एक प्लेट
फल — एक प्लेट
मिठाई — एक प्लेट
समझ के प्रश्न — Comprehension questions:
- Name two items on the menu that are served in a cup or glass.
- Name two items on the menu that are served on a plate.
- If you wanted something sweet, what would you order?
Writing Workshop
Write a short statement of your food and drink preferences, combining this chapter's patterns with the possessives and adjectives you already know from Unit I.
लेखन कार्य — Writing task: Write four to six sentences in Devanagari describing what you like, what you do not like, what you need, and what you eat or drink regularly.
- State one thing you like. Use मुझे ... पसंद है.
- State one thing you do not like. Use मुझे ... पसंद नहीं है.
- State one thing you need. Use मुझे ... चाहिए, with कृपया if it is a request.
- Describe one habit. Use मैं ... खाता/खाती हूँ or मैं ... पीता/पीती हूँ with a familiar food word.
- Check your Devanagari. Compare your spelling of food words against the vocabulary tables above.
संपादन सूची — Editing checklist:
- मुझे ... पसंद है and मुझे ... पसंद नहीं है each appear at least once, correctly.
- मुझे ... चाहिए appears at least once, correctly.
- One habitual sentence with खाना or पीना agrees correctly with the speaker's gender.
- Food and drink words are spelled correctly in Devanagari, without unnecessary romanization.
- A danda (।) 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 schwa deletion in खाना, चाहिए, and धन्यवाद.
संचार कार्य — Communicative task: offering and requesting food
With a partner, act out a host offering food and drink and a guest responding. The host should ask आपको ... पसंद है? for at least two items. The guest should accept at least one item, decline at least one item, and make one polite request with चाहिए.
अकेले अभ्यास — Solo alternative
Record yourself ordering from the café menu in the Reading Practice section above. State one thing you like, one thing you need, and thank the "server" politely. Listen back and check your schwa deletion and word stress.
Culture and Communication
Offering a guest something to eat or drink is a common courtesy in many Hindi-speaking homes, though the specific foods, timing, and level of insistence vary by family, region, and setting. Accepting or politely declining, as Priya does above, is a normal part of the exchange.
Food habits among Hindi-speaking communities vary widely by region, religion, household, and personal choice. This chapter's foods and preferences are examples for practicing the language, not a description of what every Hindi-speaking person eats or avoids.
Common Mistakes
Error: Translating "I like tea" word-for-word as मैं पसंद हूँ चाय.
Correction: Use मुझे चाय पसंद है. The person who likes something is marked with मुझे ("to me"), not मैं.
Error: A female speaker saying मैं चावल खाता हूँ.
Correction: A female speaker should say मैं चावल खाती हूँ. This is the same gender agreement pattern as अच्छा/अच्छी from Chapter 3.
Error: Using मुझे चाय चाहिए when you simply mean you enjoy tea in general.
Correction: Use मुझे चाय पसंद है for a general preference and reserve मुझे चाय चाहिए for when you want or need tea right now.
Chapter Review
भाग A — समझ (Comprehension)
1. Return to the model dialogue and answer in English:
- What does Anil's mother offer Priya first?
- What does Priya decline, and what does she request instead?
भाग B — व्याकरण (Grammar)
1. Complete with पसंद है or पसंद नहीं है:
- मुझे मिठाई ______। (you like sweets)
- मुझे दाल ______। (you do not like lentils)
2. Complete with खाता or खाती for a female speaker: मैं रोज़ फल ______ हूँ।
3. Write one polite request using चाहिए for a glass of water.
भाग C — पठन (Reading)
1. Return to the café menu above and answer:
- Which two items come with rice?
- Which item would you choose if you wanted only fruit?
भाग D — लेखन (Writing)
1. Write a short preference statement of four to six sentences, following the Writing Workshop steps above.
भाग E — वाचन (Speaking)
1. With a partner, order food and drink at an imagined café, using at least one like, one dislike, and one polite request, without reading from a script.
Cumulative Review — Chapters 1–5
This chapter recycles greetings and courtesy (Chapter 1), यह/वह and questions (Chapter 2), possessives and adjective agreement (Chapter 3), and polite requests and numbers (Chapter 4), alongside the new food and drink language above.
Practical Performance Task
खाना और पीना — Ordering and Offering
Complete the following four connected tasks in order.
- Listen to the model dialogue or listening passage above and complete the listening table.
- Speak by playing host and guest with a partner: offer at least two items and respond to at least two offers.
- Read the café menu and identify two items you would order.
- Write a short preference statement of four to six sentences in Devanagari, following the Writing Workshop checklist.
| Criterion | What is assessed |
|---|---|
| Likes and dislikes | मुझे ... पसंद है and मुझे ... पसंद नहीं है are used correctly with familiar food words. |
| Polite request | मुझे ... चाहिए is used correctly, with कृपया where appropriate. |
| Habitual sentence | One sentence with खाना or पीना agrees correctly with the speaker's gender. |
| Accepting or declining | A polite acceptance or refusal is used appropriately in the speaking task. |
| Devanagari reading and writing | Food and drink vocabulary is read and written accurately, without unnecessary romanization. |
This task evaluates only what Chapter 6 has taught. It does not require the full present-habitual paradigm, object marking with को, or productive ergative ने — these remain outside this chapter's scope.
Answer Key
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- Priya likes tea and bread (चाय, रोटी).
- Priya does not like rice (चावल).
- Priya needs a little water (थोड़ा पानी).
Listening
- Raj likes milk and fruit (दूध, फल) for breakfast.
- Raj does not like tea (चाय).
- Raj needs a glass of water (एक गिलास पानी).
Reading — Comprehension
- Tea, milk, and water are all served in a cup or glass.
- Bread and vegetables, rice and lentils, fruit, and sweets are all served on a plate.
- फल (fruit) would be the choice for something not sweet, and मिठाई (sweets) for something sweet.
Chapter Review — भाग B
- (a) पसंद है (b) पसंद नहीं है
- मैं रोज़ फल खाती हूँ।
- Sample answer: मुझे एक गिलास पानी चाहिए, कृपया।
Chapter Review — भाग C
- (a) Rice and lentils. (b) Fruit.
Looking Ahead
अब आप क्या कर सकते हैं — What you can do now
You can identify common foods and drinks, say what you like and do not like, make a polite request with चाहिए, describe a simple eating or drinking habit, accept or decline an offer, and read a short menu in Devanagari.