रिश्ते और सामाजिक भाषा
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Describe relationships among family members, friends, classmates, coworkers, and community members in connected sentences.
- Refer to people across several sentences using pronouns and possessives instead of repeating names unnecessarily.
- Use आप and तुम with clearer pragmatic judgment, and recognize तू as a highly context-dependent form rather than a default choice.
- Use जी, titles, and kinship terms appropriately with people you know well and people you have just met.
- Describe people using expanded adjectives and short descriptive clauses.
- Recognize honorific agreement patterns in common spoken and written descriptions of respected people.
Communication Scenario
A week after her language-exchange conversation with Aman, Priya invites him to meet some people in her life: her older cousin Neha, her Hindi teacher Sharma ji, and her classmate Vikas. As Priya introduces each person, she must choose her words carefully — a respectful address for her teacher, an easy familiarity with her cousin, and a friendly but still polite tone with a classmate she does not know very well yet.
- Notice that Priya does not use the same address form for every person. Her choice depends on age, familiarity, and role.
- Notice how Priya refers back to people she has already introduced using वह, उसका/उसकी/उसके, and उनका/उनकी/उनके, instead of repeating each name in every sentence.
- Notice that no verb tense or sentence pattern here is new. What is new is precision: choosing the right pronoun, the right possessive, and the right level of respect for each relationship.
Where This Chapter Fits
Chapter 2 continues Unit I, संबंध और दिनचर्या. Chapter 1 reactivated Volume I's verb systems and introduced paragraph-level pronoun reference for the first time, using वह and उसका/उसकी/उसके in a single controlled example about a Hindi teacher. Chapter 2 takes that single example and develops it into a full system: expanded pronoun reference, honorific plural agreement, and a clearer pragmatic map of आप, तुम, and तू.
Coming Into This Chapter
You can describe your family and background using possessives and basic adjective agreement, you default to आप for safe respectful address, and you can refer back to one person in a sentence using वह and a simple possessive, as practiced briefly in Chapter 1.
New in This Chapter
Expanded pronoun and possessive reference across several people in one description (वह/वे/ये, उन्हें, उनका/उनकी/उनके, इसका/उसका); honorific plural agreement for respected people (वे आते हैं rather than वह आता है); clearer pragmatic boundaries among आप, तुम, and तू; and a wider set of titles, kinship terms, and personality adjectives.
Looking Forward
Chapter 3, घर, मोहल्ला, और समुदाय, shifts from describing people to describing places, expanding oblique forms and introducing a wider set of locative postpositions such as के सामने, के पीछे, and के बीच.
Core Vocabulary
This chapter introduces productive vocabulary for describing relationships, personality, and respectful address. Family vocabulary from Volume I is recycled and extended with a small set of additional kinship and social terms.
2.1 Relationships and social circles (new productive vocabulary)
| Hindi | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| रिश्ता, रिश्तेदार | relationship, relative | masculine nouns; nukta in रिश्ता is not used, unlike some loanwords |
| दोस्ती, सहेली | friendship, (female) close friend | दोस्ती feminine; सहेली used among women/girls |
| सहकर्मी, सहपाठी | coworker, classmate | invariable in gender marking; used for any gender |
| परिचित | acquaintance | masculine/invariable; someone known but not close |
| पड़ोसी | neighbor | masculine noun; retroflex ड़ |
| भरोसा करना, सम्मान करना | to trust, to respect | compound expressions with करना |
| क़रीबी, दूर का | close, distant (of a relationship) | used with रिश्तेदार: क़रीबी रिश्तेदार, दूर का रिश्तेदार |
2.2 Personality and behavior (new productive vocabulary)
| Hindi | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| मिलनसार | friendly, sociable | invariable adjective |
| धैर्यवान / धैर्यवान | patient | largely invariable in common use; recycled from Chapter 1 dialogue |
| मज़ाकिया | funny, humorous | invariable adjective |
| गंभीर | serious | invariable adjective |
| मेहनती | hardworking | invariable adjective |
| विनम्र | polite, humble | invariable adjective |
| बड़ा/बड़ी/बड़े, छोटा/छोटी/छोटे | older/elder, younger | variable adjectives; recycled from Volume I but reactivated for social rank, not only size |
2.3 Titles, address, and expanded kinship (new productive vocabulary)
| Hindi | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| शर्मा जी, सीमा जी | Mr./Ms./respected Sharma, respected Seema | जी after surname or first name; respectful, widely usable |
| सर, मैडम | sir, madam | common in school, work, and service contexts; English-origin, fully naturalized |
| चचेरा भाई / चचेरी बहन | paternal cousin (brother/sister) | variable by gender of the cousin; recognition of other cousin terms is receptive only this chapter |
| बड़ा भाई/बड़ी बहन, छोटा भाई/छोटी बहन | older brother/sister, younger brother/sister | combines बड़ा/छोटा with kinship terms from Volume I |
2.4 Recycled vocabulary (Volume I)
| Hindi | Meaning | First appeared |
|---|---|---|
| माँ, पिता, भाई, बहन, दादा, दादी | mother, father, brother, sister, grandfather, grandmother | Volume I, Chapter 3 |
| दोस्त, अच्छा/अच्छी/अच्छे | friend, good | Volume I, Chapters 1, 5 |
| आप, तुम | you (respectful), you (familiar) | Volume I, Chapter 1 |
Productive load for this chapter: approximately 38 items, combining the new relationship, personality, and address vocabulary above with recycled Volume I kinship and descriptive vocabulary. चाची, मामा, नानी, and other extended kinship terms beyond those listed here remain receptive only in this chapter.
Devanagari and Pronunciation Focus
This chapter introduces no new letters or matras. It develops listening awareness of honorific verb agreement and continues schwa deletion practice with names, titles, and kinship terms.
When Hindi speakers describe someone they address respectfully with आप, the verb often takes plural agreement even though only one person is meant: वे आते हैं (he/she comes, respectful) rather than वह आता है. Listen for हैं, आते हैं, करते हैं, and रहते हैं in the model dialogue below and notice which sentences describe Sharma ji this way.
Read रिश्तेदार, पड़ोसी, चचेरा भाई, and मिलनसार as natural spoken forms rather than sounding out every written vowel. Notice that रिश्तेदार is pronounced roughly rishtedaar, with the inherent vowel after त dropped.
Reread the model dialogue aloud, using a slightly more formal, measured tone when Priya speaks to or about Sharma ji, and a warmer, more relaxed tone when she speaks to Neha or Vikas. This is the same natural rhythm and phrase-grouping practiced since Volume I, now applied deliberately to signal respect.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
This chapter develops two closely related systems: expanded pronoun and possessive reference for describing several people, and a clearer pragmatic map of address forms.
2.5 Language Focus — Expanded pronoun reference for several people
In Chapter 1, you referred back to one person using वह and उसका/उसकी/उसके. When a description involves more than one person, Hindi uses वे or ये for "they," उन्हें for "them" as an object, and उनका/उनकी/उनके for "their." The same forms — वे, उन्हें, उनका/उनकी/उनके — are also used respectfully for a single person addressed with आप.
Notice that इसका/उसका distinguish nearer and farther reference the same way यह/वह do: यह मेरी सहेली है; इसका नाम नेहा है (this is my close friend; her name is Neha) versus वह मेरा सहपाठी है; उसका नाम विकास है (that is my classmate; his name is Vikas).
2.6 Language Focus — Mapping आप, तुम, and तू
आप remains your safe default with anyone older, anyone in authority, anyone you have just met, and anyone in a formal or professional context. तुम is common among friends, classmates, younger relatives, and peers once a relationship is established. तू is intimate, and its appropriateness depends heavily on relationship, age, and region; it can also sound insulting or overly familiar if used with the wrong person. This chapter asks you only to recognize तू and to continue using आप and तुम productively.
2.7 Language Focus — जी and titles in context
जी attaches to a surname, first name, or kinship term to mark respect: शर्मा जी, पिताजी. It is not automatic with every noun, and it is not usually added to a first name used with a close friend or younger relative. सर and मैडम are common alternatives in school, university, and workplace settings.
This chapter does not introduce new postposition functions, new oblique patterns, or advanced honorific verb morphology. It also does not require productive use of तू or full command of every kinship term. Broader oblique forms and locative postpositions begin developing in Chapter 3.
Model Dialogue
Setting: Priya introduces Aman to her cousin Neha, her Hindi teacher Sharma ji, and her classmate Vikas at a small gathering.
समझ के प्रश्न — Comprehension questions:
- नेहा प्रिया से कैसे संबंधित है, और वह प्रिया से बड़ी है या छोटी? (How is Neha related to Priya, and is she older or younger?)
- प्रिया शर्मा जी के बारे में क्या बताती है? (What does Priya say about Sharma ji?)
- नेहा अमन से क्या कहती है जब वह उसे "जी" कहता है? (What does Neha say when Aman calls her "ji"?)
- विकास अपने बारे में क्या कहता है? (What does Vikas say about himself?)
Listening Practice
Ask your instructor, a study partner, or a fluent Hindi speaker to read the model dialogue and the passage below aloud twice. On the first listen, note who is related to whom. On the second listen, complete the table.
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.
मेरा सामाजिक दायरा — My Social Circle:
"मेरा नाम अर्जुन है। मेरे बहुत सारे दोस्त और रिश्तेदार हैं। मेरा बड़ा भाई राहुल इंजीनियर है; वह बहुत गंभीर है, लेकिन बहुत मेहनती भी है। मेरी छोटी बहन अंजलि अभी स्कूल में पढ़ती है; वह मिलनसार है और उसके बहुत सारे दोस्त हैं। मेरे पड़ोसी, गुप्ता जी, हमारे परिवार के बहुत क़रीब हैं; वे अक्सर हमारे घर आते हैं और चाय पीते हैं। मेरा एक सहकर्मी है जिसका नाम राज है; वह थोड़ा मज़ाकिया है, इसलिए दफ़्तर में काम करना आसान लगता है। मुझे अपने सभी दोस्तों और रिश्तेदारों पर भरोसा है।"
सुनने का काम — Listening task:
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| राहुल अर्जुन से कैसे संबंधित है, और उसका व्यक्तित्व कैसा है? (How is Rahul related to Arjun, and what is his personality like?) | ______ |
| अंजलि के बारे में क्या पता चलता है? (What do we learn about Anjali?) | ______ |
| गुप्ता जी कौन हैं, और वे क्या करते हैं? (Who is Gupta ji, and what does he do?) | ______ |
| राज कौन है, और वह कैसा है? (Who is Raj, and what is he like?) | ______ |
Reading Practice
Read the short interview below, which brings together relationship description, address forms, and personality vocabulary, then answer the questions.
मीरा: मेरे परिवार में मेरे माता-पिता, मेरा बड़ा भाई, और मेरी दादी हैं। मेरी दादी बहुत विनम्र हैं, और वे हर दिन मंदिर जाती हैं। मेरा बड़ा भाई मुझसे पाँच साल बड़ा है; वह गंभीर लगता है, लेकिन असल में बहुत मिलनसार है।
प्रश्न: आपके दोस्त कैसे हैं?
मीरा: मेरी एक सहेली है जिसका नाम पूजा है। वह बहुत मज़ाकिया है, और हम दोनों बचपन से दोस्त हैं। मेरा एक सहपाठी भी है, राज, जो बहुत मेहनती है; उसके साथ पढ़ना आसान लगता है, क्योंकि वह हमेशा मदद करता है।
प्रश्न: आप अपने अध्यापकों को कैसे बुलाती हैं?
मीरा: मैं हमेशा "जी" या "सर/मैडम" का इस्तेमाल करती हूँ, क्योंकि यह सम्मान दिखाता है। मैं कभी अपने अध्यापकों को "तुम" नहीं कहती।
समझ के प्रश्न — Comprehension questions:
- How is Meera's grandmother described, and what does she do every day?
- What is Meera's older brother like, according to her?
- Why does Meera always use "ji" or "sir/madam" with her teachers?
Writing Workshop
Write a connected paragraph describing three people in your life — real or imagined — and your relationships with them.
लेखन कार्य — Writing task: Write seven to nine sentences describing three people: one family member, one friend or classmate, and one teacher, coworker, or older acquaintance. Your paragraph must include: (1) how each person is related to you, (2) at least one personality adjective for each person, (3) at least one sentence that refers back to a person using a pronoun or possessive instead of repeating the name, (4) appropriate address-form awareness for at least one person (mention how you address them), and (5) one sentence connecting two ideas with और, लेकिन, or इसलिए.
- Introduce person one. Say who they are and how they relate to you.
- Describe them. Use one or two personality adjectives, with correct agreement.
- Refer back. Use वह/वे or उसका/उनका instead of repeating the name.
- Introduce person two and three the same way, varying your connectors.
- Note address. Mention how you address at least one person and why (आप, तुम, or जी).
संपादन सूची — Editing checklist:
- Pronouns and possessives (वह/वे, उसका/उनका) are used correctly to avoid repeating names.
- Honorific plural agreement is used correctly for any respected person (वे हैं, not वह है, for someone addressed with आप).
- Adjective agreement is checked for variable adjectives such as बड़ा/बड़ी/बड़े.
- जी or a title is used appropriately, not mechanically added to every name.
- Spelling, matras, and word spacing are correct, and a danda (।) ends each sentence.
Speaking Practice
नियंत्रित अभ्यास — Controlled practice: describing a social network
Practice describing three people out loud in order: a family member, a friend or classmate, and a teacher or older acquaintance. For each person, state the relationship, one personality trait, and one appropriate address form.
संचार कार्य — Communicative task: introducing your social circle
With a partner, take turns introducing three people from your life as if your partner were meeting them for the first time. Your partner should ask one follow-up question about each person using वह/वे rather than the person's name.
अकेले अभ्यास — Solo alternative
Record yourself introducing three people from your life. Listen back and check honorific agreement, pronoun reference, and address-form choices.
Culture and Communication
Whether someone is addressed with आप, तुम, or occasionally तू depends on age, familiarity, hierarchy, affection, region, and setting — not on a single fixed rule. Two cousins close in age, like Priya and Neha, may quickly move to तुम and drop जी, while a teacher or an older acquaintance is addressed respectfully regardless of how warm the relationship feels.
Kinship terms in Hindi-speaking communities are often extended to close family friends, neighbors, and community elders as a sign of warmth and respect, not only to biological relatives. A close family friend might be called मामा or चाची even without a blood relationship. When in doubt about a new relationship, defaulting to a respectful form is safer than assuming familiarity.
Common Mistakes
Error: Writing शर्मा जी अच्छा अध्यापक है for a teacher addressed with आप.
Correction: शर्मा जी अच्छे अध्यापक हैं। Use plural verb and adjective agreement for anyone addressed respectfully, even when referring to one person.
Error: Writing नेहा मेरी बहन है। नेहा बहुत मिलनसार है। नेहा के बहुत दोस्त हैं। as three disconnected sentences.
Correction: नेहा मेरी बहन है। वह बहुत मिलनसार है, और उसके बहुत दोस्त हैं। Use वह and उसके after the first mention.
Error: Calling a close cousin or a young classmate by name plus जी, as Aman initially does with Neha.
Correction: Reserve जी for people who are older, unfamiliar, or in a position of respect. Among peers and younger relatives, a first name alone is usually appropriate.
Chapter Review
भाग A — समझ (Comprehension)
1. Return to the model dialogue and answer in English:
- Why does Neha ask Aman not to call her "ji"?
- What does Priya say about Sharma ji, and what verb form does she use to say it?
भाग B — व्याकरण (Grammar)
1. Complete each sentence with the correct form:
- शर्मा जी बहुत धैर्यवान ______ (होना — honorific plural).
- नेहा मेरी बहन है। ______ (वह/उसका) बहुत मिलनसार है।
- मेरे दो सहपाठी हैं। ______ (वे/उनका) दोनों मेहनती हैं।
2. Combine into one connected sentence using लेकिन: विकास गंभीर लगता है। वह असल में मज़ाकिया है।
भाग C — पठन (Reading)
1. Return to Meera's interview above and answer: Why does Meera always use "ji" or "sir/madam" with her teachers?
भाग D — लेखन (Writing)
1. Write the connected paragraph describing three people, following all five required elements from the Writing Workshop above.
भाग E — वाचन (Speaking)
1. With a partner, complete the social-circle introduction task, using at least one honorific plural form and one pronoun-based reference.
Cumulative Review
This chapter recycles family and possessive vocabulary (Volume I, Chapter 3), basic adjective agreement (Volume I, Chapter 5), and safe default address with आप (Volume I, Chapter 1; Volume II, Chapter 1), while developing expanded pronoun reference and honorific plural agreement for the first time at the paragraph level.
Practical Performance Task
रिश्ते और सामाजिक भाषा — Relationships and Social Language
Complete the following four connected tasks in order.
- Listen to the model dialogue and Arjun's passage above and complete the listening table.
- Speak with a partner (or record yourself): complete the social-circle introduction task described in Speaking Practice above.
- Read Meera's interview above and answer the comprehension questions.
- Write your own connected paragraph describing three people, following the Writing Workshop checklist.
| Criterion | What is assessed |
|---|---|
| Relationship description | Clear, accurate description of how each person relates to the speaker. |
| Pronoun and possessive reference | Correct use of वह/वे, उसका/उनका, and इसका/उसका to avoid repeating names. |
| Honorific agreement | Correct plural agreement for any person addressed or described respectfully. |
| Address-form judgment | Appropriate choice among आप, तुम, and जी for each relationship described. |
| Devanagari and pronunciation | Correct spelling of kinship and personality vocabulary; intelligible schwa deletion and rhythm. |
This task assesses only systems activated in Chapters 1-2. It does not require productive use of तू, full command of extended kinship terms, or advanced honorific verb morphology, all of which remain receptive or are developed further in later chapters.
Answer Key
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- Neha asks Aman not to call her "ji" because she and Priya are close in age, and "ji" feels too formal for that relationship.
- Priya says Sharma ji is very patient and teaches them new stories every week; she uses honorific plural agreement (वे ... हैं, पढ़ाती हैं).
Listening
- Rahul is Arjun's older brother; he is an engineer, seems serious, but is also very hardworking.
- Anjali is Arjun's younger sister; she is still in school, is sociable, and has many friends.
- Gupta ji is Arjun's neighbor, very close to the family; he often comes to their house and drinks tea.
- Raj is Arjun's coworker; he is a bit funny, which makes working at the office feel easy.
Reading — Comprehension
- Meera's grandmother is described as very humble, and she goes to the temple every day.
- Meera's older brother seems serious but is actually very sociable, according to Meera.
- Meera always uses "ji" or "sir/madam" with her teachers because it shows respect.
Chapter Review — भाग B
- (a) हैं (b) वह (c) वे
- विकास गंभीर लगता है, लेकिन वह असल में मज़ाकिया है।
Looking Ahead
अब आप क्या कर सकते हैं — What you can do now
You can describe several people and their relationships to you in connected sentences, refer back to people using pronouns and possessives instead of repeating names, use honorific plural agreement for someone addressed respectfully, and make more deliberate choices among आप, तुम, and जी depending on the relationship.