Greetings: Namaste and Kaise ho?

English explanation

The most common Hindi greeting is namaste. You can use it in the morning, afternoon or evening, with elders, strangers and friends. In everyday speech many people also say “Hello”, and that is fine too.

To ask “How are you?” you say kaise (how) with a form of “to be”. With someone you respect (an elder, a stranger, a colleague) say Aap kaise hain? With a friend or someone your age say Tum kaise ho? You will learn more about aap and tum in Lesson 3.

To answer, say Main theek hoon: main is “I”, theek is “fine” and hoon is “am”. Then be polite and ask back: Aur aap? (And you?).

At the end of a meeting say Phir milenge (we will meet again) or Kal milenge (we will meet tomorrow).

தமிழில்

நமஸ்தே என்பது எந்த நேரத்திலும் யாரிடமும் சொல்லக்கூடிய வணக்கம். “எப்படி இருக்கிறீர்கள்?” என்று மரியாதையாகக் கேட்க Aap kaise hain? என்றும், நண்பரிடம் Tum kaise ho? என்றும் சொல்லுங்கள். பதிலாக Main theek hoon (நான் நலமாக இருக்கிறேன்) என்று சொல்லி, Aur aap? (நீங்கள்?) என்று திருப்பிக் கேளுங்கள். பிரியும்போது Phir milenge (மீண்டும் சந்திப்போம்) என்று சொல்லலாம்.

Pronunciation tips

• aa is a long sound, like the “a” in Tamil “ஆ”: aap, haan.
• th in theek is a hard Hindi “t” with a puff of breath. It is not the English “th”. Think of Tamil “த” said with a little breath.
• oo in hoon is long like Tamil “ஊ”.
• nahin has a soft nasal “n” at the end.

Men and women say it the same

In this lesson nothing changes for a man or a woman. Theek does not change. In Lesson 5 you will see the words that do change.