Mumbai's many auto rickshaws.
After living in Mumbai for a year and a half now, and constantly using auto rickshaws to get around, I thought I’d pretty much perfected my Hindi communications with the city’s taxi and auto wallas. They seem to understand me just fine, and I can get where ever I need to go (even if I’m not sure of the way!).
However, my view changed after I was in an auto rickshaw with my husband the other day. He told the driver, in Hindi, to stop on the side of the road. I couldn’t understand what he said at all.
Initially, I thought he was just speaking really fast Hindi — which he was. However, even when I got him to repeat the sentence slowly, I still couldn’t figure out its meaning!
So what did he say? Side mein laga dena. The literal word for word translation of this is, “in the side fixed to give”.
It’s a lot different from side se ruko (by the side stop), which is what I would say!
For me, learning Hindi is an on-going battle to stop literally translating how I would say things in English, into Hindi. What really confuses me is that even simple, straight forward sentences are often phrased completely differently in Hindi than English, just like the above example. To me, the Hindi version makes very little sense. Without the assistance of a native speaker, I’d be clueless!
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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Pronunciation is my downfall. I can construct the sentence but my execution is terrible. My partner says I’m like a French person using an English accent trying to speak Hindi, and by the look on the walla’s faces I’m sure they would agree. I think it’s a large exaggeration on my speech but I often have to remind him that I’m form Australia where one-syllable words are all the go, Yep, Nah, Mate!!
Oh that’s so funny and true V! The Aussie accent is so hard to overcome. I had terrible problems at the start and was really reluctant to open my mouth!! I knew how bad I sounded and would laugh (partly out of self consciousness) when I spoke, which made it sound even more ridiculous. A friend once told me I sounded like I was savaging the Hindi language. lol. Constantly being around Hindi speakers and becoming familiar with the words has helped a lot though. However, as soon as I get to hear an Aussie accent or speak English freely with with someone who’s not Indian…my dreadful pronunciation then comes back with vengeance!!
Mumbai patois – called Bambaiya isn’t exactly standard textbook Hindi but of course you already know that
Another good one is “आगे जाओ, वहाँ एक बिल्डिंग गिरेगी” – aage jao, wahaan ek building giregi – go further, you’ll find a building there – but they use giregi (will fall) instead of milegi – मिलेगी (will find)!
So true! I was questioning my husband yet again about the meaning of something in Hindi the other night and he didn’t really know. I said to him, can you actually speak Hindi properly? He said, I speak Bombay Hindi.
But, this is great! Some Hindi script as well.
This giregi is a new word for me. I’m familiar with padegi/padna पड़ेगी / पड़ना (lay down), and of course milegi/milna.
I just checked out your blog. It’s in Hindi script too! de Hindi alok nau do gyaarah. nine two eleven? Now I know where to go for some reading practice!
Hindi script
Devanagari – देवनागरी – script
English: Latin script::Russian: Cyrillic:: Hindi/Marathi/Sanskrit:देवनागरी script
Sharell – that is interesting. I like your website, so nice. And best part is that you see things from a different perspective than I have done all my life.
About language, honestly, like any big country, India has its own variation. For example, I used to boast, I can work my way anywhere in India except 4 south states. When I reached Bombay(I still somehow cannot call it Mumbai), few years back, I had a hard time understanding vendors. I would get half of it but never the gist. For example – batata, safarchand etc. Makes you feel better?
The easiest words would be “Yahan rukiye” ,point out the direction with ur hand.U must be familiar wid day(right),bay(left) by now.If u want him to turn to the right,u’ll say:Aage se day taraf ghuma lijiye.
I do sometimes say “yahan rukiye”. Well actually “yahan ruko”, because I’ve become rather impolite living in Bombay.
Oh my gosh, such complicated Hindi for turning right though! I usually just say “aage se right lena”. It’s amazing how many different ways there are of saying something. I get really confused.
This is a beautiful blog portal, I have ever read my kwnoledge. As an outsider you are pretty perfect giving your observations; really like them.. I liked your blog to that extend.. I have spent half of saturday reading lots of articles;
Regarding this blog will say; Indian languages are derived from old language called Sanskrit. Hence most of all indian langugages has 49+ characters in their library as comparison to only 26 in english. So technically if you consider permutation & combination formula Indian laguages will create more number words than English. And looking to different region, different people, different situation anybody can use their prefered phrase or vocabulary for communication… So it is not a complecated language, it is a robust laguage
Hope you will have fun learning this.
When I started learing english; I get surprise & confused when I use “You” to address everybody. But in Indian language it is absolutely differnet. If somebody is elder it is “Aap”, near to your age “Tum” & if other person’s age is less than you or if he is a buddy, it is “Tu”. In Bombay locality some people used to with SLAN version of Hindi.
Have fun… keep us posted with your new discoveries about life
Hi Brajesh, welcome to the blog. I’m glad you’ve enjoyed reading it! Thanks so much for your very kind feedback. It really inspires me to keep writing.
That’s an interesting observation about Indian languages. Hopefully, I’ll get to appreciate the robustness more as my confusion decreases! Slowly, it’s all starting to make sense. And I’m also beginning to realise that although English has less letters in its alphabet, it’s a particularly confusing language for people to learn. At least Hindi is a phonetic language.
Dear Sir,
please make small sentences in hindi while going for shopping in groceries ,vegetables shop and purchase of general items.Because, i don’t know Hindi.
I want to learn it in deep.Please help me to speak hindi fluently.If there is any site offering free e-books, please give that url.
MG Ramalingam
superb blog.
Sid mein laga dena would be more correctly translated as ‘Keep it to the (road)-side’, which is an idiomatic Mumbaiyya expression.
My Chinese gf has been trying to learn Hindi herself; sadly, like your husband, I excel only in _dialectal_ Hindi, the Hyderabadi flavour to be precise, and I fear my gf could be speaking more grammatically-correct than me pretty soon.
http://bambaiyya.wordpress.com/