Archive for April, 2018
The Ins and Outs of Rickshaws Posted by Rachael on Apr 30, 2018
As an American visiting India for the first time, I did not come equipped, as you might expect, with the “sixth sense” of being able to bargain (bargain=मोल तोल करना/mol tol karnaa) fluently. This was a particular handicap when I was seeking transportation, specifically in the form of rickshaws and auto rickshaws. For Americans (अमेरिकन…
Lagna vs Lagaana Posted by Nitya on Apr 30, 2018
A reader of a previous blog requested some clarification on lagana/lagaana. Here are some sentences that use the two words and describe different contexts/situations. लगना (lagna) बारिश के इस मौसम में बहुत ठण्ड लगती है। Baarish ke is mausam mein bahut thand lagti hai. In this rainy weather, one feels very cold. ठण्ड लगना (inf. thand lagna) = to…
Expressing your Emotions or Feelings in Hindi Posted by Nitya on Apr 22, 2018
As we go about life, we humans are overcome by a variety of emotions every day. Some of them may be routine irritations like mild anger at a bad driver or traffic; sometimes it may be happiness or pleasure; at other times it could be something as strong fear. In Hindi, an emotion or feeling…
Coke Studio India Posted by Rachael on Apr 20, 2018
I was first introduced to the addictive phenomenon that is Coke Studio, a show that debuted on MTV in 2011, by my Pashto lecturer in college. From day one, I was hooked to Coke Studio’s infectious rhythms, beautiful lyrics and inventive blend of musical genres you would be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. In addition…
Increasing Word Choice and Meaning with Synonyms Posted by Nitya on Apr 15, 2018
I was working with some adult English learners last week. As in every class, there are the early-finishers and this class was no exception. While the rest of the class was working on learning the names of objects in a department store, I put the early finisher to a challenge — to use the newly-acquired…
Holi Hai! Posted by Rachael on Apr 10, 2018
In honor of the increasingly popular festival, Holi (होली), now celebrated worldwide, I’ve dedicated this blog to the subject. Although Holi typically occurs in late February to early March, or the month of Phalgun (फाल्गुन) according to the Vikram Samvat Hindu calendar, it’s better late than never to talk about this popular and exuberant festival!…
Compound Verbs in Hindi: Jana/जाना (Part 3) Posted by Rachael on Apr 3, 2018
Compound verbs are VERY important in Hindi, especially the compounds formed with लेना/lenaa (to take), देना/denaa (to give) and जाना/jaanaa (to go), the latter of which I will explore today. If you haven’t yet read my earlier posts on देना/denaa compounds and लेना/lenaa compounds, I encourage you to do so before you dive in to…