Archive for May, 2018
Welcoming a Baby Posted by Nitya on May 31, 2018
There is a hardly a happy occasion in India that doesn’t call for the distribution of sweets मिठाइयाँ (mithaaiyaan) — the birth of a baby बच्चे का जन्म (bacche ka janm) is no exception. In many places, and also where I grew up in cosmopolitan Mumbai, if you are offered पेढ़ा (pedha) by the joyous family, then you can safely infer that a…
Conversational Hindi: Common Questions and Answers (Part 3) Posted by Rachael on May 31, 2018
इस ब्लॉग के तीसरे हिस्से को आपका स्वागत है! Welcome to the third part of this series on conversational Hindi! I’m writing these posts in an effort to provide more access to and guidance on colloquial, rather than formal, Hindi as it is more useful for everyday conversation. As always, thanks for reading and please…
Conversational Hindi: Common Questions and Answers (Part 2) Posted by Rachael on May 24, 2018
This blog is the second part to my first blog on this topic. As a student of Hindi myself, I would sometimes become frustrated with the sheer volume of “formal Hindi” I was being taught. Of course, this Hindi was overly formal and outdated, but I wasn’t being told that––instead, this Hindi was described as…
Conversational Hindi: Common Questions and Answers Posted by Rachael on May 23, 2018
As per a recent request from a reader, this blog will be devoted to conversational Hindi. Specifically, it will concern questions and answers to common conversational topics. Thank you so much, devoted readers (especially the reader who suggested this topic), for following my blog and making awesome suggestions for future blogs! These questions and answers…
Golden Turmeric Posted by Nitya on May 23, 2018
Turmeric हल्दी (haldi) is the new natural healing rage in the West; from health food stores to cafes, you’ll find an abundance of items that claim enhanced nutrition value or health benefits due to हल्दी as an ingredient. However, हल्दी has been a part of an Indian household’s pantry for centuries. It is not only know to promote good health आरोग्य (aarogya), it is also used…
The Art of Persistence Posted by Rachael on May 11, 2018
As you continue learning Hindi, hopefully you are coming to appreciate how streamlined the grammatical system is, especially when compared to the disorganized, exception-ridden behemoth of a language that is English. Luckily for learners, Hindi has a relatively straightforward grammar based on that of its parent language, Sanskrit, which has a more complicated, yet still…
Shapes: Aakaar Posted by Nitya on May 10, 2018
Shapes आकार (aakaar) are all around us. We use them to describe everyday objects Children are taught to recognize shapes at a very young age. As they enter middle grades and get introduced to geometry in school, the shapes get more complicated. 2D shapes set the base for 3D shapes, however we won’t delve that deep today. Note: कोण (koN)…