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Shopping (Fruits & Vegetables) Posted by on Jul 25, 2011 in Hindi Language

Lets me show you the shopping culture of native Hindi speakers, their shopping & bargaining habits and most important of them all, some of the common vocabulary related to fruits and vegetables in Hindi.

In the following scene, Rita goes to a Sabzi Mandi (सब्जी मंडी) (a wholesale vegetable and fruit market). She wants a stock of vegetables and fruits for a week (It is usual for Indian customers to go for a shopping in these wholesale market and bulk purchase  food items for a week)

Rita goes to a fruit shop.

Rita: Bhaisahab/Bhaiya, How much for 3 kg of these Mangoes (आम  – Aam)?
Shopkeeper: Madam, these Mangoes will cost Rs. 60 for 3 kg.
Rita: I will give Rs. 50, will that be alright?
Shopkeeper: No Madam, market is really tight. It is very hard to give any discount for such a small quantity.
Rita: Okay, how much discount can you give me if I will purchase 5 kg?
Shopkeeper: I can give a discount of Rs. 10, not more than that.
Rita: Okay, please pack 5 kg of Mangoes.
Rita pays the Shopkeeper and takes the Mangoes. Then she goes to an another shop.
(Indian customer usually ask for the discount on higher quantities. This is usually win-win situation for both as the shopkeeper want to sell the products as soon as possible to avoid wastage and the customer can avail discount on higher quantities)

Some other commonly available fruits which could be substituted to above conversation are Apple (सेब – Seb), Pineapples (अनानास – Ananas), Peach (पीच – Peach), Strawberry (स्ट्राबेरी – Strawberry), Grapes (अंगूर – Angoor) , Orange (संतरा – Santra), Guava (अमरूद – Amrood), Banana (केला – Kela), Coconut (नारियल – Nariyal), Papaya (पपीता – Papita), Watermelon (तरबूज – Tarboojh) etc.

Now, Rita goes to a vegetable shop. She wishes to purchase some vegetables for a week.

Rita: Bhaisahab/Bhaiya, How much for the Potatoes (आलू – Aloo)?
Shopkeeper: Madam, the Potatoes are only Rs. 10 per kg.
Rita: How much will it cost for 5 kg? (It is an indirect way to ask for discount even though the cost for 5 Kg is obvious)
Shopkeeper: Madam, you can take them for Rs. 45.
Rita: Bhaisahab/Bhaiya, another shopkeeper is selling them for cheaper.
Shopkeeper: Madam, I can offer you only Rs. 43. There is no profit margin left for me.
Rita: Okay, And how much for these Onions (प्याज – Pyaz)?
Shopkeeper: Rs. 30 per kg.
Rita: How much will it cost for 2 kg?
Shopkeeper: I can give you a maximum of Rs.5 discount.
Rita: Okay, please pack all of these (Potatoes and Onions).
Rita: Now, how much I have to pay?
Shopkeeper: Only Rs. 98.
Rita hands over only Rs. 90. Shopkeeper insists for the full amount of Rs. 98. Rita then hand over Rs. 3 more, to which Shopkeeper agrees to accept.
Rita takes the vegetables. She then goes to another shop.

(Shopkeepers usually point their lower prices by saying that there is no profit margin left. Customers, however, still try to bargain with them by asking for more discounted prices or if they need higher quantity, they ask if more discount can be given on higher quantity. Sometime, when a customer purchase different products (more than one vegetable), a combined discount on final sum which includes previously availed discounts could be further bargained, just like in the conversation above.)

Some of the other commonly available vegetables in Indian wholesale markets are Bitter Gourd (करेला – Karela), Bottle Gourd (लौकी – Lauki), Brinjal (बैंगन – Baingan), Cabbage (बंद गोभी – Bandagobhi), Capsicum (शिमला मिर्च- Simla Mirch), Carrot (गाजर – Gajar), Cauliflower (फूल गोभी – Phoolgobhi), Chilli (green)(हरी मिर्च – Harimirch), Colocasia roots (अरबी – Arbi), Coriander leaves (हरा धनिया – Hara Dhania), Eggplant (बैंगन – Baingan), Garlic (लहसुन – Lahsun), Ginger (अदरक – Adrak), Green Mustard (सरसों का साग – Sarson ka Saag), Green Peas (हरी मटर – Matar), Jackfruit (raw) (कटहल – Kathal), Lady Finger (भिन्डी – Bhindi), Lemon (नींबू – Nimbu), Mint (पुदीना – Pudina), Onion (प्याज – Pyaz), Pumpkin (कद्दू – Kaddu), Radish (मूली – Mooli), Ridge Gourd (तोरी – Tori), Spinach (पालक – Palak), Tomato (टमाटर – Tamatar), Turnip (शलजम – Shalgam) etc.

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About the Author: Nitin Kumar

Nitin Kumar is a native Hindi speaker from New Delhi, India. His education qualification include Masters in Robotics and Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering. Currently, he is working in the Research and Development in Robotics in Germany. He is avid language learner with varied level of proficiency in English, German, Spanish, and Japanese. He wish to learn French one day. His passion for languages motivated him to share his mother tongue, Hindi, and culture and traditions associated with its speakers. He has been working with Transparent Language since 2010 and has written over 430 blogs on various topics on Hindi language and India, its culture and traditions. He is also the Administrator for Hindi Facebook page which has a community of over 330,000 members.


Comments:

  1. Ankitha:

    Based glimmered

  2. Ankitha:

    It is a very good Hindi language blog. I love it a lot

  3. zain:

    Wao great Indian shops :mrgreen:
    I want to write a essay for school but its not perfect 🙄 but its great 🙂 😀 😛

  4. vegetables in nagpur:

    This article about green fresh vegetables is very much informative in details. For new online vegetables shoppers, Its helps a lot.