Tag Archives: hindi
Call Me By My Tune Posted by Nitya on Sep 22, 2018
Meghalaya मेघालय (Meghalaya) is a beautiful state in the northeastern region पूर्वोत्तर क्षेत्र (purvottar kshetra) of India. This state is also home to the indigenous Khasi people known as one of the largest groups who follow a matrilineal मातृवंशीय (matruvansheeya) tradition परंपरा (parampara). A recent news item shed light on another unique tradition अनोखी प्रथा (anokhee pratha) practiced by the Khasi people living in and around…
India Aims to be Plastic Free by 2022 Posted by Nitya on Sep 7, 2018
On June 5, 2018, the occasion of World Environment Day विश्व पर्यावरण दिवस के अवसर पर (vishwa paryavaran divas ke avasar par) the Government of India भारत सरकार (Bharat Sarkar) became one of a few countries कुछ देशों में से एक (kuch deshon mein se ek) in the world to announce घोषित करना (ghoshit karna) a strict सख़्त (sakht) ban प्रतिबंध /पाबन्दी (pratibundh/paabundi) on one-time use plastic. This move has been…
Catching the Local Lingo Posted by Nitya on Jun 24, 2018
While grammar, sentence construction, and vocabulary have their place in learning a new language, they often fall short during actual experiences in the country. Local slang, dialect, and idiomatic phrases play a good part in shaping understanding of fleeting encounters or local conversations. In previous blogs (Idiomatic Phrases and More Idiomatic Phrases) we took a look at…
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…
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…
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…
The use of Metaphors, Similes in Hindi using References to Nature Posted by Nitya on Mar 20, 2018
Songs from Hindi cinema are filled with metaphors, and many of these are derived from nature. Newfound love नया प्यार (nayaa pyaar) is compared to the first rain पहली बारिश (pehli baarish) of the season. Loneliness तन्हाई (tanhaai) is likened to the desert रेगिस्तान (registaan). Impending trouble or sorrow दुःख-दर्द (dukh-dard) hangs overhead like rain clouds मेघ (megh). Youth जवानी (jawaani)…