· 7 min read
Hindi Phrases for Beginners and Daily Use
By Language Lab editorial team
Hindi phrases for beginners and daily use: 21 essentials with pronunciation, formal and informal forms, and how Hindi sentences are built. From the BBC's guide.
The Hindi phrases you will use every day are short and easy to say. Namaste is both hello and goodbye. Dhanyavad is thank you and Kripaya is please. Yes is Haan, or Jee when you want to be respectful, and no is Nahin. To introduce yourself, say Mera naam, then your name, then hai. To ask how someone is, use Aap kaise hain? in formal speech and Tum kaise ho? with friends. When you are lost, Main nahin samajhta means I don't understand if you are male, and Main nahin samajhti if you are female. That last pair shows two things about Hindi from the start: verbs change with the speaker's gender, and the verb comes at the end. The 21 phrases below are from the BBC's guide to Hindi.
Greetings and courtesy
| Hindi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Namaste | Hello / Goodbye |
| Kripaya | Please |
| Dhanyavad | Thank you |
| Koi baat nahi | You're welcome |
| Mujhe maaf kijiye | Sorry |
| Fir milenge | See you later |
Yes, no and reactions
| Hindi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Jee | Yes (respectful) |
| Haan | Yes |
| Nahin | No |
| Waah | Great! |
Meeting people
| Hindi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Mera naam ... hai | My name is ... |
| Aap kaise hain? | How are you? (formal) |
| Tum kaise ho? | How are you? (informal) |
| Main theek hoon, dhanyavad | I'm fine, thank you |
| Main theek nahin hoon | I'm not well |
| Aapse milkar khushi huyee | Pleased to meet you |
When you need help
| Hindi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Kya aap English bolte hain? | Do you speak English? |
| Main nahin samajhta | I don't understand (said by males) |
| Main nahin samajhti | I don't understand (said by females) |
| Mujhe Hindi nahin samajh aati | I don't understand Hindi |
| Mujhe madad chahiye, dhanyavad | I need help, please |
Formal and informal
Hindi has formal and informal ways of asking the same thing. The BBC's list gives two versions of how are you: Aap kaise hain? is formal, and Tum kaise ho? is informal. Use the formal one when you want to be polite. The same care shows in yes: Jee is the respectful form and Haan the plain one.
How Hindi sentences are built
A few facts from the BBC's guide to Hindi make these phrases easier to remember.
- The verb goes at the end. How are you, aap kaise hain, is word for word you how are. I am fine, main achchha hoon, is I fine am.
- There are no articles. Hindi has no words for the or a.
- Nouns have gender, masculine or feminine, and adjectives and verbs change to match. The BBC calls this usually one of the most difficult steps in learning Hindi.
- Spelling follows sound. Hindi is written from left to right, and words are written as they are pronounced.
- You already know some words. Guru, jungle, karma, yoga and bungalow are Hindi or of Hindi origin, and Hindi uses English words such as doctor, station, bus and train.
A short exchange
- A: Namaste. Aap kaise hain? Hello. How are you?
- B: Main theek hoon, dhanyavad. I'm fine, thank you.
- A: Mera naam ... hai. My name is ...
- B: Aapse milkar khushi huyee. Pleased to meet you.
- A: Fir milenge. See you later.
How to practise
- Say each phrase aloud, with the BBC's audio as a model if you can.
- Choose your own form of I don't understand, samajhta or samajhti, and drill that one.
- Test yourself from English to Hindi.
- Review tomorrow and next week. A 2013 review of learning research rated practice testing and distributed practice as high utility, and rereading as low.
- Plan for the long run: the US State Department lists Hindi in Category III, at about 44 weeks or 1,012 class hours for English speakers.
Language Lab's Hindi course is built around voiced real-life scenarios with an AI tutor, so you can use these phrases in a spoken exchange.
Frequently asked
How do you say hello in Hindi?
Namaste. It is used for both hello and goodbye.
How do you say thank you in Hindi?
Dhanyavad. You're welcome is Koi baat nahi, and please is Kripaya.
How do you say how are you in Hindi?
Aap kaise hain? in formal speech and Tum kaise ho? informally. A common answer is Main theek hoon, dhanyavad: I'm fine, thank you.
How do you say my name is in Hindi?
Mera naam, your name, hai. The verb hai comes at the end.
How do you say I don't understand in Hindi?
Main nahin samajhta if you are male and Main nahin samajhti if you are female. Mujhe Hindi nahin samajh aati means I don't understand Hindi.
How do you say yes and no in Hindi?
Yes is Haan, or Jee as the respectful form. No is Nahin.
Sources: BBC Languages, A Guide to Hindi: Key phrases and 10 facts about the Hindi language (archived pages); US Department of State, National Foreign Affairs Training Center, Foreign Language Training; Dunlosky et al., Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2013. Checked on 13 October 2026. Photo: Hawa Mahal, Jaipur, Jakub Hałun / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
