Unit 32 · Open your first Hindi scene · Meet

Open your first Hindi scene

Read the first A1 encounter and follow who has the key.

  1. कमला

    नमस्ते! यह आपकी चाबी है।

    Hello! Here is your key.

  2. मीरा

    धन्यवाद! मेरा नाम मीरा है।

    Thank you! My name is Meera.

  3. कमला

    मैं कमला हूँ। यह मेरा मकान है।

    I am Kamala. This is my house.

Words in this chat

Tap a card and listen. Try saying it too.

नमस्ते! यह आपकी चाबी है।

Hello! Here is your key.

धन्यवाद! मेरा नाम मीरा है।

Thank you! My name is Meera.

मैं कमला हूँ। यह मेरा मकान है।

I am Kamala. This is my house.
key

चाबी

keycābī
house

मकान

housemakān

घर पर

at homeghar par
Reading tips

These lines use Kamala and the key from the Hindi A1 opening scene. Read the message first; the main course will develop the grammar.

Reading practice

Read with support

Match the words to their pictures.

Read with support

Match the words to their meanings.

Read without a sound cue

Match the words to their pictures.

Read without a sound cue

Match the words to their meanings.

Sound to spelling

Listen. Choose the spelling.

Spelling to sound

Read the word. Choose its sound.

धन्यवाद! मेरा नाम मीरा है।

Sound to spelling

Listen. Choose the spelling.

Spelling to sound

Read the word. Choose its sound.

चाबी

Read and decide

Who says this is her house?

मैं कमला हूँ। यह मेरा मकान है।

Build the word

Listen and build the word in typing order.

key

Recall the spelling

Listen and build the word without its picture.

Build the word

Listen and build the word in typing order.

house

Recall the spelling

Listen and build the word without its picture.

Build the word

Listen and build the word in typing order.

Finish practice to save this unit.

You can read and write this

Read the first A1 encounter and follow who has the key.

Next unit

नमस्ते! यह आपकी चाबी है।

Hello! Here is your key.

धन्यवाद! मेरा नाम मीरा है।

Thank you! My name is Meera.

मैं कमला हूँ। यह मेरा मकान है।

I am Kamala. This is my house.
key

चाबी

key
house

मकान

house

घर पर

at home
Use a Hindi keyboard

Use Devanagari InScript or the course tiles. Consonant comes first, then matra; halant joins consonants. Unicode normalisation accepts equivalent dotted spellings.

All letters

कno puff of air
i

ka. Plain k: no puff of air.

म
i

ma

ल
i

la

न
i

na

र
i

ra

अ
i

a

आ
i

ā

◌ाlong vowelIn मा
i

ā sign. The dotted circle only shows where a consonant would go.

दtongue at the teeththroat buzzes
i

da. Dental d: the tongue tip touches the upper teeth.

◌िshort vowelIn दि
i

short i sign. Written first, read second: दि is d + i.

तtongue at the teethno puff of air
i

ta. Dental t without a puff of air.

◌ीlong vowelIn ती
i

long ī sign

इ
i

i

पno puff of air
i

pa. Plain p: no puff of air.

◌ुshort vowelIn पु
i

short u sign

◌ूlong vowelIn लू
i

long ū sign

ऊ
i

ū

स
i

sa

◌ेIn के
i

e sign

◌ैIn पै
i

ai sign

ए
i

e

ऐ
i

ai

◌ोIn मो
i

o sign

◌ौIn नौ
i

au sign

ओ
i

o

औ
i

au

खpuff of air
i

kha. k with a puff of air, not English ch.

गthroat buzzes
i

ga

घbuzz + breath
i

gha. A buzzing g with a breathy release.

ई
i

ī

चno puff of air
i

ca. Like ch in “chin”, without a puff of air.

छpuff of air
i

cha

जthroat buzzes
i

ja

झbuzz + breath
i

jha

थtongue at the teethpuff of air
i

tha. Dental t with a puff of air, not English th.

धtongue at the teethbuzz + breath
i

dha. Dental d with a breathy release.

फpuff of air
i

pha. p with a puff of air; many speakers say f.

बthroat buzzes
i

ba

भbuzz + breath
i

bha

टtongue curled backno puff of air
i

ṭa. The tongue tip curls back.

ठtongue curled backpuff of air
i

ṭha. Curled tongue with a puff of air.

डtongue curled backthroat buzzes
i

ḍa. Curled tongue with a buzz.

ढtongue curled backbuzz + breath
i

ḍha. Curled tongue, buzz and breath.

य
i

ya

व
i

va / wa. Between English v and w.

ह
i

ha

उ
i

u

श
i

śa / sha

ष
i

ṣa / sha. Today usually the same sound as श; learn the spelling word by word.

णtongue curled back
i

ṇa. Curled-tongue n; many speakers say it close to न.

ऋ
i

ṛ / ri

◌ृIn कृ
i

ri sign

◌ंIn अंडा
i

nasal dot. Before a consonant the dot is a nasal that matches it: n in अंडा, ng in पतंग.

◌ँIn चाँद
i

moon-dot: nasal vowel. The vowel goes through the nose; there is no separate n.

◌्In बिल्ली
i

halant: no inherent vowel. Joined letters can show as a half shape, a stack or a new ligature.

◌ःIn दुःख
i

visarga. Learn the whole-word pronunciation.

ङ
i

ṅa. The ng sound; usually written with ं today: गंगा.

ञ
i

ña. Mostly inside joined letters; ज्ञ is said gy in Hindi.

◌़In पेड़
i

nukta: changes a consonant

ड़quick flap
i

ṛa. A quick flap: the curled tongue flicks forward once.

ढ़
i

ṛha. A breathy flap.

फ़
i

fa

ज़
i

za

क़
i

qa / ka

ख़
i

xa / kha

ग़
i

ɣa / ga

ऑ
i

ɔ

◌ॉIn डॉ
i

ɔ sign