🇮🇳 Hindi
हिन्दी • Devanagari
Word order: what’s normal (and how to sound natural)
Understand the default word order and a simple strategy to avoid ‘translation‑English’.
The key idea
Hindi is typically Subject–Object–Verb (SOV). Postpositions often follow nouns (घर में = ‘in the house’).
- Memorize patterns (whole sentences), not just single words.
- When you change the meaning, keep the grammar skeleton the same.
- If word order is flexible, use ‘neutral’ order first — emphasis comes later.
मैं यहाँ हूँ।
main yahan hoon
I am here.
मुझे पानी चाहिए।
mujhe paani chahiye
I want/need water.
मैं नहीं समझता।
main nahi samajhta
I don't understand. (masc. speaker; use समझती for fem.)
क्या आप अंग्रेज़ी बोलते हैं?
kya aap angrezi bolte hain
Do you speak English? (formal; verb may change by gender)
शौचालय कहाँ है?
shauchalay kahan hai
Where is the bathroom/toilet?
यह मेरा दोस्त है।
yah mera dost hai
This is my friend.
Tiny practice routine
Pick one sentence and create 5 variations. Example: ‘I want water’ → water/coffee/tea/ticket/help.
- Speak each variation out loud.
- Record yourself and compare rhythm.
Mini‑quiz
Mini-quiz
1/9 • Score: 0
Typical word order for this language is closest to…