Hindi conversation phrases: 12 phrases with pronunciation
The hardest part of a real conversation is not the vocabulary, it is the repair — saying you did not catch that, asking someone to slow down, buying a second to think. English speakers usually fall back to English for these, which ends the Hindi conversation. The phrases here keep it alive.
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“What are you doing?” in Hindi
क्या कर रहे हो?
Kya kar rahe ho?
“What are you doing?” in Hindi is क्या कर रहे हो?, pronounced Kya kar rahe ho?. One of the most-sent messages in India. कर रहे हो to a man or a friend, कर रही हो to a woman, कर रहे हैं for the formal आप.
Example sentences
Hey, what are you doing?
अरे, क्या कर रहे हो?
Are, kya kar rahe ho?
What are you doing right now? (to a woman)
तुम अभी क्या कर रही हो?
Tum abhi kya kar rahi ho?
Formal, casual, and other variants
| Version | Hindi | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| To a man / friend | क्या कर रहे हो?Kya kar rahe ho? | Everyday, casual |
| To a woman | क्या कर रही हो?Kya kar rahi ho? | रहे becomes रही |
| Formal | आप क्या कर रहे हैं?Aap kya kar rahe hain? | Elders, strangers |
“Where are you?” in Hindi
तुम कहाँ हो?
Tum kahan ho?
“Where are you?” in Hindi is तुम कहाँ हो?, pronounced Tum kahan ho?. कहाँ हो asks about location right now. Do not confuse it with कहाँ से हो, which asks where someone is from.
Example sentences
Where are you? I'm waiting.
तुम कहाँ हो? मैं इंतज़ार कर रहा हूँ।
Tum kahan ho? Main intezaar kar raha hoon.
Where are you, sir?
आप कहाँ हैं, सर?
Aap kahan hain, sir?
Common mistake
कहाँ हो (where are you now) and कहाँ से हो (where are you from) differ by one word and mean completely different things.
“Call me” in Hindi
मुझे फ़ोन करो
Mujhe phone karo
“Call me” in Hindi is मुझे फ़ोन करो, pronounced Mujhe phone karo. फ़ोन is the normal word — दूरभाष (doorbhaash) exists but nobody says it. Use करना for the polite form: मुझे फ़ोन कीजिए.
Example sentences
Call me when you're free.
फ़ुर्सत मिले तो मुझे फ़ोन करो।
Fursat mile to mujhe phone karo.
Please call me back.
मुझे वापस फ़ोन कीजिए।
Mujhe wapas phone kijiye.
“Listen to me” in Hindi
मेरी बात सुनो
Meri baat suno
“Listen to me” in Hindi is मेरी बात सुनो, pronounced Meri baat suno. Literally "listen to my talk". Plain सुनो on its own means listen, but मेरी बात सुनो is what people actually say when they want to be heard out.
Example sentences
Listen to me for one minute.
एक मिनट मेरी बात सुनो।
Ek minute meri baat suno.
Please listen to me.
मेरी बात सुनिए।
Meri baat suniye.
“Come here” in Hindi
यहाँ आओ
Yahan aao
“Come here” in Hindi is यहाँ आओ, pronounced Yahan aao. आओ is casual, आइए is polite. इधर आओ (idhar aao — come this way) is just as common and slightly softer.
Example sentences
Come here, I need to show you something.
यहाँ आओ, तुम्हें कुछ दिखाना है।
Yahan aao, tumhein kuch dikhana hai.
Please come in.
अंदर आइए।
Andar aaiye.
“Go away” in Hindi
चले जाओ
Chale jao
“Go away” in Hindi is चले जाओ, pronounced Chale jao. Blunt and can be rude. To say it without offence, दूर हटो (door hato — step back) or a polite आप जाइए works better.
Example sentences
Go away, leave me alone.
चले जाओ, मुझे अकेला छोड़ दो।
Chale jao, mujhe akela chhod do.
Please step aside.
ज़रा हट जाइए।
Zara hat jaiye.
“Shut up” in Hindi
चुप रहो
Chup raho
“Shut up” in Hindi is चुप रहो, pronounced Chup raho. चुप रहो is firm but not vulgar — a parent says it to a child. चुप कर is harsher and openly rude to an adult.
Example sentences
Be quiet, I'm on a call.
चुप रहो, मैं फ़ोन पर हूँ।
Chup raho, main phone par hoon.
Please keep quiet.
कृपया शांत रहिए।
Kripya shaant rahiye.
Common mistake
Do not use चुप कर with anyone senior to you. It reads as a direct insult, not impatience.
“I don't care” in Hindi
मुझे कोई फ़र्क नहीं पड़ता
Mujhe koi farak nahi padta
“I don't care” in Hindi is मुझे कोई फ़र्क नहीं पड़ता, pronounced Mujhe koi farak nahi padta. Literally "no difference falls on me". मुझे परवाह नहीं (mujhe parwaah nahi) is shorter and slightly softer.
Example sentences
I don't care what people say.
लोग क्या कहते हैं, मुझे कोई फ़र्क नहीं पड़ता।
Log kya kehte hain, mujhe koi farak nahi padta.
I really don't care.
मुझे सच में परवाह नहीं।
Mujhe sach mein parwaah nahi.
“Really?” in Hindi
सच में?
Sach mein?
“Really?” in Hindi is सच में?, pronounced Sach mein?. सच में expresses genuine surprise. अच्छा? (achha?) does the same job in one word and is extremely common in conversation.
Example sentences
Really? I didn't know that.
सच में? मुझे नहीं पता था।
Sach mein? Mujhe nahi pata tha.
Oh really? Tell me more.
अच्छा? और बताओ।
Achha? Aur batao.
“Of course” in Hindi
बिल्कुल
Bilkul
“Of course” in Hindi is बिल्कुल, pronounced Bilkul. बिल्कुल means absolutely and works as an enthusiastic yes. ज़रूर (zaroor — certainly) is the version used when agreeing to do something.
Example sentences
Of course, no problem at all.
बिल्कुल, कोई बात नहीं।
Bilkul, koi baat nahi.
Of course I'll come.
ज़रूर आऊँगा।
Zaroor aaunga.
“Maybe” in Hindi
शायद
Shayad
“Maybe” in Hindi is शायद, pronounced Shayad. शायद covers maybe, perhaps, and probably. It goes at the start of the clause, not the end as in English.
Example sentences
Maybe he will come tomorrow.
शायद वह कल आएगा।
Shayad voh kal aayega.
Maybe. I'm not sure.
शायद। पक्का नहीं पता।
Shayad. Pakka nahi pata.
“I agree” in Hindi
मैं सहमत हूँ
Main sahmat hoon
“I agree” in Hindi is मैं सहमत हूँ, pronounced Main sahmat hoon. सहमत is formal, right for a meeting or written argument. In speech people say सही कहा (sahi kaha — well said) or just हाँ, ठीक है.
Example sentences
I completely agree with you.
मैं आपसे पूरी तरह सहमत हूँ।
Main aapse poori tarah sahmat hoon.
You're right, that's true.
सही कहा, बात तो ठीक है।
Sahi kaha, baat to theek hai.
The grammar behind these phrases
- Hindi question words — कहाँ and कब stay put instead of moving to the front
- introducing yourself — the six sentences a first conversation needs