Hindi
Devanagari · हिंदीMore Sanskrit-derived vocabulary in many formal registers. Existing Hindi lessons remain a separate practice track.
Language practice
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WORKSPACEPick a task before a language tab. Choose the language you want to use, then work on one small task. Reading a script, learning a grammar rule and responding in conversation need different practice.
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- Need to speak today?
Choose a language and start with Survival. Practise the reply as well as the phrase you say first.
- Need to read?
Use Writing systems for recognition, Pronunciation for spelling-to-sound rules, and Kanji + Hanzi for character and word study.
- Need to build sentences?
Read a grammar rule, work through its example, then answer without looking. Check Vocabulary and Culture to see how the words are used.
Try this: Choose German. Find a survival exchange and say both parts aloud. Change one noun using the grammar explanation instead of memorizing a second whole sentence.
You should get: You can make one small variation and explain why the form changes. If you cannot, revisit that rule before adding more phrases.
Know the limit: Track depth varies. A chart is a reference, and recognizing an answer is not the same as producing it in a conversation.
Start with pronunciationMandarin Chinese / Taiwan
Bopomofo / Zhuyin
注音符號A set of phonetic symbols used to show Mandarin pronunciation. Syllables are assembled from an initial, a medial or final, and a tone.
The first version was created in 1913 and released in 1918. It remains a practical reading, dictionary, and keyboard tool in Taiwan.
- SYMBOLS
- 37
- TONES
- 5
- ALSO CALLED
- Zhuyin / Zhuyin Fuhao
Initials
21Medials
3Finals
13Tones
5Pronunciation: sounds, reading rules, stress, tone & practice →
All 47 pronunciation chapters & the IPA sound key →
All 47 pronunciation chapters & the IPA sound key →
Hindustani: Hindi and Urdu side by side
Hindi and Urdu share much everyday grammar and vocabulary within the Hindustani continuum. Standardization, script, cultural traditions and high-register vocabulary create important differences; mutual intelligibility depends on speaker, topic and register.
Urdu
Perso-Arabic Nastaliq · اُردُوPersian/Arabic-derived vocabulary is prominent in many formal registers. Letters and joining require their own study.
Shared everyday pattern
maĩ pānī pītā/pītī hū̃मैं पानी पीता/पीती हूँ। / میں پانی پیتا/پیتی ہوں۔ Both model I drink water, with masculine/feminine agreement.
Agreement
pītā / pītīThe choice here tracks the speaker’s grammatical gender; it is not a Hindi-versus-Urdu contrast.
Try it: What changes between the two scripts in the water example, and what grammatical contrast remains?
Show the answer
The script changes. Both retain the masculine/feminine pītā/pītī contrast and the auxiliary hū̃.
References: Hindi Urdu Flagship, University of Texas ↗
HINDI / FOUNDATIONS
हिन्दुस्तानी · ہندوستانی
Compare Hindi and Urdu above. This shared-grammar entry uses the Hindi-script foundation below; choose Urdu for its separate script and vocabulary practice.
The words for everyday life.
Find a situation, read the phrase, or show the native text. Learn common replies as well as questions.
Pronunciation & how to use these phrases
Start with the writing charts, then listen to complete words. Device speech depends on installed voices and may use a different regional accent. Spelling and sound do not match one-to-one.
Hindi is one of many languages of India. English borrowing such as कार्ड, टिकट, and बुकिंग is common. कल can mean yesterday or tomorrow depending on tense/context. Learning path: recognise words and phrases → build simple sentences → practise questions and replies → expand tense and connected speech → read and discuss longer texts. These foundation lessons are available now; later stages will grow with the collection.
24 phrases
Basics
Communication
Bathrooms
Food & ordering
Shops & payment
Taxi & transport
Airport
Help
Listen for
Reply
Hotels
HINDI / GRAMMAR REFERENCE
8 chaptersForms, rules & structure
Standard Hindi. Gender agreement and levels of address are shown explicitly.
Grammar terminology
- Noun
- A word used to name or classify an entity: person, place, object, substance, idea.
- Adjective
- A word that describes a property; its form and position depend on the language.
- Pronoun
- A form used to refer to a participant or entity without repeating a full noun phrase.
- Determiner
- A word such as an article, demonstrative or possessive that helps specify a noun phrase.
- Verb
- A word heading a predicate, often describing an action, event or state.
- Conjugation
- A pattern of verb forms expressing grammatical distinctions such as person, tense or mood.
- Declension
- A pattern of noun, pronoun or adjective forms, often marking case, number and gender.
- Case
- A distinction marking a noun phrase’s grammatical role or its relationship to a governing word.
- Gender
- A grammatical classification of nouns; it need not match sex or have a transparent meaning.
- Agreement
- A form changes to match features of another expression, such as person, number, gender or case.
- Tense
- A grammatical way of locating a situation relative to a time of reference.
- Aspect
- How a situation is viewed: for example ongoing, habitual, completed or prior to a reference point.
- Mood
- A grammatical distinction associated with assertion, possibility, commands, wishes or other clause functions.
- Finite form
- A verb form that can serve as a clause’s main inflected verb, contrasting with infinitives and participles. The precise criteria vary by language.
- Participle
- A verb-derived form used in constructions such as modifiers, compound tenses or passives; its roles vary by language.
- Infinitive
- A nonfinite verb form in languages that have one; it is not automatically equivalent to English “to + verb”.
- Subject / object
- Grammatical relations in a clause, not universal synonyms for “doer” and “receiver”.
- Clitic
- A short grammatical form that depends phonologically on a neighboring word.
- Transitive
- Describes a verb construction that takes a direct object.
- Register
- A variety of expression associated with context, relationship or level of formality.
Noun gender & direct/oblique forms
- Nouns are masculine or feminine; no neuter gender or obligatory article system exists. Many masculine -ā nouns alternate -ā/-e, but ending-based gender predictions have exceptions.
- A postposition generally requires the oblique form of its noun phrase. Number and noun class determine that form.
| Noun | Direct singular | Oblique singular | Direct plural | Oblique plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| boy | लड़का | लड़के | लड़के | लड़कों |
| girl | लड़की | लड़की | लड़कियाँ | लड़कियों |
| house | घर | घर | घर | घरों |
Worked examples
लड़के के पास किताब है।
The boy has a book.
How it works: लड़का becomes लड़के before the postpositional expression के पास.
Location
The verb commonly ends the sentence. कहाँ है means where is.
शौचालय कहाँ है?Where is the toilet?
Read the model, complete the gap, then change one word and explain what changes.
Try it yourself
1 / 1 · 0 correctComplete the model using the rule.
शौचालय कहाँ ___?
All words · vocabulary quiz
1 / 20 · 0 correctChoose the English meaning.
पानी
पानीwater
पानीwater
खानाfood
खानाfood
दूधmilk
दूधmilk
रोटीbread
रोटीbread
कॉफ़ीcoffee
कॉफ़ीcoffee
चायtea
चायtea
चावलrice
चावलrice
शौचालयbathroom
शौचालयbathroom
हवाई अड्डाairport
हवाई अड्डाairport
स्टेशनstation
स्टेशनstation
टिकटticket
टिकटticket
निकासexit
निकासexit
बायाँleft
बायाँleft
दायाँright
दायाँright
आजtoday
आजtoday
कलtomorrow
कलtomorrow
एकone
एकone
दोtwo
दोtwo
तीनthree
तीनthree
मददhelp
मददhelp
Between the words
आप is respectful you. The sample कर सकता हूँ is said by a male speaker; a female speaker uses कर सकती हूँ. These are not interchangeable grammatical endings.
नमस्ते।
Respect and genderआप is respectful you. The sample कर सकता हूँ is said by a male speaker; a female speaker uses कर सकती हूँ. These are not interchangeable grammatical endings.
नमस्ते।
Hindi is one of many languages of India. English borrowing such as कार्ड, टिकट, and बुकिंग is common. कल can mean yesterday or tomorrow depending on tense/context.
Read the situation
1 / 1 · 0 correctRecall the opening greeting from this collection.
Practice scores last for this visit.Hindustani (Hindi / Urdu) audio is unavailable on this device. All exercises work without audio.