[maharaj]

Hi fellow members......Great site.  I registered yesterday.

I would like to learn spoken Hindi before returning to India for the upcoming winter.  I completed the Pimsluer 5 CD program and I really liked it.  I believe total immersion with Indians is my best way to learn.  I would like a jump start tho.  And what a great way to keep my soul, but not body in India.

Any suggestions?

Maha

[Seventies'Neil]

maharaj, on May 15 2006, 04:31 AM, said:

Hi fellow members......Great site.  I registered yesterday.

I would like to learn spoken Hindi before returning to India for the upcoming winter.  I completed the Pimsluer 5 CD program and I really liked it.  I believe total immersion with Indians is my best way to learn.  I would like a jump start tho.  And what a great way to keep my soul, but not body in India.

Any suggestions?

Maha

If you've got a local Gurdwara in your area, Ask there, They often have evening classes to teach their children Hindi.

[Judi]

Seventies, on May 15 2006, 08:10 PM, said:

If you've got a local Gurdwara in your area, Ask there, They often have evening classes to teach their children Hindi.

Hey, thanks for that!  I've got 'teach yourself' CDs and books - but 'teaching yourself' is never as much fun as someone else teaching, is it?  I'll give that one a try.

[fromusawithluv]

Hi Maha, Welcome to The India Tree.

I am on the same boat, as I'm learning Hindi too.  What I find most helpful like you say - is full immersion.  Learn to converse ONLY in Hindi with people as if you had no other choice.  I like 70s idea too!

I've been learning very fast (of course it helps that I could understand Hindi from before)...

check out these books:  my personal recommendation (Hindi for non-hindi speaking people) by Kavita Kumar...still use it today!

The other book is Cambridge Self Hindi Teacher (a step by step, practical simple and scientific approach for mastering Hindi. Equally useful for foreigners, tourists, businessmen and students)

Also, practice reading Hindi when you're out and about - reading billboards, signs, lol..even what's written on back of trucks !  then ask someone locally if you're pronouncing them correctly.  

but the best trick I know..is pure interest in learning...

Good luck!

[dzibead]

Has anyone tried the Rosetta Stone program?  Apparently it's a "full immersion"-type program that you use with a computer, not just audiotapes/CDs, and it LOOKS very good, but I don't know anyone who has actually used it.  I'm tempted ...

[larki]

dzibead, on May 15 2006, 06:52 PM, said:

Has anyone tried the Rosetta Stone program?  Apparently it's a "full immersion"-type program that you use with a computer, not just audiotapes/CDs, and it LOOKS very good, but I don't know anyone who has actually used it.  I'm tempted ...

Yes, I have it.  I chucked it!  I used "teach yourself hindi' and watch a lot of movies and TV (asia)

I need to understand what I am saying and I was not getting that from Rosetta.

[dzibead]

larki, on May 15 2006, 06:25 PM, said:

Yes, I have it.  I chucked it!  I used "teach yourself hindi' and watch a lot of movies and TV (asia)

I need to understand what I am saying and I was not getting that from Rosetta.

Thanks for that feedback.  I think I'll give Rpsetta Stone a miss and try something else (in my non-existant spare time!)

[maharaj]

Thanks everybody for these good ideas.  Fromuswithluv, I think I will try that book you mention.

[Indojinguy]

maharaj, on May 16 2006, 04:21 AM, said:

Thanks everybody for these good ideas.  Fromuswithluv, I think I will try that book you mention.

Why do you want to learn Hindi?

Find a gir/boy friend? I think having one is a good way to learn Hindi. Or you can partake in IM meetups that take place sometimes in foreign lands.

[maharaj]

Indojinguy, on May 16 2006, 05:02 AM, said:

Why do you want to learn Hindi?

Find a gir/boy friend? I think having one is a good way to learn Hindi. Or you can partake in IM meetups that take place sometimes in foreign lands.

HI Indojinguy,

I want to learn Hindi because I see some Indians struggling with their English to help me.  I think I can put in some effort to make it fair.  haha....It also gets lonely when everybody is speaking another language while drinking and having fun while I am checking the length of my finger nails, etc. (Slight exaggeration)

My Indian friends will certainly help me with Hindi when I am in India.  I remember picking up lots of Dutch language after being in Holland only one month. Hindi will be more challenging but fun too.

[Indojinguy]

maharaj, on May 17 2006, 12:45 PM, said:

HI Indojinguy,

I want to learn Hindi because I see some Indians struggling with their English to help me.  I think I can put in some effort to make it fair.  haha....It also gets lonely when everybody is speaking another language while drinking and having fun while I am checking the length of my finger nails, etc. (Slight exaggeration)

My Indian friends will certainly help me with Hindi when I am in India.  I remember picking up lots of Dutch language after being in Holland only one month. Hindi will be more challenging but fun too.

I see.... so in continuum of the same theme, heres your first free hindi lesson:
Theres this saying in Hindi, "Kuan kabhi pyasey kay paas nahin aata." - Literally it means 'A (water) well never goes to one who is thirsty'. Means, if you have a problem you have to look for a soution, the solution will not look for you.
Kuan - Water well - spoken: koo-anh
kabhi - ever - spoken: kuh-bhee
pyasey - thirsty person spoken: pyaa-say
kay paas - go near - spoken: (2 words) quay pass
nahin - no(t) - spoken: nuh-eein
aata - comes - spoken: aa-taa

You're learning Hindi so your frineds can help you, now thats an exception to this saying....  LOL  
Good!


About the Dutch langauge, I know 2 words already in 6 months of being here. Because every Dutch speaks English and they like to stay away from everyone.

[deathbydalbhat]

I am trying to learn Nepali now, I know just enough to get me into trouble, haha...
I will try to learn Hindi next since I will be going back to Rewalsar(hopefully) next year. From cursory glance Hindi looks more difficult than Nepali - Nepali nouns except for persons ('sahuji/sahuni', etc.) don't have gender and there is no declension of adjectives - that is the most obvious difference which comes to mind. I haven't had much time to study so have been focusing on learning to speak Nepali, can recognize a few Devanagari letters but will focus on the ali kali when I get back from Nepal - it's good both languages share the same alphabet, makes life easier!:-)

[caribong]

deathbydalbhat, on May 19 2006, 07:55 AM, said:

I am trying to learn Nepali now, I know just enough to get me into trouble, haha...
I will try to learn Hindi next since I will be going back to Rewalsar(hopefully) next year. From cursory glance Hindi looks more difficult than Nepali - Nepali nouns except for persons ('sahuji/sahuni', etc.) don't have gender and there is no declension of adjectives - that is the most obvious difference which comes to mind. I haven't had much time to study so have been focusing on learning to speak Nepali, can recognize a few Devanagari letters but will focus on the ali kali when I get back from Nepal - it's good both languages share the same alphabet, makes life easier!:-)

Nepali is actually a very easy language to learn....that is if you know basic Hindi.I learnt how to speak Nepali by interacting with the Nepali people.They always tried to speak with me in broken Hindi. ..and I had to persuade them to speak in their own language.It's a good thing you'r learning Nepali.....you will definitely be appreciated in KTM....I'm sure of that.

[larki]

If you have an IPOD, you might want to check out this site, it has some phrases that might be useful to you


http://www.roughguid...uctID=118#audio

[Serena]

What about a course here on TIT?

[larki]

Serena

I second that motion!!  

Anyone want to take on that role ????

[fromusawithluv]

I think Indojinguy already volunteered with his first lesson!

I'm all for the lessons too!

[Indojinguy]

Aaha... what is this I see... theres at least one request made in proxy...

Okay, I'll post Hindi lessons in small doses but i'm no qualified teacher so all writing will be colloquial.

Heres a few tips:
-Hindi follows SOV - subject, object , verb.
English follows SVO

- Gender modifies verb in Hindi.

more to follow.

[Indojinguy]

Heres a link (that I have no rights with: save my ass from IP laws) that has more stuff than I knew that I knew.  

External link on Hindi learning.

Read!

[fromusawithluv]

was waiting for more lessons to follow.... before you posted the link to the Hindi Resources.


Thanks for the link!  I especially found the Colordo state uni link quite useful.. has Hindi colloquial information too!