Page 233 - The Rough Guide Phrasebook - Hindi & Urdu

‘To Be Able To’
The equivalents of the English verb ‘to be able to, can’ are
formed by placing saknā after the verb stem; saknā itself
f
conjugates:
vō hindī samajh saktā/sakTī hT A
he/she can understand Hindi
lit: he/she Hindi understand can is
mA hindī nahA ī ī bōl sakta/sakTīT HOW THE LANGUAGE WORKS
I can’t speak Hindi
lit: I Hindi not speak can
saknā is a ‘helping word’ and cannot be used on its own.

Interrogatives
kyā? what? kyō? why?
kahā? where? kab? when? N
kAsā? how? kitnā? how much?
k k
When a question is being asked for information, the question
word is usually placed before the verb:
āp kahā rahte hA? āp kyā kām karte hA?
where do you live? what do you do? Verbs / Interr ogatives
lit: you where live are lit: you what work do are
If kyā is placed at the beginning of the sentence, it becomes a
yes/no question:
kyā āp kām karte hA?
do you work?
The word kyā is used when a question contains no other inter-
rogative word. But it can be omitted if the question can be
expressed by tone of voice:
(kyā) āp nayī dillī mī e rahte hA?
do you live in New Delhi?
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