In this lesson, you'll learn to describe daily activities you do with your family. You'll master common verbs like खाना [khānā] (to eat), बनाना [banānā] (to make), and देखना [dekhnā] (to watch), and learn how to say 'we do something regularly' using the present habitual tense. You'll also discover compound verbs like बात करना [bāt karnā] (to talk). Join Ravi for a typical Sunday at his joint family home in Delhi!
Learning tips
- In Hindi, खाना [khānā] means BOTH 'food' (noun) and 'to eat' (verb). So खाना खाना [khānā khānā] literally means 'to eat food' — the same word used twice!
- The present habitual uses the pattern: verb root + ते हैं [te haĩ] (masc.) or ती हैं [tī haĩ] (fem.). Think of it as 'we (regularly) do X.'
- Compound verbs combine a noun + करना [karnā] (to do): बात करना [bāt karnā] (to talk, lit. 'to do talk'). This is very productive in Hindi — you can make many verbs this way.
- Notice that हम [ham] (we) uses the same verb form as आप [āp] (you formal) — both take -ते हैं/-ती हैं [-te haĩ/-tī haĩ].
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| लंबा [lambā] | tall/long | |
| छोटा [choṭā] | short/small | |
| मोटा [moṭā] | fat/chubby | |
| पतला [patlā] | thin/slim | |
| बाल [bāl] | hair | |
| आँखें [ā̃khẽ] | eyes | |
| चश्मा [caśmā] | glasses | |
| सुंदर [sundar] | beautiful | |
| गोरा [gorā] | fair-skinned | |
| हँसमुख [hãsmukh] | cheerful |
Dialog
It's Sunday (रविवार [ravivār]) at Ravi's joint family home in Dwarka, a residential neighborhood in southwest Delhi. Sundays are sacred family time in Indian households — everyone gathers for a big lunch. The activities follow a typical pattern: morning cooking together, afternoon meal, watching cricket on TV, children playing outside, and evening chai on the rooftop terrace (छत [chat]). Notice the present habitual forms: खाते हैं [khāte haĩ] (we eat), देखते हैं [dekhte haĩ] (we watch), बनाती हैं [banātī haĩ] (they make — feminine for माँ).
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| खाना | khānā | /kʰaː.naː/ | food; to eat | Both noun ('food') and verb ('to eat'). खाना खाना [khānā khānā] = to eat food! |
| बनाना | banānā | /bə.naː.naː/ | to make, to cook | Infinitive. खाना बनाना [khānā banānā] = to cook food (lit. 'to make food'). |
| खेलना | khelnā | /kʰel.naː/ | to play | Used for games and sports. क्रिकेट खेलना [krikeṭ khelnā] = to play cricket. |
| देखना | dekhnā | /d̪ekʰ.naː/ | to see, to watch | टीवी देखना [ṭīvī dekhnā] = to watch TV. Also used for 'look!': देखिए! [dekhie!] |
| बात | bāt | /baːt̪/ | talk, matter, thing | Feminine noun. Used in compound verb: बात करना [bāt karnā] = to talk. |
| करना | karnā | /kər.naː/ | to do, to make | The most versatile verb in Hindi. Creates compound verbs: बात करना, काम करना, प्यार करना. |
| साथ | sāth | /saːt̪ʰ/ | together, with | Same word as Lesson 2.1. परिवार के साथ [parivār ke sāth] = with family. |
| हम | ham | /həm/ | we | First person plural pronoun. Takes the same verb form as आप [āp]: हम खाते हैं [ham khāte haĩ]. |
| सब | sab | /səb/ | all, everyone | Same as Lesson 2.2. हम सब [ham sab] = all of us, we all. |
| एक | ek | /ek/ | one, a/an | Both the number 'one' and the indefinite article 'a/an'. एक साथ [ek sāth] = together (lit. 'one-with'). |
Passive words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| टीवी | ṭīvī | /ʈiː.viː/ | TV, television | Borrowed from English. Feminine in Hindi: टीवी अच्छी है [ṭīvī acchī hai]. |
| क्रिकेट | krikeṭ | /krɪ.keʈ/ | cricket | India's most popular sport by far. क्रिकेट खेलना/देखना [krikeṭ khelnā/dekhnā] = to play/watch cricket. |
| रसोई | rasoī | /rə.so.iː/ | kitchen | Feminine noun. Also called किचन [kichan] (English loanword) in urban Hindi. |
| बैठक | baiṭhak | /bɛː.ʈʰək/ | living room, drawing room | Literally 'sitting place'. Traditional Indian homes have a बैठक for receiving guests. |
| छत | chat | /t͡ʃʰət̪/ | rooftop, terrace | Feminine noun. Indian rooftops are social spaces — families gather there for evening chai. |
| मज़ा | mazā | /mə.zaː/ | fun, enjoyment | Masculine noun. बहुत मज़ा [bahut mazā] = great fun. मज़ा आना [mazā ānā] = to have fun. |
Useful chunks
| Word | Romanization | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| खाना खाना | khānā khānā | to eat food |
| बात करना | bāt karnā | to talk / to have a conversation |
| खाना बनाना | khānā banānā | to cook food |
Grammar: Present habitual plural (हम खाते हैं [ham khāte haĩ]) and compound verbs (बात करना [bāt karnā])
| Subject | Verb root | Masc. habitual | Fem. habitual | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| हम [ham] (we) | खा [khā] (eat) | हम खाते हैं [ham khāte haĩ] | हम खाती हैं [ham khātī haĩ] | हम खाना खाते हैं [ham khānā khāte haĩ] |
| हम [ham] | देख [dekh] (see) | हम देखते हैं [ham dekhte haĩ] | हम देखती हैं [ham dekhtī haĩ] | हम टीवी देखते हैं [ham ṭīvī dekhte haĩ] |
| हम [ham] | खेल [khel] (play) | हम खेलते हैं [ham khelte haĩ] | हम खेलती हैं [ham kheltī haĩ] | हम क्रिकेट खेलते हैं [ham krikeṭ khelte haĩ] |
| हम [ham] | बना [banā] (make) | हम बनाते हैं [ham banāte haĩ] | हम बनाती हैं [ham banātī haĩ] | हम खाना बनाते हैं [ham khānā banāte haĩ] |
| Compound | बात करना [bāt karnā] | हम बात करते हैं [ham bāt karte haĩ] | हम बात करती हैं [ham bāt kartī haĩ] | — |
The present habitual tense describes actions that happen regularly or habitually — like 'we eat,' 'they watch,' 'she cooks.'
Formation:
Verb root + -ता/-ती/-ते [-tā/-tī/-te] + हूँ/है/हैं [hū̃/hai/haĩ]
For हम [ham] (we):
- Masculine: हम खाते हैं [ham khāte haĩ] — we eat
- Feminine: हम खाती हैं [ham khātī haĩ] — we eat (feminine speakers)
Compound verbs combine a noun + करना [karnā]:
- बात करना [bāt karnā] = to talk → हम बात करते हैं [ham bāt karte haĩ]
- काम करना [kām karnā] = to work → हम काम करते हैं [ham kām karte haĩ]
In compound verbs, only करना [karnā] conjugates — the noun stays unchanged.
Note: The -ते [-te] form is also used with आप [āp] (formal you), वे [ve] (they), and all plural subjects. So the same form works for: हम खाते हैं, आप खाते हैं, वे खाते हैं [ham khāte haĩ, āp khāte haĩ, ve khāte haĩ].
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the missing Hindi word.
- हम खाना खाते हैं।(all/everyone)
- माँ और चाची बनाती हैं।(food — noun)
- बच्चे बाहर हैं।(playing — habitual form)
- शाम को हम छत पर करते हैं।(talk — noun for compound verb)
- सब एक साथ टीवी देखते हैं।(we — pronoun)
Grammar Application
Conjugate the verb in present habitual for the given subject.
- हम + खाना (habitual, masc.) → ?(root खा + -ते हैं)
- हम + देखना (habitual, masc.) → ?(root देख + -ते हैं)
- हम + बात करना (habitual, masc.) → ?(compound: बात + कर + -ते हैं)
- माँ + बनाना (habitual, fem.) → ?(feminine: -ती हैं)
- बच्चे + खेलना (habitual, masc.) → ?(masculine plural: -ते हैं)
Translation (English → Hindi)
Translate each sentence into Hindi.
- We all eat together.
- The children play cricket.
- We talk in the evening.
- Mother cooks food.
- We watch TV together.
Creative Construction
Describe a typical family day in 2-3 sentences using present habitual verbs.
Writing: Vowel diacritics/matras (स्वर मात्राएँ [svar mātrāẽ]) — Part 1
Practice words
| Word | Romanization |
|---|---|
| खाना | khānā |
| दिन | din |
| पूजा | pūjā |
Today we learn vowel diacritics or matras (मात्राएँ [mātrāẽ]) — the marks added to consonants to change their vowel sound. In Lesson 1.1, you learned the independent vowel forms. Now you'll see how they attach to consonants:
- ा [ā] — a vertical stroke to the RIGHT: क + ा = का [kā]
- ि [i] — a hook to the LEFT (written before the consonant!): क + ि = कि [ki]
- ी [ī] — a hook to the RIGHT: क + ी = की [kī]
- ु [u] — a mark BELOW: क + ु = कु [ku]
- ू [ū] — a mark BELOW (longer): क + ू = कू [kū]
Note: ि [i] is the only matra written BEFORE the consonant, even though it's pronounced after it! This is a unique feature of Devanagari.
Practice reading: खाना [khānā] (ख + ा + न + ा), दिन [din] (द + ि + न), पूजा [pūjā] (प + ू + ज + ा).
Takeaway
The present habitual for 'we' uses: हम + verb root + ते हैं (masc.) / ती हैं (fem.) [ham + root + te haĩ / tī haĩ]. Compound verbs like बात करना [bāt karnā] (to talk) only conjugate the करना [karnā] part!