After a long day of work or study, how do you spend your evenings? In this lesson, you'll learn to describe evening activities — coming home, walking in the park, meeting friends, and relaxing. Sita and Ravi share their evening routines at iconic Delhi spots like Lodhi Garden. You'll also discover two powerful grammar tools: using verb infinitives as nouns (like 'walking is fun') and an introduction to compound verbs that make your Hindi sound natural.
Learning tips
- Hindi verb infinitives (the -ना form) can work as nouns: टहलना अच्छा है [ṭahalnā acchā hai] = Walking is good. Think of English '-ing' forms: 'Walking is good.'
- Compound verbs combine two verbs for nuance: आ गया [ā gayā] = came (completed). The second verb (गया) adds a sense of completion.
- Time postposition को [ko] marks 'at' a time: शाम को [śām ko] = in the evening, रात को [rāt ko] = at night.
- दोस्त [dost] is one of Hindi's most beloved Urdu-origin words — it means 'friend' and is used universally, regardless of formality.
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| दफ़्तर [daftar] | office | |
| कक्षा [kakṣā] | class | |
| किताब [kitāb] | book | |
| कंप्यूटर [kampyūṭar] | computer | |
| मीटिंग [mīṭiṅg] | meeting | |
| प्रोजेक्ट [projeḳṭ] | project | |
| लिखना [likhnā] | to write | |
| पढ़ना [paṛhnā] | to read/study | |
| समझना [samajhnā] | to understand | |
| सीखना [sīkhnā] | to learn |
Dialog
Sita and Ravi spend their evening at Lodhi Garden in New Delhi — one of the city's most beautiful green spaces, surrounded by 15th-century Mughal-era tombs. They discuss their evening routines: walking (टहलना [ṭahalnā]), coming home (घर आना [ghar ānā]), meeting friends (दोस्त से मिलना [dost se milnā]), and resting (आराम करना [ārām karnā]). Notice how infinitives are used as nouns: मुझे पढ़ना अच्छा लगता है [mujhe paṛhnā acchā lagtā hai] = I like reading (literally: 'to me reading good feels'). Also notice compound verbs: आ गया [ā gayā] = came (arrived, completed).
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| शाम | śām | /ʃaːm/ | evening | Roughly 4-8 PM. शाम को [śām ko] = in the evening. Also appears in 3.2 — now we use it actively! |
| घर | ghar | /ɡʱər/ | home, house | One of Hindi's most basic words. घर जाना [ghar jānā] = to go home, घर पर [ghar par] = at home |
| आना | ānā | /aː.naː/ | to come | Irregular in some forms. आ [ā] is the stem. Very high-frequency verb. |
| जाना | jānā | /d͡ʒaː.naː/ | to go | जा [jā] is the stem. जाना [jānā] also means 'to go' — the most basic movement verb in Hindi. |
| सोना | sonā | /so.naː/ | to sleep | सो [so] is the stem. सोना [sonā] also means 'gold' — different meanings based on context! |
| टहलना | ṭahalnā | /ʈə.həl.naː/ | to walk, to stroll | A leisurely walk — not 'to walk' as in transportation. Commonly used for park walks. |
| बाज़ार | bāzār | /baː.zaːr/ | market, bazaar | Persian/Urdu-origin. Every neighborhood in Delhi has its own बाज़ार [bāzār]. The ज़ [z] sound uses a dot under ज. |
| दोस्त | dost | /d̪ost̪/ | friend | Urdu-origin, universally used. मेरा दोस्त [merā dost] (m.) / मेरी दोस्त [merī dost] (f.) = my friend |
| मिलना | milnā | /mɪl.naː/ | to meet, to be found | दोस्त से मिलना [dost se milnā] = to meet a friend. Uses से [se] (with), not को [ko]! |
| आराम | ārām | /aː.raːm/ | rest, relaxation | Persian/Urdu-origin. आराम करना [ārām karnā] = to rest. आराम से [ārām se] = leisurely, comfortably |
Passive words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| जिम | jim | /d͡ʒɪm/ | gym | English loanword, very common in urban India |
| पार्क | pārk | /paːrk/ | park | English loanword. Also: बाग़ [bāġ] or उद्यान [udyān] for more formal/traditional contexts |
| मंदिर | mandir | /mən.d̪ɪr/ | temple (Hindu) | The most common word for a Hindu place of worship |
| मस्जिद | masjid | /məs.d͡ʒɪd̪/ | mosque | Arabic-origin. Delhi has many historic mosques, including Jama Masjid — one of India's largest. |
| गुरुद्वारा | gurudvārā | /ɡʊ.rʊd̪.vaː.raː/ | gurdwara (Sikh temple) | Sikh place of worship. Delhi's Bangla Sahib Gurudwara is a landmark. All gurdwaras offer free meals (langar). |
| योग | yog | /joːɡ/ | yoga | From Sanskrit — India's gift to the world! Commonly practiced in parks, especially in the morning. |
Useful chunks
| Word | Romanization | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| घर जाना | ghar jānā | to go home |
| दोस्त से मिलना | dost se milnā | to meet a friend |
| आराम करना | ārām karnā | to rest, to relax |
Grammar: Verb infinitive as noun, compound verbs (intro), and time postposition को [ko]
| Infinitive as noun | Hindi | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walking is good | टहलना अच्छा है [ṭahalnā acchā hai] | ṭahalnā acchā hai | To walk is good |
| I like reading | मुझे पढ़ना अच्छा लगता है [mujhe paṛhnā acchā lagtā hai] | mujhe paṛhnā acchā lagtā hai | Reading feels good to me |
| Sleeping is necessary | सोना ज़रूरी है [sonā zarūrī hai] | sonā zarūrī hai | To sleep is necessary |
| Compound verb | Hindi | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| come + go (arrived) | आ गया [ā gayā] | ā gayā | came (completed) |
| go + come (bring) | ले आना [le ānā] | le ānā | to bring |
| walk + go (go for walk) | टहलने जाना [ṭahalne jānā] | ṭahalne jānā | to go walking |
| Time + को [ko] | Hindi | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| in the evening | शाम को [śām ko] | śām ko |
| at night | रात को [rāt ko] | rāt ko |
| on Monday | सोमवार को [somvār ko] | somvār ko |
Verb Infinitive as Noun:
In Hindi, the infinitive form (-ना [-nā]) can function as a noun — just like '-ing' forms in English:
- टहलना अच्छा है [ṭahalnā acchā hai] = Walking is good
- मुझे पढ़ना पसंद है [mujhe paṛhnā pasand hai] = I like reading
- सोना ज़रूरी है [sonā zarūrī hai] = Sleeping is necessary
The infinitive-as-noun is always treated as masculine singular for grammar agreement.
Compound Verbs (Introduction):
Hindi frequently combines two verbs where the second adds nuance:
- आ गया [ā gayā] = came (with sense of completion)
- ले आना [le ānā] = to bring (take + come)
- टहलने जाना [ṭahalne jānā] = to go for a walk
The second verb (called the 'light verb') modifies the meaning. We'll explore these more in later lessons.
Time + को [ko]:
To say 'in the evening' or 'at night,' add को [ko] after the time word:
- शाम को [śām ko] = in the evening
- रात को [rāt ko] = at night
- सोमवार को [somvār ko] = on Monday
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the correct Hindi word.
- मैं शाम को में टहलता हूँ। (market)(a place to walk/shop)
- वह रात को बजे सोती है। (sleep time)(a number — bedtime)
- मैं दफ़्तर से आता हूँ। (home)(where you live)
- सीता अपने से मिलती है। (friend)(someone you spend time with)
- शाम को थोड़ा करना अच्छा है। (rest)(what you do when tired)
Grammar Application
Fill in the blanks with the correct grammar form.
- Use infinitive as noun: अच्छा लगता है। (walking)(infinitive as noun — which verb?)
- Add को [ko]: मैं शाम घर जाता हूँ।(time postposition)
- Compound verb: मैं घर आ (completed arrival, m.)(compound verb — completion marker, masculine)
- मैं बाज़ार जाती हूँ। (infinitive oblique of 'walk')(oblique infinitive form for 'purpose')
- दोस्त मिलना अच्छा है। (with = postposition)(postposition meaning 'with')
Translation (English → Hindi)
Translate each sentence into Hindi.
- I go home in the evening. (masculine)
- She meets her friend.
- Walking feels good.
- I sleep at eleven at night. (masculine)
- Bring something from the market.
Creative Construction
Describe your evening routine in 1-2 Hindi sentences using at least 3 words from this lesson.
Writing: Punctuation and special marks (विराम चिह्न [virām cihn])
Practice words
| Word | Romanization |
|---|---|
| नमस्ते! | namaste! |
| आप कैसे हैं? | āp kaise haĩ? |
| मैं ठीक हूँ। | maĩ ṭhīk hū̃. |
| हाँ। | hā̃. |
Today we cover punctuation and special marks in Devanagari.
Full stop (पूर्ण विराम [pūrṇ virām]): Hindi uses । (a vertical line called खड़ी पाई [khaṛī pāī]) instead of a period. Example: मैं ठीक हूँ। [maĩ ṭhīk hū̃.]
Question mark and exclamation mark: Hindi uses ? and ! just like English.
Special nasal marks:
- चंद्रबिंदु (ँ) [candrabindu] — a dot with a crescent moon, placed above. Shows nasalization of the vowel: हूँ [hū̃], हाँ [hā̃], माँ [mā̃]. The vowel is spoken through the nose.
- अनुस्वार (ं) [anusvār] — just a dot above. Shows a nasal consonant before another consonant: हिंदी [hindī], संगीत [saṅgīt]. The nasal takes the place of articulation of the following consonant.
Rule of thumb: If the letter has a top bar (शिरोरेखा), use ं (anusvār). If there's a matra above already, use ँ (chandrabindu) — though in practice, many people use ं for both in typing.
Takeaway
Hindi infinitives (-ना form) double as nouns: टहलना अच्छा है [ṭahalnā acchā hai] = Walking is good. Use को [ko] with time words: शाम को [śām ko] = in the evening. Compound verbs (आ गया, ले आना) add completion and direction to actions. You can now describe your complete evening routine!