It's Sunday — no work, no classes! What do you want to do? In this lesson, you'll learn to express wants and preferences in Hindi — two incredibly useful patterns for daily conversation. Sita and Ravi plan a fun day out in Delhi, visiting PVR cinema and Dilli Haat. You'll master चाहना [cāhnā] (to want) + infinitive and the popular 'I like...' pattern: मुझे ... पसंद है [mujhe ... pasand hai]. Let's enjoy the day off!
Learning tips
- चाहना [cāhnā] + infinitive = 'want to do': मैं जाना चाहता हूँ [maĩ jānā cāhtā hū̃] = I want to go. The infinitive goes BEFORE चाहना.
- For 'I like,' Hindi flips the sentence: मुझे चाय पसंद है [mujhe cāy pasand hai] = literally 'To me tea is liked.' The experiencer (मुझे) comes first, not the subject!
- चलो [calo] is the informal imperative of चलना [calnā] (to go/walk). It's used constantly as 'Let's go!' or 'Come on!' — one of Delhi's most-used words.
- फ़िल्म [film] and बोरिंग [boriṅg] are English loanwords that have become completely natural in Hindi. Don't hesitate to use English words in Hindi conversation — it's completely normal!
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| शाम [śām] | evening | |
| घर [ghar] | home/house | |
| आना [ānā] | to come | |
| जाना [jānā] | to go | |
| सोना [sonā] | to sleep | |
| टहलना [ṭahalnā] | to walk/stroll | |
| बाज़ार [bāzār] | market/bazaar | |
| दोस्त [dost] | friend | |
| मिलना [milnā] | to meet | |
| आराम [ārām] | rest/relaxation |
Dialog
It's Sunday and Sita and Ravi plan a day out in Delhi! They decide between watching a film and shopping, visit PVR Select Citywalk (a popular mall in Saket), and end up at Dilli Haat — an open-air market showcasing crafts and food from all over India. Notice the two key patterns: चाहना [cāhnā] + infinitive for 'want to': मैं घूमना चाहता हूँ [maĩ ghūmnā cāhtā hū̃] = I want to roam. And मुझे ... पसंद है [mujhe ... pasand hai] for 'I like': मुझे फ़िल्म पसंद है [mujhe film pasand hai] = I like films. Also notice चलो [calo] used as 'let's go!'
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| छुट्टी | chuṭṭī | /t͡ʃʰʊʈ.ʈiː/ | holiday, day off, vacation | छुट्टी का दिन [chuṭṭī kā din] = a day off. Also used for school holidays and leave from work. |
| घूमना | ghūmnā | /ɡʱuːm.naː/ | to roam, to wander, to go out | Broader than 'walk' — means exploring, sightseeing, going out for fun. घूमने जाना [ghūmne jānā] = to go out |
| फ़िल्म | film | /fɪlm/ | film, movie | English loanword. Also: सिनेमा [sinemā]. India produces more films than any other country — Bollywood is just one of many film industries! |
| ख़रीदारी | ḳharīdārī | /xə.riː.d̪aː.riː/ | shopping | Urdu-origin. ख़रीदारी करना [ḳharīdārī karnā] = to go shopping. Note the ख़ [ḳh] with dot — a deeper throat sound. |
| पसंद | pasand | /pə.sənd̪/ | liking, preference, favorite | Used in the pattern: मुझे X पसंद है [mujhe X pasand hai] = I like X |
| चाहना | cāhnā | /t͡ʃaːh.naː/ | to want, to desire | चाहना + infinitive = want to do something. Also: चाहिए [cāhie] = need/should (different pattern, learned later) |
| मज़ा | mazā | /mə.zaː/ | fun, enjoyment | मज़ा आना [mazā ānā] = to have fun (literally 'fun to come'). बहुत मज़ा आया! [bahut mazā āyā!] = It was great fun! |
| बोरिंग | boriṅg | /bo.rɪŋɡ/ | boring | English loanword. The opposite is मज़ेदार [mazedār] = fun/interesting. |
| चलो | calo | /t͡ʃə.lo/ | let's go, come on | Informal imperative of चलना [calnā]. Used constantly in Delhi — चलो! [calo!] = Let's go! / Come on! |
| कहाँ | kahā̃ | /kə.haː̃/ | where | Question word. कहाँ जाना है? [kahā̃ jānā hai?] = Where do we need to go? |
Passive words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| पिकनिक | piknik | /pɪk.nɪk/ | picnic | English loanword. Picnics at India Gate and Lodhi Garden are popular Delhi weekend activities. |
| चिड़ियाघर | ciṛiyāghar | /t͡ʃɪ.ɽi.jaː.ɡʱər/ | zoo | Literally 'bird-house' — चिड़िया [ciṛiyā] (bird) + घर [ghar] (house). Delhi Zoo is near Purana Qila. |
| म्यूज़ियम | myūziyam | /mjuː.zɪ.jəm/ | museum | English loanword. Delhi has the National Museum, Rail Museum, and many more. |
| मॉल | mŏl | /mɒːl/ | mall, shopping mall | English loanword. Delhi NCR has many malls — Select Citywalk, DLF Mall, Ambience Mall, etc. |
| रेस्टोरेंट | resṭorenṭ | /res.ʈo.renʈ/ | restaurant | English loanword. Also used: ढाबा [ḍhābā] for roadside eateries (often better food!) |
| प्लान | plān | /plaːn/ | plan | English loanword. क्या प्लान है? [kyā plān hai?] = What's the plan? |
Useful chunks
| Word | Romanization | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| मुझे ... पसंद है | mujhe ... pasand hai | I like ... (literally: 'To me ... is liked') |
| बहुत मज़ा आया | bahut mazā āyā | Had great fun! / It was so much fun! |
| चलो चलते हैं | calo calte haĩ | Let's go! / Come, let's get going! |
Grammar: चाहना [cāhnā] + verb infinitive, मुझे ... पसंद है [mujhe ... pasand hai]
| Subject | चाहना [cāhnā] form | + Infinitive | Full sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| मैं [maĩ] (m.) | चाहता हूँ [cāhtā hū̃] | घूमना [ghūmnā] | मैं घूमना चाहता हूँ [maĩ ghūmnā cāhtā hū̃] | I want to roam |
| मैं [maĩ] (f.) | चाहती हूँ [cāhtī hū̃] | जाना [jānā] | मैं जाना चाहती हूँ [maĩ jānā cāhtī hū̃] | I want to go |
| आप [āp] | चाहते हैं [cāhte haĩ] | खाना [khānā] | आप खाना चाहते हैं [āp khānā cāhte haĩ] | You want to eat |
| वह [vah] (m.) | चाहता है [cāhtā hai] | देखना [dekhnā] | वह फ़िल्म देखना चाहता है [vah film dekhnā cāhtā hai] | He wants to watch a film |
| पसंद [pasand] pattern | Hindi | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| I like tea | मुझे चाय पसंद है [mujhe cāy pasand hai] | mujhe cāy pasand hai | To me tea is liked |
| I like walking | मुझे टहलना पसंद है [mujhe ṭahalnā pasand hai] | mujhe ṭahalnā pasand hai | To me walking is liked |
| He likes films | उसे फ़िल्म पसंद है [use film pasand hai] | use film pasand hai | To him film is liked |
| Do you like? | आपको ... पसंद है? [āpko ... pasand hai?] | āpko ... pasand hai? | To you ... is liked? |
चाहना [cāhnā] + Infinitive = 'want to':
To express wanting to do something, use the verb infinitive + चाहना [cāhnā]:
- मैं घूमना चाहता हूँ [maĩ ghūmnā cāhtā hū̃] = I want to roam (m.)
- मैं जाना चाहती हूँ [maĩ jānā cāhtī hū̃] = I want to go (f.)
- आप क्या करना चाहते हैं? [āp kyā karnā cāhte haĩ?] = What do you want to do?
Note: चाहना itself conjugates for gender/number, while the infinitive stays the same.
मुझे ... पसंद है [mujhe ... pasand hai] = 'I like':
Hindi expresses 'liking' differently from English — the experiencer takes the dative case (को [ko] form):
- मुझे [mujhe] = to me
- तुम्हें [tumhẽ] = to you (informal)
- आपको [āpko] = to you (formal)
- उसे [use] = to him/her
The thing liked is the grammatical subject:
- मुझे चाय पसंद है [mujhe cāy pasand hai] = I like tea (lit: 'to me tea liked is')
- मुझे घूमना पसंद है [mujhe ghūmnā pasand hai] = I like roaming
- मुझे फ़िल्म पसंद नहीं है [mujhe film pasand nahī̃ hai] = I don't like films
This is the same 'experiencer' pattern as 'मुझे अच्छा लगता है' [mujhe acchā lagtā hai] from Lesson 3.5.
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the correct Hindi word.
- आज है, काम नहीं है। (holiday)(day when you don't work)
- मुझे देखना पसंद है। (film)(Bollywood product)
- बहुत आया! (fun)(the enjoyment word)
- , दिल्ली हाट चलते हैं! (let's go)(informal 'let's go')
- तुम जाना चाहते हो? (where)(question word for place)
Grammar Application
Fill in the blanks to complete the चाहना or पसंद pattern.
- मैं (m.) फ़िल्म देखना हूँ। (want)(want — masculine habitual form)
- चाय पसंद है। (to me)(dative 'to me')
- सीता घूमना है। (wants, f.)(wants — feminine habitual form)
- ख़रीदारी पसंद है? (to you, formal)(dative 'to you' — formal)
- वह (m.) किताब चाहता है। (to read)(infinitive of 'to read')
Translation (English → Hindi)
Translate each sentence into Hindi.
- I like roaming/going out.
- I want to watch a film. (feminine)
- Today is a holiday. Where shall we go?
- It was so much fun!
- Shopping is boring, let's watch a film!
Creative Construction
Write 1-2 sentences about what you want to do on your day off using चाहना and/or पसंद.
Writing: Reading practice — short sentences
Practice words
| Word | Romanization |
|---|---|
| मुझे चाय पसंद है। | mujhe cāy pasand hai. |
| आज छुट्टी है! | āj chuṭṭī hai! |
| कहाँ जाना है? | kahā̃ jānā hai? |
| बहुत मज़ा आया। | bahut mazā āyā. |
| चलो, घूमते हैं! | calo, ghūmte haĩ! |
Congratulations — you've learned vowels, consonants, matras, half-letters, conjuncts, number symbols, and punctuation! Now it's time to put it all together with reading practice.
Try reading these sentences in Devanagari FIRST, without looking at the romanization. Then check your reading against the IAST transcription:
1. मुझे चाय पसंद है। [mujhe cāy pasand hai.] — I like tea.
2. आज छुट्टी है! [āj chuṭṭī hai!] — Today is a holiday!
3. कहाँ जाना है? [kahā̃ jānā hai?] — Where do we need to go?
4. बहुत मज़ा आया। [bahut mazā āyā.] — It was great fun.
5. चलो, घूमते हैं! [calo, ghūmte haĩ!] — Let's go out!
If you can read even 3 out of 5 correctly, you're making excellent progress! Reading speed comes with practice — try reading Hindi signs, menus, or social media posts to build fluency.
Takeaway
Two essential patterns: चाहना [cāhnā] + infinitive = 'want to do something' (मैं जाना चाहता हूँ), and मुझे ... पसंद है [mujhe ... pasand hai] = 'I like ...' These patterns are everywhere in Hindi conversation. Remember: in the 'like' pattern, the experiencer (मुझे/आपको/उसे) comes first, and the liked thing is the grammatical subject!