Welcome to Unit 4! In this unit, you'll learn to navigate Delhi like a local. Today we start with the essential places you'll find in any Indian city — from banks and hospitals to temples and markets. By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to describe where places are in relation to each other using Hindi postpositions. Let's explore the city!
Learning tips
- Hindi postpositions work like English prepositions but come AFTER the noun: बैंक के पास [baiṅk ke pās] = 'bank near' (literally), meaning 'near the bank.'
- Many city-related words in Hindi are borrowed from English: बैंक [baiṅk], पार्क [pārk], स्कूल [skūl]. You already know more Hindi than you think!
- In Delhi, every neighborhood (मोहल्ला [mohallā]) has its own बाज़ार [bāzār], मंदिर [mandir], and डाकघर [ḍākghar] — learning these words unlocks every area.
- Practice by describing your own neighborhood using के पास [ke pās], के सामने [ke sāmne], and के पीछे [ke pīche].
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| छुट्टी [chuṭṭī] | holiday/day off | |
| घूमना [ghūmnā] | to roam/wander | |
| फ़िल्म [film] | film/movie | |
| ख़रीदारी [xarīdārī] | shopping | |
| पसंद [pasand] | liking/preference | |
| चाहना [cāhnā] | to want | |
| मज़ा [mazā] | fun | |
| बोरिंग [boring] | boring | |
| चलो [calo] | let's go | |
| कहाँ [kahā̃] | where |
Dialog
Sita shows Ravi around the Delhi University area. Notice how she uses postpositions (के पास [ke pās] = near, के सामने [ke sāmne] = in front of, के पीछे [ke pīche] = behind) to describe where things are. These always come after the noun they modify, connected by के [ke]. When describing locations on a road or intersection, use पर [par] (on/at) directly after the noun.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| स्कूल | skūl | /skuːl/ | school | Borrowed from English — one of many English loanwords in everyday Hindi |
| अस्पताल | aspatāl | /əs.pə.t̪aːl/ | hospital | Can also say चिकित्सालय [cikitsālay] in formal Hindi, but अस्पताल [aspatāl] is universal |
| बैंक | baiṅk | /bɛːŋk/ | bank | Borrowed from English — used universally in Hindi |
| डाकघर | ḍākghar | /ɖaːk.gʰər/ | post office | Compound word: डाक [ḍāk] (mail) + घर [ghar] (house) = 'mail house' |
| मंदिर | mandir | /mən.d̪ɪr/ | temple (Hindu) | Specifically a Hindu temple — for mosque use मस्जिद [masjid], for Sikh temple use गुरुद्वारा [gurudvārā] |
| पार्क | pārk | /paːrk/ | park | Borrowed from English — also बग़ीचा [baġīcā] for a garden/small park |
| बाज़ार | bāzār | /baː.zaːr/ | market, bazaar | The ज़ [z] sound (with a dot) comes from Persian/Urdu — very common in Delhi Hindi |
| सड़क | saṛak | /sə.ɽək/ | road, street | The ड़ [ṛ] is a retroflex flap — tongue flicks the roof of the mouth |
| गली | galī | /ɡə.liː/ | lane, alley | Delhi's Old City is famous for its narrow गलियाँ [galiyā̃] (lanes) |
| चौराहा | caurāhā | /t͡ʃɔː.raː.haː/ | intersection, crossroads | From चौ [cau] (four) + राहा [rāhā] (roads) = 'four roads meeting' |
Passive words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| पुस्तकालय | pustakālay | /pʊs.t̪ə.kaː.ləj/ | library | Formal/Sanskrit-origin — पुस्तक [pustak] (book) + आलय [ālay] (house) |
| स्टेडियम | sṭeḍiyam | /sʈeː.ɖi.jəm/ | stadium | Borrowed from English — Delhi has many famous stadiums |
| सिनेमा | sinemā | /sɪ.ne.maː/ | cinema, movie theater | Borrowed from English — also use थिएटर [thieṭar] |
| पुलिस | pulis | /pʊ.lɪs/ | police | Borrowed from English — universally used |
| मस्जिद | masjid | /məs.d͡ʒɪd̪/ | mosque | From Arabic — Delhi's Jama Masjid is one of India's largest mosques |
| गुरुद्वारा | gurudvārā | /ɡʊ.rʊd̪.vaː.raː/ | Sikh temple (gurdwara) | From Punjabi: गुरु [guru] (teacher) + द्वारा [dvārā] (door) = 'door of the guru' |
Useful chunks
| Word | Romanization | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| के पास | ke pās | near, close to |
| के सामने | ke sāmne | in front of, facing |
| के पीछे | ke pīche | behind, in back of |
| के बीच | ke bīc | between, among |
Grammar: Place postpositions — के पास [ke pās], के सामने [ke sāmne], के पीछे [ke pīche], के बीच [ke bīc]
| Postposition | Hindi | IAST | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| near | के पास | ke pās | near, close to | बैंक के पास [baiṅk ke pās] |
| in front of | के सामने | ke sāmne | in front of, facing | मंदिर के सामने [mandir ke sāmne] |
| behind | के पीछे | ke pīche | behind, in back of | स्कूल के पीछे [skūl ke pīche] |
| between | के बीच | ke bīc | between, among | बैंक और डाकघर के बीच [baiṅk aur ḍākghar ke bīc] |
| on | पर | par | on, at | सड़क पर [saṛak par] |
| inside | के अंदर | ke andar | inside | गली के अंदर [galī ke andar] |
Hindi uses postpositions instead of prepositions — they come AFTER the noun, not before it.
The most common location postpositions use a two-part structure: के [ke] + position word:
- बैंक के पास [baiṅk ke pās] = near the bank
- मंदिर के सामने [mandir ke sāmne] = in front of the temple
- स्कूल के पीछे [skūl ke pīche] = behind the school
- बैंक और डाकघर के बीच [baiṅk aur ḍākghar ke bīc] = between the bank and post office
Some postpositions stand alone without के [ke]:
- सड़क पर [saṛak par] = on the road
- गली में [galī mẽ] = in the lane
Note: के [ke] changes to की [kī] before feminine nouns and to के [ke] before masculine plural — but for location phrases, it stays as के [ke].
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the missing Hindi word (a place).
- के पास एक डाकघर है।(a financial institution)
- स्कूल के सामने है।(a place of worship)
- यह बहुत बड़ा है।(a place to buy things)
- पर बहुत ट्रैफ़िक है।(where vehicles drive)
- मंदिर इस के अंदर है।(a narrow street)
Grammar Application
Fill in the correct postposition for each pair of places.
- बैंक, डाकघर — (between) → बैंक और डाकघर (between two places)
- पार्क, अस्पताल — (near) → पार्क अस्पताल (close to another place)
- मंदिर, स्कूल — (in front of) → स्कूल मंदिर (facing another place)
- सिनेमा, बाज़ार — (behind) → सिनेमा बाज़ार (behind another place)
- चौराहा, पुलिस — (on/at) → पुलिस चौराहे (on/at a location)
Translation (English → Hindi)
Translate each sentence into Hindi using the vocabulary and postpositions from this lesson.
- The bank is on the road.
- The hospital is near the park.
- The post office is in front of the temple.
- The school is inside the lane.
- The market is near the intersection.
Creative Construction
Describe a neighborhood using at least 3 places and 2 different postpositions.
Writing: Reading whole words — city places
Practice words
| Word | Romanization |
|---|---|
| अस्पताल | aspatāl |
| डाकघर | ḍākghar |
| बाज़ार | bāzār |
| चौराहा | caurāhā |
Now that you know the Devanagari alphabet, it's time to read whole words! Look at each word below and try to identify the individual letters, then blend them together. Many city-related words use consonant clusters (like स्क [sk] in स्कूल [skūl]) — the letters combine into a single shape. Don't worry about perfect reading yet; focus on recognizing the overall word shape.
Takeaway
To describe locations in Hindi, remember the postposition pattern: NOUN + के पास [ke pās] (near), के सामने [ke sāmne] (in front of), के पीछे [ke pīche] (behind), and के बीच [ke bīc] (between). They always come AFTER the noun!