Time to go clothes shopping! In this lesson, you'll learn vocabulary for common Indian and Western clothing, how to ask for sizes, and how to try things on. We're heading to Lajpat Nagar — Delhi's wedding shopping capital — where Sita needs a kurta for a friend's wedding. You'll also learn the important demonstratives यह/वह [yah/vah] (this/that) and how to make comparisons. Let's find the perfect outfit!
Learning tips
- Indian clothing has its own vocabulary — कुर्ता [kurtā] (tunic top), साड़ी [sāṛī] (draped garment), सलवार [salvār] (loose trousers), दुपट्टा [dupaṭṭā] (scarf/stole). These words are used in English too in India.
- फ़िटिंग रूम [fiṭiṅg rūm] is universally understood — most shops in Delhi markets have one, though it may be basic. In street markets, you often try clothes over your existing outfit.
- यह [yah] (this/near) and वह [vah] (that/far) are essential demonstratives. In spoken Delhi Hindi, वह [vah] often becomes वो [vo].
- When comparing, use इससे [isse] (than this) and उससे [usse] (than that): इससे बड़ा [isse baṛā] = bigger than this.
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| दुकान | dukān | shop, store |
| दुकानदार | dukāndār | shopkeeper |
| सामान | sāmān | goods, stuff |
| चीज़ | cīz | thing, item |
| ख़रीदना | xarīdnā | to buy |
| बेचना | becnā | to sell |
| दिखाना | dikhānā | to show |
| और | aur | and |
| वाला | vālā | -wala (suffix) |
| ज़रूरत | zarūrat | need |
Dialog
Sita needs a kurta for a friend's wedding and heads to Lajpat Nagar, Delhi's famous clothing market. Ravi comes along to help. Watch how Sita asks to see specific items using यह/वह [yah/vah], requests a different size, and tries on the kurta. Notice how she uses the polite imperative दिखाइए [dikhāiye] (please show) with the shopkeeper. The dialog flows from entering the shop, to the fitting room, to the billing counter — a typical Indian clothing shopping experience.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| कपड़े | kapṛe | /kəp.ɽe/ | clothes, clothing | Masculine plural — always used in plural form. Singular कपड़ा [kapṛā] means 'cloth/fabric' |
| कुर्ता | kurtā | /kʊr.t̪aː/ | kurta (tunic top) | Masculine — a long collarless shirt, worn by both men and women in India |
| साड़ी | sāṛī | /saː.ɽiː/ | saree, sari | Feminine — a 5-6 meter draped garment, India's most iconic clothing |
| जींस | jīns | /d͡ʒiːns/ | jeans | Feminine plural — English loanword, extremely common in urban India |
| शर्ट | śarṭ | /ʃərʈ/ | shirt | Feminine — English loanword, refers to Western-style button-up shirts |
| पहनना | pahannā | /pə.ɦən.naː/ | to wear, to put on | Transitive — मैं कुर्ता पहनता/पहनती हूँ [maĩ kurtā pahantā/pahantī hū̃] |
| उतारना | utārnā | /ʊ.t̪aːr.naː/ | to take off, to remove | Opposite of पहनना [pahannā] — कपड़े उतारना [kapṛe utārnā] = take off clothes |
| फ़िटिंग | fiṭiṅg | /fɪ.ʈɪŋɡ/ | fitting, fit | English loanword — used for how clothes fit: फ़िटिंग अच्छी है [fiṭiṅg acchī hai] |
| साइज़ | sāiz | /saː.ɪz/ | size | English loanword — साइज़ बड़ा/छोटा [sāiz baṛā/choṭā] = size big/small |
| रंग | raṅg | /rəŋɡ/ | color | Masculine — कौन-सा रंग? [kaun-sā raṅg?] = which color? |
Passive words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| सलवार | salvār | /səl.vaːr/ | salwar (loose trousers) | Feminine — worn with कमीज़ [kamīz] as 'salwar kameez' |
| दुपट्टा | dupaṭṭā | /d̪ʊ.pəʈ.ʈaː/ | dupatta (scarf/stole) | Masculine — a long scarf draped over the shoulders, part of traditional Indian outfits |
| पजामा | pajāmā | /pə.d͡ʒaː.maː/ | pajama (loose pants) | Masculine — worn with कुर्ता [kurtā] as 'kurta-pajama' |
| कमीज़ | kamīz | /kə.miːz/ | kameez (tunic shirt) | Feminine — part of the सलवार-कमीज़ [salvār-kamīz] outfit |
| ऊनी | ūnī | /uː.niː/ | woolen | Invariable adjective — ऊनी शॉल [ūnī śŏl] = woolen shawl |
| सूती | sūtī | /suː.t̪iː/ | cotton | Invariable adjective — सूती कुर्ता [sūtī kurtā] = cotton kurta |
Useful chunks
| Word | Romanization | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| यह पहनकर देखूँ? | yah pahankar dekhū̃? | Can I try this on? |
| बड़ा साइज़ दीजिए | baṛā sāiz dījiye | Please give a bigger size |
| कौन-सा रंग पसंद है? | kaun-sā raṅg pasand hai? | Which color do you like? |
Grammar: Demonstratives यह/वह [yah/vah] and ये/वे [ye/ve] — this, that, these, those
| Demonstrative | Romanization | Meaning | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| यह [yah] | yah | this (near) | यह कुर्ता अच्छा है [yah kurtā acchā hai] |
| वह [vah] | vah | that (far) | वह साड़ी सुंदर है [vah sāṛī sundar hai] |
| ये [ye] | ye | these (near pl.) | ये कपड़े नए हैं [ye kapṛe nae haĩ] |
| वे [ve] | ve | those (far pl.) | वे शर्ट पुरानी हैं [ve śarṭ purānī haĩ] |
| इससे [isse] | isse | than this | इससे बड़ा [isse baṛā] = bigger than this |
| उससे [usse] | usse | than that | उससे छोटा [usse choṭā] = smaller than that |
Hindi has four demonstratives that work like 'this/that/these/those' in English:
यह [yah] = this (near, singular): यह कुर्ता [yah kurtā] = this kurta
वह [vah] = that (far, singular): वह साड़ी [vah sāṛī] = that saree
ये [ye] = these (near, plural): ये कपड़े [ye kapṛe] = these clothes
वे [ve] = those (far, plural): वे शर्ट [ve śarṭ] = those shirts
In spoken Hindi, especially in Delhi, वह [vah] is almost always pronounced वो [vo], and वे [ve] also becomes वो [vo]. You'll hear वो [vo] much more than the textbook forms.
Comparatives: Use इससे [isse] (than this) and उससे [usse] (than that) + adjective:
- इससे बड़ा [isse baṛā] = bigger than this
- उससे छोटा [usse choṭā] = smaller than that
- इससे अच्छा [isse acchā] = better than this
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the missing Hindi word.
- मुझे एक चाहिए — शादी के लिए।(a tunic top for the wedding)
- यह छोटा है, बड़ा दीजिए।(how big/small something is)
- कौन-सा पसंद है?(hue, shade)
- मैं यह पहनकर देखूँ?(clothing item to try on)
- ख़रीदने के बाद उतार दीजिए।(garments — plural)
Grammar Application
Fill in the correct demonstrative or comparative form.
- A kurta near you → कुर्ता [ kurtā](near — this)
- A saree far away → साड़ी [ sāṛī](far — that)
- These clothes (near) → कपड़े [ kapṛe](near — plural)
- 'Bigger than this' → बड़ा [ baṛā](comparative — than this)
- 'I want to wear this kurta' → मैं कुर्ता चाहती हूँ(demonstrative + verb infinitive)
Translation (English → Hindi)
Translate each sentence into Hindi.
- I need to buy clothes.
- This kurta is very beautiful.
- Which color do you like?
- Where is the fitting room?
- This size is fine.
Creative Construction
Write a short clothes shopping exchange (2-3 sentences) using at least 4 words from this lesson. Imagine you're at Lajpat Nagar.
Writing: Clothing labels and sizes in Devanagari
Practice words
| Word | Romanization |
|---|---|
| कपड़े | kapṛe |
| पहनना | pahannā |
| उतारना | utārnā |
| कुर्ता | kurtā |
The retroflex flap ड़ [ṛ] is an important character to recognize — it appears in very common words like कपड़े [kapṛe] (clothes), बड़ा [baṛā] (big), and लड़की [laṛkī] (girl). It's written as ड [ḍ] with a dot underneath: ड + ़ = ड़.
Similarly, ढ़ [ṛh] is ढ [ḍh] with a dot: ढ + ़ = ढ़. This appears in words like पढ़ना [paṛhnā] (to read).
Practice reading clothing-related words on labels and shop signs. Many Indian brands print their tags in both Hindi and English.
Takeaway
When shopping for clothes, master यह/वह [yah/vah] (this/that) to point at items, and use इससे [isse] + adjective for comparisons. The phrase 'बड़ा साइज़ दीजिए' [baṛā sāiz dījiye] (give me a bigger size) and 'यह पहनकर देखूँ?' [yah pahankar dekhū̃?] (can I try this on?) will serve you well in any Indian shop.