Time to talk money! In this lesson, you'll learn numbers from 50 to 1000 and how to ask about prices — essential skills for any market visit. We're at Nehru Place, Asia's largest electronics market, where Ravi is looking for headphones. You'll learn to say 'how much?' in different ways and use सस्ता/महँगा [sastā/mahã̄gā] (cheap/expensive) to evaluate prices. Let's count some rupees!
Learning tips
- Hindi numbers above 20 are notoriously irregular — each decade has a unique name (पचास [pacās] = 50, साठ [sāṭh] = 60, सत्तर [sattar] = 70). Focus on the round numbers first.
- Two ways to ask prices: 'कितने रुपये?' [kitne rupaye?] (how many rupees?) and 'इसकी क़ीमत क्या है?' [iskī qīmat kyā hai?] (what's the price of this?).
- सस्ता [sastā] and महँगा [mahã̄gā] change for gender: सस्ती दुकान [sastī dukān] (cheap shop, f.), महँगा सामान [mahã̄gā sāmān] (expensive goods, m.).
- Indian currency notes come in ₹10, ₹20, ₹50, ₹100, ₹200, ₹500, and ₹2000 denominations. Learning these round numbers covers most transactions.
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| कपड़े | kapṛe | clothes |
| कुर्ता | kurtā | kurta |
| साड़ी | sāṛī | saree |
| जींस | jīns | jeans |
| शर्ट | śarṭ | shirt |
| पहनना | pahannā | to wear |
| उतारना | utārnā | to take off |
| फ़िटिंग | fiṭiṅg | fitting |
| साइज़ | sāiz | size |
| रंग | raṅg | color |
Dialog
Ravi visits Nehru Place, Delhi's massive electronics market, to buy headphones. Watch how he asks prices in different ways — 'दाम क्या है?' [dām kyā hai?] and 'कितने रुपये?' [kitne rupaye?]. Notice how Sita uses सस्ता [sastā] (cheap) and महँगा [mahã̄gā] (expensive) to evaluate options. The dialog moves from an expensive shop to a cheaper alternative, and finally to the billing counter — teaching you the full price negotiation flow.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| दाम | dām | /d̪aːm/ | price, rate | Masculine — Hindi-origin word for price, slightly more casual than क़ीमत [qīmat] |
| क़ीमत | qīmat | /qiː.mət̪/ | price, cost | Feminine — Urdu/Arabic-origin, slightly more formal. Both दाम [dām] and क़ीमत [qīmat] are equally common |
| रुपया | rupayā | /rʊ.pə.jaː/ | rupee | Masculine — plural: रुपये [rupaye]. The ₹ symbol was adopted in 2010 |
| सस्ता | sastā | /səs.t̪aː/ | cheap, inexpensive | Masculine -ā adjective — changes: सस्ता [sastā] (m.), सस्ती [sastī] (f.), सस्ते [saste] (pl.) |
| महँगा | mahã̄gā | /mə.ɦə̃ː.ɡaː/ | expensive, costly | Masculine -ā adjective — changes: महँगा [mahã̄gā] (m.), महँगी [mahã̄gī] (f.), महँगे [mahã̄ge] (pl.) |
| पचास | pacās | /pə.t͡ʃaːs/ | fifty (50) | Hindi numbers 50-99 are irregular — each must be learned individually |
| सौ | sau | /sɔː/ | hundred (100) | Used with number prefixes: दो सौ [do sau] = 200, तीन सौ [tīn sau] = 300 |
| दो सौ | do sau | /d̪oː sɔː/ | two hundred (200) | Number + सौ [sau] pattern for hundreds |
| पाँच सौ | pā̃c sau | /paː̃t͡ʃ sɔː/ | five hundred (500) | The ₹500 note is the most common denomination in India |
| हज़ार | hazār | /ɦə.zaːr/ | thousand (1000) | एक हज़ार [ek hazār] = 1000. Hindi uses its own grouping: लाख [lākh] = 100,000, करोड़ [karoṛ] = 10,000,000 |
Passive words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| साठ | sāṭh | /saːʈʰ/ | sixty (60) | Part of the irregular decade system |
| सत्तर | sattar | /sət̪.t̪ər/ | seventy (70) | Part of the irregular decade system |
| अस्सी | assī | /əs.siː/ | eighty (80) | Part of the irregular decade system |
| नब्बे | nabbe | /nəb.beː/ | ninety (90) | Part of the irregular decade system |
| डिस्काउंट | ḍiskāuṇṭ | /ɖɪs.kaːʊnʈ/ | discount | English loanword — very common in Indian markets |
| ऑफ़र | ŏfar | /ɒ.fər/ | offer, deal | English loanword — 'ऑफ़र है?' [ŏfar hai?] = any offers? |
Useful chunks
| Word | Romanization | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| कितने रुपये? | kitne rupaye? | How many rupees? |
| यह कितने का है? | yah kitne kā hai? | How much is this? |
| बहुत महँगा है! | bahut mahã̄gā hai! | It's very expensive! |
Grammar: Numbers 50-1000 and price expressions — कितने रुपये? [kitne rupaye?]
| Number | Hindi | Romanization | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | पचास [pacās] | pacās | पचास रुपये [pacās rupaye] |
| 60 | साठ [sāṭh] | sāṭh | साठ रुपये [sāṭh rupaye] |
| 70 | सत्तर [sattar] | sattar | सत्तर रुपये [sattar rupaye] |
| 80 | अस्सी [assī] | assī | अस्सी रुपये [assī rupaye] |
| 90 | नब्बे [nabbe] | nabbe | नब्बे रुपये [nabbe rupaye] |
| 100 | सौ [sau] | sau | एक सौ रुपये [ek sau rupaye] |
| 200 | दो सौ [do sau] | do sau | दो सौ रुपये [do sau rupaye] |
| 500 | पाँच सौ [pā̃c sau] | pā̃c sau | पाँच सौ रुपये [pā̃c sau rupaye] |
| 1000 | हज़ार [hazār] | hazār | एक हज़ार रुपये [ek hazār rupaye] |
Hindi numbers from 50 to 100 are each unique words — unlike English where you combine 'sixty' + number. Here are the key ones:
Round numbers: पचास [pacās] (50), साठ [sāṭh] (60), सत्तर [sattar] (70), अस्सी [assī] (80), नब्बे [nabbe] (90), सौ [sau] (100).
Hundreds: Just put the number before सौ [sau]: दो सौ [do sau] (200), तीन सौ [tīn sau] (300), चार सौ [cār sau] (400), पाँच सौ [pā̃c sau] (500).
Thousands: एक हज़ार [ek hazār] (1000), दो हज़ार [do hazār] (2000).
Price expressions:
- कितने रुपये? [kitne rupaye?] = How many rupees?
- यह कितने का है? [yah kitne kā hai?] = How much is this? (for masculine item)
- यह कितने की है? [yah kitne kī hai?] = How much is this? (for feminine item)
- पाँच सौ रुपये [pā̃c sau rupaye] = 500 rupees
Note: सस्ता/महँगा [sastā/mahã̄gā] agree with the noun's gender: सस्ता सामान [sastā sāmān] (cheap goods, m.) but सस्ती दुकान [sastī dukān] (cheap shop, f.).
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the missing Hindi word.
- इसका क्या है?(price, rate)
- यह बहुत है, कुछ सस्ता दिखाइए।(costly, pricey)
- रुपये में मिल जाएगा?(a round number for rupees)
- एक रुपये बहुत ज़्यादा हैं।(one thousand)
- यह बहुत है — ख़रीद लेते हैं!(inexpensive)
Grammar Application
Apply number and price rules to complete each item.
- ₹150 in Hindi → एक सौ (150 = one hundred + ?)
- ₹750 in Hindi → सात सौ (750 = seven hundred + ?)
- सस्ता (feminine) → (feminine form of cheap)
- महँगा (feminine) → (feminine form of expensive)
- 'How much does this cost?' → यह का है?(question word for price)
Translation (English → Hindi)
Translate each sentence into Hindi.
- What's the price of this?
- This is very expensive.
- Five hundred rupees is fine.
- Show me something cheaper.
- One thousand rupees is too much.
Creative Construction
Write a short price negotiation (2-3 sentences) using numbers and price vocabulary. Imagine you're at Nehru Place.
Writing: Reading price tags and bills in Devanagari numerals
Practice words
| Word | Romanization |
|---|---|
| ₹५० | pacās rupaye |
| ₹२०० | do sau rupaye |
| ₹१००० | ek hazār rupaye |
| दाम | dām |
Devanagari has its own numeral system: ०१२३४५६७८९ (0-9). While most signs in Delhi use Western (Arabic) numerals, you'll still see Devanagari numerals on:
- Government documents and Hindi newspapers
- Traditional shop signs, especially in Old Delhi
- Price tags in some markets
- Currency notes (₹500 notes show both ५०० and 500)
Here are the key numerals for shopping:
- ५० = 50 (पचास [pacās])
- १०० = 100 (सौ [sau])
- २०० = 200 (दो सौ [do sau])
- ५०० = 500 (पाँच सौ [pā̃c sau])
- १००० = 1000 (हज़ार [hazār])
Practice reading these — you'll encounter them in everyday Indian life.
Takeaway
'कितने रुपये?' [kitne rupaye?] (how many rupees?) is your go-to question for any market. Remember that सस्ता [sastā] (cheap) and महँगा [mahã̄gā] (expensive) change gender — सस्ती दुकान [sastī dukān] but सस्ता सामान [sastā sāmān]. Focus on round numbers first: पचास [pacās] (50), सौ [sau] (100), पाँच सौ [pā̃c sau] (500), हज़ार [hazār] (1000).