No visit to India is complete without a cup of चाय [cāy]! In this lesson, you'll learn to order drinks — from masala chai to ठंडी लस्सी [ṭhaṇḍī lassī] (cold lassi) to plain पानी [pānī] (water). You'll also master the essential construction मुझे चाहिए [mujhe cāhie] ('I need/want'), which works for ordering anything. Sita and Ravi are exploring the legendary chai stalls and lassi shops of Chandni Chowk. Join them!
Learning tips
- मुझे चाहिए [mujhe cāhie] is the Swiss Army knife of Hindi requests. 'I need tea' = मुझे चाय चाहिए [mujhe cāy cāhie]. Simple!
- In India, 'tea' always means milk tea unless you specify otherwise. If you want black tea, say बिना दूध की चाय [binā dūdh kī cāy] (tea without milk).
- कप [kap] is for hot drinks (tea, coffee), गिलास [gilās] is for cold drinks (water, lassi, juice). Using the wrong one sounds odd!
- ठंडा [ṭhaṇḍā] changes gender: ठंडा पानी [ṭhaṇḍā pānī] (cold water, masculine) but ठंडी लस्सी [ṭhaṇḍī lassī] (cold lassi, feminine).
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ढाबा | dhaba | |
| मेनू | menu | |
| ऑर्डर | order | |
| प्लेट | plate | |
| कटोरी | bowl | |
| गरम | hot (temperature) | |
| ठंडा | cold | |
| लाना | to bring | |
| और | and/more | |
| बस | enough |
Dialog
Sita and Ravi are on a walking tour of Chandni Chowk's famous drink stalls. First they stop at a chai stall — notice how Ravi orders using the casual भैया [bhaiyā] style. Then they visit a lassi shop, where Sita uses मुझे...चाहिए [mujhe cāhie] to express what she wants. Finally, the Delhi heat drives them to find पानी [pānī]. Pay attention to the containers: कप [kap] for chai, गिलास [gilās] for lassi and water.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| चाय | cāy | /t͡ʃaːj/ | tea | India's national drink! Always means milk tea with sugar unless specified. Feminine noun. |
| दूध | dūdh | /d̪uːd̪ʰ/ | milk | Masculine noun. Essential in Indian tea and many desserts. दूध वाला [dūdh vālā] = milkman. |
| चीनी | cīnī | /t͡ʃiː.niː/ | sugar | Feminine noun. Indian tea is typically very sweet — ask for कम चीनी [kam cīnī] (less sugar) if needed. |
| पानी | pānī | /paː.niː/ | water | Masculine noun. Always ask for बोतल का पानी [botal kā pānī] (bottled water) when traveling. |
| लस्सी | lassī | /ləs.siː/ | lassi, yogurt drink | Feminine. Comes in मीठी [mīṭhī] (sweet) and नमकीन [namkīn] (salty) varieties. |
| जूस | jūs | /d͡ʒuːs/ | juice | Borrowed from English. Masculine. Common: संतरे का जूस [santre kā jūs] = orange juice. |
| गरम | garam | /ɡə.rəm/ | hot (temperature) | Same word as lesson 6.2 — reinforced here for drink ordering. गरम चाय [garam cāy] = hot tea. |
| ठंडा | ṭhaṇḍā | /ʈʰəɳ.ɖaː/ | cold | Same word as lesson 6.2 — ठंडा [ṭhaṇḍā] (masc.) / ठंडी [ṭhaṇḍī] (fem.). |
| कप | kap | /kəp/ | cup | Borrowed from English. Masculine. Used for hot drinks: एक कप चाय [ek kap cāy]. |
| गिलास | gilās | /ɡɪ.laːs/ | glass | Borrowed from English. Masculine. Used for cold drinks: एक गिलास पानी [ek gilās pānī]. |
Passive words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| मसाला चाय | masālā cāy | /mə.saː.laː t͡ʃaːj/ | masala tea, spiced tea | Tea boiled with spices — ginger, cardamom, cinnamon. India's signature drink. |
| अदरक | adrak | /əd̪.rək/ | ginger | Key ingredient in masala chai. अदरक वाली चाय [adrak vālī cāy] = ginger tea. |
| इलायची | ilāycī | /ɪ.laːj.t͡ʃiː/ | cardamom | The 'queen of spices' — used in tea, desserts, and rice dishes. |
| शर्बत | śarbat | /ʃər.bət̪/ | sherbet, sweet drink | Traditional Indian sweet drink — often rose or fruit flavored. |
| नींबू पानी | nī̃bū pānī | /nĩː.buː paː.niː/ | lemonade, lime water | Popular summer drink — नींबू [nī̃bū] (lemon) + पानी [pānī] (water). |
| सोडा | soḍā | /soː.ɖaː/ | soda | Borrowed from English. Often added to नींबू पानी for fizz. |
Useful chunks
| Word | Romanization | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| मुझे चाहिए | mujhe cāhie | I need/want (core requesting pattern) |
| एक कप चाय | ek kap cāy | one cup of tea |
| ठंडा पानी | ṭhaṇḍā pānī | cold water |
Grammar: मुझे चाहिए [mujhe cāhie] construction — 'I need/want'
| Hindi | IAST | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| मुझे चाय चाहिए | mujhe cāy cāhie | I need/want tea | Basic 'I want' |
| मुझे ठंडा पानी चाहिए | mujhe ṭhaṇḍā pānī cāhie | I need cold water | With adjective |
| मुझे दो कप चाय चाहिए | mujhe do kap cāy cāhie | I need two cups of tea | With quantity |
| आपको क्या चाहिए? | āpko kyā cāhie? | What do you need? | Question form |
| मुझे कुछ नहीं चाहिए | mujhe kuch nahī̃ cāhie | I don't need anything | Negative form |
| उसे दूध चाहिए | use dūdh cāhie | He/she needs milk | Third person |
The मुझे चाहिए [mujhe cāhie] construction is one of Hindi's most useful patterns. It translates to 'I need' or 'I want':
Structure: [person]को + [thing] + चाहिए
- मुझे [mujhe] = to me (I need)
- आपको [āpko] = to you (you need)
- उसे [use] = to him/her (he/she needs)
- हमें [hamẽ] = to us (we need)
चाहिए [cāhie] never changes — it stays the same regardless of gender or number. This makes it easy!
Key difference from English: Hindi says 'to me tea is-needed' rather than 'I need tea.' The experiencer (me) takes को [ko], not the subject position.
Negative: मुझे X नहीं चाहिए [mujhe X nahī̃ cāhie] = I don't need X
Question: आपको क्या चाहिए? [āpko kyā cāhie?] = What do you need?
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the missing Hindi drink word.
- मुझे गरम चाहिए।(India's favorite hot drink)
- एक लस्सी और एक पानी लाओ।(glass / glass — container for cold drinks)
- चाय में और डालो।(milk / sugar)
- मुझे ठंडा चाहिए, नहीं।(water / juice)
- दो चाय और एक लस्सी।(cup / glass)
Grammar Application
Complete sentences using the मुझे चाहिए [mujhe cāhie] pattern.
- Say 'I want cold lassi' → ।(me-to + cold + lassi + is-needed)
- Ask 'What do you need?' → ?(you-to + what + is-needed)
- Say 'I don't need juice' → ।(me-to + juice + not + is-needed)
- Order two cups of tea → ।(me-to + two + cup + tea + is-needed)
- Say 'She needs hot milk' → ।(her/him-to + hot + milk + is-needed)
Translation (English → Hindi)
Translate each sentence into Hindi.
- I need one cup of hot tea.
- Cold lassi is very good.
- Add milk and sugar to the tea.
- Bring one glass of cold water.
- I don't need juice, I need water.
Creative Construction
Write a drink order at a chai stall (2-3 lines) using at least 4 words from this lesson.
Writing: Reading beverage words
Practice words
| Word | Romanization |
|---|---|
| चाय | cāy |
| लस्सी | lassī |
| पानी | pānī |
| जूस | jūs |
Today we practice reading beverage words in Devanagari. These words appear on every drink stall, cafe menu, and restaurant in India:
- चाय [cāy] — च [c] + ा [ā] + य [y]
- लस्सी [lassī] — ल [l] + स्स [ss] + ी [ī]
- पानी [pānī] — प [p] + ा [ā] + न [n] + ी [ī]
- जूस [jūs] — ज [j] + ू [ū] + स [s]
At any Indian railway station, you'll hear vendors calling out 'चाय-चाय-चाय!' [cāy-cāy-cāy] — see if you can recognize the word when you hear it!
Takeaway
मुझे...चाहिए [mujhe...cāhie] is your go-to pattern for expressing needs and wants. Remember: चाहिए [cāhie] never changes form — it's always the same. Combined with मुझे...दीजिए [mujhe...dījie] from the last lesson, you can now order anything in Hindi!