In this lesson, you'll learn to talk about how you're feeling when you're unwell. From fever and cough to tiredness and weakness — these are essential words for communicating your health status. We'll learn the verb लगना [lagnā] (to feel/seem), which is one of Hindi's most versatile verbs. Sita has caught a cold, and Ravi suggests a classic Indian remedy!
Learning tips
- तबीयत [tabīyat] is the go-to word for asking about health. तबीयत कैसी है? [tabīyat kaisī hai?] is more specific than आप कैसे हैं? [āp kaise haĩ?].
- लगना [lagnā] is a Swiss Army knife verb — it can mean 'to feel,' 'to seem,' 'to hit,' 'to cost,' and more. Focus on the health meanings for now.
- सर्दी-खाँसी [sardī-khā̃sī] (cold-and-cough) is always said as a pair in Hindi — like 'cold and flu' in English.
- When Indians say 'haldi wala doodh' (turmeric milk), they mean the original 'golden latte' — a centuries-old home remedy!
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| सिर | sir | head |
| हाथ | hāth | hand/arm |
| पैर | pair | foot/leg |
| आँख | ā̃kh | eye |
| कान | kān | ear |
| नाक | nāk | nose |
| मुँह | mũh | mouth |
| पेट | peṭ | stomach |
| पीठ | pīṭh | back |
| उँगली | uṅglī | finger |
Dialog
Sita is sick in her PG (paying guest) room in Laxmi Nagar, a popular neighborhood in East Delhi. Ravi calls to check on her. Notice the different ways to express feeling unwell: तबीयत ठीक नहीं [tabīyat ṭhīk nahī̃] (not feeling well), बीमार [bīmār] (sick), थकी [thakī] (tired-feminine), and कमज़ोर [kamzor] (weak). Ravi's suggestion of हल्दी वाला दूध [haldī vālā dūdh] (turmeric milk) reflects every Indian mother's first line of defense against illness!
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| तबीयत | tabīyat | /t̪ə.biː.jət̪/ | health, physical condition | Feminine noun. Urdu-origin. तबीयत कैसी है? [tabīyat kaisī hai?] = How are you feeling? |
| बुखार | bukhār | /bʊ.kʰaːr/ | fever | Masculine noun. बुखार आना [bukhār ānā] = to get a fever (lit. 'fever to come'). |
| सर्दी | sardī | /sər.d̪iː/ | cold (illness), winter | Feminine noun. Double meaning: cold (illness) and winter/cold weather. |
| खाँसी | khā̃sī | /kʰãː.siː/ | cough | Feminine noun. खाँसी आना [khā̃sī ānā] = to cough (lit. 'cough to come'). |
| दर्द | dard | /d̪ərd̪/ | pain, ache | Masculine noun. सिर दर्द [sir dard] = headache, पेट दर्द [peṭ dard] = stomachache. |
| दवाई | davāī | /d̪ə.vaː.iː/ | medicine, medication | Feminine noun. दवाई लेना [davāī lenā] = to take medicine, दवाई खाना [davāī khānā] = to take (eat) medicine. |
| आराम | ārām | /aː.raːm/ | rest, comfort | Masculine noun. आराम करो [ārām karo] = rest! आराम से [ārām se] = comfortably/slowly. |
| बीमार | bīmār | /biː.maːr/ | sick, ill | Adjective. Doesn't change for gender. बीमार पड़ना [bīmār paṛnā] = to fall sick. |
| थका | thakā | /t̪ʰə.kaː/ | tired | Adjective. Changes for gender: थका [thakā] (m.), थकी [thakī] (f.). |
| कमज़ोर | kamzor | /kəm.zoːr/ | weak | Adjective. Doesn't change for gender. Urdu-origin. |
Passive words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| उल्टी | ulṭī | /ʊl.ʈiː/ | vomiting, nausea | Feminine noun. उल्टी आना [ulṭī ānā] = to vomit. |
| दस्त | dast | /d̪əst̪/ | diarrhea, loose motions | Masculine noun. Common issue, especially from street food. |
| चक्कर | cakkar | /t͡ʃək.kər/ | dizziness | Masculine noun. चक्कर आना [cakkar ānā] = to feel dizzy. |
| एलर्जी | elarjī | /e.lər.d͡ʒiː/ | allergy | Feminine noun. English loanword adapted to Hindi pronunciation. |
| इन्फ़ेक्शन | infekśan | /ɪn.fek.ʃən/ | infection | Masculine noun. English loanword. |
| ज़ुकाम | zukām | /zʊ.kaːm/ | common cold | Masculine noun. Synonym for सर्दी [sardī] when referring to illness. |
Useful chunks
| Word | Romanization | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| तबीयत ठीक नहीं है | tabīyat ṭhīk nahī̃ hai | not feeling well (lit. 'health fine not is') |
| बुखार आ रहा है | bukhār ā rahā hai | having a fever (lit. 'fever coming is') |
| हल्दी वाला दूध | haldī vālā dūdh | turmeric milk (India's classic home remedy) |
Grammar: Health expressions: लगना [lagnā], दर्द होना [dard honā], तबीयत ठीक नहीं [tabīyat ṭhīk nahī̃]
| Pattern | Hindi | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| X लग रहा है | कमज़ोर लग रहा है [kamzor lag rahā hai] | kamzor lag rahā hai | feeling weak |
| X लग रही है | थकी लग रही है [thakī lag rahī hai] | thakī lag rahī hai | looking tired (f.) |
| दर्द होना | गले में दर्द है [gale mẽ dard hai] | gale mẽ dard hai | throat hurts |
| तबीयत + adj. | तबीयत ठीक नहीं [tabīyat ṭhīk nahī̃] | tabīyat ṭhīk nahī̃ | not feeling well |
| बुखार आना | बुखार आ रहा है [bukhār ā rahā hai] | bukhār ā rahā hai | fever is coming |
| खाँसी आना | खाँसी आ रही है [khā̃sī ā rahī hai] | khā̃sī ā rahī hai | cough is coming |
Hindi uses several patterns to express health conditions:
लगना [lagnā] for feelings/appearances:
This verb is extremely versatile. For health:
- कमज़ोर लग रहा है [kamzor lag rahā hai] = feeling weak (male speaker/subject)
- थकी लग रही है [thakī lag rahī hai] = looking/seeming tired (female subject)
- बीमार लग रहे हैं [bīmār lag rahe haĩ] = looking sick (formal/plural)
दर्द होना [dard honā] for pain:
- गले में दर्द है [gale mẽ dard hai] = throat hurts
आना [ānā] for symptoms that 'come':
In Hindi, symptoms 'come to you' — बुखार आ रहा है [bukhār ā rahā hai] (fever is coming), खाँसी आ रही है [khā̃sī ā rahī hai] (cough is coming). The verb agrees with the symptom's gender, not the person!
तबीयत [tabīyat] expressions:
- तबीयत ठीक नहीं [tabīyat ṭhīk nahī̃] = not well
- तबीयत ख़राब [tabīyat ḵarāb] = health is bad
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the missing health word.
- मेरी ठीक नहीं है।(health/condition — feminine)
- कल रात से है।(fever)
- बहुत आ रही है।(cough — feminine)
- गले में है।(pain)
- कर रही हूँ, ली।(resting / medicine)
Grammar Application
Express each health condition using the correct Hindi pattern.
- 'I feel weak' using लगना → (use लगना + कमज़ोर)
- 'I have a fever' using आना → (use आना pattern)
- 'She looks sick' using लगना → (use लगना + बीमार, feminine)
- 'My throat hurts' using दर्द होना → (use दर्द होना pattern)
- 'I'm not well' using तबीयत → (use तबीयत + ठीक नहीं)
Translation (English → Hindi)
Translate each sentence into Hindi.
- I'm not feeling well.
- I have a high fever.
- Take medicine and rest.
- I'm very tired. (female speaker)
- I've caught a cold and cough.
Creative Construction
Describe being sick using at least 3 symptoms and the health patterns from this lesson.
Writing: Nasalized vowels (अनुनासिक) — Health words
Practice words
| Word | Romanization |
|---|---|
| खाँसी | khā̃sī |
| मुँह | mũh |
| कंधा | kandhā |
Hindi has two nasal markers that look similar but work differently:
चंद्रबिंदु (ँ) [candrabindu] — the crescent-moon-with-dot above a letter. It nasalizes the vowel itself. Examples: आँख [ā̃kh] (eye), खाँसी [khā̃sī] (cough), मुँह [mũh] (mouth). The vowel sound comes through both nose and mouth.
अनुस्वार (ं) [anusvāra] — just a dot above a letter. It typically represents a nasal consonant that matches the following consonant. Examples: कंधा [kandhā] (shoulder — the ं becomes 'n' before 'dh'), हिंदी [hindī] (Hindi — the ं becomes 'n' before 'd').
Rule of thumb: If the vowel mark extends above the headline (like ि, ी), use ं (dot only) because there's no room for the crescent. Otherwise, ँ is preferred for nasalized vowels.
Takeaway
तबीयत कैसी है? [tabīyat kaisī hai?] is the essential question for checking on someone's health. Remember: symptoms 'come' in Hindi — बुखार आना [bukhār ānā], खाँसी आना [khā̃sī ānā]. Use लगना [lagnā] to describe how you feel!