In this lesson, we visit a colony clinic — a small neighborhood doctor's office found in every part of Delhi. You'll learn to describe symptoms to a doctor, understand dietary restrictions (परहेज़ [parhez]), and follow instructions. We'll also learn the negative imperative मत [mat] (don't), which doctors use constantly! Ravi visits the doctor after eating street food.
Learning tips
- परहेज़ [parhez] (dietary restriction) is a word you'll hear constantly from Indian doctors — it usually means avoiding oily, spicy, and heavy food.
- मत [mat] + verb is the informal 'don't' — used by doctors with patients, friends with friends. The formal version is न [na] + verb (formal form).
- ख़याल रखो [ḵayāl rakho] (take care) is how every Indian doctor ends a consultation — learn it!
- In India, a doctor's visit often costs just 200-500 rupees ($2-6) at a colony clinic — no appointment needed!
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| दवाई | davāī | medicine |
| गोली | golī | tablet |
| सिरप | sirap | syrup |
| पट्टी | paṭṭī | bandage |
| मलहम | malham | ointment |
| पर्चा | parcā | prescription |
| लगाना | lagānā | to apply |
| दिन | din | day |
| बार | bār | time (occurrence) |
| रात | rāt | night |
Dialog
Ravi visits the colony clinic in Laxmi Nagar with a stomach problem after eating street food — a very common scenario in India! The doctor (played by Sita in this dialog) examines him, orders tests, and gives strict dietary instructions using मत [mat] (don't) and बंद [band] (stop). Notice the practical vocabulary: जाँच [jā̃c] (examination), रिपोर्ट [riporṭ] (report), परहेज़ [parhez] (dietary restriction). The doctor's parting words are always ख़याल रखो [ḵayāl rakho] (take care).
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| डॉक्टर | ḍŏkṭar | /ɖɒk.ʈər/ | doctor | Masculine noun. English loanword. डॉक्टर साहब [ḍŏkṭar sāhab] = respectful address for a doctor. |
| मरीज़ | marīz | /mə.riːz/ | patient | Masculine noun. Urdu-origin. Used for both male and female patients. |
| जाँच | jā̃c | /d͡ʒãːt͡ʃ/ | examination, check-up, test | Feminine noun. जाँच करना [jā̃c karnā] = to examine, ख़ून की जाँच [ḵūn kī jā̃c] = blood test. |
| रिपोर्ट | riporṭ | /rɪ.poːrʈ/ | report (medical) | Feminine noun. English loanword. |
| परहेज़ | parhez | /pər.heːz/ | dietary restriction, abstinence | Masculine noun. Urdu-origin. One of the most common words in Indian healthcare. |
| खाना | khānā | /kʰaː.naː/ | food, to eat | Masculine noun (food) / verb (to eat). Double duty word! |
| पीना | pīnā | /piː.naː/ | to drink | Verb. खाना-पीना [khānā-pīnā] = eating and drinking (always said as a pair). |
| बंद | band | /bənd̪/ | closed, stopped | Adjective/verb modifier. X बंद करो [X band karo] = stop X. |
| शुरू | śurū | /ʃʊ.ruː/ | start, begin | Adjective/verb modifier. X शुरू करो [X śurū karo] = start X. |
| ख़याल | ḵayāl | /xə.jaːl/ | care, thought | Masculine noun. Urdu-origin. ख़याल रखना [ḵayāl rakhnā] = to take care. |
Passive words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| क्लिनिक | klinik | /klɪ.nɪk/ | clinic | Masculine noun. English loanword. |
| अस्पताल | aspatāl | /əs.pə.t̪aːl/ | hospital | Masculine noun. Urdu-origin. |
| OPD | o-pī-ḍī | /oː.piː.ɖiː/ | outpatient department | English abbreviation, used as-is. |
| अपॉइंटमेंट | apŏiṇṭmenṭ | /ə.pɔɪnʈ.menʈ/ | appointment | Masculine noun. English loanword. Not always needed at Indian clinics! |
| फ़ीस | fīs | /fiːs/ | fee, fees | Feminine noun. English loanword. |
| बीमा | bīmā | /biː.maː/ | insurance | Masculine noun. Hindi-origin. बीमा करवाना [bīmā karvānā] = to get insured. |
Useful chunks
| Word | Romanization | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| ख़याल रखना | ḵayāl rakhnā | to take care (lit. 'care to keep') |
| परहेज़ ज़रूरी है | parhez zarūrī hai | dietary restriction is necessary |
| दवाई शुरू करो | davāī śurū karo | start the medicine |
Grammar: Doctor's instructions & negative imperative मत [mat]
| Pattern | Hindi | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| मत + verb (तुम) | मत खाओ [mat khāo] | mat khāo | don't eat |
| मत + verb (तुम) | मत पीओ [mat pīo] | mat pīo | don't drink |
| X बंद करो | चाय बंद करो [cāy band karo] | cāy band karo | stop tea |
| X शुरू करो | दवाई शुरू करो [davāī śurū karo] | davāī śurū karo | start medicine |
| ख़याल रखो | ख़याल रखो [ḵayāl rakho] | ḵayāl rakho | take care |
| न + verb (आप) | न खाएँ [na khāẽ] | na khāẽ | please don't eat (formal) |
The negative imperative tells someone NOT to do something:
मत [mat] + verb (informal/तुम level):
- मत खाओ [mat khāo] = don't eat
- मत पीओ [mat pīo] = don't drink
- मत जाओ [mat jāo] = don't go
न [na] + verb (formal/आप level):
- न खाएँ [na khāẽ] = please don't eat
- न पिएँ [na piẽ] = please don't drink
Doctors typically use the तुम [tum] level with patients — it's normal and not rude in medical contexts.
बंद/शुरू [band/śurū] for stopping/starting:
- चाय बंद करो [cāy band karo] = stop (drinking) tea
- दवाई शुरू करो [davāī śurū karo] = start (taking) medicine
- ये खाना बंद [ye khānā band] = this food is stopped/off-limits
Notice how बंद [band] and शुरू [śurū] can act like switches — X बंद = X is off, X शुरू = X is on.
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the missing word from the doctor's visit.
- साहब, मेरा पेट ख़राब है।(medical professional)
- पहले करती हूँ। कल आएगी।(examination / test results)
- तला-भुना खाओ। ज़रूरी है।(negative command / dietary restriction)
- दवाई करो और रखो।(begin / care)
- चाय , सिर्फ़ पानी ।(stopped / drink)
Grammar Application
Form the correct negative imperative or instruction.
- 'Don't eat spicy food' using मत → (use मत + verb)
- 'Stop tea' using बंद → (use बंद + करो)
- 'Start the medicine' using शुरू → (use शुरू + करो)
- 'Take care' using ख़याल → (use ख़याल + verb)
- 'Please don't drink cold water' (formal) → (use न + formal verb form)
Translation (English → Hindi)
Translate each sentence into Hindi.
- Doctor, my stomach is upset.
- Dietary restriction is necessary.
- Don't eat fried food.
- Start the medicine, take care.
- The report will come tomorrow.
Creative Construction
Write a short doctor-patient exchange using मत [mat], बंद [band], and ख़याल रखो [ḵayāl rakho].
Writing: Nukta (नुक़्ता) — Urdu-origin medical words
Practice words
| Word | Romanization |
|---|---|
| परहेज़ | parhez |
| ख़याल | ḵayāl |
| मरीज़ | marīz |
The नुक़्ता [nuqtā] (़) is a small dot placed below certain Devanagari consonants to represent sounds borrowed from Urdu/Arabic/Persian. Medical vocabulary has many such words:
- ज़ [za] = ज + ़ — as in मरीज़ [marīz] (patient), परहेज़ [parhez] (restriction)
- फ़ [fa] = फ + ़ — as in फ़ीस [fīs] (fee), फ़ोन [fon] (phone)
- ख़ [ḵa] = ख + ़ — as in ख़याल [ḵayāl] (care), ख़राब [ḵarāb] (bad)
Many Hindi speakers drop the nuqta in writing and pronounce these as their base letters (ज, फ, ख). Both pronunciations are accepted, but in Delhi — with its strong Urdu influence — the nuqta pronunciations are more common.
Takeaway
मत [mat] + verb = 'don't do X' — the essential negative command. Use बंद [band] (stop) and शुरू [śurū] (start) as on/off switches for habits and medicines. And always end with ख़याल रखो [ḵayāl rakho] (take care)!