 SMART PHRASES
IN HINDI |
Greetings and Civilities
There are no exact equivalent for ´hello´
and `goodbye´ in Fijian Hindi. The most
common greeting is 'kaise` (How are you?). The
usual reply is tik (fine). In parting, it's common
to say ´fir melega´ (We´ll meet
again).
More formal greetings are: namaste (for Hindus),
salam alaikum(for Muslim)-the reply to the latter
is alaikum salam. There are no equivalent for
'please' and `thank you´. To be polite in
making requests, people use the word 'thora' (a
little) and a special form of verb ending in 'na',
eg thora nimak dena (please pass the salt).
They also use the polite form of the word 'you',
ap, instead of the informal tum. Polite and informal
modes of address are indicated in this guide by
the abbreviations 'pol' and 'inf' respectively.
For thanks people just say 'acha' (good). The
English please and thank are mostly used. The
word dhanyavad is used to thank someone who has
done something special for you. It means something
like blessing bestowed upon you.
| Yes |
Ha |
| No |
Nahi |
| Maybe |
Sayit |
| I'm sorry (for something serious) |
Maf Karna |
| What's your name? |
Apke/tumar namka hai? |
| My name is ... |
hamar nam ... |
| Where are you from? |
Ap/tum kaha ke hai? |
| I'm from ... |
ham ... ke hai |
| Are you married? |
Sadi ho gaya? |
| How many children do you have? |
kitna larkan hai? |
| I don't have any |
Larkan nai hai |
| Two boys and three girls |
Diu larka aur tin larki |
Language Difficulties
| Do you speak English ? |
ap/tum English bolta? |
| Does anyone here speak English? |
Koi English bole? |
| I don't understand |
Hum nai samajhta |
| |
|
Getting Around
| Where is the ... ? |
...kaha hai |
| Shop |
dukan |
| Airport |
eyapot |
| (main) bus station |
basten |
| market |
maket |
| temple |
mandir |
| mosque |
masjid |
| church |
cec |
You can also use the English words hotel, guesthouse,
camping ground, toilet, post office, embassy,
tourist information office, museum, cafe, restaurant
and telephone.
| I want to go to... |
ham ...jae magta |
| Is it near/far? |
Nagic/dur hai? |
| Can I go by foot? |
Paidar jae sakta? |
| Go straight ahead |
Sidha jao |
| Please write down the address |
thora edres likh dena |
| By the ... |
ke pas |
| coconut tree |
Nariyal ke per |
| Mango tree |
am ke per |
| Breadfruit tree |
belfut ke per |
| Sugarcane field |
ganna khet |
| When does the ... |
kitna baje ... |
| leave/arrive? |
Cale/pahuche? |
| Ship |
jahaj |
| Car |
mottar |
You can also use the English words, bus, plane,
and boat.
|
Food and Drink
| to eat, food |
khana |
| to drink |
pina |
| tea |
cayaqona ( kava) nengona,grog |
| liquor |
daru |
| beer |
bia |
| water |
pani |
| I don't drink alcohol |
Ham daru nai pita |
| I don't eat hot (spicy) food |
Ham tita kana nai khata |
| I don't eat meat |
Ham gos nai khata |
| I eat vegetables |
Ham tarkari khata |
| Just a little |
Tora thora |
| Enough! |
bas |
| Very good |
bahutacha |
Health
| I'm... |
hame |
| Diabetic |
cini ke bimari hai |
| epileptic |
mirgi awe |
| asthmatic |
sas fule ki bimari hai |
| I'm allergic to penicillin |
Penesilin se hum bimar ho jai |
| I have a stomachache |
Hamar pet pirawe |
| I feel nauseous |
Hame chant lage |
| I'm constipated |
Pet kara ho gaya |
| Contraceptive |
pariwar niyojan ke dawai |
Emergencies
| Help me! |
Hame madad karo! |
| Go away! |
Jao! |
| Call the doctor/police |
Dokta ke/pulis ke bulao |
| Where is the hospital? |
Aspatal kaha hai? |
| I've been robbed! |
Cori ho gaya! |
| Medicine |
dawai |
| Sanitary |
pad ped, nepkin |
| Tampon |
tampon |
Times and Dates
| What is the time? |
Kitna baje? |
| It's ...o'clock |
...baje |
| When? |
Kab? |
| Today |
aj |
| Tonight |
aj ratke |
| Tomorrow |
bihan |
| Yesterday |
kal |
| |
|
English days of the week are generally used
Numbers
| 1 |
ek |
| 2 |
dui |
| 3 |
tin |
| 4 |
car |
| 5 |
panc |
| 6 |
che |
| 7 |
sat |
| 8 |
ath |
| 9 |
na |
| 10 |
das |
| 100 |
sau |
| 1000 |
hazar |
| SOURCES
OF INFORMATION |
- The Fiji Visitors Bureau
- The Fiji Trade and Investment Board
- The Reserve Bank of Fiji
- Miscellaneous sources of information gathered
in the Fiji Islands.
- The Lonely Planet on the Fiji Islands
Our special thanks to Fiji Visitors Bureau for
the magnificent pictures, and all our sources,
plus all our interviewees who have proved to be
an invaluable source of information, as we say
in Fiji… "Vinaka Vaka levu".
|
