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Bengali basics — the script, sounds and first steps
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The starting point: the Bengali script, your first words, and the honest answer to where to begin. A left-to-right Eastern Nagari script, a close cousin of Devanagari. If you read Hindi, many letters will look familiar — but several sounds differ, so learn it fresh rather than guessing from Hindi.
The alphabet at a glance
The Bengali script has 11 vowels and 39 consonants. The full tables with sounds are on the pronunciation page — learn to recognise them before you memorise any words.
Your first five words
| English | Hindi | Bengali | Say it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hello (formal) | नमस्ते | নমস্কার | nômoshkar |
| Hello (Muslim greeting) | सलाम | আসসালামু আলাইকুম | assalamu alaikum |
| Reply: ওয়ালাইকুম আসসালাম (walaikum assalam) | |||
| How are you? (formal) | आप कैसे हैं? | আপনি কেমন আছেন? | apni kæmon achhen? |
| How are you? (familiar) | तुम कैसे हो? | তুমি কেমন আছো? | tumi kæmon achho? |
| I'm fine | मैं ठीक हूँ | আমি ভালো আছি | ami bhalo achhi |
The order to learn in
- Script + sounds — Bengali is phonetic: learn the letters and you can read anything.
- Greetings + pronouns — say hello, introduce yourself, ask where.
- Numbers 1–20 — prices, time and quantities unlock immediately.
- Word order + present tense — one pattern (আমি ভাত খাই) builds a thousand sentences.
- Topics (food, travel, shopping) — learn what your life needs first.