EkGuru › Materials › Travel › Restaurant, Shopping & Transport Phrases
These are the phrases you will actually say on a trip — ordering without pointing, asking a price without confusion, and getting a rickshaw where you want it. Grouped by situation so you can rehearse each one.
| Situation | Hindi | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Ordering | मुझे चाय चाहिए | I want tea |
| Asking what it is | यह क्या है? | What is this? |
| Price | यह कितने का है? | How much is this? |
| Too expensive | बहुत महँगा है | It is very expensive |
| Bargaining | थोड़ा कम कीजिए | Make it a little less, please |
| Where | … कहाँ है? | Where is … ? |
| Left/right | बायेँ / दायेँ | left / right |
| Straight | सीधा | straight ahead |
| Stop here | यहाँ रोकिए | stop here |
| Ticket | एक टिकट दीजिए | one ticket, please |
मुझे … चाहिए (mujhe … chāhie, I want …) is the workhorse. Add कृपया (kripayā, please) or the aap-level verb to stay polite, and ask यह क्या है? for anything you do not recognise.
In markets a quoted price is often an opening, not a final number. थोड़ा कम कीजिए (make it a little less) said with a smile works far better than an aggressive बहुत महँगा है. Bargain in good humour and walk away politely if it does not work.
The full rickshaw exchange: state the place (मुझे … जाना है, I want to go to …), agree the price first (कितना? how much?), and say यहाँ रोकिए (stop here) when you arrive. Agreeing the price before getting in avoids the whole classic misunderstanding.
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Shouting 'cheaper!' in English | थोड़ा कम कीजिए, with a smile | Tone is half of bargaining — good humour gets better prices. |
| Not agreeing the rickshaw fare first | Ask कितना? before getting in | The fare is agreed up front, not on the meter. |
| Using tum with a driver or vendor | Use aap in every service exchange | aap is the safe, respectful default with strangers. |
यह कितने का है? (yah kitne kā hai?).
The fare — ask कितना? (how much?) and agree it first.
आप (aap) — the polite form, in every service exchange.
A chart helps only once you use it. Drill these same points in the practice labs, follow a learning path to keep the order right, or practise one to one with a native-speaking tutor.