EkGuru › Materials › Work › Work & Courtesy Phrases
Work Hindi is a specific register: formal, polite, aap throughout. These phrases cover introductions, requests, small talk and courteous disagreement — the situations that come up in any professional setting.
| Situation | Hindi | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Formal hello | नमस्ते | hello (works everywhere) |
| Introducing yourself | मेरा नाम … है | my name is … |
| Nice to meet you | आपसे मिलकर ख़ुशी हुई | pleased to meet you |
| Could you … ? | क्या आप … सकते हैं? | could you … ? |
| Please wait | कृपया प्रतीक्षा कीजिए | please wait |
| I understand | मैं समझ गया | I understand |
| I do not understand | मुझे समझ नहीं आया | I did not understand |
| Yes, agreed | जी हाँ | yes (respectful) |
| With respect, no | माफ कीजिए, लेकिन … | I am sorry, but … |
| See you tomorrow | कल मिलेंगे | we will meet tomorrow |
Work Hindi is formal Hindi. Use aap with everyone, add jī (hā̃ jī) for extra respect, and prefer the full verb forms (आप कैसे हैं?) over the shortened casual ones. Sounding a little formal at work is correct — sounding too casual is the risk.
Disagreeing politely is a whole skill in Hindi workplace culture. Soften it: माफ कीजिए, लेकिन… (I am sorry, but…) or शायद ठीक नहीं है (perhaps that is not quite right). A flat नहीं (no) reads as abrupt where English would too.
Openers that work: कैसे हैं? (how are you), घर में सब ठीक है? (is everything well at home), and the universal चाय लीजिए (please have some tea). Tea is the correct answer to a surprising number of work situations in India.
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Using tum with a manager or client | aap, always, at work | The casual level is for friends, not colleagues you are not close to. |
| A bare nahī̃ for disagreement | Soften it: māf kījie, lekin… | Courteous disagreement is expected and respected. |
| Skipping jī with elders in the office | Add jī: hā̃ jī, nahī̃ jī | The particle is the cheapest form of workplace respect. |
आप (aap) — the polite level, always, at work.
माफ कीजिए, लेकिन… (I am sorry, but…) — a bare 'no' reads as abrupt.
A respectful 'yes' — the jī particle adds respect, used with elders and seniors.
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.