Dialogue

Vocabulary

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Lesson Notes

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Namaste! Hello and welcome to Hindi Survival Phrases brought to you by HindiPod101.com. This course is designed to equip you with the language skills and knowledge to enable you to get the most out of your visit to India. You’ll be surprised at how far a little Hindi will go.
Now, before we jump in, remember to stop by HindiPod101.com and there, you will find the accompanying PDF and additional info in the post. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment.

Lesson focus

Survival Phrases lesson 21, Bargaining in India.
In India, haggling at the markets is very common. These little markets are temporary street markets where you can find everything from food and clothes to antiques. In these places, you will be able to use the Survival Phrases you will learn in this lesson. Don't be afraid to use your Hindi when speaking to the merchants because they are very funny, and they can be very friendly and kind to potential customers. "Are you ready to have fun at the baazaar?"
Upon entering the baazaar, you will be struck by the variety of colorful stalls, and you will be immediately attracted to something that interests you.
Normally, if you are interested in buying something, you can say "How much is this?" or yah kiTne kaa hai?
yah kiTne kaa hai?
As soon as they tell you the price, you can start the bargaining to lower it. Please note that this is very common in Indian markets, so don't be shy. Try to say kiimaT kam karenge?
kiimaT kam karenge? or "Can you lower the price?"
Let’s repeat the whole phrase once more: kiimaT kam karenge?
kiimaT kam karenge?
kiimaT kam karenge?
At this point, the merchant will start haggling and the final result is in your hands!
Another way to express the feeling that something is too expensive and you want to start haggling is with yah bahuT mahangaa hai.
yah bahuT mahangaa hai
Which literally means "It is very expensive."
In Hindi, yah means "this," bahuT is "a lot” or “much," and finally, we have mahangaa, which is the adjective for "expensive."
Let’s break down these words and hear them one more time: yah bahuT mahangaa hai.
yah bahuT mahangaa hai
When haggling, yah bahuT mehengaa hai is actually enough to get your point across, but to make sure the seller knows you mean business, it's best to add kiimaT kam karenge? In other words, yah bahuT mahangaa hai, kiimaT kam karenge?
yah bahuT mahangaa hai, kiimaT kam karenge?
yah bahuT mahangaa hai, kiimaT kam karenge?
Let's imagine that you are at a baazaar, you want to buy a bag, and you want to suggest your price to the merchant straightforward. In other words, you want to establish your own price as the one you will bargain for. The merchant has just told you that the one bag costs one hundred and twenty rupees. You desperately want the bag, but it's too expensive and you want to try to suggest one hundred rupees.
After yah bahuT mahangaa hai, you should say, ek sau rupaye! If the merchant still refuses, you slowly walk away, and in most cases they will give in.
ek sau rupaye
ek sau rupaye

Outro

Okay, to close out this lesson, we'd like you to practice what you've just learned. I'll provide you with the English equivalent of the phrases and you're responsible for shouting it out loud. You'll have a few seconds before I give you the answer, so गुड लक! (guud Lak!), which means "good luck" in Hindi.
“How much is this?” - yah kiTne kaa hai?
yah kiTne kaa hai?
yah kiTne kaa hai?
“It's too expensive,can you lower the price?” - yah bahuT mahangaa hai, kiimaT kam karenge?
yah bahuT mahangaa hai, kiimaT kam karenge?
yah bahuT mahangaa hai, kiimaT kam karenge?
“It costs too much!” - yah bahuT mahangaa hai!
yah bahuT mahangaa hai!
yah bahuT mahangaa hai!
“I'll give you one hundred rupees!” - ek sau rupaye!
ek sau rupaye!
ek sau rupaye!
All right. That’s going to do it for today. Remember to stop by HindiPod101.com and pick up the accompanying PDF. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment.
फिर मिलेंगे (phir milenge), goodbye!

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