XHIX1001 Hindi 1 - Basics (4 cr)

Hindi is one of the most spoken languages in the world, spoken mainly in North India. Studying Hindi is useful also elsewhere in India and outside the country, because there are Hindi speakers across the globe. Travel, education, and business become considerably easier, as do understanding literature or Bollywood movies, for example. Additionally, learning Hindi enables easier communication with people who speak languages similar to it such as Urdu and Bhojpuri.

During this course, you will learn the basics of Hindi. You can read, understand, and write Hindi using the Devanāgarī script. Many other languages use Devanāgarī, which means that learning them becomes easier through the script as well. You will learn how to conduct basic conversations in Hindi, understand conversational contexts, and how age and level of respect affect conversation.

You will learn how to use the Devanāgarī script to read and write Hindi, know the basic grammar, and the most common vocabulary of everyday life. You will also learn how to tell simple information about yourself and ask basic questions from others.

On completion of this course, the student can read, understand, and write Hindi using the Devanāgarī writing system, and conduct basic conversations. In addition to learning the language, we also discuss how culture influences the use of language, mainly regarding levels of politeness and formality. In terms of vocabulary, we will learn the most common, everyday words. The students learn to introduce themselves and ask simple questions from others.

The book Get Started in Hindi is also used in Hindi 2 course. Essential Hindi Dictionary is not an obligatory purchase for this course.