Greetings and Social Basics
Learn everyday phrases for hello, thank you, sorry, yes/no, and leave-taking; introduce yourself, ask how someone is, and respond politely using informal and polite forms (tu/tumhi); practice culturally appropriate address terms and polite particles in short dialogues.
Content
Overview
This beginner module builds the core of Marathi social interaction: greetings, thanks, apologies, yes/no, leave‑taking, brief introductions, and asking/answering “How are you?” You will learn when to use informal tu versus polite tumhi, add politeness particles, and choose culturally appropriate address terms in short, natural dialogues.
Prior knowledge check
- Can you read basic Latin transliteration (e.g., namaskar, dhanyavaad) and recognize common Devanagari words (e.g., नमस्कार, धन्यवाद)?
- Do you know what informal vs. polite address means in your own language?
- Are you comfortable repeating short phrases aloud and shadowing 2–4‑word chunks?
- Can you identify gender in simple phrases (m/f) to match forms like bara/bari?
Core Concepts
Core greetings
Marathi has neutral Hi/Hello and more respectful greetings. Namaskar is pan‑Marathi and suits almost any context.
- नमस्कार (namaskar) = Hello/Greetings (formal, all‑purpose)
- हॅलो (hello) = Hello (casual)
- शुभ सकाळ (shubh sakaal) = Good morning
- शुभ संध्या (shubh sandhya) = Good evening
- शुभ रात्री (shubh raatri) = Good night
Thanking, apologizing, acknowledging
Use these to be polite in daily exchanges.
- धन्यवाद (dhanyavaad) = Thank you
- माफ करा (maaf kara) = Sorry/Excuse me
- काही हरकत नाही (kaahi harakat nahi) = You’re welcome/No problem
- ठीक आहे (theek aahe) = Okay/All right
Yes/No and softeners
Yes/No have formal and casual variants; softening particles make requests gentle.
- हो (ho) = Yes (neutral)
- होय (hoy) = Yes (formal)
- नाही (nahi) = No
- कृपया (krupaya) = Please (formal)
- जरा (jara) = just/please (softener)
- ...ना (...na) = softener at end (e.g., द्या ना = please give)
Informal tu vs. polite tumhi
Address friends, children, or peers with tu; use tumhi with elders, strangers, and in service or professional contexts. Switch up to tumhi to show respect.
- तू कसा/कशी आहेस? (tu kasa/kashi aahes?) = How are you? (informal: m/f addressee)
- तुम्ही कसे आहात? (tumhi kase aahat?) = How are you? (polite/plural)
- तुझं नाव काय? (tujhaṃ naav kaay?) = What’s your name? (informal)
- तुमचं नाव काय? (tumchaṃ naav kaay?) = What’s your name? (polite)
Introducing yourself
Simple, fixed frames make introductions easy.
- माझं नाव ___ आहे. (maajhaṃ naav ___ aahe.) = My name is ___.
- मी ___ आहे. (mee ___ aahe.) = I am ___.
- तुमची भेट होऊन आनंद झाला. (tumchi bhet hoon aanand jhala.) = Nice to meet you.
Asking and answering “How are you?”
Match gender and formality; short answers are natural.
- मी ठीक आहे. (mee theek aahe.) = I’m fine.
- मी बरा/बरी आहे. (mee bara/bari aahe.) = I’m well (m/f speaker).
- आणि तुम्ही? (aani tumhi?) = And you?
- धन्यवाद, चांगला/चांगली आहे. (dhanyavaad, changla/changli aahe.) = Thank you, I’m good (m/f).
Leave‑taking and follow‑ups
Common, natural ways to end conversations.
- नमस्कार (namaskar) = Goodbye (also hello)
- पुन्हा भेटू! (punha bhetu!) = See you again!
- नंतर भेटू. (nantar bhetu.) = See you later.
- निघतो/निघते. (nighato/nighate.) = I’m leaving now (m/f speaker).
Culturally appropriate address terms
Use kinship titles and respectful forms with elders and strangers; pair with tumhi.
- दादा (daada) = older brother; ताई (taai) = older sister
- काका/काकू (kaka/kaku) = paternal uncle/aunt
- मामा/मावशी (mama/maavshi) = maternal uncle/aunt
- साहेब/मॅडम (saheb/madam) = Sir/Madam
- Gesture: slight head‑nod, नमस्कार with folded hands for respectful greeting
Worked Examples
Polite first meeting (office/reception)
- 1) Greet respectfully: नमस्कार. (namaskar.)
- 2) Ask name politely: तुमचं नाव काय? (tumchaṃ naav kaay?)
- 3) Give your name: माझं नाव राहुल आहे. (maajhaṃ naav Rahul aahe.)
- 4) Nice to meet you: तुमची भेट होऊन आनंद झाला. (tumchi bhet hoon aanand jhala.)
- 5) Ask well‑being politely: तुम्ही कसे आहात? (tumhi kase aahat?)
- 6) Reply: मी ठीक आहे, धन्यवाद. (mee theek aahe, dhanyavaad.)
- 7) Close: नंतर भेटू. धन्यवाद. (nantar bhetu. dhanyavaad.)
Casual chat (friend, same age)
- 1) Hi: हॅलो! (hello!)
- 2) Ask how (informal, addressing female): तू कशी आहेस? (tu kashi aahes?)
- 3) Reply (male speaker): मी बरा आहे. (mee bara aahe.)
- 4) Ask name (if new): तुझं नाव काय? (tujhaṃ naav kaay?)
- 5) Give name: माझं नाव रीमा आहे. (maajhaṃ naav Reema aahe.)
- 6) Soften a small request: जरा थांब ना. (jara thaamb na.) = Please wait a bit.
- 7) Leave informally: चल, नंतर भेटू! (chal, nantar bhetu!)
Common Misconceptions
- Using tu with elders/strangers; default to tumhi for safety.
- Saying “स्वागत आहे” as a reply to thanks; more natural is “काही हरकत नाही.”
- Forgetting gender agreement in kasa/kashi/kase and bara/bari.
- Translating word‑for‑word “I am name”: not मी आहे नाव; correct is माझं नाव ___ आहे.
- Overusing कृपया in casual speech; use jara/na as softeners in everyday talk.
- Mixing Hindi forms (aap) with Marathi; use tumhi/tu, not aap.
Guided Practice
Translate to polite Marathi: “What is your name?”
Hint: Use tumhi and nav.Answer: तुमचं नाव काय? (tumchaṃ naav kaay?)Choose the correct informal form when addressing a male friend: ‘How are you?’
Hint: tu + kasa/kashi/kase?Answer: तू कसा आहेस? (tu kasa aahes?)Reply to: तुम्ही कसे आहात? with a polite, natural answer.
Hint: Start with Mee... theek... add thanks if you like.Answer: मी ठीक आहे, धन्यवाद. आणि तुम्ही? (mee theek aahe, dhanyavaad. aani tumhi?)Say “Thank you” and a natural response to it.
Hint: Dhanyavaad + kaahi harakat nahi.Answer: धन्यवाद. — काही हरकत नाही. (dhanyavaad. — kaahi harakat nahi.)Make this request gentler: द्या (Give).
Hint: Add a softener.Answer: जरा द्या ना. (jara dya na.)Introduce yourself: “My name is Asha.”
Hint: Maajhaṃ naav... aahe.Answer: माझं नाव आशा आहे. (maajhaṃ naav Asha aahe.)Say a respectful goodbye you can use with anyone.
Hint: Works as hello and goodbye.Answer: नमस्कार. (namaskar.)
Real‑world Applications
- Greeting a neighbor or shopkeeper with नमस्कार and small talk.
- Asking a rideshare driver politely: तुमचं नाव काय? and confirming details.
- Thanking service staff and acknowledging with काही हरकत नाही.
- Starting a phone call: नमस्कार, मी ___ बोलतो/बोलते.
- Leaving a meeting: निघतो/निघते. नंतर भेटू.
Differentiation
Remedial: Practice with flashcards pairing Devanagari, transliteration, and audio for 10 core phrases; drill minimal pairs kasa/kashi/kase and bara/bari; role‑play only tumhi scenarios first, then contrast with tu.
Extension: Add आपण (aapan) for inclusive/formal ‘we/you’ in set phrases (e.g., आपण भेटूया? Shall we meet?); practice address titles with real contexts (Kaka, Tai, Saheb); build 4‑turn micro‑dialogues mixing thanks, softeners, and leave‑taking.
Glossary
- नमस्कार (namaskar)
- Hello/Goodbye (respectful, all‑purpose)
- धन्यवाद (dhanyavaad)
- Thank you
- माफ करा (maaf kara)
- Sorry/Excuse me
- काही हरकत नाही (kaahi harakat nahi)
- No problem/You’re welcome
- ठीक आहे (theek aahe)
- Okay/It’s fine
- हो/होय (ho/hoy)
- Yes (neutral/formal)
- नाही (nahi)
- No
- कृपया (krupaya)
- Please (formal)
- जरा ... ना (jara ... na)
- Softening particles added to requests
- तू/तुम्ही (tu/tumhi)
- You (informal/polite)
- तुझं/तुमचं (tujhaṃ/tumchaṃ)
- Your (informal/polite)
- मी (mee)
- I
- नाव (naav)
- Name
- कसा/कशी/कसे (kasa/kashi/kase)
- How (m/f/polite or plural)
- बरा/बरी (bara/bari)
- Well (m/f speaker)
- निघतो/निघते (nighato/nighate)
- I’m leaving (m/f speaker)
- पुन्हा/नंतर भेटू (punha/nantar bhetu)
- See you again/later
- साहेब/मॅडम (saheb/madam)
- Sir/Madam
- दादा/ताई (daada/taai)
- Older brother/Older sister
Summary
You learned core greetings, thanks, apologies, yes/no, and leave‑taking in Marathi; how to introduce yourself, ask and answer “How are you?”, and when to use informal tu versus polite tumhi. You practiced softening requests with jara/na and using culturally appropriate address terms for respectful, natural speech.
Key Takeaways
- Default to tumhi with adults and strangers; use tu only with close peers/younger people.
- नमस्कार is safe for both hello and goodbye across contexts.
- Match gender and formality: kasa/kashi/kase; bara/bari; add मी ठीक आहे for neutral replies.
- Use jara and na to soften everyday requests; reserve कृपया for more formal tone.
- Thank with धन्यवाद and reply naturally with काही हरकत नाही.
- Keep introductions simple: माझं नाव ___ आहे; add तुमची भेट होऊन आनंद झाला for politeness.