What Does English Sound Like to Non-English Speakers?

I found this video many years ago and thought it was really fascinating.

Over the past few months I have been around many languages. Many of these languages I don' t understand a word of. Others I can pick up one or two words, or even a phrase.

Stumbling upon this video after being exposed to all these languages was certainly a new experience. It almost feels normal to listen to as I am, in a way, used to hearing sounds and even associating meaning with the sounds, but when strung together these sounds become gibberish.

What do you think? Do you like the sound of English? Is this an accurate depiction of the language?

My First Hindi Phrases - A Great Starting Place

I went to India knowing how to say, How are you? What is your name? and how to count to 10 in Hindi. While there I picked up a few more words and phrases. English was spoken almost everywhere and I was not trying to learn Hindi at the time so language learning was not a major goal of the trip. The trip was actually an art class through the University of Wyoming, if you would like to my artwork in response to my India travels, be sure to check out my art blog.
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Even though this trip did not focus on the language, here is a list of the words and phrases Ilearned while in India.

Found this little guy crawling around the Bishnapur Temples
in West Bengal, India

Chalo
let’s go!

Thik hai
ok

Aap Kaise Hain?
how are you

Main Thik Hoon, shukriya*
I am fine, thanks

Mujhe aapka desh bahut pasand hai.
I like your country very much.

*Chinto
Chinta mat karo
Don’t Worry

Alvida
Goodbye

Shubh Rhatree
Good night (literally, I’m going to bed)

Nahin…bus
stop…enough

Ek, do, teen, char, panch, sath, aath, nou, dus
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Kahan hai…?
Where is…?

Aap ka naam kya hai?
What is your name?

Mera naam Felicia hia
my name is Felicia

For those of you interested in learning a language, Hindi or any ohter, I would suggest starting with this or a similar list of phrases. Memorize these phrases. Once you get them move on to some more. Eventually you will find more vocabulary and be able to start having basic conversations with people.

*While in India I quickly learned that shukriya is not Hindi but Urdu. I have since learned more about Urdu…But I will post on Urdu later

The Last Night Meme from Sunday Stealing

I found this meme* at SundayStealing.blogspot.com and thought that last night would be fun for me to write about especially since it surely applies to my Hindi learning.

Dancing at Diwali night with some of the guys from cricket.

Haan, mujhe memes bahut pasand hai kyunki main thoda thoda nerd hoon.

Did anyone call you last night? Naa, but I did have a couple Hindi text conversations with friends.

How late were you on the computer last night? Shayad, midnight…I was actually on three super nerdy and great Hindi facebook pages. 1) Learn Hindi 2) Learn Hindi with Bharti  and 3) Learn Urdu

...aur Urdu kya hai?! I suppose the only people who can read the question already know the answer...mugar chalta hai...

If you are curious to know more about Urdu I will be posting more on the language here soon as it is looking like it will be the next language I tackle...

What did you have to eat last night? Main ek scone flavor ka pumpkin spice khati thi aur ek Hot Snow piti thi. Do bahut swad the. A Hot Snow is a white chocolate drink with almond milk.

Did you watch any good TV shows or movies last night? Haan, Main meri pati sath Dexter dhekte hain

Did any news items stand out to you last night? Kuch nahin…

Any regrets from last night? Haan, I didn't speak one of the specific Hindi sentences I had perfectly constructed in my head...lol I was kinda being hassled a little bit (but not much compared to the guys) and I was teasing one of the guys...Teasing is something that the guys do a lot. I think Indians just like to tease new people (old people and girls). It's some sort of bonding... Anyways, I wanted to tell my friend Rajeesh**, who is known for speaking very fast that he was speaking too fast. "Raj, Raj, sach batao, tum bahut jalde bolta ho. pata nahin kyu tum bol. Hum samajte nahin hain."

I constructed the sentences in my head just a bit too late and missed the chance...Chalta hai...next time.

Did you go out last night? After playing cricket, I went out for chai with the guys. Yesterday, both while playing cricket and at the coffee shop I was able to pick up more of the Hindi conversations than ever before. It was pretty cool.

Oh, and I actually played decent cricket, not great but better than usual, except I couldn't field for anything...I think I will write another post on my cricket learning.

What was the weather like last night? It was surprisingly nice. Maybe 30 F and only light wind.

What was the last thing you said last night? Goodnight, I love you.

What time did you go to bed last night? Shayad ek (1) ya do (2) baje

Phir se dhanyavaad doston!! Thanks again for joining me on my blog all about learning Hindi. 

* I did edit the questions just a bit.

** Raj is not the real name but if you figure out who you are and want your real name or would prefer a different pseudonym let me know yaar...

 

Common Hindi Verbs Thought of on the Fly

Here are the first verbs that came to mind when I began my list. And here is a practice sentence where you can fill in the black with the appropriate verb.

Main ______ chahati/a hoon

Main - I
Chahana - to want
Chahati/a - I want (i-feminine, a-masculine)
Hoon - am

Main khaana chahati hoon - I want to eat (said by a female)
 

Campaign Posters in Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh, India

Chahana              To want                      

Khaana                To eat

Hasna                  To laugh

Pina                     To drink

Karna                  To do

Pyar karna           To love

Banana                To do/to make

Khelna                 To play

Likhna                 To Write

Pardna                 To read/to study

Natchna               To dance

Sona                    To sleep

Bolna                  To speak

You can aslo see my India inspired artwork on my art blog at FeliciaFollum.Blogspot.com or on my
Facebook page.

Please feel free to practice in the comments.

Listening Practice Playlist

I am not going to go into detail in this post about the importance of listening practice as I am sure you are aware of why any language learner needs this specific practice.

Great Playlist with Hindi-Urdu speakers

Some other great listening resources include Bollywood songs and movies as well as spending time with native Hindi speakers.

What are your favorite listening resources?