Hindi for food and eating

Dal, roti and chai: ordering, cooking and eating as a guest — the Hindi of an Indian meal.

31 sentences · 3 dialogues · 20 words

Why this field

Food is the quickest way into Indian life. Every visit comes with tea and something to eat, every festival with its own sweets, and every region with its own way of cooking dal and rice.

This page gives the Hindi for ordering at a roadside restaurant, eating at a family table where the host keeps offering more, and talking about how a dish is made.

What you will be able to do

Goals by level. Tick what you can already do — the tick stays in this browser only.

A1I can order tea or a simple meal and say what I do not eat.
A2I can ask whether a dish is spicy or vegetarian and say that it tastes good.
A2I can accept and refuse a host’s offers politely.
B1I can talk about how a dish is cooked and about eating customs in different regions.

Core vocabulary

20 words from the word lists, ordered by level. A coloured edge shows what you have already practised.

खानाfood; mealA1
पानीwaterA1
चायteaA1
रोटीflatbread; rotiA1
चावलriceA1
दालlentils; dalA1
सब्ज़ीvegetable; vegetable dishA1
मिठाईsweet; sweetsA1
नाश्ताbreakfast; snackA1
मिर्चchilli; pepperA1
मसालाspice; spice mixA1
स्वादtaste; flavourA2
स्वादिष्टtasty; deliciousA2
तीखाspicy; hot (of food)A2
शाकाहारीvegetarianA2
थालीlarge plate; thali mealA2
मेनूmenuA2
अचारpickleB1
पराठाparatha (layered flatbread)B1
समोसाsamosaB1

Practise as flashcards Card box Mixed round

Typical situations

Short dialogues to read along and repeat. Say one part first, then the other.

At a roadside restaurant

You stop for lunch on a long drive.

Waiter
आइए, बैठिए। क्या लेंगे?Come in, have a seat. What will you have?
Guest
शाकाहारी में क्या-क्या है?What vegetarian dishes do you have?
Waiter
दाल, पनीर और मिक्स सब्ज़ी है।There’s dal, paneer and mixed vegetables.
Guest
पनीर कितना तीखा है?How spicy is the paneer?
Waiter
थोड़ा तीखा है, पर आपके लिए कम मिर्च डालेंगे।A bit spicy, but we’ll use less chilli for you.
Guest
ठीक है, एक पनीर, दो रोटी और एक लस्सी।All right — one paneer, two rotis and a lassi.

Making tea together

A friend shows you how chai is made at home.

Learner
चाय कैसे बनाते हैं?How do you make chai?
Friend
पहले पानी उबालो, फिर चाय पत्ती और अदरक डालो।First boil the water, then add the tea leaves and ginger.
Learner
दूध कब डालते हैं?When do you add the milk?
Friend
थोड़ी देर बाद। फिर चीनी डालकर उबालो।A little later. Then add sugar and bring it to the boil.
Learner
वाह, कितनी अच्छी ख़ुशबू आ रही है!Wow, what a lovely smell!
Friend
बस, अब छानकर पीते हैं।There — now we strain it and drink.

Dinner with a family

Your host keeps putting more food on your plate.

Host
और लीजिए न, आपने तो कुछ खाया ही नहीं।Have some more — you’ve hardly eaten anything!
Guest
नहीं, सच में, बहुत खा लिया। सब कुछ बहुत स्वादिष्ट था।No, really, I’ve eaten plenty. Everything was delicious.
Host
बस एक रोटी और।Just one more roti.
Guest
अच्छा, आधी रोटी। आप बहुत अच्छा खाना बनाती हैं।All right, half a roti. You cook really well.
Host
धन्यवाद। मीठे में खीर भी है।Thank you. There’s rice pudding for dessert too.
Guest
खीर के लिए तो जगह बनानी पड़ेगी!I’ll have to make room for rice pudding!

Sentences to say aloud

The label says where a sentence belongs. The speaker next to it reads it aloud.

खाना बहुत अच्छा है।The food is very good.
A1neutral
एक चाय दीजिए।A tea, please.
A1polite
मैं मांस नहीं खाता।I don’t eat meat.
A1neutral
थोड़ा पानी दीजिए।Some water, please.
A1polite
दाल और चावल मेरा पसंदीदा खाना है।Dal and rice is my favourite food.
A1neutral
यह मिठाई बहुत मीठी है।This sweet is very sweet.
A1neutral
नाश्ते में क्या है?What’s for breakfast?
A1neutral
आज खाने में दाल, चावल और सब्ज़ी है।Today there’s dal, rice and a vegetable dish.
A1neutral
मिर्च कम डालिए।Please use less chilli.
A1polite
मुझे चाय बहुत पसंद है।I love chai.
A1neutral
मुझे भूख लगी है।I’m hungry.
A2neutral
मुझे दो रोटी और चाहिए।I’d like two more rotis.
A2neutral
क्या आपके पास शाकाहारी खाना है?Do you have vegetarian food?
A2neutral
मेनू दिखाइए।Could I see the menu?
A2polite
वाह, सब्ज़ी बहुत स्वादिष्ट बनी है!Wow, the vegetable dish has turned out delicious!
A2neutral
यह ज़्यादा तीखा तो नहीं है?It’s not too spicy, is it?
A2neutral
दो थाली दीजिए।Two thalis, please.
A2polite A थाली is a large plate with rice, bread and several small dishes.
और रोटी लीजिए न!Do have another roti!
A2polite What a host says again and again; the न makes it warmer.
मैंने पहली बार हाथ से खाना खाया।I ate with my hand for the first time.
A2neutral
चाय में चीनी कितनी डालूँ?How much sugar shall I put in the tea?
A2neutral
मसाला थोड़ा कम रखना।Go easy on the spices.
A2close friends only
खाने का स्वाद लाजवाब है।The food tastes wonderful.
A2neutral
हमें बिल चाहिए।We’d like the bill, please.
A2neutral
बस, मेरा पेट भर गया।That’s enough — I’m full.
B1neutral
खाना परोसने से पहले हाथ धो लीजिए।Please wash your hands before serving the food.
B1polite
सुबह नाश्ते में गरम पराठा और अचार मिल जाए तो दिन बन जाता है।A hot paratha with pickle for breakfast makes my day.
B1neutral
बारिश में चाय के साथ समोसा खाने का मज़ा ही कुछ और है।Eating a samosa with tea when it’s raining is something special.
B1neutral
दक्षिण भारत में खाना अक्सर केले के पत्ते पर परोसा जाता है।In South India food is often served on a banana leaf.
B1neutral
मेहमान को बिना खिलाए जाने देना अच्छा नहीं माना जाता।Letting a guest leave without feeding them is not thought right.
B1neutral
दाल में तड़का लगाने से स्वाद बढ़ जाता है।Tempering the dal with fried spices brings out the flavour.
B1neutral
खाना दाएँ हाथ से खाया जाता है।Food is eaten with the right hand.
B1neutral The left hand is traditionally kept away from food.

What matters here

Many people in India are vegetarian; शाकाहारी means vegetarian, and restaurants often mark dishes as veg or non-veg.
A host will offer more again and again — और लीजिए न! To stop, say firmly but warmly that you are full.
Food is traditionally eaten with the right hand, and it is polite to wash your hands before and after the meal.

Quick quiz

6 questions on the words and sentences of this field. The word questions count in your progress like any other exercise.

Try it yourself

Read the meaning, say the sentence aloud in Hindi, then open it to compare.

The food is very good.
खाना बहुत अच्छा है।
Today there’s dal, rice and a vegetable dish.
आज खाने में दाल, चावल और सब्ज़ी है।
Wow, the vegetable dish has turned out delicious!
वाह, सब्ज़ी बहुत स्वादिष्ट बनी है!
The food tastes wonderful.
खाने का स्वाद लाजवाब है।

Keep learning

The grammar behind it

Word lists that go with it

Practise

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Every sentence on this page was written for EveryLingua. There are no quotations from films, series, books or songs here, and no titles or names of artists — the page shows how people talk in this field, not what somebody once said.