· 15 lists · 535 words

Basic words: numbers, time, verbs

Numbers, time, pronouns and question words, the basic verbs and adjectives, adverbs and the words for place.

What holds these lists together

These lists belong to no area, which is to say they belong to all of them: the question words, numbers and time, the basic verbs and adjectives, the words for above, below and in front, and the adverbs that set the tone of a sentence. Hindi adds two reasons English does not have. Its numbers up to a hundred are learnt one by one, because the units and the tens melt into each other: इक्कीस is twenty-one, पैंतालीस forty-five, and no rule produces them. And a great part of its verbs is a noun with करना or होना behind it — इंतज़ार करना, to wait; शुरू होना, to begin — so the list of conjunct verbs sits here with the simple ones. The adjectives, finally, agree with their noun if they end in -आ and never change if they do not: अच्छा लड़का, अच्छी लड़की, but सुंदर लड़का and सुंदर लड़की. Anyone wondering where to start starts here.

The 15 lists

A1NumbersCounting from nothing to a crore, halves and quarters, and first, second and third.35 words A1Time and the calendarHours and days, the week, the seasons, and how to say what time it is.40 words A1Pronouns, questions and postpositionsI, you and they, my and your, who and where, and the small words that follow a noun.30 words A1The first verbsGoing and coming, eating and drinking, seeing, saying and the other verbs every first conversation needs.45 words A1The first adjectivesBig and small, new and old, hot and cold, cheap and expensive.40 words A1ColoursThe colours, and the words for a dark shade and a colourful one.15 words A1Small words that hold a sentence togetherVery and a little, here and there, now and then, and, but and or.32 words A2More everyday verbsBreaking and fixing, winning and losing, pushing, pulling, throwing and catching.45 words A2Verbs made with karnā and honāWaiting, helping, trying, starting and finishing: the verbs Hindi builds from a noun and a helper verb.30 words A2More everyday adjectivesStrong and weak, soft and hard, safe and dangerous, open and closed, busy and famous.35 words A2Saying whenNext and last, before and after, already, never, soon, recently and for now.26 words A2Saying whereUp and down, in front and behind, near and far, and the four points of the compass.26 words B1Verbs for B1Verbs for improving, avoiding, hiding, spreading, enduring and sorting things out.51 words B1Adjectives for B1Rare and common, genuine and fake, smooth and rough, temporary and permanent.45 words B1Adverbs and connectorsAlthough, rather, otherwise, so that, according to, in the end and the like.40 words

Spread across the levels

The category runs across the levels — it is an area, not a difficulty. If you practise it, you can also choose a level at the top of the practice page and then get only the part that sits there.

Level	Words	Share
A1	228	43 %
A2	171	32 %
B1	136	25 %

Practise this category

Multiple choice and gaps, across all 15 lists and all 535 words. Whatever you get wrong comes back tomorrow.