Everyone learns मेरा नाम है. Almost nobody learns what happens ninety seconds later, when the questions start — where are you from, what do you do, are you married, how much do you earn. Indian introductions move fast and go deep. This lesson gives you the opening and, more usefully, the answers to what follows.
The Opening
मैं हिंदी सीख रहा हूँ is the most valuable sentence on this page. Said early, it changes the entire interaction — people slow down, simplify, and become noticeably encouraging. Women say सीख रही हूँ, since the verb agrees with your own gender.
Gender Agreement in Your Own Sentences
Hindi verbs agree with the speaker, so a man and a woman describing the same action say it differently. This affects every sentence you make about yourself.
The pattern is mechanical: ता/आ for masculine, ती/ई for feminine. There is no way to avoid choosing, and using the wrong one is the single most noticeable error a learner makes when talking about themselves. Decide your form once and drill it.
Where Are You From, What Do You Do
Note that occupations usually stay in English — इंजीनियर, डॉक्टर, टीचर, बिज़नेस. There are Hindi words for all of them, but nobody introduces themselves as अभियंता. Say the English word inside the Hindi frame.
कहाँ से हैं often means ‘what is your home town’ rather than ‘where do you live now’. Indians distinguish sharply between where they currently work and where they are from, even after decades away. Expect a follow-up asking specifically about your native place.
The Questions That Follow
Within a few minutes of meeting, you may well be asked all of these. None is considered rude.
The last one is your escape hatch. A light, smiling non-answer is completely acceptable and nobody presses further. What does not work is visible irritation, because the questions are genuinely meant as interest. Asking the same questions back is the expected move and makes you seem warm rather than evasive.
Pronunciation Tips
मेरा and आपका both end in a clean short a — not ‘mera-h’. ख़ुशी has the raspy nukta kh, though simplifying it to plain kh is normal in speech. शादीशुदा is five even beats. मिलकर joins into one word with no pause. And हूँ is heavily nasalised with a long oo, quite different from the flat हूं many learners produce.
Common Mistakes
- Using the wrong gender ending. A woman saying मैं करता हूँ is the most audible learner error there is.
- Translating your job title into formal Hindi. Say डॉक्टर, not चिकित्सक.
- Answering कहाँ से हैं with your current city when they mean your origin.
- Reacting with offence to questions about marriage or age.
- Forgetting to ask the same questions back.
Practice Exercises
- Write and memorise a six-sentence self-introduction with correct gender endings.
- Practise both ता and ती forms of five common verbs.
- Answer the marriage, children and age questions with light deflections.
- Ask a new acquaintance five questions in Hindi.
- Record your introduction and check every verb ending matches your gender.