Are you trying to find out how to learn to speak Hindi? You have a lot of company. Enrollments in Hindi courses in United States universities is increasing every year. With India continuing to grow as a global finance and cultural powerhouse, the interest in learning Hindi will only increase in the future. Even though the Hindi language sounds “strange” to American ears, Hindi is easy to learn and logical to read, write and pronounce.
One of India’s two official languages, Hindi is spoken by more people throughout the world than any language but Mandarin, Spanish and English.
Not everyone in India speaks Hindi, but it is the language spoken and understood by the largest percentage of India’s population. As with so many things India, the analogy of India to all of Europe comes in handy. Consider how you may be able to get around many places in Europe — especially the tourist places — with basic English. It is quite probable that you’ll come to a region within a country where the English language and English speakers are very few and far-between. You could still say that English is the language that a larger percentage of Europe’s population uses than any other. The situation is equivalent to what you would realize in India with Hindi.
Just to clarify, there is a difference between Hindi and Hindu. A person speaks Hindi. On the other hand, The word Hindu refers to a person who follows India’s largest religion, Hinduism. A related word, Hindoo, was used in the Western world historically to refer to people of Indian descent, but is now obsolete and considered offensive and derogatory. Although India has the world’s largest number of Hindus, they also live in other countries where there is a significant Indian concentration, such as the Fiji, Carribbean, the USA, Canada and the United Kingdom. Hindus don’t have to be Indian by ethnicity; indeed there are many white followers of Hinduism in the U.S..
If you really want to know about India, you must know Hindi. Hindi is the core backbone of India and Indian culture but even so, if you really want to know Indian culture, you must travel to India.
You will have a great trip filled with meaning if you learn to speak Hindi before going! If you refuse to learn speak Hindi , even on a basic level, you will only do yourself a disservice when you are visiting the country. Knowing common phrases and words you will find it easier to hail a taxi, order at restaurants, and simply travel easier throughout the country.
There are several ways to learn to speak the Hindi language. Your choice really depends on how fast you need to learn Hindi, and how fluent you need to become. There are many easy-to-follow web-based programs such as Rocket Hindi and Rosetta Stone. On those online courses you will learn conversational Hindi, and you can learn it pretty fast if you apply yourself. Some of these options will make it possible for you to learn speak Hindi quickly. If you have more time available, such as three months or more, you might consider taking a class at a local university. Furthermore, if you know an Indian who speaks Hindi, you will find your skills will develop faster because you can converse with someone else who help you along!
So, go ahead and broaden your view of the world. Learn to speak Hindi and take a trip to India to fully appreciate the country!