Easiest ways to Learn Hindi at the age of 18

First of all, I am extremely happy to write this content with excitement and hope that there are still young boys and girls who want to speak in Hindi. Otherwise, though Hindi is our official language most of the kids going to posh schools take pride in speaking in English or maybe in Italian also but make faces to learn or speak in Hindi! Being a teacher and a parent myself, I believe people should take pride in what is their own and only afterwards participate in others’ customs. India, as a country has always believed in ‘Unity in Diversity’ and this diversity, is particularly seen in the usage of Hindi where the dialect changes depending on the region. Today very few people speak ‘shudh’ or pure Hindi with the right pronunciation as you may find in Hindi poetry or literature, to say the least. Mumbaiya Hindi is different from the Hindi spoken in the Northern belt of India and then if you go to South India people speak very little or rather funny Hindi. Hence at the age of 18, you may find numerous ways and means to follow this enigmatic language which can bring you closer to so many cultures.

1. Start with alphabets and small words- Since Hindi is a language taught in schools in India as early as class one, you can get cheap books which are sold in old book stockists and such markets. These books can teach you basic two letters or 4 letter words. In fact, if you are planning to visit India and you want to learn Hindi for travelling then these books may give you the name of vegetagbles and basic food items which can make your survival easy.

2.Movies- For an 18-year-old young boy or girl- movies are a one-stop-shop for learning a language and again it’s a great source of pride that Bollywood has an international following. In fact, if you pick up a movie like ‘Bahubali’ or a movie like ‘Badlapur’ – you will see the difference in dialect and how they are spoken depending on the context or region. The best part about learning Hindi is the that-unlike a foreign language you won’t have to spend a fortune. Initially when you start to learn Hindi please do not dive into the intricacies of Grammar. Try to watch Hindi movies with English subtitles and pause after every 20 mins and check if you can get the gist or some familiar words. It’s a great way to enhance your vocabulary.

3. Hiring a trainer- As a teacher, I have been always telling my students to clarify the purpose of learning a particular language – is it for career or leisure? An avid traveller like me generally learns the basic numbers and greeting techniques so that sightseeing and commuting become easy in that region. However, for you, if the purpose signifies a career then I would suggest you take a serious approach and hire a trainer.

4. Multibhashi to your rescue- Multibhashi is an ed-tech platform from where you can take online classes in individual or group session. Multibhashi can also design your curriculum depending on the level that you want to achieve and this material remains with you for a lifetime. These are online sessions, and if you are specifically interested in achieving ‘speaking proficiency’, then it is a boon for you. You can practice speaking with the trainer and the classmates while on your way to work and get your doubts resolved or mistakes corrected then and there.

5.Self-learning is possible- As I mentioned before India has a great market for Hindi books and they are all quite easily available. In fact, thanks to social media now everything is available at your fingertips. E-books and Youtube videos can be downloaded and some of the free apps like Duolingo, Anki and Memrise – can also teach you in a play-way method. Though I personally feel learning from a trainer has a long-standing effect but yes basic Hindi like name of the days, greeting techniques etc, can be brushed through these apps.

As a teacher, these are the smartest ways through which you may approach Hindi, whether they are easy or not- that will depend on the amount of involvement and regularity you maintain. Consistency is the key to success. We all know that something which is done repeatedly turns into a habit and its nothing different for a language.