Should I take language classes or teach Hindi to myself?

Hindi became the official language of the Union of India in 1950. The Constitution of India provides for the use of Hindi in the Devanagari script as the official language of the Union. According to Article 343, “The official language of the Union shall be Hindi in the Devanagari script.  The form of numerals to be used for the official purpose of the Union shall be the international form of Indian numerals.”  English was declared an associate language of the Union, and Hindi was supposed to replace English in 1965.

Hindi was the language that was adopted by Indian leaders as a symbol of national identity during the struggle for freedom.  Hindi has been used as a literary language since the twelfth century.  The development of prose, however, began only in the eighteenth century, which marks the emergence of Hindi as a full-fledged literary language.

If you’re familiar with the concept of Hindi or Sanskrit – you can go for self-learning as you’ll find the Hindi alphabets and grammar easier than a person whose background lies in foreign languages or even English.

On the other hand, if you are running short on time or are absolutely new to the language I suggest you go for guided classes. You must learn from a trainer to get the knowledge of nitty-grities and pronunciations right. To get fluent in the language – enrol yourself on Hindi language classes to learn from the best tutors.

1. Become familiar with Devanagari Script: As with most languages, one of the first things you’ll tackle as you learn Hindi is the Hindi alphabet. Hindi is written from left to right in a script called Devanagari, and the alphabet consists of 13 vowels and 36 consonants. Devanagari is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal and is the main script used to write Hindi, Marathi, and Nepali. It is written from left to right, lacks distinct letter cases, and is recognizable by a distinctive horizontal line running along the tops of the letters that links them together.
2. Get together with the Grammar: Hindi has 11 vowels, some of which are indicated by the use of diacritic marks, or symbols added to the letters of an alphabet in order to show different pronunciations. There are 33 consonants in Hindi. They are organized in the alphabet by how you use your mouth and throat to pronounce them. Because Hindi uses more consonants than English does, some of them have no direct equivalent in English. Till this point, you should be comfortable having a conversation in basic Hindi. It’s a good time to move towards grammar and correct your conceptions about sentence construction. You can use any good Hindi learning book for this or if you can find a tutor that will be great.
3. Learn common conversational phrases: Once you’ve learned the Hindi alphabet and a few common Hindi words, it’s time to take the next step and begin to acquire the building blocks of conversation. Because Hindi has many words borrowed from other languages, it can also have some confusing synonyms. The Hindi writing script Devanagari can be particularly troublesome for language learners, but you only need to study the basics to begin to speak and understand Hindi. Focus on learning common words and phrases in context and practice pronunciation instead of vocabulary acquisition.
4. Learn to pronounce: Hindi pronunciation may seem unfamiliar at first, but if you follow a few rules, you can quickly get the hang of it. Hindi is a phonetic language, meaning the writing system directly relates to the sounds the language makes, so once you’ve learned to make the basic sounds of Hindi, understanding the spoken word should quickly follow. Practice makes perfect and getting there with Hindi pronunciation is going to take you some time. Be persistent and continue to get feedback until you’ve coached your tongue and mouth into the flexibility it takes to pronounce Hindi words.

Hindi and Urdu languages have their origins in Khariboli spoken in areas around Delhi. Khariboli was adopted by the Afghans, Persians, and Turks as a common language of interaction with the local population during the period of Islamic invasions and the establishment of Muslim rule in the north of India between the eighth and tenth centuries AD. We hope that you’ll take an informed decision about the ways to learn the language.