Hindi basics
How to say please in Hindi
Look it up and you get कृपया. Say कृपया at a family dinner table and you will sound like a railway announcement. Hindi carries please in the shape of the verb, not in a separate word.
Practice in Bolo →Opens the app. If you already have a session going, you pick up there.
The polite ending
Add इए to a verb and the request becomes polite. This is the आप form, which is what you want with elders and anyone you have just met.
बैठिए
baiThiye
Please sit
सुनिए
suniye
Please listen (also: excuse me, to get attention)
बताइए
bataaiye
Please tell me
दीजिए
deejiye
Please give
लीजिए
leejiye
Please take (said while handing something over)
कीजिए
keejiye
Please do
आइए
aaiye
Please come in
दीजिए, लीजिए and कीजिए are irregular, so learn those three as whole words rather than trying to build them.
The softener
ज़रा
zaraa
Just, a little (put it in front of a request)
ज़रा सुनिए
zaraa suniye
Excuse me, could you listen a second
ज़रा पानी दीजिए
zaraa paanee deejiye
Could I have some water
ज़रा धीरे बोलिए
zaraa dheere boliye
Could you speak a bit slower
When you do want the word
कृपया
kripayaa
Please (formal, written, announcements)
मेहरबानी करके
meharbaanee karke
Kindly, if you would be so good
प्लीज़
pleez
Please (borrowed, used constantly in cities)
प्लीज़ is not a cheat. Educated urban Hindi is full of English words, and nobody will think less of you for it. कृपया belongs on a sign.
Asking permission
क्या मैं बैठ सकता हूँ?
kyaa mai~ baiTh saktaa hoo~?
May I sit? (man speaking)
क्या मैं बैठ सकती हूँ?
kyaa mai~ baiTh saktee hoo~?
May I sit? (woman speaking)
क्या मैं ___ सकता हूँ? is worth learning as one block. Drop any verb stem into the gap and you have a polite request for anything. The सकता / सकती ending matches you, the speaker.