SanskritSanskrit is not only a language of old books. It can be spoken, and simple spoken Sanskrit, सरल संस्कृत सम्भाषणम्, is taught today in schools and in conversation classes across India. The sentences are short, the grammar is light, and a Hindi speaker understands half of them at first hearing.
Two points of manners. The respectful "you" is भवान् for a man and भवती for a woman, and it takes the verb form used for "he" and "she": भवान् कथम् अस्ति?, literally "how is your honour?" The speaker's own gender shows in describing words: a man says अहं कुशली अस्मि, a woman अहं कुशलिनी अस्मि.
Replace the name and the city in these sentences with your own. A name used as the doer takes the first-case ending: a boy named Aman says मम नाम अमनः, and a girl named Priya says मम नाम प्रिया.
नमस्ते।
namaste.
नमस्ते।
Hello. (I bow to you.)
सुप्रभातम्।
suprabhātam.
सुप्रभात।
Good morning.
शुभरात्रिः।
shubharātrih.
शुभ रात्रि।
Good night.
स्वागतम्।
svāgatam.
स्वागत है।
Welcome.
भवतः नाम किम्?
bhavatah nāma kim?
आपका नाम क्या है? (पुरुष से)
What is your name? (to a man)
भवत्याः नाम किम्?
bhavatyāh nāma kim?
आपका नाम क्या है? (महिला से)
What is your name? (to a woman)
मम नाम अमनः।
mama nāma amanah.
मेरा नाम अमन है।
My name is Aman.
भवान् कथम् अस्ति?
bhavān katham asti?
आप कैसे हैं? (पुरुष से)
How are you? (to a man)
भवती कथम् अस्ति?
bhavatī katham asti?
आप कैसी हैं? (महिला से)
How are you? (to a woman)
अहं कुशली अस्मि।
aham kushalī asmi.
मैं कुशल हूँ। (पुरुष)
I am well. (said by a man)
अहं कुशलिनी अस्मि।
aham kushalinī asmi.
मैं कुशल हूँ। (महिला)
I am well. (said by a woman)
भवान् कुत्र वसति?
bhavān kutra vasati?
आप कहाँ रहते हैं?
Where do you live?
अहं लुधियानानगरे वसामि।
aham ludhiyānānagare vasāmi.
मैं लुधियाना नगर में रहता हूँ।
I live in the city of Ludhiana.
भवान् किं करोति?
bhavān kim karoti?
आप क्या करते हैं?
What do you do?
अहं छात्रः अस्मि।
aham chhātrah asmi.
मैं छात्र हूँ।
I am a student. (male)
अहं छात्रा अस्मि।
aham chhātrā asmi.
मैं छात्रा हूँ।
I am a student. (female)
अहं संस्कृतं पठामि।
aham samskritam pathāmi.
मैं संस्कृत पढ़ता हूँ।
I study Sanskrit.
धन्यवादः।
dhanyavādah.
धन्यवाद।
Thank you.
पुनः मिलामः।
punah milāmah.
फिर मिलेंगे।
We shall meet again.
शुभं भवतु।
shubham bhavatu.
आपका शुभ हो।
May it be well with you.
How these sentences work
- नमस्ते is नमः + ते, "salutation to you", joined by sandhi. To several people, or with more respect, say नमो नमः or नमस्कारः.
- भवतः is the sixth case of भवान् ("of your honour"); भवत्याः is the same for भवती. Among friends of the same age, तव नाम किम्? is used.
- -नगरे: "in the city". The seventh-case ending -ए does the work of the Hindi में. For a village, ग्रामे; at home, गृहे.
- The verb "to be" can be left out: मम नाम अमनः needs no अस्ति.