A Door Into Hindi: Lesson 1 Culture Notes

1. Greetings and respect

a. One of the most common greetings in India is नमस्ते.  It is usually accompanied by the following gesture: place your palms together in a "praying position" in front of your chest; you may also make a slight bow. Click on the video professor to see an example.

b. The particle जी can be added after someone's name, or at the beginning of a sentence to show respect for the person you are talking to. The shopkeeper in this lesson uses जी a lot.