A Door Into Urdu: Lesson 1

1. Greetings and respect

a. One of the most common greetings in India is نمستے. 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 جی 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 جی a lot.