Blog
My First Hours with Hindi
In which I am told how easy it will be to learn this language.
Today was the beginning of August and of Hindi. Pictured here are some of the materials I will be using over the next two months: Rosetta Stone, as well as several books. Hindi Supplies As it happens, the four books…
No Cursive!
Hindi may have a lot of symbols, but at least I don't have to learn cursive.
Today I read a little more in my Beginner’s Hindi Script book, started in on Pimsleur, and also began my Rosetta Stone Hindi lessons. This Is Teaching Me How to Write I have to confess, my initial reaction…
Some Critical Hindi Vocabulary
In which basic words and phrases make me giggle.
I got quite a bit of studying done today, so I am feeling good. Plenty of Pimsleur, and plenty of reading, too. The first thing you learn in Pimsleur’s Hindi lessons is a phrase that sounds like soon yeh.…
Hula Hoops, Pimsleur, and a 404-Day Studying Streak
My powers of multitasking multiply; my Hindi creeps along.
Yesterday I had an unusually social-engagement-heavy day and almost ended up breaking my streak of 403 consecutive days of language study. There was a picnic, there was an afternoon get-together, there was a party. I arrived at a very late hour…
Happy with Hindi
In which I find Hindi pretty cool.
This morning I resolved not to run for the rest of the month of August. Take it easy. Just relax. Let my foot heal. Focus on the life of the mind. Three hours later I was in Central Park running.…
I Am Learning to Count, Yet Again
I prepare for basic arithmetic in Hindi.
I am on only the eleventh Pimsleur lesson for Hindi, and already I am being taught some future tense. This should not be taken to mean that I have even remotely mastered present tense, because I have not. Developing Some…
A Gastronomical Approach
Indian food will not teach you Hindi, but it tastes amazing.
As of this morning, I had been stalled on Pimsleur lesson 11 for at least two days. I was finding it impossible. I am pretty sure I had done it more than four times, and I was still messing up a…
Hindi Pronouns and Punctuation
The good news: Hindi punctuation practices. The bad news: second-person pronouns.
Before going to sleep last night, I was listening to a Pimsleur lesson in bed on my iPod Shuffle. The Shuffle, which is a wee little thing, somehow became detached from my headset. Despite a thorough search, I couldn’…
Gender Complications and an Italian Mishap
I learn more about Hindi as I (it seems) unlearn Italian.
I have continued to read in my Teach Yourself Hindi book, though I confess I am not very far along. The latest: every Hindi noun is either masculine or feminine. I hadn’t realized that yet from my Pimsleur lessons.…
Consonant Studies and Font Challenges
In which I study hard.
I felt quite virtuous about my Hindi progress today. I did four half-hour Pimsleur lessons—15, 16, 17, 18—and then began cycling back through them, completing a second rep of 15. I also went to a coffee shop and finished the consonants…