Bhasaly › Learn Bengali › Phrases
Bengali phrases for a short visit
অল্প দিনের সফর
The lines a visitor actually uses, and the ones you will hear back. Romanized first so you can say them today. Every phrase is recorded — open it in Bhasaly to hear it.
Hear these phrases →First words
The handful you will use every day
The o in these spellings is a short aw: nomoshkar sounds closer to nawmawshkar. In Kolkata you address people by kinship — dada দাদা to a man, didi দিদি to a woman.
| nomoshkar | hello | নমস্কার |
| dhonnobad | thank you | ধন্যবাদ |
| maph korben | sorry / excuse me | মাফ করবেন |
| hyan | yes | হ্যাঁ |
| na | no | না |
| thik achhe | OK, that is fine | ঠিক আছে |
| achchha | I see / right | আচ্ছা |
| ashi | goodbye | আসি |
| dada | brother — to a man | দাদা |
| didi | sister — to a woman | দিদি |
Being polite
Bengali has two words for you
Use apni আপনি with anyone you have just met. Its verbs end in -en: kemon achhen. tumi তুমি is for friends and children.
| apni | you (polite) | আপনি |
| tumi | you (friendly) | তুমি |
| kemon achhen | how are you? | কেমন আছেন? |
| bhalo achhi | I am fine | ভালো আছি |
| apni kemon achhen | and how are you? | আপনি কেমন আছেন? |
| ashun | please come in | আসুন |
| boshun | please sit | বসুন |
| bolun | go ahead, tell me | বলুন |
Meeting someone
Names, countries, first contact
There is no verb to be in the present — amar nam John is literally my name John. amra at jon is there are eight of us; any number fits that gap.
| amar nam | my name is… | আমার নাম |
| apnar nam ki | what is your name? | আপনার নাম কী? |
| apnar desh kothay | where are you from? | আপনার দেশ কোথায়? |
| bangla shikhchhi | I am learning Bangla | বাংলা শিখছি |
| ektu bangla bolte pari | I can speak a little Bangla | একটু বাংলা বলতে পারি |
| amra | we | আমরা |
| amra at jon | there are eight of us | আমরা আট জন |
| berate eshechhi | I have come to visit | বেড়াতে এসেছি |
Sentence patterns
Four frames that do the work
Four frames cover most of what you need. Tap a word, hear the whole sentence.
| kothay | where | কোথায় |
| achhe | there is / you have | আছে |
| nei | there is not | নেই |
| din | give me (polite) | দিন |
| chai | I want | চাই |
| chai na | I do not want | চাই না |
| koto | how much / how many | কত |
| lagbe | I need | লাগবে |
What you will hear
Half a conversation comes back at you
These are the words that come back at you. If you miss the answer, abar bolun asks for it again.
| oi dike | that way | ওই দিকে |
| shamne | straight ahead | সামনে |
| pichhone | behind you | পিছনে |
| hobe na | that is not possible | হবে না |
| ki chai | what do you want? | কী চাই? |
| ki lagbe | what do you need? | কী লাগবে? |
| koto jon | how many of you? | কতজন? |
| kothay jaben | where are you going? | কোথায় যাবেন? |
| ektu daran | wait a moment | একটু দাঁড়ান |
| hoye jabe | it will get done | হয়ে যাবে |
| ashchhi | I am coming / back soon | আসছি |
| bujhechhen | do you understand? | বুঝেছেন? |
Numbers, money & time
Prices, counting and the clock
Money is taka টাকা. Learn the tens — prices are usually ponchash 50, shottor 70, dersho 150. kal means both tomorrow and yesterday; the verb tells you which.
| ek | 1 | এক |
| dui | 2 | দুই |
| tin | 3 | তিন |
| char | 4 | চার |
| panch | 5 | পাঁচ |
| chhoy | 6 | ছয় |
| shat | 7 | সাত |
| at | 8 | আট |
| noy | 9 | নয় |
| dosh | 10 | দশ |
| bish | 20 | বিশ |
| trish | 30 | ত্রিশ |
| chollish | 40 | চল্লিশ |
| ponchash | 50 | পঞ্চাশ |
| shat | 60 (harder t) | ষাট |
| shottor | 70 | সত্তর |
| ashi | 80 (sounds like goodbye) | আশি |
| nobboi | 90 | নব্বই |
| eksho | 100 | একশো |
| dersho | 150 | দেড়শো |
| dusho | 200 | দুশো |
| hajar | 1,000 | হাজার |
| taka | money / rupees | টাকা |
| koto taka | how many taka? | কত টাকা? |
| kota baje | what time is it? | কটা বাজে? |
| ekhon | now | এখন |
| pore | later | পরে |
| kal | tomorrow / yesterday | কাল |
Getting around
Taxis, autos and the metro
Ask the fare before you get in: bhara koto?. Yellow taxis should run the meter — mitare jaben?. Autos run fixed shared routes, so just name the destination.
| jaben | will you go? | যাবেন? |
| bhara koto | how much is the fare? | ভাড়া কত? |
| mitare jaben | will you go by meter? | মিটারে যাবেন? |
| taxi | taxi | ট্যাক্সি |
| auto | auto-rickshaw | অটো |
| metro | the metro | মেট্রো |
| bas | bus | বাস |
| ekhane nambo | I will get off here | এখানে নামব |
| thamun | please stop | থামুন |
| kokhon chharbe | when does it leave? | কখন ছাড়বে? |
Directions
Left, right and how far
Point and ask X kothay?. If you catch one word of the answer, ban is left and dan is right.
| ban dike | to the left | বাঁ দিকে |
| dan dike | to the right | ডান দিকে |
| shoja | straight on | সোজা |
| kachhe | near | কাছে |
| dure | far | দূরে |
| ekhane | here | এখানে |
| okhane | there | ওখানে |
| bajar | market | বাজার |
| steshon | station | স্টেশন |
| bathroom kothay | where is the bathroom? | বাথরুম কোথায়? |
Eating & drinking
Tea, rice, fish and the bill
In West Bengal water is jol জল, not pani, and salt is nun নুন. Tea is offered constantly; ek kap cha din orders one.
| khete chai | I want to eat | খেতে চাই |
| jol | water | জল |
| cha | tea | চা |
| ek kap cha din | one cup of tea, please | এক কাপ চা দিন |
| bhat | rice | ভাত |
| machh | fish | মাছ |
| dim | egg | ডিম |
| ruti | flatbread | রুটি |
| mishti | sweets | মিষ্টি |
| jhal | spicy | ঝাল |
| jhal kom | less spicy, please | ঝাল কম |
| niramish | vegetarian | নিরামিষ |
| amish | non-vegetarian | আমিষ |
| dal | lentils | ডাল |
| rol | kathi roll | রোল |
| lebu cha | lemon tea | লেবু চা |
| nun | salt | নুন |
| bil din | the bill, please | বিল দিন |
Being a guest
You will be fed, and then fed again
You will be offered more food several times. arektu? a little more is the question; pet bhore gechhe I am full is the answer. khub bhalo hoyechhe compliments the cooking.
| arektu | a little more? | আরেকটু? |
| ar na dhonnobad | no more, thank you | আর না, ধন্যবাদ |
| pet bhore gechhe | I am full | পেট ভরে গেছে |
| khub bhalo hoyechhe | it was really good | খুব ভালো হয়েছে |
| darun | wonderful | দারুণ |
| onek dhonnobad | thank you very much | অনেক ধন্যবাদ |
| kheye jan | stay and eat | খেয়ে যান |
| abar ashben | come again | আবার আসবেন |
Shopping & bargaining
Asking the price and pushing back
In a market the first price is an opening offer. khub dami too expensive, then kom korun lower it, is most of the negotiation.
| dam koto | how much is it? | দাম কত? |
| dami | expensive | দামি |
| shosta | cheap | সস্তা |
| kom korun | please lower the price | কম করুন |
| nebo | I will take it | নেব |
| dorkar nei | no need, thanks | দরকার নেই |
| dokan | shop | দোকান |
| byas | that is all | ব্যাস |
At the hotel
Rooms, keys and wi-fi
achhe? on the end turns any noun into a question: ghor achhe? is a room available, waiphai achhe? is there wi-fi.
| hotel | hotel | হোটেল |
| ghor | room | ঘর |
| chabi | key | চাবি |
| waiphai | wi-fi | ওয়াইফাই |
| gorom jol | hot water | গরম জল |
Getting help
The words to have ready
shahajjo korun is the one to say clearly if you need help. The rest are for a doctor or a pharmacy.
| shahajjo korun | please help | সাহায্য করুন |
| daktar | doctor | ডাক্তার |
| oshudh | medicine | ওষুধ |
| hashpatal | hospital | হাসপাতাল |
| betha | pain | ব্যথা |
| jor | fever | জ্বর |
| hariye gechhi | I am lost | হারিয়ে গেছি |
| pulish | police | পুলিশ |
Conversation
Ask people to slow down, and say what you think
These are the phrases people respond to most. banglay ki bole? asks what something is called in Bengali.
| aste bolun | please speak slowly | আস্তে বলুন |
| abar bolun | please say it again | আবার বলুন |
| bujhechhi | I understand | বুঝেছি |
| bujhi na | I do not understand | বুঝি না |
| jani na | I do not know | জানি না |
| banglay ki bole | how do you say this in Bangla? | বাংলায় কী বলে? |
| bhalo lage | I like it | ভালো লাগে |
| shundor | beautiful | সুন্দর |
| chhobi tulte pari | may I take a photo? | ছবি তুলতে পারি? |
| bhalo thakben | stay well | ভালো থাকবেন |
Ask where anything is
Where is the ___?
| bathroom kothay? | Where is the bathroom? | বাথরুম কোথায়? |
| bajar kothay? | Where is the market? | বাজার কোথায়? |
| steshon kothay? | Where is the station? | স্টেশন কোথায়? |
| dokan kothay? | Where is the shop? | দোকান কোথায়? |
| hotel kothay? | Where is the hotel? | হোটেল কোথায়? |
| metro kothay? | Where is the metro? | মেট্রো কোথায়? |
Ask if something is available
Do you have ___?
| jol achhe? | Do you have water? | জল আছে? |
| cha achhe? | Do you have tea? | চা আছে? |
| ghor achhe? | Do you have a room? | ঘর আছে? |
| waiphai achhe? | Do you have wi-fi? | ওয়াইফাই আছে? |
| ruti achhe? | Do you have flatbread? | রুটি আছে? |
| dim achhe? | Do you have eggs? | ডিম আছে? |
Ask for something politely
___, please.
| jol din | Water, please. | জল দিন |
| cha din | Tea, please. | চা দিন |
| bhat din | Rice, please. | ভাত দিন |
| bil din | The bill, please. | বিল দিন |
| chabi din | The key, please. | চাবি দিন |
| ruti din | Flatbread, please. | রুটি দিন |
Ask any price
How much is ___?
| eta koto? | How much is this? | এটা কত? |
| bhara koto? | How much is the fare? | ভাড়া কত? |
| ghor koto? | How much is the room? | ঘর কত? |
| cha koto? | How much is the tea? | চা কত? |
| taxi koto? | How much is the taxi? | ট্যাক্সি কত? |
| auto koto? | How much is the auto? | অটো কত? |
Common questions
How do you say hello in Bengali?
Nomoshkar. The greetings section above has the full set, including the reply you are likely to hear back.
Do I need an account to use these Bengali phrases?
No. Every phrase on this page is open to read, and you can hear all of them in Bhasaly without signing up.
Do I need to read the Bengali script to use these?
No. Every line is romanized first, so you can say it straight away. The script is there alongside if you want to start reading it.
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