FSI Hindi Course

What is in the FSI Hindi Active Introduction course?

So, you’ve got your eye on the FSI Hindi Active Introduction material. Wondering what’s inside? This resource, created with help from the Peace Corps, is a one-unit, 142-page guide to spoken Hindi as taught by the Foreign Service Institute. It’s designed for new learners and those who want a strong, practical foundation in Hindi. Let’s walk through what you’ll find, how it builds your skills, and who will get the most out of it.

Main Learning Focus and Skills

This text is all about helping you speak—and understand—Hindi in real-world situations. You’ll get a mix of essential grammar, daily vocabulary, and authentic expressions. There’s a clear focus on active participation. You’re not just memorizing; you’re putting language to use right away.

Some core skills covered include:

- Conversational speaking, with lots of practice in question-answer patterns

- Listening and repeating structures, so you get comfortable with natural speed and pronunciation

- Reading common dialogues and texts, to help with recognition and fluency

- Practical writing, although this is less of a focus than oral skills

You’ll see regular reminders to practice with real people and to pay attention to social cues in Hindi-speaking contexts. There’s also emphasis on building confidence—mistakes are part of the process, and the course encourages you to keep going.

Key Grammar and Vocabulary Topics

The course covers a wide range of essential grammar points, explained in clear, practical ways. Here’s a sample of what you’ll tackle:

1. Nouns, Adjectives, and Pronouns

By the time you’ve worked through all the units, you’ll have a solid grasp on how to use nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and their modifiers. The course spotlights differences between English and Hindi sentence structure, so you won’t get tripped up by literal translation.

2. Tense and Verb Forms

Verb endings are a big deal in Hindi, and the guide takes you through present, past, and future forms with plenty of examples. You’ll learn the typical masculine/feminine and singular/plural endings (गा, ए, ई), and see special forms for the first person (“मैं लिखूँगा” for “I will write”).

There’s careful attention to verbs like “देना” (to give), “लेना” (to take), and “होना” (to be), which have their own patterns. Modal verbs, such as “सकना” (can/be able to), are explained with examples that show how to express ability, permission, and possibility.

3. Abbreviation Markers

You’ll find detailed notes on how to combine verbs using markers like “कर,” “के,” or “करके.” This helps you say things like “Go and see” (जाकर देखिये) more naturally. The course also points out when these markers can be left out, and what that means for the sentence’s meaning.

4. Auxiliary and Clarifying Verbs

Hindi often uses extra verbs like “लेना” (to take) and “देना” (to give) to change the nuance of an action. For instance, “कर दीजिये” means “Please do it for me.” The course explains when and why to use these clarifiers.

5. Perfect Participles and Gender/Number Agreement

Past tense forms in Hindi rely on participles that change with gender and number. The book walks you through endings like “आ, ए, ई, ईं,” and points out exceptions for verbs like “होना” and “जाना.”

6. Infinitive + था for Planned or Intended Actions

This structure lets you say things like “I was supposed to come” (मुझे आना था), or “We were to have sent the letters” (हमें चिट्ठियाँ भेजनी थीं). There’s guidance on using these forms to talk about plans that didn’t happen.

7. The Contingent (Subjunctive-like) Forms

You’ll see how to use forms like “बैठूं?” to ask “Shall I sit?” or “Should I sit here?” These are used in polite requests, offers, advice, and “if” clauses.

8. Common Expressions and Rituals

Beyond grammar, the course gives you set phrases for greetings, polite exchanges, and daily routines—think of them as your “go-to” sentences for navigating social situations. You’re encouraged to use these often and pay attention to how native speakers vary them.

9. Numbers, Dates, and Time

There are clear tables and examples for numbers (61–100, for instance), time-telling expressions, and ways to state dates—practical for daily conversations.

10. Useful Vocabulary Themes

You’ll practice words for travel, family, shopping, and more. There are also sections for verbs related to daily activities (like “आना” – to come, “जाना” – to go, “बैठना” – to sit, and so on).

11. Meeting, Helping, and Trying

Special attention is given to verbs like “मिलना” (to meet/find/receive) and common constructions such as “मदद करना” (to help) and “कोशिश करना” (to try). These are shown in context with sample sentences.

Teaching Approach and Methods

This material is all about active engagement. The authors expect you to participate, repeat, and use the language as much as possible. There’s a strong oral focus—teachers introduce sentences, students repeat them, and the process is repeated until it feels natural.

The course uses techniques like:

- Mimicry: Listening, repeating, and imitating the instructor’s pronunciation and intonation.

- Backwards buildup: Breaking long sentences into smaller parts, then building back up to the full sentence.

- Dialogues: Realistic conversations to practice both set phrases and flexible responses.

- Q&A Drills: Encouraging both comprehension and production through question and answer.

- Error Correction: Teachers model the correct form without interrupting flow, letting students hear and repeat the right version.

You’ll also find advice on learning rituals and useful expressions as set pieces, to be used in everyday interactions. There’s encouragement to notice how native speakers use language in context and adapt accordingly.

How the Material Builds on Itself

The course is structured so that each new topic builds on earlier ones. Early lessons focus on the basics—simple sentences, greetings, and core vocabulary. As you move forward, you add layers of grammar and more complex sentence structures.

- First, you work on basic noun and verb forms.

- Then, you add tenses, modal verbs, and agreement rules.

- Next, you tackle combining verbs, using participles, and manipulating sentence structure for nuance.

- Later units introduce more idiomatic expressions, cultural notes, and social rituals.

- By the end, you’re expected to handle full conversations, talk about plans, express hopes or possibilities, and adjust your speech for politeness or social context.

The emphasis on repetition and gradual teacher withdrawal encourages independence. By the time you reach the later sections, you’ll be expected to carry out conversations with minimal prompting.

Who Will Benefit Most and What You Need Before Starting

This material is a solid choice for adult beginners, especially those who want a practical, speaking-focused introduction to Hindi. It’s also a good fit for anyone needing to communicate in Hindi for work, travel, or interaction with Hindi speakers.

No background in Hindi is required. However, being comfortable with language learning in general (like not being afraid of making mistakes, or of repeating phrases aloud) will help you get the most out of the approach.

You don’t need to read Devanagari script at a high level to start, but some familiarity will make things easier, since the course does use native script alongside translations.

There’s no audio included, so access to a native speaker, tutor, or supplementary audio would be ideal for getting pronunciation and intonation right.

In short, if you want to build a strong, usable foundation in Hindi—especially for speaking and understanding in everyday life—this guide is a thorough, practical starting point. All you need is a week or two, a willingness to practice out loud, and an open mind.

Student Text