A Door Into Hindi: Lesson 1 Culture Notes

1. Greetings and respect

a. 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.

b. 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. Here is an example:

There are many other greetings used in South Asia, most of which are associated with particular religious communities.