Keeping Gujarati
🎯 Build the habit and find the reading that repays it.
🗣️ Say these out loud
- આને ગુજરાતીમાં શું કહે છે? — aane Gujaratima shun kahe chhe? 🔊 AA-nay goo-ja-RAA-tee-ma shoon KA-hay chhay What is this called in Gujarati? The question that keeps the course going after the course ends.
- ધીમે બોલો ને — dhime bolo ne 🔊 DHEE-may BO-lo nay Please speak slowly. With ને, it is a request rather than an order.
- અભ્યાસ — abhyaas 🔊 abh-YAAS practice Shared with Hindi, Marathi and Sanskrit.
- પ્રયત્ન કરતા રહો — prayatna karta raho 🔊 pra-YAT-na KAR-ta ra-HO Keep making the effort. Said to anyone learning anything.
- જ્યાં સુધી શ્વાસ, ત્યાં સુધી પ્રયાસ 🔊 jyaan SOO-dhee shwaas, tyaan SOO-dhee pra-YAAS As long as there is breath, there is effort. A Gujarati saying — the same thought as the Latin dum spiro spero.
- શુભેચ્છા — shubhechchha 🔊 shoo-BHECH-chha Best wishes! Before an exam or a new venture.
Read every line aloud twice before moving on. The mouth learns a language, not the eye.
🔍 What to read next
Gujarati has a short, strong reading list for a learner, and most of it is available free because it is out of copyright.
- Gandhi's સત્યના પ્રયોગો — deliberately simple sentences.
- The bhajans of Narsinh Mehta, including વૈષ્ણવ જન તો — four lines a day.
- Gujarat Samachar or Divya Bhaskar headlines each morning.
- Any Gujarati film or play — the theatre tradition is alive and the speech is everyday.
🌍 Among the people
The Gujarat state board examines Gujarati at every level, and the Gujarat Vidyapith, founded by Gandhi in 1920, runs courses for non-native learners.
🔁 Practise today
- Read Lesson 1 aloud in the Gujarati script.
- Learn વૈષ્ણવ જન તો by heart — four lines is enough to begin.
- Write three sentences a day, each ending in છે.
