The first words
🎯 Greet, thank, and ask how someone is.
🗣️ Say these out loud
- ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ — namaskaara 🔊 na-mas-KAA-ra Greetings Hello and goodbye, at any hour, to anyone.
- ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಾ? — hegiddeeraa? 🔊 HAY-gid-DEE-raa How are you? (respectful) To a friend: ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀಯಾ? hegiddeeyaa.
- ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿದ್ದೀನಿ — chennaagiddeeni 🔊 chen-naa-gid-DEE-ni I am well. ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿ chennaagi = well, nicely. A word you will use constantly.
- ಧನ್ಯವಾದ — dhanyavaada 🔊 dhan-ya-VAA-da Thank you Formal; in speech, often replaced by tone or by 'thanks'.
- ನಿಮ್ಮ ಹೆಸರು ಏನು? — nimma hesaru enu? 🔊 NIM-ma HE-sa-ru AY-nu What is your name? ನಿಮ್ಮ = your (respectful), ನಿನ್ನ = your (familiar). ಏನು = what.
- ನನ್ನ ಹೆಸರು ಮೀರಾ — nanna hesaru Meera 🔊 NAN-na HE-sa-ru MEE-ra My name is Meera. No word for 'is' between two nouns.
Read every line aloud twice before moving on. The mouth learns a language, not the eye.
🔍 Respect sits in the ending -ರಿ / -ರಾ
Kannada marks respect on the verb, like its Dravidian sisters. Adding -ರಿ to a command is the simplest courtesy in the language.
- ಬಾ baa = come (friend) → ಬನ್ನಿ banni = please come
- ಹೇಳು helu = tell → ಹೇಳಿ heli = please tell
- ಕೂತ್ಕೋ kootko = sit → ಕೂತ್ಕೊಳ್ಳಿ kootkolli = please sit
- Use the long polite forms with everyone at first.
🌍 Among the people
In Bengaluru, opening with ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ and ಕನ್ನಡ ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ (I don't know Kannada) is received far better than opening in Hindi. The effort is what counts.
🔁 Practise today
- Say ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ and ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಾ aloud ten times.
- Turn five commands into their polite forms.
- Practise the short and long e: ಬೆ against ಬೇ.
