नमस्ते, मेरे दोस्त
namaste, mere dost/nə.məs.t̪eː meː.ɾeː d̪oːst̪/word by word
The English phrase "hello, my friend" is translated into Hindi as नमस्ते, मेरे दोस्त (namaste, mere dost).
This phrase is a friendly greeting used to address someone the speaker considers a friend. While नमस्ते, मेरे दोस्त is grammatically correct, native speakers often shorten this in casual conversation by using just नमस्ते (namaste) or नमस्ते दोस्त (namaste dost), omitting the possessive "my".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of नमस्ते (namaste) meaning "hello/salutations", मेरे (mere) meaning "my" and दोस्त (dost) meaning "friend".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
नमस्ते, मेरे दोस्त is considered a formal or neutral way to greet a friend. For a more formal version, you can use Pranam, mere mitra. In very informal settings, you might hear "Hi, yaar", where yaar is a slang term for friend.
How do you pronounce it?
namaste, mere dost (nə.məs.t̪eː meː.ɾeː d̪oːst̪)
Did you know?
- The word नमस्ते is often accompanied by a physical gesture called 'Anjali Mudra', where you press your palms together at the chest.
- The word दोस्त, meaning 'friend', is actually a Persian loanword that traveled through Middle Persian and Old Persian before reaching Hindi.
- Although नमस्ते (namaste) is used for 'hello', it is also commonly used when saying 'goodbye' in many social contexts.
Example conversation
Neha and Aditya meet at a cafe.
- नेहा Nehaनमस्ते, मेरे दोस्त! क्या हाल है?Namaste, mere dost! Kya haal hai?Hello, my friend! How is it going?
- आदित्य Adityaसब ठीक है, नेहा। तुम कैसी हो?Sab theek hai, Neha. Tum kaisi ho?Everything is fine, Neha. How are you?
- नेहा Nehaमैं भी अच्छी हूँ। चलो बैठते हैं।Main bhi acchi hoon. Chalo baithte hain.I am also good. Let's sit down.
- आदित्य Adityaहाँ, चलिए बैठते हैं।Haan, chaliye baithte hain.Yes, let's sit.
