কলকাতায় স্বাগতম
Kolkatay shagotom
welcome to kolkata in Bengali is কলকাতায় স্বাগতম (Kolkatay shagotom).
This phrase is used to greet someone arriving in the city of Kolkata.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase কলকাতায় স্বাগতম uses the locative case for the city name to express 'welcome to [location]'. Additionally, the phrase Kolkata-te means 'in Kolkata'.
How do you pronounce it?
Kolkatay shagotom
Did you know?
- In traditional Bengali culture, a 'welcome' is often physically signaled by offering a guest a glass of water and a sweet, such as rosogolla, before the greeting is even finished.
- The word স্বাগতম is a direct descendant of the Sanskrit svāgatam, which combines the root for 'good' with the root for 'arrival'.
- While you might say কলকাতায় স্বাগতম to a visitor, many locals still refer to the city as 'Calcutta' in informal English-Bengali code-switching. This can lead to confusion if you only use the local name in certain social circles.
Examples in context
- আমাদের শহরে কলকাতায় স্বাগতম।Amader shohore Kolkatay swagotom.Welcome to our city, Kolkata.
- সুপ্রিয় বন্ধু, কলকাতায় স্বাগতম।Supriyo bondhu, Kolkatay swagotom.Dear friend, welcome to Kolkata.
Example conversation
Akash arrives at the airport and is greeted by Ishani.
- ইশানি Ishaniআকাশ, কলকাতায় স্বাগতম!Akash, Kolkatay swagotom!Akash, welcome to Kolkata!
- আকাশ Akashধন্যবাদ, ইশানি।Dhonnobad, Ishani.Thank you, Ishani.
- ইশানি Ishaniতোমার যাত্রা কেমন ছিল?Tomar jatra kemon chhilo?How was your journey?
- আকাশ Akashখুব ভালো ছিল।Khub bhalo chhilo.It was very good.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries স্বাগতম, CC BY-SA 4.0.
