आप क्या चाहते हैं?
aap kya chaahte hain?
In Hindi, "what do you want?" is said as आप क्या चाहते हैं? (aap kya chaahte hain?)
This phrase is used to ask someone about their desires or what they would like to have.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase आप क्या चाहते हैं? is composed of aap (you), kya (what), chaahte (wanting) and hain (are).
Which one should you use?
The phrase आप क्या चाहते हैं? is suitable for strangers, elders or professional settings, whereas तुम क्या चाहते हो? is for friends or peers.
How does it change in a sentence?
To address a female subject politely, the masculine chaahte changes to the feminine chaahti, as in आप क्या चाहती हैं? Additionally, an informal version can be created by replacing the polite aap with tum and changing the verb ending to ho, resulting in तुम क्या चाहते हो?
How do you pronounce it?
aap kya chaahte hain?
Did you know?
- The polite word for 'you' आप is a distant relative of the English word 'breath'. Both originate from a Proto-Indo-European root referring to the essence of a living being.
- While आप is the polite form of 'you', it is also the word used for 'self' in certain reflexive constructions in Hindi.
- In Hindi, asking 'what do you want?' using the verb चाहना can sometimes be perceived as too direct or demanding. In casual social settings, people often use a phrasing that asks 'what is needed' to sound more polite.
Examples in context
- आपकी क्या इच्छा है, महाशय?What do you want, sir?
- धन्यवाद, आप क्या चाहेंगे?Thank you, what do you want?
- यार, तुम क्या चाहते हो?Dude, what do you want?
- सच बताइए, आप क्या चाहते हैं?sach bataiye, aap kya chahte hain?Tell the truth, what do you want?
Example conversation
Vikas and Pooja are discussing a business proposal at a cafe.
- विकास Vikasपूजा, आप क्या चाहते हैं?Pooja, aap kya chahte hain?Pooja, what do you want?
- पूजा Poojaमैं इस प्रोजेक्ट में हिस्सेदारी चाहती हूँ।main is project mein hissedari chahti hoon.I want a share in this project.
- विकास Vikasक्या आप वास्तव में ऐसा चाहती हैं?kya aap vaastav mein aisa chahti hain?Do you really want that?
- पूजा Poojaहाँ, विकास, मैं यही चाहती हूँ।haan, Vikas, main yahi chahti hoon.Yes, Vikas, this is what I want.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries आप, क्या, CC BY-SA 4.0.
