नमस्ते (namaste)

interjection A single-sense word: the standard Hindi greeting/farewell used at any time of day, to anyone.

Sense 1 : greeting/farewell

interjection

Synonyms: नमस्कार (namaskaar, slightly more formal), नमस्ते जी (namaste jii, with added respect)

Frequency: high

Cultural Note: नमस्ते (namaste) literally comes from नमः (namah, 'bow/salutation') plus ते (te, 'to you'), so at its root it means 'I bow to you' -- Hindus often say it while pressing the palms together at chest height, a small gesture worth mimicking. It is the safe, universal choice regardless of who you are speaking to -- elder, child, stranger, boss -- unlike English 'hi' versus 'good morning,' Hindi does not force you to think about time of day.

Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for अलविदा (alvidaa) to say goodbye, but नमस्ते (namaste) works fine for both hello and goodbye -- अलविदा (alvidaa) sounds oddly final, almost like 'farewell forever,' and is rarely used in everyday partings. 2) Because it is grammatically frozen, learners sometimes try to conjugate or modify it (adding tense markers, etc.) -- it never changes form, in any context, to anyone.

Sample Sentences:

नमस्ते, आप कैसे हैं? Hello, how are you?

(namaste, aap kaise hain?)

नमस्ते! बहुत दिनों बाद मिले। Hello! We're meeting after such a long time.

(namaste! bahut dinon baad mile।)

उसने हाथ जोड़कर नमस्ते कहा। He said 'namaste' with folded hands.

(usne haath jodkar namaste kahaa।)

जब भी बड़ों से मिलो, नमस्ते कहा करो। Whenever you meet elders, make it a habit to say namaste.

(jab bhii badon se milo, namaste kahaa karo।)

अच्छा, नमस्ते, फिर मिलेंगे। Okay, goodbye, we'll meet again.

(achchhaa, namaste, phir milenge।)

मैंने सोचा कि पहले नमस्ते कर लूँ, फिर बात करूँ। I thought I should say namaste first, then talk.

(mainne sochaa ki pahle namaste kar loon, phir baat karoon।)

अतिथियों का स्वागत नमस्ते के साथ किया गया। The guests were welcomed with a namaste.

(atithiyon kaa svaagat namaste ke saath kiyaa gayaa।)

बच्चे ने मेहमान को देखकर नमस्ते किया। The child said namaste on seeing the guest.

(bachche ne mehmaan ko dekhkar namaste kiyaa।)

यदि आप उनसे मिलते, तो नमस्ते ज़रूर करते। If you had met them, you would surely have said namaste.

(yadi aap unse milte, to namaste zaroor karte।)

गुरुजी को नमस्ते करना मत भूलना। Don't forget to say namaste to the teacher.

(gurujii ko namaste karnaa mat bhoolnaa।)

सब मेहमान एक-दूसरे को नमस्ते कहते हुए अंदर आए। All the guests came in saying namaste to one another.

(sab mehmaan ek-doosre ko namaste kahte hue andar aae।)