Novice Hindi Language learning - NYC or mobile/online best options

December 28, 2015 12:08 PM

Where should we take introductory Hindi in NYC or is there an iOs app or other resource we should start with first?

I'm looking for basic/intro-level Hindi language classes or apps for both myself (no prior instruction/knowledge) and my spouse who grew up around the language and has some basic vocabulary but no working knowledge of grammar or other rules and is interested in starting from the bottom.

I searched and found this post from over 7 years ago but neither of those recommended options seem to really fit what we'd be looking for.

Essentially im thinking we want either classes or some sort of iOs-compatible app/program (or a combination of the two). I'm not opposed to book learning per se but the idea of sitting down several times per week to work through worksheets etc isnt really appealing.

Some cursory googling turned up these classes which would be fine location and scheduling wise, and online reviews seemed mostly positive with the detractors referencing administrative policies around changing schedules and an overall business model geared towards hooking you in and stringing folks along through a several course progression. Plus it would cost over $800 for both myself and my partner to attend 8 weeks of classes.

Has anyone had first hand experience working on beginner hindi in NYC (were located in Brooklyn and work in Manhattan, fairly flexible about location but making an hour+ each way trip to jackson heights or jersey city is unrealistic) or a solid online/mobile self-guided instruction?

posted by Exceptional_Hubris to Education (8 answers total)

I used this online script tutor when I was learning Hindi. It's important to learn to read Devanagari script early, as it helps you to identify distinct sounds which can initially sound quite similar to an English speaker. There are also some great video lessons at A Door into Hindi. I learned most of my grammar and vocabulary from a book called Teach Yourself Hindi by Rupert Snell. When I looked into taking face to face lessons, it turned out they use this book as a text book, and the beginners class only covered the first three or four chapters. So it's pretty comprehensive. Good luck!
posted by embrangled at 12:57 PM on December 28, 2015

(Sorry, I know these aren't iOS apps - but they're known as some of the better resources in terms of structure and pedagogy. I'd also recommend enabling the Hindi keyboard on your phone - that way you can write in हिन्दी and use the spellcheck and 'speak' functions to check your work).
posted by embrangled at 1:02 PM on December 28, 2015

Best answer: the idea of sitting down several times per week to work through worksheets etc isnt really appealing.

You will need to do this even if you take a class. In fact, you should probably do it every day. Like college, each hour of class time requires several hours of out-of-class work. You probably noticed that the classes you linked had a textbook. Unfortunately, a live class is not a royal road to acquiring a language.

Regarding iOS, Mango Languages has a beginning Hindi course. You should be able to access it freely through your public library system.

I have never studied Hindi but I generally like Teach Yourself (which has already been recommended) or Colloquial, although quality depends from language to language. If you can read French, I would also recommend Assimil. I know these are offline resources but even a live class has a paper textbook. Best of luck.
posted by Tanizaki at 1:08 PM on December 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

Tanizaki is right, even if you take lessons you'll probably still have to use a book. In fact the levels described in the classes you linked pretty much follow the structure of the Teach Yourself Hindi book - it's considered pretty definitive as a teaching resource,, I believe. The good thing is that Teach Yourself Hindi is actually really entertaining. As well as teaching the language in a clear and rigorous way, the reading examples tell the story of a Hindi student who visits India, and as the book progresses the story evolves into a full-on Bollywood-worthy melodrama. There are no worksheets per se - but it helps to have a notebook so you can write down the answers to the exercises. It doesn't require solid hours of study if that's not what you want - I used to do most of my learning in bits and pieces on the train to work.
posted by embrangled at 2:14 PM on December 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: NYPL subscribes to Mango Languages, which includes Hindi.
posted by bentley at 2:46 PM on December 28, 2015

Is there a reason why you're not considering Rosetta Stone? I've never used it (grew up speaking Hindi) but I've heard good things from friends who have.
posted by Tamanna at 1:29 AM on December 29, 2015

Response by poster: Thanks for all the answers - i guess i should have made it clearer that i am not trying to learn a language without doing any work but was looking to see if anyone had a specific solution for our particular situation (namely that mobile-based options were my preference).

The suggestion of Mango is a great option that i will most certainly pursue. Ill keep on the lookout for a copy of Teach Yourself Hindi as well.

and Tamanna, honestly i thought Rosetta Stone was way more money than it is (they appear to be running a promo now where instead of $499 i can get online access (including use of their app? for 24 months) for $189. it hadnt even entered the conversation because i thought it was cost prohibitive but not if (group) classes for the two of us were going to cost $850.

Thanks again to all who answered and if anyone has other suggestions im still listening.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 10:00 AM on December 29, 2015

Exceptional_Hubris, if cost is an issue, you might try and see whether your local library offers access to Rosetta Stone, or other language resources. I know the Sacramento public library does, and my small town library even has a copy of Teach Yourself Hindi. I can't imagine NYPL doesn't have at least something that might be of interest.
posted by Tamanna at 9:48 PM on December 29, 2015