# Urdu/Hindi: Thanks for the help. I appreciate it.



## ihsaan

Hi,
How would one say: "Thanks for the help. I appreciate it." in Urdu? Would this be any different in Hindi?


----------



## linguist786

I would say it like this:

_shukriyaa ke aap ne meri madad kii. maiN aap kaa shukarguzaar hooN._

Hindi would be the same - you can change "shukriyaa" to "dhanyavaad" if you really want to sound Hindi.


----------



## Illuminatus

I (Hindi) would invert the words and say:

_(meri) madad karne ke liye dhanyawaad_. _maiN aap kaa shukraguzaar hooN._


----------



## ihsaan

Ah, I see. Thank you!
I was asking for the Hindi as well, because I'm a bit confused as to what the difference is between the two, besides in some of the vocab used. Appreciate the help.


----------



## Nikola

ihsaan said:


> Ah, I see. Thank you!
> I was asking for the Hindi as well, because I'm a bit confused as to what the difference is between the two, besides in some of the vocab used. Appreciate the help.


This may interest you :
Hindi/Urdu: mutual intelligibility


----------



## ihsaan

Great. Very beneficial.


----------



## Istriano

In Hindi movie industry they use *Shukriya *and not *Dhanyavaad *(dhanyavaad is an artificial word, more people would prefer thanks to it).


----------



## flyinfishjoe

It might not be a very colloquial word, but _dhanyavaad_ certainly isn't an "artificial word"! Nor is it from my experience as rarely used as many textbooks say it is.


----------



## rahulbemba

Istriano said:


> In Hindi movie industry they use *Shukriya *and not *Dhanyavaad *(dhanyavaad is an artificial word, more people would prefer thanks to it).



I don't agree. People (Indians) beyond the major metropolitan cities use "Dhanyavaad" very often. In fact, "Shukriya" is seldom used by non-Muslims except in the movies or in the literature. 

You are right that educated Indians in the cities say "Thank you" or "Thanks" more often than any other term. Dhanyavaad is used quite often too when two Hindi speakers speak amongst themselves.


----------



## rahulbemba

ihsaan said:


> Hi,
> How would one say: "Thanks for the help. I appreciate it." in Urdu? Would this be any different in Hindi?



In Hindi, most often we say, "Dhanyavaad" (Thanks), or "Aapka dhanyavaad" (Thank you). In common usage, people also say, "Ok, dhanyavaad"  The specific usage of "I appreciate it" is not used in India or in Hindi. We say "Aapka dhanyavaad" and it means enough most of the times...  

Some times when people are touched with someone's gesture, one can say, "Mujhe bahut achcha lagaa" (I felt good about it).


----------



## Qureshpor

rahulbemba said:


> I don't agree. People (Indians) beyond the major metropolitan cities use "Dhanyavaad" very often. In fact, "Shukriya" is seldom used by non-Muslims except in the movies or in the literature.
> 
> Thank you for this piece of information. So Muslims from Punjab, Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and the remaining states use "shukria", is that so? What do Christians, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs, Agnostics, Atheists, and Animists use? Is this word spoken from a religious perspective?


,


----------



## greatbear

Usually, Indians use "thank you" or "thanks" even if speaking Hindi (or any other Indian language), irrespective of religions (except Muslim belts, where resistance can be stiff, so they might be using "shukriyaa").

Dhanyawaad is the next most common, though far behind; shukriyaa is rare unless in an area influenced a lot by Muslim culture (e.g., Lucknow).


----------



## flyinfishjoe

What? _Shukriyaa_ is very common in northern India and not just among Muslims. And the vast majority of Hindi speakers do not use the word "thank you." It's mostly the English-medium educated Hinglish speaking crowd. Although I guess it could be a matter of perception.


----------



## Qureshpor

greatbear said:


> Usually, Indians use "thank you" or "thanks" even if speaking Hindi (or any other Indian language), irrespective of religions (except Muslim belts, where resistance can be stiff, so they might be using "shukriyaa").
> 
> I presume this applies to only those Indians who can speak English? Or, is this true irrespective of their level of education? I had heard of "language belts" in India but have not come across "religion belts". Would it be correct to assume that alongside the "Muslim belts", there are "Hindu belts", "Jain belts", "Buddhist belts", "Christain belts" and so on and so forth?
> 
> Dhanyawaad is the next most common, though far behind; shukriyaa is rare unless in an area influenced a lot by Muslim culture (e.g., Lucknow)
> 
> If Google search is anything to go by, I typed "shukriya" in Devanagri and got 513,000 hits whilst "dhanyavaad" produced 424,000. "shukriya" does n't appear all that rare!
> 
> .


----------



## tonyspeed

If shukriya is rare then I must know the rarest of people. Of all the Indians I know, I only know one that advocates the usage of dhanyavaad, and even he doesn't seem to use it that frequently. 

This conversation reminds me of the Guyanese man I know that learned Hindi by way of Bhajans. On using the word khana, he looks at me and says no "bhojan! we're not muslim!"


----------



## rahulbemba

@greatbear: I very much agree with what you say. In fact none of my friends have ever said "Shukriya" to me. I have done engineering at a national level college where there were quotas (reserved seats) for each state in India, so I have friends from "all" states of India. They say “Thanks” and also “dhanyavaad” (Hindi/Gujarati/others speakers would say dhanyavaad). I keep listening to "shukriya" only in the movies and on TV, or in print. But not in commonly spoken way, except that Muslims use it. I have Muslim friends too, they use all three terms “shukriya, dhanavaad and thanks”.

 @QURESHPOR: Searching on google won't be a good idea. In fact it will give a wrong conclusion. For your question about level of education, terms like "Thanks" are not exactly bound by education - these are terms of the commonplace. For "belts", you are right about language belts - I think it is so for any other place also. There are no "geographical belts" on religious lines as such on a macro level (but of course on micro level, Muslims prefer to live only in some particular pockets in all cities/towns; as many communities do all over the world). But this would be too off the topic, rather not related to word-reference forums.

 @tonyspeed: Yes, bhojan is the Hindi word for food. Though the word "khaanaa" is more often used on an average. But there are regions and communities in India who always use “bhojan” only. "Bhojan kar liya?" (Had your lunch?") is of a common everyday hearing. Urdu is mostly spoken only by Muslims in India, but the common Urdu words like "khana" have entered Hindi language as its own and many people won't think twice whether “khana” is actually Urdu or Hindi. Hindi in fact has such a quality - after a while a lot of words from other languages enter it and becomes "one" with it and people are not bothered where the word came from originally...


----------



## BP.

rahulbemba said:


> ...
> but the common Urdu words like "khana" have entered Hindi language as its own and many people won't think twice whether “khana” is actually Urdu or Hindi...


I would have thought _k.haana_ to be a Hindi cognate for _khuraak _and not a word that 'has entered Hindi language'. Could somebody enlighten me on its etymology? Thanks.


----------



## Qureshpor

rahulbemba said:


> @tonyspeed: Yes, bhojan is the Hindi word for food. Though the word "khaanaa" is more often used on an average. But there are regions and communities in India who always use “bhojan” only. "Bhojan kar liya?" (Had your lunch?") is of a common everyday hearing. Urdu is mostly spoken only by Muslims in India, but the common Urdu words like "khana" have entered Hindi language as its own and many people won't think twice whether “khana” is actually Urdu or Hindi.
> 
> "khaanaa" is not just an Urdu word. It is also Hindi (and Punjabi khaaNRaa, and possibly other languages too). "bhojan" is a word for "meal" and as far as I know, it is uncommon amongst Urdu speakers. Here is the etymology for "khaaanaa" from Platts.
> 
> H کهانا खाना _khānā_ [Prk. खाअणअं; S. खादनीयं, rt.  खाद्], v.t. To eat, feed on; to consume; to swallow; to drink; to inhale; to take (medicine, or the air, or a bribe, or an oath); to embezzle;
> 
> Hindi in fact has such a quality - after a while a lot of words from other languages enter it and becomes "one" with it and people are not bothered where the word came from originally...
> 
> Please enough of this kind of propaganda. Let's stick to language and not bring in politics and religion. This may wash with people who might not know Modern Hindi's background but there are those who know different. I have already posted a review of King's book which should be sufficient for any unbiased person. Having said that, majority of the posts have been deleted so I might have to post it again!


----------



## rahulbemba

BelligerentPacifist said:


> I would have thought _k.haana_ to be a Hindi cognate for _khuraak _and not a word that 'has entered Hindi language'. Could somebody enlighten me on its etymology? Thanks.



Interesting to know. I thought "khana" had Urdu origin. Will try to search more. Thank you very much for your post.


----------



## greatbear

Yes, irrespective of education, "thank you" rules!

A very easy pointer of the spread of the word "dhanyawaad" as opposed to "shukriya" is the thousands of small shops and resturants, if you are travelling in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, etc., - and yeah, cross the center and go to Orissa as well, and so on - where you will find written on walls, backs of menu cards, etc.: "Dhanyawaad, phir padhaariyegaa". They are common people who are using those words, not an airline announcement which persists in pronouncing words like "prasthaan" when hardly anyone uses it.

The same clue can also be used to gauge the popularity of "thank you" in India: you will see even misspellings like "Tank you" (yeah that proves how "uneducated" they are, but then it also proves it doesn't matter to them a jot, since the word is a part and parcel of "modern Hindi" - well not the Modern Hindi that some people here talk about) very often.

@QureshPor: we are all interested in meaningful discussions, but it is you who take umbrage when as Hindi speakers living in India and born with this language we report some particular Urdu word to be not that popular. Urdu is a beautiful language, and I love its sounds, and Hindi has many Arabo-Persian words as an integral part of it, and I am proud of the sponginess of Hindi, just like English is. Languages live best, when they are quick to absorb. Just like French is living, with its intricate system of argot even if is not that ready to borrow from other languages.


----------



## Qureshpor

greatbear said:


> Yes, irrespective of education, "thank you" rules!
> 
> A very easy pointer of the spread of the word "dhanyawaad" as opposed to "shukriya" is the thousands of small shops and resturants, if you are travelling in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, etc., - and yeah, cross the center and go to Orissa as well, and so on - where you will find written on walls, backs of menu cards, etc.: "Dhanyawaad, phir padhaariyegaa". They are common people who are using those words, not an airline announcement which persists in pronouncing words like "prasthaan" when hardly anyone uses it.
> 
> bahut bahut shukriyah  Greatbear Jii for this information. But in another post, one of our friends is telling me not to take Google word count (i.e. the written word) of shukriyah and dhanyavaad too seriously. Now, you are quoting me examples of pieces of writing on walls and menus. Besides, I thought you did n't read Hindi poetry or prose. What have you been doing reading writings on walls and menus! Flyinfishjoe has said that "shukriyah" is common in North India, amongst various communities. No doubt it will be common in Hyderabad, Bhopal, Aurangabad areas too, just to mention a few. Frankly I don't know what to make of all this.
> 
> @QureshPor: we are all interested in meaningful discussions, but it is you who take umbrage when as Hindi speakers living in India and born with this language we report some particular Urdu word to be not that popular.
> 
> If I were to defend myself concerning the above remark, this post might be deleted by the moderators as it might be construed that this is off topic and chat. So, I shall refrain from this activity. Having said this, I shall always respond within the confines of common courtesy and forum rules and regulations to any propaganda, stereotyping, inaccurate information and irrelevant reference to religion or politics. Urdu most certainly is NOT linked to any one faith community and it never has been.
> 
> Urdu is a beautiful language, and I love its sounds, and Hindi has many Arabo-Persian words as an integral part of it, and I am proud of the sponginess of Hindi, just like English is. Languages live best, when they are quick to absorb. Just like French is living, with its intricate system of argot even if is not that ready to borrow from other languages.
> 
> For the "sponginess" part of your statement, please refer to the last part of my reply in post 18.


----------



## rahulbemba

greatbear said:


> Yes, irrespective of education, "thank you" rules!
> 
> A very easy pointer of the spread of the word "dhanyawaad" as opposed to "shukriya" is the thousands of small shops and resturants, if you are travelling in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, etc., - and yeah, cross the center and go to Orissa as well, and so on - where you will find written on walls, backs of menu cards, etc.: "Dhanyawaad, phir padhaariyegaa". They are common people who are using those words, not an airline announcement which persists in pronouncing words like "prasthaan" when hardly anyone uses it.
> 
> The same clue can also be used to gauge the popularity of "thank you" in India: you will see even misspellings like "Tank you" (yeah that proves how "uneducated" they are, but then it also proves it doesn't matter to them a jot, since the word is a part and parcel of "modern Hindi" - well not the Modern Hindi that some people here talk about) very often.



Very true, I totally agree.


----------



## greatbear

@Qureshpor: Please refrain from making personal comments, I repeat. What I read or not read is of no interest to the topic to this thread. I quoted the example of writings on walls of shops, etc., to advance an argument relevant to the thread. Similarly, an earlier post in this or some other thread, where I said I don't read Hindi/Urdu literature, was in context of the thread (and a reply to your question there). Your comments about my reading habits seem to me nothing but, probably a snide one, observation, which doesn't do anything at least to advance this topic ahead.

North India has a higher proportion of Urdu speakers, but if you would go to places like Etawah and the like, you will still find "dhanyawaad" ruling the roost. Media and films are not an example of Hindi language as spoken through the length and breadth of India, since India has not even found its voice yet, stifled by the long years of colonisation. To take a cricket example, many Hindi news channels keep on saying "do wickit chatkhaaye" (deliiberate misspelling of wicket): no one speaks like that! We say "do wickit giraaye/liye".


----------



## Qureshpor

greatbear said:


> @Qureshpor: Please refrain from making personal comments, I repeat. What I read or not read is of no interest to the topic to this thread. I quoted the example of writings on walls of shops, etc., to advance an argument relevant to the thread. Similarly, an earlier post in this or some other thread, where I said I don't read Hindi/Urdu literature, was in context of the thread (and a reply to your question there). Your comments about my reading habits seem to me nothing but, probably a snide one, observation, which doesn't do anything at least to advance this topic ahead.
> 
> My comments with smileys were an attempt to infuse a bit of humour to alleviate the possibly tense atmosphere. No "snide" was intended. In future, I shall try my best to remove my humanness.
> .


----------

