# Hindi & Nepali: "Step by step"



## ded0r

Hi,

for a special present to my girlfriend I need to translate the saying "step by step" or in spanish "paso a pasito" into Hindi and Nepali. 

If anyone can help me with that, it would be highly appreciated!

Many thanks in advance. 

Best regards,
Moritz


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## greatbear

"kadam ba kadam" (soft "d") in general (in Hindi script: कदम ब कदम). The sentence you have in mind would certainly help.


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## marrish

Good taking, greatbear! What about क़दम with a subscript dot? I would get 100% marks if they give me such Hindi for an exam!
A English-Hindi dictionary gives क्रमशः - are you familiar with it?


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## Qureshpor

marrish said:


> Good taking, greatbear! What about क़दम with a subscript dot? I would get 100% marks if they give me such Hindi for an exam!
> A English-Hindi dictionary gives क्रमशः - are you familiar with it?



If your teacher/examiner did not happen to be a Punjabi, then you could score even more marks if you had said "prati-pad"! I would personally go for "haule-haule" but, knowing my luck, I'd score 20%!


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## hindiurdu

marrish said:


> A English-Hindi dictionary gives क्रमशः - are you familiar with it?



kram (क्रम) means something like sequence and क्रमशः would mean serialized. But this word is totally absent from normal speech afaik. For a literal meaning of step, क़दम (qadam) is the way to go.



QURESHPOR said:


> If your teacher/examiner did not happen to be a Punjabi, then you could score even more marks if you had said "prati-pad"! I would personally go for "hole-hole" but, knowing my luck, I'd score 20%!



 I like 'hole-hole'. The one problem is that he might then be telling her 'we need to slow down a bit, no need to hurry into these things.' 

Give us more context original poster. Do you mean 'step by step' we shall do this and that? Then, 'aahistaa-aahistaa' might be it. If you mean, I will be with you every step of the way. you could say 'har qadam par'.


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## UrduMedium

_dhiire-dhiire_ is another option if _haule-haule_ represents the intended meaning ...


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## Qureshpor

hindiurdu said:


> I like 'hole-hole'. The one problem is that he might then be telling her 'we need to slow down a bit, no need to hurry into these things.'
> 
> Give us more context original poster. Do you mean 'step by step' we shall do this and that? Then, 'aahistaa-aahistaa' might be it. If you mean, I will be with you every step of the way. you could say 'har qadam par'.



I agree that more context is necessary, as gb has indicated as well. "haule haule", "dhiire dhiire", "hote hote" and "aahistah aahistah" (along with raftah raftah) could all mean "gently", "slowly". If indeed the enquirer is thinking about gradations/steps/stags then "qadam" "darjah" or words with similar meanings would need to be brought in.


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## tonyspeed

QURESHPOR said:


> If your teacher/examiner did not happen to be a Punjabi, then you could score even more marks if you had said "prati-pad"! I would personally go for "hole-hole" but, knowing my luck, I'd score 20%!



Is hole-hole the equivalent of haule-haule in Hindi? I'm curious about the au->o shift we just witnessed.


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## Qureshpor

tonyspeed said:


> Is hole-hole the equivalent of haule-haule in Hindi? I'm curious about the au->o shift we just witnessed.



No, it is my typo and it seems the mistake has spread! I shall amend my post. Thanks. (It is "haulii haulii" in Punjabi).


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## JaiHind

You can use "क्रमशः" or also "क्रम से". Or even ""क्रमवार तरीके से". You can use either of these three... 

My suggestion is that please don't use many of the words suggested by other members here because they are absurd, misplaced and simplistic examples not fitted to mean "step by step". 

haule haule => means slowly

kadam ba kadam => This "ba" will go non-understood, is not natural in Hindi and the speaker will invite a curious look

क़दम => Mostly non-understandable

aahistaa-aahistaa => means at slow pace; not suited here

har qadam par => means "at each step"

dhiire-dhiire => means slowly


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## JaiHind

Above suggestion is for Hindi. I don't know what would be best in Nepali.


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## greatbear

JaiHind said:


> My suggestion is that please don't use many of the words suggested by other members here because they are absurd, misplaced and simplistic examples not fitted to mean "step by step".



Really? You don't even know the context, and you can say they are "misplaced"? Intrepid.



JaiHind said:


> क़दम => Mostly non-understandable



What word is the "mostly understandable" word then for "step", in your opinion, _maanyavar_?


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## Qureshpor

JaiHind said:


> You can use "क्रमशः" or also "क्रम से". Or even ""क्रमवार तरीके से". You can use either of these three...
> 
> My suggestion is that please don't use many of the words suggested by other members here because they are absurd, misplaced and simplistic examples not fitted to mean "step by step".
> 
> haule haule => means slowly
> 
> kadam ba kadam => This "ba" will go non-understood, is not natural in Hindi and the speaker will invite a curious look
> 
> क़दम => Mostly non-understandable
> 
> aahistaa-aahistaa => means at slow pace; not suited here
> 
> har qadam par => means "at each step"
> 
> dhiire-dhiire => means slowly



It appears you have not seen other people's posts where they have clearly defined the meanings of words they have provided. They have also added that context from OP would be beneficial. Your description (absurd etc) is OTT, I would say. 

Do you understand "din ba-din"? 

Here is a headline from "jaagaraNR..

भारत ने दक्षिण चीन सागर से कदम वापस खींचे.
​Would you find difficulty in understanding it? I hope the answer is "No". Then most people will be able to follow "qadam ba-qadam".


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## JaiHind

greatbear said:


> Really? You don't even know the context, and you can say they are "misplaced"? Intrepid.



Yes, many suggestions are surely misplaced. For example, "haule haule", "ahista ahista", etc. We don't need to imagine every possible million contexts and then give suggestion. We can use common sense to determine few most probable contexts and then we may start making sense as well as allow others enough space to post their humble opinions also. 



greatbear said:


> What word is the "mostly understandable" word then for "step", in your opinion, _maanyavar_?



"kadam" means "step", not "step by step". You made a suggestion of "kadam ba kadam" and I said that it will be non-understandable by most. This "ba" is also unused by most Hindi speaking population. I stand by my opinion on this. Actually when Marrish made that comment #3, "Good taking, greatbear! What about क़दम with a subscript dot?" without quoting you, I thought that his reply was a rely to the thread and not to you. This is the usual convention - a member should quote you if one is replying to you. For posting standard answer to the thread, one is free not to quote the original question. Hence, having his personal reply to you, I took his reply as a suggestion to use "क़दम" for "step by step" and said it will go non-understood. I hope you would appreciate the situation now and would also agree that "क़दम" would still be non-understood for "step by step". 

Btw, I don't appreciate your sarcastic _maanyavar. _My apologies if you made it in italics because it was a Hindi word in your English communication.


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## marrish

JaiHind said:


> "kadam" means "step", not "step by step". You made a suggestion of "kadam ba kadam" and I said that it will be non-understandable by most. This "ba" is also unused by most Hindi speaking population. I stand by my opinion on this.



What is your point of view on din ba-din, as brought forward by Qureshpor SaaHib?



> Actually when Marrish made that comment #3, "Good taking, greatbear! What about क़दम with a subscript dot?" without quoting you, I thought that his reply was a rely to the thread and not to you. This is the usual convention - a member should quote you if one is replying to you. For posting standard answer to the thread, one is free not to quote the original question. Hence, having his personal reply to you, I took his reply as a suggestion to use "क़दम" for "step by step" and said it will go non-understood. I hope you would appreciate the situation now and would also agree that "क़दम" would still be non-understood for "step by step".



Actually marrish's post #3 wasn't a personal reply - a personal reply would have happened by means of PM. I don't really know how my reply caused such a misunderstanding since greatbear had been the only respondent and I'd addressed him by name.

To be clear: marrish's post #3 doesn't focus on_ qadam ba-qadam_ but suggests another solution - _kramashah._
Had you read my post carefully you would have noticed my suggestion. In that case it would have been unnecessary for you to pass a warning about other contributions using objectionable language and repeat marrish's suggestion.


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## omlick

From what I understand, "ba" is a Persian preposition that is used in Hindi with mostly  Persian  originated words. , much like "be", "laa", etc.  

I learned this expression from a Bollywood film for example and was very proud of myself " khud ba khud"  = automatically


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## Qureshpor

omlick said:


> From what I understand, "ba" is a Persian preposition that is used in Hindi with mostly Persian originated words. , much like "be", "laa", etc.
> 
> I learned this expression from a Bollywood film for example and was very proud of myself " khud ba khud" = automatically



Your underanding is correct. "bah" is of Persian origins that has made its way into Hindi via Urdu. A few examples..

roz bah roz (roz ba-roz)

ba-jaa'e (kii jagah meN--instead)

ba-sharte-kih (On the condition that)


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## greatbear

JaiHind said:


> Yes, many suggestions are surely misplaced. For example, "haule haule", "ahista ahista", etc. We don't need to imagine every possible million contexts and then give suggestion. We can use common sense to determine few most probable contexts and then we may start making sense as well as allow others enough space to post their humble opinions also.



So why don't you ask for context rather than giving your opinion from the million-and-oneth context and berating those of others? How did you come to the conclusion that your understanding is not "misplaced" and only that of others is?



JaiHind said:


> "kadam" means "step", not "step by step". You made a suggestion of "kadam ba kadam" and I said that it will be non-understandable by most. This "ba" is also unused by most Hindi speaking population. I stand by my opinion on this. ... I hope you would appreciate the situation now and would also agree that "क़दम" would still be non-understood for "step by step".



Really? "ba" not understood by Hindi speakers? "din-ba-din", "khud-ba-khud", what are these? If you don't understand these, then I'd say you are a very weak Hindi speaker. You are in serious need of some vocabulary improvement. I wonder how you comprehend the world around you?
As for "kadam", the addition of a dot underneath made the word non-comprehensible to you? Quite _sensitive_, I must say.



JaiHind said:


> Btw, I don't appreciate your sarcastic _maanyavar. _My apologies if you made it in italics because it was a Hindi word in your English communication.



Of course, it was meant to be sarcastic! I think more Hindi-speaking people understand "ba" than "maanyavar" - just explaining to you the sarcasm, _maanyavar_, since you didn't seem to understand.


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## tonyspeed

Colloquially in Nepali you can say ali ali gari.
The other version is kramik ruuple


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## ainch

In Nepali:

'bis-taa-rai' (बिस्तारै) for slowly
'paa-lai paa-lo/pi-lo' (पालै पालो/पिलो ) turn by turn

note:

'aa' as in 'car'
'ai' = schwa + short e sound.. (like a Bihari would say 'paisa')

depending upon stress (and intended comic effect) and regional accents these vowels can be extended.

- native speaker


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## tonyspeed

ainch said:


> In Nepali:
> 
> 'bis-taa-rai' (बिस्तारै) for slowly
> 'paa-lai paa-lo/pi-lo' (पालै पालो/पिलो ) turn by turn
> 
> note:
> 
> 'aa' as in 'car'
> 'ai' = schwa + short e sound.. (like a Bihari would say 'paisa')
> 
> depending upon stress (and intended comic effect) and regional accents these vowels can be extended.
> 
> - native speaker




Is there a direct translation for step-by-step as opposed to just slowly?


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## ainch

It would depend upon context, Tony. If you gave me a few sentences, I could try a few translations.

Literally,

step = staircase step = खुड्किलो = khuD.ki.lo
step = level = श्रेणी/चरण  = shre.Ni/cha.raN

But these could be some related meanings.

1. *one by one* = ek ek ga.re.ra/ga.ri (एकएक गरेर/गरी)

2. *little by little* = ali ali ga.re.ra/ga.ri (अलिअलि गरेर/गरी)

3. *one at a time* = ek pa.Tak.maa yau.Taa (एक पटकमा यौटा) OR ek cho.Ti.maa yau.Taa (एक चोटिमा यौटा)

4. *in a gradual manner*; "the snake moved gradually towards its victim"

"सर्प बिस्तारै आफ्नो शिकारतर्फ सर्‍यो/घस्रियो/बग्यो"
"sar.pa bis.taa.rai aaph.no si.kaar.tar.pha bis.taa.rai sa.ryo/Ghas.ri.yo/bag.yo"
"_snake slowly/gradually its hunt.towards moved/crawled/flowed_"

[sar.nu - to move; Ghas.ri.nu - to crawl and bag.nu - to flow (like water) also describe snake movements]

5. *proceedings in steps*; "the voltage was increased stepwise"

"भोल्टेज चरणबद्ध रूपमा बढाइयो"
"bhol.Tej cha.raN.bad.dha roop.maa ba.Dha.i.yo"
"_voltage stage.wise form.in__ increased.was_"

6. *in each step - *ha.rek paai.laa.maa (हरेक पाइलामा) or ha.rek ka.dam.maa (हरेक कदममा); harek = each
or for emphasis: paai.laa.paai.laa.maa (पाइलापाइलामा) or ka.dam.ka.dam.maa (कदमकदममा)


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