Getting around in Bengali
Left, right, the station, one ticket, where is the toilet. Play the ten Bengali words against the clock, with a note on how locals really use each one after every answer. All ten are written out below.
All 10 Bengali phrases in this lesson
- টয়লেট কোথায়?TOY-let KO-thay
- Where is the toilet?
- ... কীভাবে যাব?KI-bha-be JA-bo
- How do I get to...?
- বাঁয়েBAA-ye
- To the left
- ডানেDA-ne
- To the right
- সোজাSHOH-ja
- Straight ahead
- এখানেe-KHA-ne
- Here
- রেলওয়ে স্টেশনREL-way STEY-shon
- Train station
- বাসBAASH
- Bus
- বিমানবন্দরbi-MAN-bon-dor
- Airport
- একটা টিকিট দিনEK-ta TI-kit DIN
- One ticket, please
The most useful sentence in any language. "শৌচাগার কোথায়?" (shou-CHA-gar KO-thay) is the formal Bengali word; টয়লেট (the borrowed English word) is what locals actually say.
Literally "how shall I go to ...?".
Directions: বাঁয়ে (left), ডানে (DA-ne, right), সোজা (SHOH-ja, straight ahead). Always watch the hands; they carry at least half the information in any set of directions.
Simple and clear. "সোজা যান" (SHOH-ja JAN, go straight) is the full form. Directions given by locals often come fast; watching for pointing hands helps enormously.
Kamalapur Railway Station is the main hub in Dhaka. Bus stand is "বাস স্ট্যান্ড" (BAASH stand). Train travel is slow but scenic and very cheap.
Buses are the main intercity transport in Bangladesh. In Dhaka, CNGs (auto-rickshaws running on compressed natural gas) and app-based rickshaws are the most common city options. Always agree on the fare before getting in a CNG.
For a return ticket, ask "ফেরার টিকিট" (FE-rar TI-kit). At busy bus counters, having the destination written in Bengali on your phone helps enormously.