Greetings and politeness in Marathi
Hello, please, thank you, sorry: the ten openers everything else builds on. Play the ten Marathi words against the clock, with a note on how locals really use each one after every answer. All ten are written out below.
All 11 Marathi phrases in this lesson
- नमस्कारna-ma-SKAAR
- Hello
- शुभ सकाळSHUBH sa-KAAL
- Good morning
- शुभ संध्याकाळSHUBH san-dhyaa-KAAL
- Good evening
- येतोYE-to
- Goodbye
- नंतर भेटूnan-tar BHE-too
- See you
- कृपयाKRIP-ya
- Please
- धन्यवादdhan-ya-VAAD
- Thank you
- काही हरकत नाहीKAA-hee HAR-kat NAA-hee
- You're welcome
- क्षमस्वKSHA-mas-va
- Sorry
- माफ कराMAAF ka-RAA
- Excuse me
- तुम्हाला भेटून आनंद झालाtum-HAA-laa BHE-toon aa-NAND jhaa-LAA
- Nice to meet you
The standard respectful greeting in Marathi. More formal than the Hindi "namaste" and very commonly used in Maharashtra when meeting elders or strangers.
"Sakal" means morning in Marathi. You will hear this on morning news programs and in schools. A warm and distinctly Marathi phrase.
Formal. In daily life नमस्कार (na-ma-SKAAR) covers the evening.
Literally "I'll come back", the everyday Marathi goodbye; a woman says येते (YE-te). निरोप (ni-ROP) is a formal farewell.
Literally "we'll meet later". येतो (YE-to) is the everyday goodbye.
Standard polite request word. Used in formal speech and writing. In casual Mumbai speech people often just use a softer tone rather than the word explicitly.
The everyday word for thanks, shared with Hindi. Completely natural in Marathi conversation. You will hear it constantly in shops and offices.
Literally "no objection at all", the everyday reply to thanks.
The formal apology. In daily speech, सॉरी (SO-ree) is everywhere.
Literally "please forgive." Use it to get attention, to squeeze past someone on a crowded Mumbai local train, or to apologize for a small mistake.
Literally "meeting you gave me joy".