Yes, no and the essentials in Telugu
The small words that carry half of every conversation, and the ones that rescue it. Play the ten Telugu 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 Telugu phrases in this lesson
- అవునుa-VU-nu
- Yes
- కాదుKAA-du
- No
- సరేsa-RAY
- Okay
- నాకు అర్థం కాలేదుNAA-ku AR-tham kaa-LAY-du
- I don't understand
- మీకు ఇంగ్లీషు వచ్చా?MEE-ku ING-lee-shu vach-CHAA
- Do you speak English?
- మళ్ళీ చెప్పండిMAL-lee CHEP-pan-di
- Can you repeat that?
- నెమ్మదిగా మాట్లాడండిNEM-ma-di-gaa MAAT-laa-dan-di
- Slowly, please
- ఇది ఏమిటి?I-di AE-mi-ti
- What is this?
- నాకు ... అవసరంNAA-ku ... a-va-SA-ram
- I need...
- నాకు సహాయం చేస్తారా?NAA-ku sa-HAA-yam CHAE-staa-raa
- Can you help me?
The standard affirmative. In casual speech you may also hear "haan" (హాన్) borrowed from Hindi, especially in Hyderabad.
Used to negate or disagree. For "no, I do not want it" at a stall, a slight sideways head shake combined with "kaadu" is clear and friendly.
The most common word for okay, sure, or alright. You will hear it constantly in conversation. Versatile and informal.
Use this when someone speaks too fast or uses dialect. Most urban Telugus will switch to English or slow down immediately.
Hyderabad is an IT hub and English proficiency is high there. In rural Andhra, younger people often know some English. Always worth asking.
Literally "say it again".
Literally "speak slowly".