8 phrases · A1 · A2 · B1

Asking for information in English

Every phrase below is a fixed shape you can fill in and use immediately, ordered from the simplest to the most advanced. Each one carries what it means in English and in Hindi, three examples that vary the slot, and the situations it actually gets said in.

The phrases

Simplest first. The braces mark the part you change.

  • Where is {NOUN}?

    A1

    Ask where something or somebody is.

    ___ कहाँ है?

    • Where is the station?
    • Where is the nearest ATM?
    • Where is your office exactly?

    Anywhere · say it as: Where is / the station · used travelling, at work

  • Do you have any {NOUN}?

    A1

    Ask whether something is available.

    क्या आपके पास कोई ___ है?

    • Do you have any questions?
    • Do you have any smaller sizes?
    • Do you have any time this week?

    Anywhere · say it as: Do you have any / questions · used shops and services, at work

  • How much is {NOUN}?

    A1

    Ask the price of something.

    ___ कितने का है?

    • How much is this shirt?
    • How much is the delivery charge?
    • How much is a monthly pass?

    Anywhere · say it as: How much is / this shirt · used shops and services, travelling

  • Could you tell me {CLAUSE}?

    A2

    Ask for information politely — the safest opener with a stranger.

    क्या आप मुझे बता सकते हैं कि ___?

    • Could you tell me where the office is?
    • Could you tell me when it opens?
    • Could you tell me how much it costs?

    Polite — strangers, seniors, customers · say it as: Could you tell me / where the office is · used travelling, shops and services

  • How long does it take to {VERB}?

    A2

    Ask how much time something needs.

    ___ करने में कितना समय लगता है?

    • How long does it take to get there?
    • How long does it take to learn?
    • How long does it take to process the refund?

    Anywhere · say it as: How long does it take / to get there · used travelling, at work

  • I'm looking for {NOUN}

    A2

    Say what you are trying to find.

    मैं ___ ढूँढ रहा/रही हूँ।

    • I'm looking for a new job.
    • I'm looking for the accounts department.
    • I'm looking for something under two thousand rupees.

    As a question: What exactly are you looking for?

    Anywhere · say it as: I'm looking for / a new job · used shops and services, interviews, at work

  • Do you know how to {VERB}?

    A2

    Ask whether somebody has a skill — and open the door to being taught.

    क्या आपको ___ करना आता है?

    • Do you know how to fix this?
    • Do you know how to get there from the station?
    • Do you know how to use this machine?

    Anywhere · say it as: Do you know / how to fix this · used at work, travelling

  • What's the difference between {X} and {Y}?

    B1

    Ask somebody to explain two things you keep mixing up.

    ___ और ___ में क्या फ़र्क़ है?

    • What's the difference between the two plans?
    • What's the difference between this role and the previous one?
    • What's the difference between a draft and a final version here?

    Anywhere · say it as: What's the difference / between the two plans · used at work, college

What goes wrong

The versions that get said instead, and why they land differently.

Commonly saidCorrect English

Where the station is?

Where is the station?

In a question, "is" comes before the thing you are asking about.

Do you have any question?

Do you have any questions?

After "any", a countable noun goes plural.

How much this costs?

How much does this cost?

A question about an action needs "do" or "does" in front of it.

Could you tell me where is the office?

Could you tell me where the office is?

Inside a longer question the word order goes back to normal — "where the office is", not "where is the office".

How much time it takes to get there?

How long does it take to get there?

A question about an action needs "does" in front of it.

I'm searching a new job.

I'm looking for a new job.

"Search" needs "for" too, and in everyday speech "look for" is what people actually say.

Where you will need these

The same phrases, sorted by the room you are standing in.

More phrase groups on the phrases index, or browse by situation on the speaking pages.

Reading it is not the same as saying it.

A phrase you have read is not a phrase you can reach for. CoCap makes you produce it, in a conversation, and corrects what comes out.

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