Q&A for How to Say Common Words in Bengali

"Ji" and "hæ" both mean "yes." "Ji" is a more polite version of "hæ" and is said only in Bangladesh, though "hæ" is still much more common and is polite enough for most situations.

You say "apni ki pani neben" or "apni ki jol neben" -- 'pani' is used mostly in Bangladesh, whereas 'jol' is commonly used in Indian Bengali states.

It means "I didn't understand."

It's a way of saying, "Oh, is that it?" Mostly to confirm what the other person is saying.

You say "aami jaai."

"Ami bhalo achi" is the most common way of saying "I am fine" in Bengali. It's a neutral phrase.

Two of the most common ways to say "Enjoy your day" are: "Apnar din bhalo jaak"/"Apnar din shubho hok" (formal), and "Tomar din bhalo jaak" (informal).

You say, ''kaj shere ekhane esho."

You say "Ami shollo bochorer chele" if you are a boy, or "Ami shollo bochorer meye" if you are a girl.

Tor khobor basically means, what's up? Tor, tui, toke - these types of words are used for talking to close friends, close cousins, siblings, etc.

Say "Dukkhito" if it is to someone informal, like a friend. If you want to be more polite, say "Ami onek Dukkhito."

We usually say "Ami amar kaaj korchi, apni apnar ta korun." (formal); "Ami amar kaaj korchi, tumi tomar ta koro." (informal); or "Ami amar kaaj korchi, tui tor kaaj kor." (very informal)

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You can say "Shubho Ratri" or "Shubho Shondha" (good evening).

'Ami ki bhalo meye?' which translates to 'Am I a good girl?'.

"Oi chhobi ta besh shundor" or "Oi chhobi ta khub shundor" means "that picture is very beautiful."

It depends how you use it. If you say "She is very little", you would say "O onik choto" (choto meaning little). However, if you say "I know a little", you would say "Ami eektu jani" (with eektu meaning little).

"Apnar/tomar/tor bhai". 'Brother' translates to 'bhai' in Bengali, whereas 'apnar', 'tomar' and 'tor' are respectively the formal, semi-formal and informal words for addressing a person.

You can call him “Ro-sho-golla.” This is what most Bengali girls use when speaking about their boyfriends.

You can say, "Nijer chorkai tel din," which is the Bengali translation of "oil your own machine."

It depends. If you are asking someone informally, like your friend, you would say, 'Tui bhalo korey ghoomechish?" If you are asking someone formally, like a guest or stranger, you would say, "Apni bhalo korey ghommechen?"

It can be translated as "Abar dekha hobe (we will meet again)"/"Ajker moton thole ashi" (I take my leave for today)"/"Aaj ashi (literally, "I am coming", a polite way of saying goodbye), or "Inshallah, abar dekha hobe" ("if God permits, we will meet again").

It means, "What do I say?"

You could say "Bhalo thako," "Valo thako," or "Bhalo thaiken."

You would say "O ke ki American der moto lagche?"

It means, "What happened to your eyes?" Ki holo means "what happened", and chokhe means "to the eyes".

Say 'Ami kichu bolte pari na'. If you are trying to indicate that you don't know how to speak Bengali, say 'Ami Banglai kotha bolte pari na'.

"Didi tumi kothay gacho?" is the Bengali translation for "Where have you gone sister?"

"Amra kakhun dekha korbo?" It can be used both formally and informally.

You can say "তুমি কিভাবে বলো" which is pronounced "Tumi kibhabe balo".