Hindi · Real conversations
Change a plan naturally in Hindi
When a plan changes, state the change early. Ask for a new day, explain that you cannot attend, or give a realistic arrival time and check whether it works.
Three ways to say it
क्या हम अपनी मुलाकात शुक्रवार को रख सकते हैं?kya ham apni mulaakaat shukravaar ko rakh sakte hain?
Could we move our meeting to Friday?
Request a new day for an existing meeting.
अचानक कुछ काम आ गया है। आज नहीं आ पाऊँगा / पाऊँगी।achaanak kuchh kaam aa gaya hai. aaj nahin aa paaunga / paaungi.
Something has come up. I can't make it today.
Explain an unexpected commitment and decline today's arrangement.
माफ़ कीजिए, मैं दस मिनट देर से पहुँचूँगा / पहुँचूँगी। क्या यह ठीक है?maaf kijiye, main das minute der se pahunchoonga / pahunchoongi. kya yah theek hai?
I'm sorry, I'll be ten minutes late. Is that okay?
Give the expected delay and ask whether that is acceptable.
Avoid translating word by word
English 'something has come up' usually means an unexpected matter needs attention. It does not describe an object moving upward. The examples use a natural expression for an unexpected event or task.
See the difference in context
Moving a Thursday meeting
क्या गुरुवार अब भी ठीक है?kya guruvaar ab bhi theek hai?
Is Thursday still okay?
क्या हम अपनी मुलाकात शुक्रवार को रख सकते हैं?kya ham apni mulaakaat shukravaar ko rakh sakte hain?
Could we move our meeting to Friday?
Changing an afternoon arrangement
आज दोपहर मिलते हैं।aaj dopahar milte hain.
See you this afternoon.
अचानक कुछ काम आ गया है। आज नहीं आ पाऊँगा / पाऊँगी।achaanak kuchh kaam aa gaya hai. aaj nahin aa paaunga / paaungi.
Something has come up. I can't make it today.
Your turn
Tell someone you will be ten minutes late. Apologize and ask whether the revised time is okay.
Reveal a sample reply
माफ़ कीजिए, मैं दस मिनट देर से पहुँचूँगा / पहुँचूँगी। क्या यह ठीक है?maaf kijiye, main das minute der se pahunchoonga / pahunchoongi. kya yah theek hai?
I'm sorry, I'll be ten minutes late. Is that okay?
This speaking goal in other languages
A note on speaking Hindi
These examples generally use respectful आप (aap). Familiar तुम (tum) changes the verb ending, and तू (tu) can sound too intimate or disrespectful in the wrong relationship. Where gender changes a first-person form, choose the version that describes the speaker.
Read the Devanagari alongside the romanization. Romanization is a reading aid rather than an exact description of every sound. Everyday Hindi can use familiar loanwords, while a literal English word order may sound unnatural.
