Convenience Store

16 phrases · Marathi with romanization, English and audio

  1. काय पाहिजे?

    Kaay paa-hi-je?

    What do you need?

    Usage

    Said by staff. A Maharashtrian kirana shop is counter-service, with the stock shelved behind the shopkeeper. Unlike a Japanese konbini you cannot pick things up yourself — you have to name what you want

    Grammar Note

    "Pahije" is subjectless and means "is wanted"; the person who wants it appears in the dative, as in "mala pahije" (I want). Marathi routinely expresses need and desire this way

  2. पिशवी हवी का?

    Pi-sha-vee ha-vee kaa?

    Do you need a bag?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Maharashtra brought in a strict plastic ban in 2018 and thin carrier bags vanished. Shops now charge for cloth or paper, so locals carry their own bag

    Grammar Note

    "Hava / havi / have" agrees with the gender of the thing wanted; "pishavi" is feminine, hence "havi". Adding "ka" at the end turns any sentence into a question, much like Japanese "ka"

  3. सुट्टे पैसे आहेत का?

    Sut-te pai-se aa-het kaa?

    Do you have small change?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Small Indian shops are perpetually short of change, so handing over a 500-rupee note prompts this every time. A sale can even fall through, so deliberately hoard notes of 100 and under

    Grammar Note

    "Paise" is plural, so the verb agrees as "ahet". The Marathi copula "ahe" inflects for person and number, with "ahe" for singular and "ahet" for plural

  4. ऑनलाइन QR कोडने पेमेंट चालेल का?

    Onalāin QR koḍne pemeṃṭ cālel kā?

    Can I pay online by QR code?

    Usage

    UPI QR payment is universal in India, from street carts to big stores, used even for ten-rupee purchases — every counter has a QR board on display. Foreigners, however, need an Indian bank account or a compatible app

    Grammar Note

    "Chalel" is the future of "chalne" (to walk, to run) and is the everyday word for "that will do". "Chalel ka?" works as a general-purpose "is that acceptable?" in almost any situation

  5. हे एक द्या

    He ek dyaa

    Give me one of these

    Usage

    Since kirana stock sits behind the shopkeeper, pointing while saying this is the surest approach. Change the number for "don dya" (two) or "teen dya" (three)

    Grammar Note

    "Dya" is the polite imperative of "dene" (to give); "de" is the familiar form, but a shop is a first meeting so "dya" is right. Marathi imperatives come in three levels of respect

  6. थंड पाणी आहे का?

    Thand paa-nee aa-he kaa?

    Do you have cold water?

    Usage

    Never drink tap water in India — buy sealed bottled water. Maharashtra summers pass forty degrees and the chilled stock sells out first. Always check that the seal is intact

    Grammar Note

    Marathi adjectives precede the noun. "Pani" is neuter — unlike Hindi, Marathi has preserved all three genders: masculine, feminine and neuter

  7. दुकान किती वाजता बंद होतं?

    Du-kaan ki-ti vaaj-taa band ho-tan?

    What time does the shop close?

    Usage

    Kirana shops in Mumbai and Pune open early and run to around ten at night, covering much the same hours as a konbini. Some close for a few hours after lunch, though, and may shut on Sundays and festival days

    Grammar Note

    "Vajta" derives from "vajne" (to strike, of a clock) and marks the hour. "Dukan" is neuter, so the verb takes the neuter form "hotan" — in Marathi even verbs agree in gender

  8. किती झाले?

    Ki-ti jhaa-le?

    How much does it come to?

    Usage

    In a kirana shop the items come out one at a time and you ask for the total at the end. There is often no till or display — the owner totals it in his head — so this line is the cue to settle up

    Grammar Note

    "Jhale" is the perfective of "hone" (to become), so the question is literally how much it has become — the same idiom English uses in "how much did it come to"

  9. पावती द्या

    Paav-tee dyaa

    Please give me a receipt

    Usage

    A kirana shop normally issues no receipt, so ask if you need one; modern chains like D-Mart and Reliance Fresh print one automatically. Get it whenever you might return an item or claim an expense

    Grammar Note

    "Pavti" is a feminine noun from "pavne" (to receive), literally an acknowledgement of receipt. Marathi commonly derives feminine nouns from verb stems with the ending "-ti"

  10. हे गरम करून मिळेल का?

    He ga-ram ka-roon mi-lel kaa?

    Could I get this heated up?

    Usage

    Indian kirana shops do not reheat food. For something hot you go to one of the countless street carts or small eateries, where it is cooked fresh — cheaper and better besides

    Grammar Note

    "Milne" (to be obtained) is intransitive and is the standard way to ask whether something can be had. Because it avoids making the other person the subject, it softens the request

  11. जवळ एटीएम आहे का?

    Ja-val e-tee-em aa-he kaa?

    Is there an ATM nearby?

    Usage

    Indian shops do not house ATMs, but the owner knows the neighbourhood and will point you to one. Machines are often out of cash or out of order, so withdraw while you can

    Grammar Note

    "Javal" is a postposition meaning "near", also used after a noun as in "majhyajaval" (with me). English abbreviations such as ATM are simply transliterated into Devanagari

  12. मोबाईल रिचार्ज होतो का?

    Mo-baa-il ri-chaarj ho-to kaa?

    Can I top up my mobile here?

    Usage

    Prepaid Indian SIMs can be topped up right at a kirana counter — give your number and the amount and the owner does it from his own app. It is the easiest fix when a tourist SIM runs out of data

    Grammar Note

    The pattern "noun + hoto" gives an impersonal "it is done", with no need to name the agent. "Recharge" is treated as masculine, so the verb takes the masculine "hoto"

  13. हे किती दिवस टिकेल?

    He ki-ti di-vas ti-kel?

    How many days will this keep?

    Usage

    Food spoils fast in Indian heat, and dairy or cooked snacks can turn within hours. Package dates are often hard to read, so asking the shopkeeper directly is the reliable move

    Grammar Note

    "Tikne" means to last or keep, applying to food and objects alike. The future "tikel" adds "-el" to the stem, marking third-person singular future

  14. एक सिगारेट मिळेल का?

    Ek si-gaa-ret mi-lel kaa?

    Could I get a single cigarette?

    Usage

    Cigarettes in India are commonly sold one at a time, and not at the kirana but at a paan tapri — a street kiosk that also sells betel, sweets and drinks, and doubles as a neighbourhood news hub

    Grammar Note

    The English loanword "sigaret" is treated as feminine. Marathi assigns gender to borrowings too, usually guided by the final sound or by a semantically close native word

  15. घरपोच मिळेल का?

    Ghar-poch mi-lel kaa?

    Can you deliver to my place?

    Usage

    Free home delivery is a defining feature of the Indian kirana. Even a small order goes out by bicycle to a nearby address. Stay a while and use the same shop, and a phone call becomes enough

    Grammar Note

    "Gharpoch" compounds "ghar" (home) and "poch" (reaching) to mean home delivery. Marathi readily welds two words together to name a new concept

  16. पिशवी नको, माझ्याकडे आहे

    Pi-sha-vee na-ko, maa-jhyaa-ka-de aa-he

    No bag, I have one with me

    Usage

    How to decline when carrying a reusable bag. Since Maharashtra's plastic ban, bringing a cloth bag has become entirely standard, and this line speeds up the transaction

    Grammar Note

    "Nako" is the negative of "have" (wanted) and conveniently never inflects for gender. Possession is expressed as "-kade ahe" (is at someone), with no verb corresponding to "have"

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