Sometimes you don't have time to learn long lists of words and phrases. All you want to know are the bare essentials for communicating to get what you need, or where you need to go.
Here are the bare minimum of Telugu words and phrases you need to know to survive.
Learn the Top 10 Phrases if you only have time for the barest minimum. If you need or want more, then take a look at the Top 20 Phrases, Top 30 Phrases and the Extra Phrases.
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Hello.
How much is it?|
Here are ten more phrases that will help you make new friends and ask for directions ...
The Top 20 ... |
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mī pēru ēmiti? What is your name? nā pēru ... undi. My name is ... eTlā unnāru? How are you? bāgunnānu. mīru eTlā unnāru? Fine. And you? ... ekkaDa undi? Where is ...? TāyileT ekkaDa undi? maniSi/strīi. Where is the toilet? Men/Women. kśamincanDi. ayanDi. Sorry. Excuse me. samasya lēdu. No problem. nāku ... kāvāli. I want ... nāku ... vaddu. I don't want ... |
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Here are another ten phrases to help you make a little more conversation and to get around ...
The Top 30 ... |
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mīru ekkaDa nuNDi? Where are you from? nē āsTrēliyāa nuNDi reDī. I am from Australia. billu kāvāli. The bill, please. nēnu dāri tappi pōyānu. I'm lost. āpu! veyiT cēyi! Stop! Wait! ikkaDa, akkaDa. Here, there. Tāksī. hōTal. vīmānāSrayam. sTēśan. Taxi. Hotel. Airport. Station. nāku ... iśTam. I like ... nāku ... iśTam lēdu. I don't like ... okaTi, reNDu, mūDu, nālgu, aidu. one, two, three, four, five. āru, ēDu, enimidi, tommidi, padi. six, seven, eight, nine, ten. *Or choose your country: amerikā - America kenaDā - Canada briTan - England nyūjīlānD - New Zealand |
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Here are some extra words and phrases you might find useful, especially if you have dietary needs or allergies ...
Useful Extras ... |
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śubhā ārōgyam! ciru navvu! Cheers! manci / ceDu good / bad pedda / cinna big / small daggarlō / duram near / far takkuva / ekkuva less / more inka okati / cālu another / enough nēnu Sākāhāram reDī. I am vegetarian. nēnu māmsam tinaTam lēdu. I don't eat meat. ... kodi māmsam ... ... chicken. ... cēpalu ... ... fish. nāku veru senaga pappulu paDavu. I am allergic to peanuts. ... cēpalu ... ... fish/seafood. ... pālu ... ... dairy products. ... guDlu ... ... eggs. |
Vowels:
A vowel with a macron indicates a long vowel, ie. ō is a long o
a is pronounced weakly as schwa ə (e as in brother)
-am is pronounced as ã (nasal a)
Consonants:
c is pronounced as ch (without a puff of air)
h adds a puff of air after the consonant, eg. th = tʰ
ś is pronounced as sh
v is pronounced as ʋ (midway between w and v)
Capital letters indicate retroflex consonants.
eg. D = ɖ (retroflex d)
(Hint: Retroflex consonants are made with the tongue curled back against the palate.)
A vowel with a macron indicates a long vowel, ie. ō is a long o
a is pronounced weakly as schwa ə (e as in brother)
-am is pronounced as ã (nasal a)
Consonants:
c is pronounced as ch (without a puff of air)
h adds a puff of air after the consonant, eg. th = tʰ
ś is pronounced as sh
v is pronounced as ʋ (midway between w and v)
Capital letters indicate retroflex consonants.
eg. D = ɖ (retroflex d)
(Hint: Retroflex consonants are made with the tongue curled back against the palate.)