25 Bengali Phrases Every Traveler Needs
Survival Bengali for Kolkata and Dhaka: greetings, bargaining, directions, emergencies, and the phrases locals actually appreciate from foreign visitors.
The moment you attempt a Bengali phrase in Kolkata or Dhaka — even a clumsy one — the response is disproportionate. Bengali speakers are genuinely surprised when foreigners try their language, and genuinely pleased. আপনি কি বাংলা জানেন? (apni ki bangla janen?, "do you know Bengali?") is often the first question that follows. The answer একটু একটু (ektu ektu, "little by little") will take you further in most conversations than a textbook sentence. Here are the 25 phrases that cover the actual situations you'll face.
Greetings and Farewells
Bengali greetings depend on who you're addressing and where you are. The key split is between West Bengal (predominantly Hindu, where নমস্কার dominates) and Bangladesh (predominantly Muslim, where সালাম আলাইকুম is the default). If you're unsure, follow the other person's lead.
| Bengali | Romanization | IPA | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| নমস্কার | Nomoshkar | /nomʃkar/ | Hello (Hindu Bengali default) |
| সালাম আলাইকুম | Salam alaykum | /ʃalɑm alajkum/ | Hello (Muslim Bengali default) |
| কেমন আছেন? | Kemon achhen? | /kemɔn atʃʰen/ | How are you? (formal) |
| ভালো আছি | Bhalo aachi | /bʱɑlo atʃʰi/ | I'm well |
| আসি | Aashi | /aʃi/ | Goodbye (casual; lit. "I go") |
| ভালো থাকবেন | Bhalo thakben | /bʱɑlo tʰɑkben/ | Stay well (respectful farewell) |
The greeting নমস্কার (Nomoshkar) uses an unaspirated /k/ — no air puff after it, unlike the English "k" in "kayak." Bengali has strict pairs of aspirated and unaspirated stops throughout the alphabet, and getting this right signals a level of phonological care that Bengali speakers notice. The essential Bengali greetings guide goes deeper into the register system — including when apni, tumi, and tui shift the entire verb form.
Transactional Phrases: Prices and Shopping
Markets in Kolkata (New Market, Gariahat, College Street) and Dhaka (Bashundhara City, Gausia, the Old Town markets) run on negotiation. Fixed prices exist at large malls; everywhere else, a first quote is an opening offer.
| Bengali | Romanization | IPA | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| এটা কত? | Eta koto? | /etɑ koto/ | How much is this? |
| অনেক বেশি | Onek beshi | /onɛk beʃi/ | Too expensive / too much |
| একটু কম করুন | Ektu kom korun | /ektu kom korun/ | Please reduce the price a bit |
| এটা নেব | Eta nebo | /etɑ nebo/ | I'll take this |
| আমি [amount] দেব | Ami [amount] debo | /ami debo/ | I'll give [amount] |
| মোট কত? | Mot koto? | /mot koto/ | What's the total? |
The phrase অনেক বেশি (onek beshi) is your first counter in any negotiation. Say it calmly, not indignantly — the tone is "I'm a reasonable person who knows roughly what things cost," not "you're cheating me." The vendor expects it. Silence after onek beshi, followed by a slow start toward the exit, is often the most effective negotiating tactic in Kolkata's New Market.
Numbers matter here. Bargaining happens in round numbers — the Bengali words for 50, 100, 200, and 500 come up constantly. পঞ্চাশ (ponchaash, /pɔntʃaʃ/) is 50, একশো (ekshho, /ekʃo/) is 100, দুইশো (duishho, /duiʃo/) is 200. Bengali numbers 1 to 100 covers the full system, which is worth knowing before you hit any market.
Directions: Getting Where You're Going
Kolkata's grid is imperfect and its street names are dual (the old British names and the renamed Bengali versions coexist). Dhaka is dense and fast. In both cities, asking a human for directions remains far more reliable than GPS in unfamiliar areas.
| Bengali | Romanization | IPA | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| [জায়গা] কোথায়? | [Jayga] kothay? | /kotʰaj/ | Where is [place]? |
| কীভাবে যাব? | Kibhabe jabo? | /kibʱɑbe dʒɑbo/ | How do I get there? |
| বাঁয়ে | Baye | /bɑje/ | Left |
| ডানে | Dane | /dɑne/ | Right |
| সোজা যান | Shoja jan | /ʃodʒɑ dʒɑn/ | Go straight |
| কাছেই আছে | Kachhe-i achhe | /katʃʰe atʃʰe/ | It's nearby |
| অনেক দূর | Onek dur | /onɛk dur/ | It's far away |
The most useful construction is the shortest one: the place name plus কোথায়? (kothay?, "where?"). মেট্রো কোথায়? (metro kothay?) — "where's the metro?" — হাসপাতাল কোথায়? (hashpatal kothay?) — "where's the hospital?" — works in any situation. Bengali speakers in both cities are generally patient with confused foreigners asking directions.
রিকশা (rickshaw, /rikʃɑ/) remains the dominant short-distance transport in both cities. In Dhaka, সিএনজি (CNG, the auto-rickshaw) is essential. In Kolkata, the অ্যাপ ক্যাব (app cab, Ola or Uber) is reliable, but knowing how to state your destination in Bengali helps when the driver's app struggles with English transliterations of neighborhood names.
Two more direction phrases worth memorizing: সামনে (shamne, /ʃɑmne/, "ahead/in front") and পেছনে (pechone, /petʃʰone/, "behind"). Combined with ডানে and বাঁয়ে, you can construct rough directional instructions even when your vocabulary is thin — সামনে গিয়ে ডানে (shamne giye dane, "go forward then turn right") will get you far.
Emergency Phrases
These are the phrases you hope you never need but must have before you arrive, not while you're searching for them.
| Bengali | Romanization | IPA | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| সাহায্য করুন! | Shahayyo korun! | /ʃɑhɑdʒdʒo korun/ | Help me! |
| বাঁচাও! | Bachao! | /bɑtʃɑo/ | Help! / Save me! (urgent) |
| থামো! | Thamo! | /tʰɑmo/ | Stop! |
| ডাক্তার দরকার | Daktar dorkar | /dɑktɑr dorkɑr/ | I need a doctor |
| পুলিশ ডাকুন | Pulish dakun | /puliʃ dɑkun/ | Call the police |
| আমার হোটেলের ঠিকানা | Amar hoteler thikana | /ɑmɑr hoteler tʰikɑnɑ/ | My hotel's address |
| আমি হারিয়ে গেছি | Ami hariye gechi | /ɑmi hɑrije getʃʰi/ | I'm lost |
| আমাকে ছেড়ে দিন | Amake chhere din | /ɑmɑke tʃʰere din/ | Let me go / Leave me alone |
The word বাঁচাও! (bachao!) is the most urgent distress call — it's louder and more alarming than shahayyo korun and signals immediate danger rather than a request for assistance. The chandrabindu mark above the আঁ (the small crescent) nasalizes the vowel — the "a" sound goes slightly through the nose.
Write your hotel's address and name in Bengali script before you leave the hotel each day. Most Bengali-speaking drivers and pedestrians find it easier to read the script than a romanized transliteration. Your hotel's front desk can write this on a card for you — it takes thirty seconds and removes the biggest single point of failure for a foreign visitor navigating a new city.
Polite Extras Bengali Speakers Appreciate
This category is genuinely worth the time to practice. Bengali speakers from Kolkata in particular tend to be culturally curious, and a foreign visitor who makes real conversational effort gets an unusually warm response.
আমি বাংলা শিখছি (ami bangla shikhchi, /ɑmi bɑŋlɑ ʃikʰtʃʰi/) — "I'm learning Bengali." Say this early in any conversation and it reframes everything that follows. Bengalis will slow down, repeat things, and correct you patiently. It works like a social key.
আরেকটু আস্তে বলুন (arektu aste bolun, /ɑrektu ɑʃte bolun/) — "please speak a bit slower." Nobody is offended. The -বলুন (bolun) ending is the polite imperative — using it marks you as someone who has learned more than tourist phrases.
এটা খুব ভালো (eta khub bhalo, /etɑ kʰub bʱɑlo/) — "this is very good." Useful when eating something delicious, when admiring a piece of craftsmanship at a market, or when someone performs a kindness. Bengali culture has a self-deprecating response system to compliments — the person will likely say আরে না না (are na na, "oh no no") — but the phrase was received and appreciated regardless.
ধন্যবাদ (dhonnobad, /dʱɔnnobɑd/) is the formal "thank you," but note that in casual registers between people who know each other, Bengalis often skip the formal thanks entirely — a warm look and a আচ্ছা (achha, "okay / I see") carries the same weight. Using dhonnobad with a stranger or shopkeeper is always appropriate and slightly elevating. Using it constantly with someone you're close to can sound oddly formal, the way "I thank you" sounds stiff in English.
— অনেক ধন্যবাদ।
— আরে, কী এমন। ভালো থাকবেন।
(Onek dhonnobad. — Are, ki emon. Bhalo thakben.)
"Thank you so much. — Oh, it's nothing. Stay well."
That response — কী এমন (ki emon, "what's the big deal / it's nothing") — is the standard deflection. Bengalis deflect thanks reflexively; it's politeness, not dismissal. 15 Essential Bengali Phrases Every Beginner Should Know covers the full gratitude register, including the different ways to receive thanks in return.
A Note on Kolkata vs Dhaka Pronunciation
The same phrases above will sound slightly different depending on where you are. Kolkata Bengali tends to be softer, with the retroflex consonants (ট, ঠ, ড, ঢ) somewhat lighter. Dhaka Bengali is generally sharper, with harder stops and some vowel differences — the word for "what" is কী in both, but Dhaka speakers often pronounce it closer to /ki/ while Kolkata speakers tend toward /kʰi/ with a slight aspiration.
Neither form is more "correct." They're regional standards, like British and American English. If you learned your phrases from a Kolkata speaker, they'll work fine in Dhaka — and vice versa. The effort matters more than the accent.
One last phrase that covers more situations than you'd expect: আমি বুঝিনি (ami bujhini, /ɑmi budʒʱini/) — "I didn't understand." It's the honest fallback when a conversation moves faster than your vocabulary. Bengalis respond to it with patience. The greater mistake is pretending you understood and then acting on a wrong assumption about a bus route or a price.
The Brightwood Apps Learn Bengali app teaches all of these phrases across its first several units with native-speaker audio from both Kolkata and Dhaka speakers — so you hear both regional phonologies before you arrive, not after.
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