"You" in Hindi: आप, तुम and तू, and How English Handles Politeness

English has a single you. Hindi has three, and choosing the right one matters.

The three levels

Hindi	Level	Use
आप	respectful	elders, strangers, teachers, formal situations
तुम	familiar	friends, younger people, peers
तू	very informal	very close friends, children, or as an insult

Verbs change with the pronoun

Pronoun	Example
आप	आप जाते हैं / आप बैठिए
तुम	तुम जाते हो / तुम बैठो
तू	तू जाता है / तू बैठ

Using तू with someone you don't know well can sound rude, so it is best avoided until you are sure.

Requests

Hindi shows politeness in the verb ending:

• आप बैठिए। — Please sit down. (very polite)
• तुम बैठो। — Sit down. (friendly)
• तू बैठ। — Sit. (very informal)

How English shows respect

English has no separate pronoun, so it uses other tools:

• Titles: Sir, Madam, Mr, Dr
• Softeners: please, could you, would you mind
• Formal vocabulary: I would like instead of I want

Hindi	English
आप कृपया बैठिए।	Please have a seat.
क्या आप मेरी मदद कर सकते हैं?	Could you help me, please?

Translating tips

• Translate आप as you plus polite language.
• Translate तुम as you, with a friendlier tone.
• Translate तू as you, and note the closeness or rudeness in context.

Respect words in Hindi

• जी — an addition that shows respect: हाँ जी (yes), पिता जी (father).
• कृपया — please.
• धन्यवाद — thank you.

Tips

1. Use आप when unsure.
2. Learn the imperative forms of common verbs.
3. Add "please" in English to match Hindi politeness.

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