Quick Hindi->Bengali Converter

Derived from Sanskrit, the first literature in this language is the 16th century (?) work by Jayadev called Geet Govinda. Modern Bengali developed in the 19th century, with a large infusion of Sanskritised words. This makes Bengali an easy language to learn if you know any other north Indian language. The script is probably descended from eastern Nagri.

Modern Hindi speakers can easily follow Bengali if they remember the following rules for pronunciation

  1. The short A sound in Bengali is like the A sound in the English words ball, call, mall or wall.
  2. The dental V changes to the labial B.
  3. The three sibilants are not distinguished, and all are pronounced as the sound 'sh' in the English word shot.

The rules of grammar differ from Hindi at several points. Among the major changes--

  1. The conjugation of verbs does not depend on the gender of the subject.
SG, Aug 6, 1995