Indian English is a vibrant blend of English and local languages. Find popular common Indian English phrases, their meanings, and more globally recognized alternatives.
| Word/Phrase (Indian English) | Meaning | Global Alternative |
| Aadhaar | A unique identification number for Indian citizens | National ID |
| Adjust (verb) | To manage or cope | |
| All is well | Everything is fine | I’m okay / No problem |
| Among yourself (be) | Relax, feel at home | Make yourself comfortable |
| App (mobile application) | Can be used, but “app” is common globally. | |
| Apply (to a college) | To submit an application for admission | Apply |
| Apply brakes | Slow down or stop doing something | Hit the brakes / Pump the brakes |
| Aunty/Uncle (used for anyone older) | Term of respect for someone older | Sir/Madam, Miss/Mister (unless a close family friend) |
| Auto/Auto rickshaw | Three-wheeled motorized taxi (more common than just “rickshaw”) | Auto rickshaw |
| Auto stand | Designated area to find auto rickshaws | Taxi rank |
| Backlog | Pending work | Backlog |
| Balance bill | Amount to be paid after tax and tip | Check, please |
| Ball pen | Pen | Pen |
| Bandh | A strike or shutdown | Strike, protest |
| Bargain (noun) | A good deal | Bargain |
| Bargain (verb) | To negotiate a price | Haggle |
| Batchmate | A member of the same graduating class | Classmate |
| Be in touch | Stay in contact | Keep in touch |
| Behind (schedule) | Late | Late |
| Bhaiyya/Didi (Hindi) | Brother/Sister (used as a term of address) | Sir/Madam (unless close) |
| Blessings | Used as a greeting for elders | How are you? |
| Blind corner | A corner with poor visibility | |
| Blood bank | Blood donation center | Blood donation center |
| Blood group | Blood type | Blood type |
| Botany department | Department of Botany in a university | Department of Botany |
| Bottled water | Packaged drinking water | |
| Bunking | Skipping class | Ditching class |
| Bunkum | Nonsense | Nonsense, rubbish |
| Can I parcel this? | Can I take this leftover food home? | Can I get this to go? |
| Carry bag | Plastic bag | Shopping bag |
| Carry on | Continue | |
| Chaat center | A stall selling savory street food snacks | Street food stall |
| Chai | Tea | Tea (though “chai” is gaining popularity globally) |
| Chance meeting | An unplanned encounter with someone | Chance meeting |
| Chappal | Open-toed sandals | Sandals |
| Chat (snack) | Savory street food snack | Savory street food snack |
| Chat (verb) | To talk casually | |
| Chat (verb) | To talk online | |
| Chawl | A large tenement building with shared facilities | Tenement building |
| Cheating (copying in exams) | Plagiarism | Cheating |
| Chill (out) | Relax | Calm down |
| Chill pill | To calm down | Relax, take it easy |
| Chuck | To throw something | Throw, toss |
| Chutney | A condiment made from ground spices, vegetables, or fruits | Chutney (gaining popularity globally) |
| Cold coffee | Iced coffee | |
| Collage (verb) | To put multiple pictures together to create a new image | Make a collage |
| College canteen | College cafeteria | College cafeteria |
| Colour photo | Color photograph | Color photograph |
| Complained (to register a grievance) | Filed a complaint | Filed a complaint |
| Cooling glass | Sunglasses | Shades |
| Cousin-brother/sister | A first cousin | Cousin |
| Cut chai | Strong milky tea | Strong milky tea |
| Cut piece (of cloth) | Remnant fabric | Remnant fabric |
| Cut the cake | Celebrate a birthday | Have cake |
| Cutlery | Utensils for eating | Utensils, silverware |
| Dhaba | Roadside restaurant | |
| Dhobi | Laundryman | Laundromat, dry cleaner |
| Diwali | Hindu festival of lights | Diwali (widely understood globally) |
| Do come again | Please visit again | You’re welcome (after a visit) |
| Do one thing | Please do this for me | Please do this for me |
| Do the needful | Please take care of this task | Please handle this, please take action |
| DP (Display Picture) | Profile picture on social media | |
| Drawing room | Living room | Living room |
| Drop a mail | To send an email | To send an email |
| Duplicate key | Spare key | Spare key |
| Eating my brain | Really bothering me | Annoying me, stressing me out |
| Electricity meter | Electric meter | Electric meter |
| Enquiry (to ask for information) | Inquiry | Inquiry |
| Enquiry counter | Information desk | Information desk |
| Entrance exam | Exam required for admission to a program | Entrance exam |
| Extra chutney | More chutney (condiment) | |
| Extracurricular activities | Activities outside the regular curriculum | Extracurricular activities |
| Favour (verb) | To like something | To like something |
| First copy (imitation product) | High-quality counterfeit product | High-quality counterfeit product |
| First impression (appearance) | How someone looks | First impression |
| Fix (to solve a problem) | To solve a problem | To solve a problem |
| Flat (apartment) | Apartment | Apartment, condo |
| Follow (on social media) | ||
| Forward (a message) | Share (a message) | |
| Full and final settlement | Final payment | Final payment, settlement in full |
| Full meals | Complete Indian meal with rice, curry, and accompaniments | |
| Full toss (cricket) | A type of bowling delivery in cricket | Full toss (cricket terminology) |
| Gatekeeper | Security guard at a gate | Security guard |
| Get down (from a vehicle) | To exit a vehicle | Get out, disembark |
| Godown | Warehouse | |
| Good name (What is your…) | How may I address you? | What is your name? |
| Good people (referring to oneself) | Polite way to refer to oneself | I, me |
| Good score (in exams) | High marks | High marks |
| Half plate | Smaller portion of a dish | |
| Hall ticket (exam admit card) | Permission slip to take an exam | Exam admit card |
| Have a bath | Take a shower (can be used for either) | Can be used, but shower is more common globally for a quick wash. |
| Have your food/tea etc. | Please eat/drink | Informal. Can be used with close friends or family. |
| Hostel (dormitory) | Dormitory | Dormitory |
| Hostel warden | Supervisor of a dormitory | Residence hall director |
| How are you managing? | How are you doing? | |
| In front (direction) | Ahead | |
| In hot waters | In trouble | |
| Incharge | Person in charge | In charge, manager |
| In-charge person | The person in charge | The person in charge |
| Indicator (turn signal) | Turn signal | |
| Interview (noun) | A job interview | Job interview |
| Interview (verb) | To take an interview | To conduct an interview |
| It will be managed | It will be taken care of | Don’t worry, I’ll handle it |
| Item song | Song in a movie that is not part of the plot | |
| It’s all Greek to me | I don’t understand | |
| Joining date | Start date of a new job | Start date |
| Jugaad | An ingenious fix or improvisation | MacGyver solution, workaround |
| Kindly adjust | Please make space | Please move, please excuse me |
| Kirana shop | A small neighborhood grocery store | Convenience store |
| Lag gayi (colloquial) | Got stuck (in traffic) | Got stuck (in traffic) |
| Lakh (100,000) / Crore (10 million) | Units of currency | Hundred thousand / Ten million |
| Leave (on) | Go on vacation/absence | Can be used, but “go on vacation” is more specific. |
| Leave encashment | Taking accumulated leave days as payment | Selling accrued vacation time (less common globally) |
| Let me know | Please inform me | |
| Lift (elevator) | Elevator | Elevator |
| Light snacks | Small amount of food to eat | Snacks |
| Local train | A commuter train in large cities | Commuter train |
| Long drive | A long journey by car | Road trip |
| Mango pickle | A condiment made from mangoes | Mango pickle (gaining popularity globally) |
| Masala film | Movie with multiple genres (comedy, romance, action) | |
| Meter (taxi) | Taxi with a fare meter | Metered taxi |
| Metro (subway system) | Subway system | Subway system |
| Metro station | Subway station (often used interchangeably with “station”) | Subway station |
| Mileage (fuel efficiency) | How far a vehicle can travel on a certain amount of fuel | Gas mileage |
| Mineral water | Bottled water | |
| Missed call (to get someone to call back) | A short call to prompt a call back | Short call to prompt a call back |
| Mobile (cell phone) | Cell phone | Cell phone (widely understood globally) |
| Monkey business | Mischief or silly behavior | |
| Mosquito net | A net used to keep mosquitoes away while sleeping | Mosquito net |
| Mug up | To cram for an exam | |
| My friend is eating my brain | My friend is talking excessively | My friend is being annoying/won’t stop talking |
| Netpack (internet data plan) | Data plan | |
| Night duty | Working at night | Night shift |
| On leave | Taking a vacation or time off work | On leave |
| On the way | Coming to see you | |
| Out of station | Out of town | Away |
| Outing (group activity) | A social gathering or excursion | Outing |
| Packed (crowded) | Very crowded | |
| Passed out | Graduated | |
| Petrol bunk | Gas station | |
| Petrol pump | Gas station | Gas station |
| Ping (to contact someone online) | Message (someone online) | |
| Power cut | Electricity outage | Electricity outage |
| Pre-interval | Time before the intermission in a movie | |
| Prepone | To move something forward on a schedule | Advance, reschedule for earlier |
| Pull someone’s leg | Tease someone playfully | |
| Put offs (excuses) | Excuses | Excuses |
| Put on airs | To act superior | To act superior |
| Put on lights | Turn on the lights | |
| Put someone on the spot | Make someone feel uncomfortable by asking a sudden question | |
| Put up (to stay) | To stay at someone’s place | To stay |
| Recharge (prepaid phone) | Top up (prepaid phone) | |
| Revert back | To reply | Reply, get back to me |
| Rickshaw | A three-wheeled passenger vehicle | Rickshaw (though gaining popularity) |
| Rubber | Eraser | Eraser |
| Scooty (motor scooter) | Motor scooter | Motor scooter |
| Soft drink | Any carbonated beverage | Soda, pop |
| Station (railway station) | Train station | Train station |
| Status (on social media) | A short message or update on your profile | |
| Take a right/left | Turn right/left | |
| Take care (goodbye) | Goodbye, take care | Goodbye, take care |
| Take it easy | Don’t worry | Don’t worry, relax |
| Take leave | Go on vacation/absence | Use vacation days / Take time off |
| Take light | To have a small meal | Have a light meal |
| Tea (often refers to chai) | Spiced milk tea | |
| Tiffin | Lunchbox or light meal | Lunchbox, snack |
| Timepass | A frivolous or superficial activity | Leisure activity, pastime |
| Timepass (verb) | To spend time idly | To waste time |
| Topper | Someone who achieves the highest marks in an exam | High achiever |
| Traffic jam | Congestion on the road | |
| Tuition (private lessons) | Private lessons | Private lessons |
| Up and down (often) | Frequently | Frequently |
| Vandana (Hindi) | Salutation used for females | Greeting |
| Water bottle | Reusable water bottle | Water bottle |
| What is the scene? | What’s happening? | What’s happening? |
| What’s the plan? | What are we going to do? | |
| Whatsapping | Using Whatsapp to chat | |
| Work from home (WFH) | Working from home | Working from home (widely understood globally) |
| Xerox (verb) | To photocopy | To photocopy |
| You are most welcome | You’re welcome (very formal) | |
| You put on weight! | You’ve gained weight (can be a compliment) |
Here are some additional points to consider for future exploration:
- Regional variations: Indian English has influences from various regional languages like Hindi, Tamil, Bengali etc. You could explore some common phrases specific to these regions.
- Formal vs Informal register: The table already touches on this, but highlighting the formality of certain phrases can be helpful for learners.
- Body language and tone: Indian communication often relies heavily on nonverbal cues. While a phrase may seem straightforward on paper, understanding the cultural context is important.
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