Choosing Address Forms for a Letter to a Teacher
You must write a 120–150 word Hindi letter to your Hindi teacher, श्रीमती वर्मा, thanking her for extra help before the ATAR exam and asking whether she can review one more practice essay. You also want to mention that your grandmother was ill last week, which is why you missed Tuesday's class. You are unsure whether to use "तुम", "आप", or "आप जी", and whether to use "मैं" or a more deferential construction. Your draft currently opens: "नमस्ते वर्मा जी, मैं तुम्हें बताना चाहता हूँ कि..."
1. Identify the register problems in the opening line and rewrite it appropriately.
Read the worked answer
Two problems:
- "तुम" is wrong. "तुम" is used for peers, close friends, or subordinates. A teacher - especially addressed as "वर्मा जी" - requires "आप". Mixing "वर्मा जी" with "तुम्हें" is jarring and reads as disrespectful.
- "बताना चाहता हूँ" is too blunt and self-focused for a formal request letter. It frames the letter as informing her, rather than respectfully requesting.
A better opening: "आदरणीय वर्मा जी, सादर प्रणाम। मैं आपको धन्यवाद देना चाहता हूँ कि आपने परीक्षा से पहले मुझे इतनी मदद दी।"
This uses "आदरणीय" + "जी", "सादर प्रणाम" as a formal greeting, and "आपको" consistently. The verb "धन्यवाद देना चाहता हूँ" keeps the focus on her help rather than on the writer's news.
2. Explain how to handle the grandmother's illness so it supports the request without dominating the letter, and give the Hindi sentence you would use.
Read the worked answer
The illness is context, not the main purpose. The letter's purpose is (a) thanks and (b) a request. The illness should appear in one short, apologetic sentence that explains the absence and then hands back to the request.
Good placement: after the thanks, before the request. Model sentence:
"पिछले मंगलवार मैं कक्षा में नहीं आ सका क्योंकि मेरी दादी जी बीमार थीं और मुझे घर पर रुकना पड़ा - इसके लिए मैं क्षमा चाहता हूँ।"
Notes on judgement: use "दादी जी" with the honorific, use "क्षमा चाहता हूँ" rather than a casual "सॉरी", and keep it to one sentence so the letter stays on task. Do not describe symptoms at length - that would shift the register to personal narrative and weaken the request.