Claude Said:

How hard would it be for me to learn Hindi?

We Answered:

it's really easy, believe me I'm not even Indian but I can speak Hindi very fluently!! it's so easy, there's a maid in my house I guess she's from Karpa (Telugu) she didn't know how to speak Hindi but when she moved to a Hindi family to work there, she cam back after 2 years and she's fluent now~!
so yeah don't worry ^_^
don't forget to watch Hindi movies, they help a lot lol xD
Good Luck!~

Wade Said:

Should I learn to read and write in Devanagari language, or learn to speak Hindi 1st?

We Answered:

probably better to speak. here's my argument: my family's half indian and when in public its very handy to understand hindi to speak to your family and friends...also, you'll be able to understand indian movies....i mean honestly, i have no freaking clue how to read or write hindi and neither does most of my family...i think my grandparents and great aunts and uncles, etc. are the only ones who know how to read and write it, and that's because they learned it growing up in india....the rest of us will never need to read or write it, but speaking and understanding will be VERY VERY VERY useful trust me....in the long run, are you going to be writing and reading notes in hindi, or wanting to listen to movies and songs and people talking? im not saying learning how to read and write it isn't useful, but speaking and understanding should definitely come first. besides, it will help you learn to read and write beacuse you're not going to be able to understand what the heck you're writing and reading means!

Rita Said:

How hard is Hindi to learn for an English speaker?

We Answered:

Good questions, been looking for the answers to these myself.
Here's another page to get you started, but I'll be waiting for more answers on this one.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;…

Pauline Said:

How hard is it to learn Hindi in college?

We Answered:

I don't know. I'm a fluent speaker and it's not very hard.

Maxine Said:

How many years would it take to learn Hindi?

We Answered:

You won't need to learn Hindi just to look deeper into Indian culture. You can easily get by with English. People who speak no English may also speak just few Hindi, remember almost each state has their own native language. Generally Hindi is popular only in the north, in the south people on the street speak their Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu etc. and English - but not much Hindi.

Wade Said:

What is the best way to learn Hindi by watching Bollywood films?

We Answered:

Continue watching them with the subtitles. Go back to a part if you have to, if you want to learn a word. It works. Luckily there is a lot of English as well, so you can get through sentences, if you get what I mean. I suggest you search on the internet for some vocab words (bollywhat.com [forum sections] is very helpful). Even in lyrics and their translations can help a lot. Then, immerse yourself in the language - get as much exposure as you can. If you need help, contact me. I don't know much Hindi (it's kind of weak), but surely I can be of some assistance. Once you understand verbs, you'll be alright.

http://www.bollywhat-forum.com/

I highly recommend this site for you. It's filled with non-Indians wanting to learn Hindi and who are just as crazed about Bollywood as we are!

Also, if you're willing to learn, you'll have to learn the script (Devanagari) which will take a while, but it's easy to pick up.

If you prefer a less "Bollywood approach" (not stated in your question, but in case), then you should buy/borrow some books and CDs to get you started.