At the Post Office

This unit covers postal vocabulary and procedures. You will learn words for letters, stamps, and parcels, how to express sending and receiving with pathano and paowa, address format and conventions, and how to make service requests. These skills support mailing correspondence and packages in Bangladesh and West Bengal.

Basic Sentences

Bengali (romanized)	English
Aami ekta stamp chai.	I want a stamp.
Eta chithi kothay pathabo?	Where do I send this letter?
Aami ekta parcel pathate chai.	I want to send a parcel.
Eta koto taka?	How much does this cost?
Chithi-ta America pathano jabe?	Can this letter be sent to America?
Aami address ta likhe dichhi.	I am writing the address.
Parcel-ta kobe paowabo?	When will I receive the parcel?
Stamp-er dam koto?	How much does a stamp cost?
Aami registered chithi pathate chai.	I want to send a registered letter.
Post office kothay achhe?	Where is the post office?

Key Vocabulary

Bengali	English
chithi	letter
stamp	stamp
parcel	parcel
pathano	to send
paowa	to receive
pathabo	I will send
pathate	to send
paowabo	I will receive
post office	post office
address	address
dam	price
taka	taka (currency)
koto	how much
kobe	when
jabe	will go, can be sent
registered	registered
likhe dichhi	am writing (and giving)
America	America

Grammar Notes

Postal Vocabulary (chithi, stamp, parcel)

Chithi means letter; stamp is stamp; parcel is parcel. Post office (post office), post box (mailbox). Registered chithi (registered letter), speed post (express mail). Pathano (to send), paowa (to receive).

Sending and Receiving (pathano, paowa)

Pathano (to send): Aami chithi pathabo (I will send a letter). Paowa (to receive): Aami parcel paowabo (I will receive the parcel). Pathate chai (I want to send), paowate chai (I want to receive). Chithi pathano jabe (The letter can be sent)—jabe indicates possibility.

Address Format and Conventions

Bengali addresses typically follow: name, house/street, area, city, postal code, country. Aami address ta likhe dichhi (I am writing the address). Use -e for destination: America-e pathabo (I will send to America), Dhaka-e pathano (to send to Dhaka).

Service Requests (ami ekta stamp chai)

Aami ekta stamp chai (I want a stamp). Chai expresses want/need. Pathate chai (I want to send), paowate chai (I want to receive). Eta koto taka? (How much is this?) for price. Stamp-er dam koto? (How much does a stamp cost?)—-er dam means “price of.”

Drills

Drill 1: Service Requests

Bengali	English
Aami ekta stamp chai.	I want a stamp.
Aami ekta parcel pathate chai.	I want to send a parcel.
Aami registered chithi pathate chai.	I want to send a registered letter.
Aami address ta likhe dichhi.	I am writing the address.

Drill 2: Sending and Receiving

Bengali	English
Chithi pathabo.	I will send the letter.
Parcel paowabo.	I will receive the parcel.
Eta America pathano jabe?	Can this be sent to America?
Parcel-ta kobe paowabo?	When will I receive the parcel?

Drill 3: Price and Location

Question	Response
Stamp-er dam koto?	Ek taka.
Eta koto taka?	Panch taka.
Post office kothay achhe?	Shei rasta-te, bame.
Chithi kothay pathabo?	Ekhanei pathate paren.

Drill 4: Postal Procedures

Bengali	English
Eta chithi kothay pathabo?	Where do I send this letter?
Aami address likhe dichhi.	I am writing the address.
Registered chithi pathate chai.	I want to send a registered letter.
Parcel-ta America-e pathano jabe.	The parcel can be sent to America.

Narrative

Aami post office-e gelam. Aami ekta chithi America pathate chailam. Aami counter-e bollam, “Aami ekta stamp chai. Chithi-ta America pathano jabe?” Clerk bollen, “Haan, paren. Stamp-er dam dui taka.” Aami stamp nilam. Aami address ta likhe chithi-ta dilam. Clerk bollen, “Eta panch din-e America-e pouche jabe.” Aami dhonyobaad bollam. Aami ekta parcel o pathate chailam. Parcel-ta koto taka hobe jigges korlam. Clerk bollen, “Pachash taka.” Aami taka dilam. Aami bhalo bhabe kaj shesh korlam.

I went to the post office. I wanted to send a letter to America. I said at the counter, “I want a stamp. Can this letter be sent to America?” The clerk said, “Yes, you can. A stamp costs two taka.” I took the stamp. I wrote the address and gave the letter. The clerk said, “It will reach America in five days.” I said thank you. I also wanted to send a parcel. I asked how much the parcel would cost. The clerk said, “Fifty taka.” I gave the money. I finished the task well.