Taking a Rickshaw

This unit introduces transport vocabulary and practical expressions for taking a rickshaw in Bangladesh and West Bengal. You will learn words for rickshaw, auto, bus, and taxi; how to negotiate fares with bhara koto?; how to give directions to drivers; and how to express destinations using -e jabo and niye jan (take me). These skills are essential for daily mobility and professional travel in the region.

Basic Sentences

Bengali (romanized)	English
Ekta rickshaw lagbe.	I need a rickshaw.
Bhara koto?	How much is the fare?
Dhaka University-e niye jan.	Take me to Dhaka University.
Bame jaan.	Go left.
Daane jaan.	Go right.
Ekhane thamun.	Stop here.
Auto niye jaben?	Will you take me by auto?
Bus-e jabo.	I will go by bus.
Taxi kothay pabo?	Where can I get a taxi?
Eta koto taka?	How much is this?
Kom kore din.	Give a discount.
Thik ache.	Okay. / That’s fine.

Key Vocabulary

Bengali	English
rickshaw	rickshaw (cycle rickshaw)
auto	auto-rickshaw
bus	bus
taxi	taxi
bhara	fare
koto	how much
niye jan	take me (imperative)
bam	left
daan	right
bame	to the left
daane	to the right
thamun	stop (formal)
thama	stop (informal)
lagbe	will need
jabo	I will go
-e jabo	will go to
pabo	I will get/find
taka	taka (currency)
kom	less
thik	correct, okay

Grammar Notes

Transport Vocabulary: rickshaw, auto, bus, taxi

• rickshaw – the iconic cycle rickshaw, common in Dhaka and Kolkata
• auto – auto-rickshaw (three-wheeler)
• bus – bus
• taxi – taxi cab

Negotiating Fares: bhara koto?

• Bhara koto? – How much is the fare?
• Eta koto taka? – How much is this (in taka)?
• Kom kore din. – Give a discount. / Make it less.
• Thik ache. – Okay. / That’s fine. (accepting the fare)

Giving Directions to Drivers

• Bame jaan. – Go left. (formal)
• Daane jaan. – Go right.
• Shojo jaan. – Go straight.
• Ekhane thamun. – Stop here.
• Oikhane thamun. – Stop there.

Expressing Destinations: -e jabo, niye jan

• -e jabo – I will go to (place): Dhaka-e jabo – I will go to Dhaka
• niye jan – take me (imperative): Hotel-e niye jan – Take me to the hotel
• X-e niye jaan – Take (me) to X

Drills

Drill 1: Requesting Transport

Bengali	English
Ekta rickshaw lagbe.	I need a rickshaw.
Ekta auto lagbe.	I need an auto.
Taxi kothay pabo?	Where can I get a taxi?
Bus-e jabo.	I will go by bus.

Drill 2: Fare Negotiation

Bengali	English
Bhara koto?	How much is the fare?
Eta koto taka?	How much is this?
Kom kore din.	Give a discount.
Thik ache, cholun.	Okay, let’s go.

Drill 3: Giving Directions

Bengali	English
Bame jaan.	Go left.
Daane jaan.	Go right.
Shojo jaan.	Go straight.
Ekhane thamun.	Stop here.

Drill 4: Destination Expressions

Bengali	English
Dhaka University-e niye jan.	Take me to Dhaka University.
Steshon-e niye jan.	Take me to the station.
Hotel-e jabo.	I will go to the hotel.
Bimanbodar-e niye jaben?	Will you take me to the airport?

Narrative

Gotokal aami rickshaw niye Dhaka University-e gelam. Prothom bhara koto bujlam. Rickshaw-wala bollen pachish taka. Aami kom kore dilam, bollen bish taka. Thik ache bollen. Tarpor rickshaw-e boshlam. Se bame jete bollen, daane jete bollen. Ekhane thamun bole aami neme gelam. Bhalo chhilo.

Yesterday I took a rickshaw to Dhaka University. First I asked how much the fare was. The rickshaw driver said twenty-five taka. I asked for less, he said twenty taka. I said okay. Then I got in the rickshaw. He went left, then right. I said stop here and got down. It was good.