Hindi is Delhi’s primary language, but English is widely spoken — certainly more than enough for a tourist to get by. Technically, Delhiites speak “Hinglish” — a cheerful hybrid of Hindi and English words shuffled together like a bilingual deck of cards. Even non-English speakers will know a few words.
Hotel staff, taxi app drivers, restaurant workers, and shopkeepers in tourist areas speak functional to fluent English.
In Old Delhi and more local neighbourhoods, Hindi and Urdu dominate. You won’t need to learn Hindi, but knowing a few words goes absurdly far:
“Namaste” — Hello (works everywhere, with everyone).
“Aap kaisse hain?” — How are you? (the last N is soft). “Dhanyavād” — Thank you.
“Kitne kā hai?” — How much is this?
“Bahut mehengā hai” — It’s too expensive (your most useful phrase while bargaining).
“Haan” — Yes. (Soft N at the end)
“Nahin” — No. (Soft N at the end)
“Bhaiyā” — Brother (used to address auto drivers, shopkeepers, basically any male stranger).
As a mark of respect, you could add “jee” at the end of everyone of these, and the locals will appreciate it even more. So “Haan-jee” instead of “Haan” and “Bhaiyā-jee” instead of “Bhaiyaa” will go a bit longer for you.
“Jee” in itself means “Yes” and is used often when speaking with elders.
Use these and watch the mood shift. A foreigner attempting Hindi in Delhi is met with genuine warmth and, more often than not, a discount.