Learning Urdu

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Truthxsaber

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Assalamu-alaikum my fellow Urdu-speaking Muslims.

My parents are from Pakistan, but I was born in America. I didn't grow up talking much Urdu, so my Urdu is weak. I was hoping to start a thread so that I can practice my Urdu, and perhaps an Urdu speaker may want to practice their English. Perhaps this Urdu can become a dictionary/grammar rules thread.

You see, I've never taken a formal Urdu course in school, but only bits and phrases that I've picked up from asking my parents, "Mommy, how do I say this in Urdu?" or "Daddy, what does this mean in Urdu?" That's why I know how to speak basic sentences, but I was hoping if someone could help me with more complex sentences, such as variations in different grammatical tenses, and linguistic rules.

So without further ado:

Me (apni/meri? which one) Urdu improve (anyone know how to say improve in Urdu) karne chahta hoon.

Shukriya
 
Wa 'alaikum asalaam wa rahmatullaahi wa baraakatuhu,

You have a similar background to me. I was born and raised in the United Kingdom. So, my exposure to Urdu was limited to my parents and extended family (khaandaan). Can you read Urdu? Although the script is similar to Arabic, it is closer to Persian and the sounds (as compared to Arabic and even Persian) are very different. With some help from my parents and grandmother, I taught myself the script- how to read and write.

There are books that you can buy to formally teach yourself Urdu. And of course the best learning is done by listening to and conversing with native Urdu speakers so you can get to grips with odd phrases, the nuances and accent of the language.

I still struggle with the masculine and feminine forms of words and different tenses, but with more exposure it becomes easier. You are essentially a baby learning a language. A baby does not have formal lessons in a particular language yet they learn how to form sentences as they grow up fairly quickly.

Main apni Urdu behtar karna chahta hoon - I want to improve my Urdu.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong!

P.S. Welcome to the forum!
 
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Urdu is simple language. has not so tough grammar or rules...
there are many sites for learning urdu.
You can also ask here your questions​
so that we can help you.
this thread u can use for talking urdu sentences as much as you know so we can know your level and u may get your urdu imrpove :)
http://www.islamicboard.com/urdu/134286396-urdu-general.html;D
as regarding to your question:

there are pronouns same as there is in English :
For the pronoun of first person singular: "I"
it has three cases same as in English:

I: means main(میں ) = Nominative Case
Me : means mujh/mjhe (مجھ /مجھے ) = Accusative Case
My: means : mera/meri (میرا /میری) = Genitive / Possessive Case...

I want to Improve My Urdu: main apni Urdu ko behter krna chahta hun.
(میں اپنی اردو بہتر کرنا چاہتا ہوں.)​
 
Inquilaab said:
Main apni Urdu behtar karna chahta hoon - I want to improve my Urdu.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong!
Click to expand...

Yes Inqilaab Bro is correct. Arabic and Urdu is so similar as well as persian too.
Because urdu is the mixture of Many languages. so mainly it includes persian, Punjabi, Arabic and Hindi etc.
so if you know any of these languages,then u can easily learn and Write urdu.wish you best of luck.
You can ask here anything u want. and please fell free to ask :)
Forgot to say you welcome here :D Hope you will have a helpful stay here :D in-sha-Allah
 
ah, forgot the "ko" after "Urdu"... see it's these little things that get you... and you know the sentence is missing something you just don't know what lol.
 
Yes u r right. but we can write in both ways:
may apni urdu ko behter krna chahta hun( it is uses mostly when talking.)
may apniurdu behtr krna chatha hu (mostly when writing.)
 
Well i am a native Urdu speaker. and studied its grammar thoroughly also.
i hope i can help any one :)
 
Even though the Arabic alphabet is present in Urdu, the sounds are very different, which is why (and you may have noticed) native Urdu speakers will have a hard time pronouncing some Arabic letters properly, unless they've been schooled early on in tajweed.

For example in Urdu the letters ز, ظ, ض and ذ are all pronounced as "z" as in "zebra".

And don't even get me started on ڑ lol, which took me an immensely long time to get to grips with.
 
yes there are many differences but not much so hard.
WE learn it very easily as some sounds are different only.
well the arabic accent is change form urdu. people knowing urdu , for them learning arabic is more easy as compared to people of any other language.
 
Thank you all for your comments and willingness to help.

Inquilaab said:
Can you read Urdu?
Click to expand...

Yes, a little, but it's very difficult for two reasons:
1. There are no punctuation marks like there are in the Qur'an.
2. The font is very contracted, unlike the font sister Hidayat used:
seeking_hidayat said:
میں اپنی اردو بہتر کرنا چاہتا ہوں
Click to expand...

Seeing as though there's already a vocab thread - "the Urdu game" -his thread could be more for grammatical purposes.
So my next question is: Why did we say apni urdu and not meri urdu? When do you use which word?
 
Dear. both are almost same. a little difference as far as i can explain u.

this is my book. (ye meri kitaab hai.)
i have my book. (mere paas apni kitab hai.)

my: meri
my (emphasized ) = meri apni.
i hope it helps u​
 
Okay so apne/apna (Also, what is the difference between apne and apna?) means the subject's owns the object. "Ye apna ghar hai (this is my house/I own this house)." Where as meraa emphasizes the subject - my own. "Ye mera apna ghar hai" (This is MY own house).

Similarly, what's the difference between tumaarha and teraa? And humaara and meraa?

Please offer any corrections as you wish.
I have lots of questions.

Thanks
 

Brother. there is the difference between apna and apni. as ther is difference between masculine and feminine.
Apna = My (masculine)
Apni = My (Feminine)
examples:
This is my book. = ye meri kitab hai. (یہ میری کتاب ہے.) as book is considered as feminine.
this is my toy. = ye mera khilona hai. (یہ میرا کھلونا ہے.) as toy is considered as masculine.

2nd question:
mera/meri is a common word used for owning or having.
but apna is used mostly for emphasizing attached with mera/meri.

examples:
this is my book. (ye meri kitab hai.)(یہ میری کتاب ہے.)

This is my own book. (ye meri apni kitab hai.)(یہ میری اپنی کتاب ہے)

and also apna is used for others. as
look at your book. (apni kitaab per dekho.)(اپنی کتاب پر دیکھو)
See yourself (apne aap ko dekho.) (اپنے آپ کو دیکھو)

3rd question:
tera / tumharaa is masculine 2nd person genitive/possessive case.
both are same. but unlike English or Arabic, there are many words that are used for respecting elders or anyone. for example:
tu, tera , tujhe etc.
for common use and being sophisticated also u can use "Aap" .

4th question:
Humaara (our/ours) is 1st person plural possessive case.
mera (my/mine) is 1st person singular possessive case.

examples:

this is our chair. = ye hamari kursi hai.(یہ ہماری کرسی ہے )
this is my chair = ye meri kursi hai.(یہ میری کرسی ہے )

Hope it will help u.​
 
seeking_hidayat said:
See yourself (apne aap ko dekho.
Click to expand...

Ahh, notice what you did there? You put an e, not an a for masucline or i for feminine (so not apni/apna), but apne. Unless, perhaps, it was a typo.

Okay I just realized, if I remember correctly, the e is for making a plural. So "tere kitab" = your books. And "apne kitab" = my books.

So I'll rephrase my question: Why didn't you use "Apni paas meri kitaab hai?" Does it make sense?
 
Truthxsaber said:
Ahh, notice what you did there? You put an e, not an a for masucline or i for feminine (so not apni/apna), but apne. Unless, perhaps, it was a typo.

Okay I just realized, if I remember correctly, the e is for making a plural. So "tere kitab" = your books. And "apne kitab" = my books.

So I'll rephrase my question: Why didn't you use "Apni paas meri kitaab hai?" Does it make sense?
Click to expand...

lol brother.
i told you that apna is masculine and apni is feminine.
it means my has two words: apna /apni
but where u use the word Self as (myself, yourself) the word apnay is used.


and as far as plural is concerned:
these are my books: ye meri kitabain hain.(یہ میری کتابیں ہیں.)
notice in the above example that the word "meri" has no plural.but the word books has plural word "kitabain" (کتابیں)

that sentence is wrong brother.
"Apni paas meri kitaab hai?"
it must be: "mere paas meri kitab hai."


apni does not means "I".
look at the example:
I have my book.
"mere paas meri kitab hai."
میرے پاس میری کتاب ہے.
[TABLE="class: grid, width: 300, align: center"]
[TR]
[TD]I[/TD]
[TD]Have[/TD]
[TD]my[/TD]
[TD]book[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]میرے[/TD]
[TD]پاس ہے[/TD]
[TD]میری [/TD]
[TD]کتاب[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

it doen not make sense to use apna for "i" brother.


​
 
Acha, samajgaya. So apnay means Yourself/Ownself, not male/female object possession as in apni/apna, which are used if used in addition to meri/mera show emphasis. Thanks!

So is this sentence correct? "Ye apni kitab hai." (This is my book)
 
brother, this sentence will be "ye meri kitab hai."
if you will add apni then u must attach it with meri/mera for emphasis: "ye meri apni kitab hai"
 
Ok thanks sister! That concludes lesson 1: Possession

Lesson 2: Grammatical tenses (Where am I getting these lessons? Myself :p. I just have many questions, and I'll keep asking until I feel confident that I could say anything in Urdu.)

Let us use the verb: To eat - "Khaanaa"

Present: I am eating - Me khaaraha hoon
Imperfect Past (Incomplete/ongoing action): I was eating - Me khaaraha tha/khaa chuka tha?
Preterit Past (Completed action): I ate - Me khaaliya or Mene khaaya
Conditional: I might eat/I would eat - ? [is there a separate tense here?]
Far Future: I will eat - Me khaaoonga
Near future: I am about to eat - Me khaane wala hoon?
Command: Eat/Please eat - Khaalo/Khaaye (or Khaajiye to be polite?)
Question: Will you eat? Tum khaaoge/i?

Please feel free to correct me/add anything.
 

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