Learn how to talk about possibility using “can” and “may”
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Dana: Hi everyone, and welcome back to UrduPod101.com. This is Intermediate Season 1 Lesson 17 - There's a Storm Brewing in Pakistan. Dana Here. |
| Hamza: السلام علیکم (Assalam u alaikum). I'm Hamza. |
| Dana: In this lesson, you’ll learn about possibilities using the expressions “can” and “may.” The conversation takes place at home. |
| Hamza: It's between Ali and Umer. |
| Dana: The speakers are acquaintances; therefore, they will speak formal Urdu. Okay, let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| علی: آپ نے موسم کی خبریں سنی؟ |
| عمر: نہیں... |
| علی: وہ کہہ رہے تھے کہ جنوبی ایشیا کی جانب ایک بڑا طوفان آ رہا ہے. |
| عمر: پهر؟ |
| علی: یہ شمال سے اٹهے گا اور بھارت تک آئے گا، اور مزید بھی جاری ره سکتا ہے. |
| عمر: ٹھیک ہے. تو کیا آپ کو لگتا ہے یہ پاکستان تک پہنچ سکتا ہے ؟ |
| علی: رپورٹ میں تها کہ یہ جمعہ یا ہفتہ تک شمالی مشرقی ریاستوں تک پہنچ جائے گا. |
| عمر: اس میں سکھر بھی شامل ہے؟ |
| علی: سکھر کراچی کے قریب ہے. اگرسیلاب وہاں آئے گا، تو سکھر میں بهی مشکل ہو سکتی ہے. اور ہمارا منصوبہ ہفتے کو جانے کا تھا. |
| عمر: جی اس صورت میں، اگر ہم وہاں جاتے ہیں اور پھنس جاتے ہیں، یہ ایک بہت بڑا مسئلہ ہو جائے گا. ہم وہاں جاتے ہوئے درمیان میں بهی پھنس سکتے ہیں. لگتا ہے ہمیں سکهر جانا منسوخ کرنا پڑے گا. |
| علی: جی ہاں. اس کے بجائے، ہم کہیں اور جا سکتے ہیں. |
| Dana: Listen to the conversation with the English translation. |
| Ali: Did you hear the weather news? |
| Umer: No... |
| Ali: They were saying that there is a big storm coming towards South Asia |
| Umer: So? |
| Ali: It will rise north from the ocean up to India, and may even continue further. |
| Umer: Okay. So you think it might reach Pakistan? |
| Ali: The report said that it will reach the Northeastern states around Friday or Saturday. |
| Umer: Does this include Sukhur too? |
| Ali: Sukhur is close to Karachi. If there are floods there, then there may be trouble in Sukhur too. And our plan was to go on Saturday. |
| Umer: Yes, in that case, if we go there and get stuck, it'll be a huge problem. We may even get stuck in between on the way. It seems like we will have to cancel going to Sukhur. |
| Ali: Yes. Instead, we can go somewhere else. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Dana: By the sound of it, changing plans is the best idea. They don’t want to get stuck in any flooding. |
| Hamza: No, they don’t! |
| Dana: Are floods and bad storms common in Pakistan? |
| Hamza: Pakistan has a rainy season from June to July, and every year the country faces flooding. |
| Dana: How bad does the flooding get? |
| Hamza: Often, many people lose their homes and belongings, and people can die in the floods. |
| Dana: Oh, so you should always check the forecasts before traveling anywhere. |
| Hamza: Yeah, roads can get blocked in flooded areas, so help and aid have trouble getting through. |
| Dana: Where are the most badly affected regions? |
| Hamza: It’s usually the southern Punjab and the central Sindh. If you want to go to these areas, go during March and April. |
| Dana: Why not other times of the year? |
| Hamza: Summer gets very hot, and in winter the southern Punjab gets covered in fog, reducing visibility. |
| Dana: Okay, now onto the vocab. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Dana: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is.. |
| Hamza: ہو سکتی ہے [natural native speed] |
| Dana: may be |
| Hamza: ہو سکتی ہے [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Hamza: ہو سکتی ہے [natural native speed] |
| Dana: Next we have.. |
| Hamza: طوفان [natural native speed] |
| Dana: storm |
| Hamza: طوفان [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Hamza: طوفان [natural native speed] |
| Dana: Next we have.. |
| Hamza: شمال [natural native speed] |
| Dana: north |
| Hamza: شمال [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Hamza: شمال [natural native speed] |
| Dana: Next we have.. |
| Hamza: ریاست [natural native speed] |
| Dana: state |
| Hamza: ریاست [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Hamza: ریاست [natural native speed] |
| Dana: Next we have.. |
| Hamza: پہنچنا [natural native speed] |
| Dana: to reach, to arrive |
| Hamza: پہنچنا [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Hamza: پہنچنا [natural native speed] |
| Dana: Next we have.. |
| Hamza: لگنا [natural native speed] |
| Dana: to seem |
| Hamza: لگنا [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Hamza: لگنا [natural native speed] |
| Dana: Next we have.. |
| Hamza: منصوبہ [natural native speed] |
| Dana: plan |
| Hamza: منصوبہ [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Hamza: منصوبہ [natural native speed] |
| Dana: Next we have.. |
| Hamza: اس صورت میں [natural native speed] |
| Dana: in that case |
| Hamza: اس صورت میں [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Hamza: اس صورت میں [natural native speed] |
| Dana: Next we have.. |
| Hamza: پھنسنا [natural native speed] |
| Dana: to get stuck |
| Hamza: پھنسنا [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Hamza: پھنسنا [natural native speed] |
| Dana: And last.. |
| Hamza: منسوخ کرنا [natural native speed] |
| Dana: to cancel |
| Hamza: منسوخ کرنا [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Hamza: منسوخ کرنا [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| Dana: Let's have a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first word is.. |
| Hamza: ہو سکتی ہے |
| Dana: Meaning "may be." |
| Dana: You can use this to talk about the possibility of an event happening. |
| Hamza: ہو سکتی ہے is feminine, and the masculine form is ہو سکتا ہے. |
| Dana: Of course, that also means “may be.” |
| Hamza: You use this in formal situations. |
| Dana: Can you give us an example using this phrase? |
| Hamza: Sure. For example, you can say.. آج برف باری ہو سکتی ہے. |
| Dana: .. which means “It may snow today.” |
| Dana: Okay, what's the next word? |
| Hamza: لگتا ہے |
| Dana: Meaning "it seems like." |
| Dana: This is also used for the possibility of an event. |
| Hamza: You can also use it to talk about your feelings on the event. |
| Dana: If you have a prediction about the event, this is the phrase to use. |
| Hamza: This is usually used in informal situations. |
| Dana: Is this a masculine phrase? |
| Hamza: You can use it for both masculine and feminine events. |
| Dana: Can you give us an example using this phrase? |
| Hamza: Sure. For example, you can say.. لگتا ہے میں لاٹری جیت جائوں گا. |
| Dana: .. which means "I feel like I will win the lottery." |
| Dana: Okay, now onto the lesson focus. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Dana: In this lesson, you'll learn about using the modals, can and may. How do we say “can” in Urdu? |
| Hamza: We can use the verb sakna. |
| Dana: This functions as an auxiliary verb to both transitive and intransitive verbs. |
| Hamza: Sakna must follow another verb and has to be conjugated to the tense of the sentence. |
| Dana: What are the past tenses of this verb? |
| Hamza: سکا Saka/سکی Saki/ کے Sakay |
| Dana: And the future tenses? |
| Hamza: سکےگا sakay ga/سکےگی sakay gi/سکیں گے sakein gay. If the verb has a past tense conjugation already, it is more common to use the present tense conjugation. |
| Dana: It is then used with the past tense for “to be.” |
| Hamza: For example, وہ کام نہیں کر سکا |
| Dana: “He couldn’t do the job.” Let’s hear an example using “can.” |
| Hamza: ہم یہاں رہ سکتے ہیں |
| Dana: “We can live here.” |
| Hamza: Although sakna means “can,” it can also mean “may.” |
| Dana: There’s no actual word for “may” in Urdu, so sentences with “may” are created in different ways. |
| Hamza: For example ہو سکتا ہے وہ فنکار تھی |
| Dana: “It may be she was an artist.” How do we say “may even”? |
| Hamza: You can combine it with بھی, meaning “also.” |
| Dana: Let’s hear a couple of example sentences. |
| Hamza: ہو سکتا ہے ہم نے غلطی کی ہے |
| Dana: “We may have made a mistake.” |
| Hamza: کیا میں آپ کی گاڑی ادهار لے سکتا ہوں؟ |
| Dana: “May I borrow your car?” Finally, let’s look at how to combine “feel” with “will happen.” |
| Hamza: This is another way of getting the meaning of “may” across. In these sentences we use لگتا ہے |
| Dana: This means “think” or “feel.” |
| Hamza: For example, لگتا ہے تمهیں چارٹ دوباره بنانا ہوگا |
| Dana: "It looks like you may have to make the chart again." |
Outro |
| Dana: Okay, that’s all for this lesson. Thank you for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you next time! Bye! |
| Hamza: !پهر ملیں گے (Phir milenge!) |
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