Learn about interjections in Urdu
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Get a breakdown of the dialogue and translations instantly with the Premium line-by-line Audio. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
Intro |
|---|
| Antoni: What are interjections? |
| Shazia: And are they commonly used in Urdu? |
| Antoni: At UrduPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following situation: Asjad Nisar was very worried about his test results. His mom, Sarah, is anxious to hear about them. Upon returning home, Asjad says, |
| "I passed the test!" |
| Asjad Nisar : !میں نے ٹیسٹ پاس کر لیا (Mei nay test pass ker lia!) |
| Dialogue |
| Asjad Nisar : !میں نے ٹیسٹ پاس کر لیا (Mei nay test pass ker lia!) |
| Sarah Nisar : !واہ (Waah!) |
| Antoni: Once more with the English translation. |
| Asjad Nisar : !میں نے ٹیسٹ پاس کر لیا (Mei nay test pass ker lia!) |
| Antoni: "I passed the test!" |
| Sarah Nisar : !واہ (Waah!) |
| Antoni: "Wow!" |
Lesson focus |
| Antoni: In this lesson, we will be looking at interjections in Urdu. The Urdu word for "interjection" is: |
| Shazia: حرفِ فجائیہ (harf-e-fajaaea). |
| Antoni: Interjections are words that are placed between other words to express a feeling or a spontaneous reaction. They can also stand on their own. In a way, interjections could even be seen as the emojis of language! |
| Antoni: A perfect example of an interjection is "Oh!" You can combine it with other words, as in, "Oh! That's amazing!" It can stand on its own too, as in when you hear some bad news from a friend. |
| Now, let’s take a closer look at our dialogue. Do you remember how Asjad says "I passed the test?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Shazia as Asjad Nisar : !میں نے ٹیسٹ پاس کر لیا (Mei nay test pass ker lia!) |
| Antoni: And do you remember how Sarah says "Wow!" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Shazia as Sarah Nisar : !واہ (Waah!) |
| Antoni: Here, we see Asjad exclaiming in excitement because he was able to pass his test. With the same excitement, his mom responded with |
| Shazia: !واہ (Waah!) |
| Antoni: or in English, “Wow!” This interjection is very useful when you want to convey a positive feeling of surprise or excitement. Another way Sarah could have responded was by exclaiming, |
| Shazia: !بہت اچھے (Bohat achay!) |
| Antoni: which means “Well done!” |
| Just like in most languages, Urdu interjections are used to express certain emotions, such as pain, disgust, fear, shock, and awe. There are also interjections that are associated with noise, food, and annoying situations. Speaking of annoying situations, a very common Urdu interjection associated with annoyance is |
| Shazia: افّوہ (Uffoh) |
| Antoni: or “Argh!” in English. It’s something you would exclaim when you’re annoyed with someone, such as when you say, |
| Shazia: افّوہ! میں نے تم سے کہا تھا کہ ایسا نہ کرو۔ (Uffoh! mei nay tum se kaha tha kay aisa nah kero.) |
| Antoni: which means “Argh! I told you not to do that!” In written form, interjections in Urdu are also followed by an exclamation mark, just like in most languages. Another very common interjection, which is very similar to its English counterpart is |
| Shazia: !اوہ (Oh!) |
| Antoni: which can translate as “Oh no!” and expresses disappointment. |
| [Summary] |
| Antoni: In this lesson, we talked about common Urdu interjections, and we learned that they are used to express certain emotions, such as pain, disgust, fear, shock, and awe. Most of the ones we've learned have their equivalents in English, and, just like English interjections, Urdu interjections can stand on their own or appear with other words. |
| Expansion |
| Antoni: So far, we've covered some of the most common interjections in Urdu. Why don’t we explore more Urdu interjections? Let’s start with |
| Shazia: !اخّاہ (Akhaah!) |
| Antoni: or “Aha,” an interjection you would use when you have discovered something, such as when you say, |
| Shazia: !اخّاہ! یہ تم تھے (Akhaah! Yeh tum thay!) |
| Antoni: or “Aha! It was you!” Here’s another one: |
| Shazia: !ارے (Hey!) |
| Antoni: or “Hey!” This is a common interjection that we use when we’re calling another person’s attention. In Urdu, it’s mainly used when addressing a person who’s inferior to you. For instance, you can say: |
| Shazia: !ارے! ادھر آو (Hey! Idhar ao!) |
| Antoni: or “Hey! Come here!” An interjection expressing disgust would be: |
| Shazia: !خوفناک (Khofnaak!) |
| Antoni: or “Awful!” And, if you want to show your delight about something, you can say, |
| Shazia: !کمال ہے (Kamaal hai!) |
| Antoni: which means, “Wonderful!” |
| Cultural Insight |
| Antoni: Some Urdu interjections are religious in nature. For instance, it’s not unusual to hear someone say, |
| Shazia: !اللہ کا شکر ہے (Allah ka shukar hai!) |
| Antoni: which means “Thank Allah!” or |
| Shazia: !اللہ آپ کا بھلا کرے (Allah aap ka bhala keray!) |
| Antoni: or “Allah bless you!” And, finally, |
| Shazia: !اللہ کے فضل سے (Allah kay fazal say!), |
| Antoni: which means “By Allah’s grace!” |
Outro |
| Antoni: Do you have any more questions? We’re here to answer them! |
| Shazia: !الوداع (alwida!) |
| Antoni: See you soon! |
| Credits: Shazia Ashfaq (Urdu), Antoni (English, synthetic voice) |
Comments
Hide