Bringing the World Together

Shared celebrations

All around the world, festivals, music and dance bring people together. This module teaches the Urdu words for those shared events. Every word comes with three things: the Urdu script, a transliteration in brackets to help you say it, and the English meaning. Urdu is read right to left. (A native speaker should review the script before launch.)

Tehvar, music, dance, riwayat

Start with four words for shared events:

Match each Urdu word to its English meaning

The Urdu word for music

Which Urdu word means "music"?

• موسیقی (musiqi)
• تہوار (tehvar)
• رقص (raqs)
• روایت (riwayat)

Events that connect us

Shared events bring people together across the world: - A festival (تہوار, tehvar), such as عید (Eid), gathers families and communities - Music (موسیقی, musiqi) and dance (رقص, raqs) are enjoyed everywhere - Traditions (روایت, riwayat) are shared and passed on Wherever people are from, these events help them feel closer.

About celebrations

Select the TWO Urdu words that are about celebration and music.

• تہوار (tehvar)
• گانا (gana)
• دوست (dost)
• خاندان (khandan)

Two ways people come together

People gather in small groups and in big public events.

The Urdu word for traditions

Which Urdu word means "traditions"?

• روایت (riwayat)
• موسیقی (musiqi)
• تہوار (tehvar)
• رقص (raqs)

Festival words in Urdu

A _____ is a big celebration. People enjoy _____ and _____ together. Old customs are called _____. You celebrate with your _____.

A festival brings people together

Put the stages of a community festival into a sensible order.

• People are invited to the celebration
• Families and friends gather together
• There is music and dancing
• Everyone shares food and traditions
• The whole community feels closer together

Match each Urdu word to its English meaning

Urdu puts is at the end

The festival words become sentences once you add ہے (hai - is) at the end, where English would not put it: - موسیقی دنیا کی زبان ہے = "music is the language of the world". کی (ki) does the work of "of", and it follows دنیا (dunya - world) rather than coming before it. زبان (zaban) is "language". - مجھے روایت اور رقص پسند ہے = "I like tradition and dance". Literally "to me tradition and dance are pleasing". اور (aur) is "and", and ہے closes the sentence as always.

کی does the work of "of" and follows its noun

کی does the work of "of" and follows its noun. Which of these says "music is the language of the world"?

• موسیقی دنیا کی زبان ہے (musiqi dunya ki zaban hai)
• دنیا موسیقی کی زبان ہے (dunya musiqi ki zaban hai)
• موسیقی دنیا کی زبان (musiqi dunya ki zaban)
• مجھے روایت اور رقص پسند ہے (mujhe riwayat aur raqs pasand hai)

Which Urdu word?

Read each description and pick the Urdu word it describes.

• The big festival that families celebrate together. Which word?
• The sounds and songs that people dance to. Which word?
• The old customs passed down over many years. Which word?

Your turn: write in Urdu

Write two or three sentences IN URDU about a celebration and what people enjoy at it. Write in Urdu script - the transliteration in brackets is a reading aid only.

• Name the celebration: تہوار (tehvar - a festival) or عید (Eid)
• Name what people enjoy: موسیقی (musiqi - music), رقص (raqs - dance), گانا (gana - a song) or کھانا (khana - food)
• Join two of them with اور (aur - and): موسیقی اور رقص (musiqi aur raqs)
• Say who you are with: خاندان (khandan - family) or دوست (dost - friend)

Urdu script and meaning together

Learn each word as a package - the Urdu script, its transliteration, and the English meaning together - so you recognise it instantly: تہوار (tehvar) festival, موسیقی (musiqi) music, روایت (riwayat) traditions. When you write in English about this theme, do not just list words - explain how shared events bring people together, with an example. Recognise the script, explain the idea - top band.