Environmental Issues

Talking about the planet

This module gives you the core Urdu words to talk about the environment. Urdu is written in a right-to-left script, and each word is shown with a simple way to say it in brackets. You will learn the key terms, from ماحول (mahaul), the environment, to بازیافت (bazyaaft), recycling, then practise recognising them before writing about an environmental issue in English.

Pollution, recycling, heat

Learn each Urdu word and its meaning:

Match each word to its meaning

What aloodgi means in Urdu

What does the Urdu word آلودگی (aloodgi) mean in English?

• Pollution
• Recycling
• The environment
• Global warming

Reading the script

Urdu is written from right to left in the Nastaliq script. In this module every Urdu word comes with a simple way to say it in brackets, so you can focus on the meaning. Some environmental ideas are written as two words, such as عالمی حدت (aalmi hiddat), global warming, and قدرتی وسائل (qudrati wasail), natural resources.

Which are about the environment?

Select the TWO Urdu words that are about the environment.

• بازیافت (bazyaaft)
• آلودگی (aloodgi)
• شہر (shahr)
• گھر (ghar)

Problems and actions

Some words name environmental problems; others name what we can do to help.

Environment and reuse in Urdu

The world around us is the _____. Dirty air and water are called _____. Using things again instead of throwing them away is _____. The planet heating up is _____. Coal, oil and clean water are all _____.

Spot the environment words

Tap the TWO Urdu words that are about the environment.

• بازیافت (bazyaaft)
• شہر (shahr)
• آلودگی (aloodgi)
• دکان (dukaan)
• گھر (ghar)

Choose the right word

Which Urdu word means 'recycling'?

• بازیافت (bazyaaft)
• آلودگی (aloodgi)
• ماحول (mahaul)
• شہر (shahr)

Writing about the environment

You can now recognise the key words. In the exam you might write about an environmental issue, and you can weave these terms in. A strong answer names a problem (such as آلودگی (aloodgi), pollution, or عالمی حدت (aalmi hiddat), global warming) and a solution (such as بازیافت (bazyaaft), recycling, or planting a درخت (darakht), tree).

Urdu puts is at the end

The environment words become sentences once you add ہے (hai - is) at the end, where English would not put it: - آلودگی ماحول کے لئے خطرناک ہے = "pollution is dangerous for the environment". کے لئے (ke liye - for) follows ماحول, not the other way round. خطرناک (khatarnak) means "dangerous", and ہے closes the sentence. - بازیافت ماحول کے لئے ضروری ہے = "recycling is necessary for the environment". The same shape with ضروری (zaroori - necessary). To make either one negative, put نہیں just before ہے.

Urdu puts "for" after the noun, not before it

Urdu puts "for" after the noun, not before it. Which of these says "pollution is dangerous for the environment"?

• آلودگی ماحول کے لئے خطرناک ہے (aloodgi mahaul ke liye khatarnak hai)
• ماحول آلودگی کے لئے خطرناک ہے (mahaul aloodgi ke liye khatarnak hai)
• آلودگی ماحول کے لئے خطرناک (aloodgi mahaul ke liye khatarnak)
• بازیافت ماحول کے لئے ضروری ہے (bazyaaft mahaul ke liye zaroori hai)

Help the environment

Three ways to help the environment. Choose the best action each time.

• You want to reduce آلودگی (aloodgi), pollution, in your city. What helps?
• You want to practise بازیافت (bazyaaft), recycling, at home. What should you do?
• You want to protect قدرتی وسائل (qudrati wasail), natural resources. What helps?

Write about an issue, in Urdu

Name the issue and an action IN URDU, then add ONE sentence in English saying why it matters. Write the Urdu in script - the transliteration in brackets is a reading aid only.

• Name the issue: آلودگی (aloodgi - pollution) or عالمی حدت (aalmi hiddat - global warming)
• Name what it affects: ماحول (mahaul - the environment)
• Name an action: بازیافت (bazyaaft - recycling)
• Then, in English only, say why this issue matters