Family and Friends: Describing Relationships
Build your Urdu vocabulary for the people in your life. Learn the words for your family and friends, describe what people are like, and practise reading the Urdu script from right to left.
Practise it before the paper, not after
Free, interactive practice on the words and structures the examiner keeps asking for.
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Words for family and friends
This module builds your Urdu vocabulary for talking about the people in your life: your family, your friends, and how you get on with them. Remember that Urdu is read from right to left. Meet each word paired with its English meaning, then practise until you know them.
People in your life
Start with four words for the people closest to you. Each Urdu word is shown with its English meaning.
Match the person
- باپ
- ماں
- بہن
- بھائی
- Father
- Mother
- Sister
- Brother
Find the word
Which Urdu word means "friend"?
- دوست
- بھائی
- بہن
- رشتہ
Two kinds of word
Some words name a person or a bond. Others describe someone or say what they do. Sort them in your mind.
Match the description
- مہربان
- سنجیدہ
- شادی کرنا
- تاریخ پیدائش
- Kind
- Serious
- To get married
- Date of birth
Reading the script
Urdu is written from right to left, and the letters flow and join together. When you read a word, start at the letter on the right and move towards the left. Take your time and trace each letter as you go.
Choose the word
The son of your parents is your _____. The daughter of your parents is your _____. A person you like who is not family is a _____. Someone gentle and caring is _____. Two people who love each other may decide _____.
Describing a person
Which of these Urdu words describe what a person is like? Choose all that apply.
- مہربان
- سنجیدہ
- باپ
- رشتہ
- پیدا ہونا
Tap the family
Tap the two Urdu words that name a member of your family.
- باپ
- دوست
- بہن
- سنجیدہ
Urdu puts is at the end
These words become sentences once you add ہے at the end, where English would not put it. Urdu also changes the words around a noun to match whether it is masculine or feminine:
بہن is a feminine noun
بہن is a feminine noun. Which sentence correctly says "my sister is good"?
- میری بہن اچھی ہے
- میرا بہن اچھا ہے
- میری بہن اچھا ہے
- میری بہن اچھی
Introduce your family
Put the steps of a short family introduction into a sensible order.
- Say hello and give your name
- Say how many people are in your family
- Name each family member
- Say what each person is like
- Say who you get on with best
Find the word again
Which Urdu word means "mother"?
- ماں
- باپ
- بہن
- بھائی
Introduce your family
You are introducing your family to a new friend. Choose the right Urdu word at each stage.
- First you introduce your father. Which word means father?
- You say your sister is gentle and caring. Which word means kind?
- You mention a person you like who is not family. Which word means friend?
Your family, in Urdu
Write a few sentences about your family. Name two family members and say what one of them is like.
- Name at least two members of your family: باپ, ماں, بہن or بھائی
- Use the pattern from the frame card, with ہے at the end: میرا بھائی اچھا ہے
- Describe a female relative and change the words to match her: میری بہن اچھی ہے