Saying is the simplest thing people do with words, and Urdu has a verb for it that works harder than English say. کہنا (kahnā) means "to say", but it also means "to tell someone to do something", "to call a person or thing by a name", and, in the language of poets, "to compose" a couplet. The vocabulary list gives say as a verb of communication used in reporting speech, and that is the centre of this lesson: کہنا is the verb that brings in what somebody said.
English divides the work among say, tell and call. Urdu uses one verb for all three, and the sentence pattern stays the same. "He told me to come" is, word for word, "He to-me said that: come": اُس نے مجھ سے کہا کہ آؤ. The person spoken to takes سے (se). What was said follows, as a direct quotation, as a clause opened by کہ (ke, "that"), or as an object. In the past tense the speaker takes نے (ne), the ergative marker you met in Lesson 24, because کہنا is transitive. The Rekhta Dictionary lists it as a transitive verb, and gives as English equivalents "say, tell, speak, utter, declare, advise, versify".
Urdu has a second verb of speech, بولنا (bolnā). The two overlap, but Wiktionary's note on the pair gives the working rule: بولنا is about the act of speaking, and کہنا is about the content of what is said. اُس نے کچھ کہا means "he said something". وہ بول رہا ہے means "he is speaking". When you report what was said, use کہنا.
The verb is inherited from Old Hindi کہنا, from Prakrit kahei, from Sanskrit kathayati, "he relates". The same ancient root stands behind کہانی (kahānī, "story"), and the proverb word کہاوت (kahāvat, "a saying") is built on the verb itself. Bengali, Gujarati and Sinhala have cousins of it.
A note on the script. The stem is written کہ: the letter ک (k) followed by the plain ہ (h), two separate sounds with a vowel between them, "keh". Do not confuse it with کھ, which is ک plus the aspirating ھ (do-chashmī he) and is one sound, the aspirated kh of کھانا (khānā, "food"). When the stem stands alone, as in کہہ کر (kah kar, "having said") and کہہ دو (kah do, "say it"), it is written with two ہ: کہہ. The little word کہ ("that", said ke) is a different word, spelled with one ہ and no ending. The vowel is also unusual: before the ہ the short a is said like the e of English "bed", so the standard pronunciation of کہنا is "KEH-naa". This lesson writes the verb with the course's romanization: kahnā, kahtā, kahā, kaheṅ.
Key Takeaways
- کہنا (kahnā) = to say, to tell, to call, to compose (a couplet). The stem is کہ (kah-) - Habitual: کہتا ہے (kahtā hai, he says), کہتی ہے (kahtī hai, she says), کہتے ہیں (kahte haiṅ, they say / people say) - Past: the speaker takes نے, and the verb agrees with the thing said: اُس نے کہا (us ne kahā), اُس نے بات کہی (us ne bāt kahī, "he said a word"), اُس نے دو شعر کہے (us ne do sher kahe, "he composed two couplets") - The person spoken to takes سے: مجھ سے کہا (mujh se kahā, "said to me") - Imperatives: کہہ (kah, intimate), کہو (kaho, familiar), کہیے (kahiye, polite): کہیے، کیا چاہیے؟ "Tell me, what would you like?" - The conjunctive and compound stem is کہہ (kah): کہہ کر (kah kar), کہہ دینا (kah denā, "to say outright"), کہہ سکنا (kah saknā, "to be able to say"). Oblique infinitive: کہنے (kahne): کہنے لگنا (kahne lagnā, "to begin to say") - کہتے ہیں کہ… (kahte haiṅ ke…) = "they say that…", the usual opening for a proverb - کہنا is also a noun, "what one says, one's word": بڑوں کا کہنا ماننا (baṛoṅ kā kahnā mānnā), "to do as one's elders say" - Script: کہ (k + h) is not کھ (kh), and کہ (that) is not کہہ (the stem)
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25.1a وہ he کہتا says-MASC ہے is
25.1b woh (woh) he kahtā (KEH-taa) says-MASC hai (hay) is
25.2a میں I کہتا say-MASC ہوں am
25.2b maiṅ (main) I kahtā (KEH-taa) say-MASC hūṅ (hoon) am
25.3a اُس him-OBL نے ERG کہا said
25.3b us (us) him-OBL ne (nay) ERG kahā (ka-HAA) said
25.4a کچھ something کہو say-IMP
25.4b kuch (kuch) something kaho (ka-HO) say-IMP
25.5a کہیے say-IMP.HON کیا what چاہیے needed
25.5b kahiye (ka-HEE-yay) say-IMP.HON kyā (kyaa) what chāhiye (CHAA-hi-yay) needed
25.6a اُس him-OBL نے ERG مجھ me-OBL سے to کہا said کہ that آؤ come-IMP
25.6b us (us) him-OBL ne (nay) ERG mujh (mujh) me-OBL se (say) to kahā (ka-HAA) said ke (kay) that āo (AA-o) come-IMP
25.7a ماں mother نے ERG بیٹے son-OBL سے to کہا said کہ that دروازہ door بند shut کرو do-IMP
25.7b māṅ (maan) mother ne (nay) ERG beṭe (BAY-tay) son-OBL se (say) to kahā (ka-HAA) said ke (kay) that darvāzā (dar-WAA-zaa) door band (band) shut karo (ka-RO) do-IMP
25.8a کہنا to-say آسان easy ہے is کرنا to-do مشکل difficult
25.8b kahnā (KEH-naa) to-say āsān (aa-SAAN) easy hai (hay) is karnā (KAR-naa) to-do mushkil (MUSH-kil) difficult
25.9a لوگ people اُسے him-DAT استاد teacher کہتے say-PL ہیں are
25.9b log (log) people use (OO-say) him-DAT ustād (us-TAAD) teacher kahte (KEH-tay) say-PL haiṅ (hain) are
25.10a اُس him-OBL نے ERG ایک one بات word کہی said-FEM اور and میں I چپ silent رہا stayed-MASC
25.10b us (us) him-OBL ne (nay) ERG ek (ek) one bāt (baat) word kahī (ka-HEE) said-FEM aur (or) and maiṅ (main) I chup (chup) silent rahā (RAH-aa) stayed-MASC
25.11a اُس him-OBL نے ERG صاف plain صاف plain کہہ say دیا gave-MASC کہ that وہ he نہیں not آئے come-SUBJ گا FUT-MASC
25.11b us (us) him-OBL ne (nay) ERG sāf (saaf) plain sāf (saaf) plain kah (keh) say diyā (di-YAA) gave-MASC ke (kay) that woh (woh) he nahīṅ (na-HEEN) not āye (AA-yay) come-SUBJ gā (gaa) FUT-MASC
25.12a وہ she کہنے say-INF.OBL لگی began-FEM مجھے to-me معاف forgiveness کر do دیجیے give-IMP.HON
25.12b woh (woh) she kahne (KEH-nay) say-INF.OBL lagī (la-GEE) began-FEM mujhe (mu-JHE) to-me māf (maaf) forgiveness kar (kar) do dījiye (dee-JEE-yay) give-IMP.HON
25.13a بڑوں elders-OBL کا POSS کہنا saying مانو obey-IMP اس this-OBL میں in بھلائی good ہے is
25.13b baṛoṅ (ba-RON) elders-OBL kā (kaa) POSS kahnā (KEH-naa) saying māno (MAA-no) obey-IMP is (is) this-OBL meṅ (mein) in bhalāī (bha-laa-EE) good hai (hay) is
25.14a کہتے say-PL ہیں are کہ that سچ truth کڑوا bitter-MASC ہوتا is-HAB ہے is
25.14b kahte (KEH-tay) say-PL haiṅ (hain) are ke (kay) that sach (sach) truth kaṛvā (kar-WAA) bitter-MASC hotā (HO-taa) is-HAB hai (hay) is
25.15a اگر if آپ you-HON کچھ something کہنا to-say چاہتے want-PL ہیں are تو then کہیے say-IMP.HON میں I سن listen رہا PROG-MASC ہوں am
25.15b agar (a-GAR) if āp (aap) you-HON kuch (kuch) something kahnā (KEH-naa) to-say chāhte (CHAA-htay) want-PL haiṅ (hain) are to (to) then kahiye (ka-HEE-yay) say-IMP.HON maiṅ (main) I sun (sun) listen rahā (RAH-aa) PROG-MASC hūṅ (hoon) am
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25.1 وہ کہتا ہے۔ Woh kahtā hai. "He says."
25.2 میں کہتا ہوں۔ Maiṅ kahtā hūṅ. "I say."
25.3 اس نے کہا۔ Us ne kahā. "He (or she) said."
25.4 کچھ کہو۔ Kuch kaho. "Say something."
25.5 کہیے، کیا چاہیے؟ Kahiye, kyā chāhiye? "Tell me, what would you like?"
25.6 اس نے مجھ سے کہا کہ آؤ۔ Us ne mujh se kahā ke āo. "He told me to come."
25.7 ماں نے بیٹے سے کہا کہ دروازہ بند کرو۔ Māṅ ne beṭe se kahā ke darvāzā band karo. "The mother told her son to shut the door."
25.8 کہنا آسان ہے، کرنا مشکل۔ Kahnā āsān hai, karnā mushkil. "Saying is easy, doing is hard." (Easier said than done.)
25.9 لوگ اسے استاد کہتے ہیں۔ Log use ustād kahte haiṅ. "People call him 'teacher'."
25.10 اس نے ایک بات کہی اور میں چپ رہا۔ Us ne ek bāt kahī aur maiṅ chup rahā. "He said one word, and I stayed silent."
25.11 اس نے صاف صاف کہہ دیا کہ وہ نہیں آئے گا۔ Us ne sāf sāf kah diyā ke woh nahīṅ āye gā. "He said it outright: he will not come."
25.12 وہ کہنے لگی، مجھے معاف کر دیجیے۔ Woh kahne lagī, mujhe māf kar dījiye. "She began to say, 'Please forgive me.'"
25.13 بڑوں کا کہنا مانو، اس میں بھلائی ہے۔ Baṛoṅ kā kahnā māno, is meṅ bhalāī hai. "Do as your elders say; there is good in it."
25.14 کہتے ہیں کہ سچ کڑوا ہوتا ہے۔ Kahte haiṅ ke sach kaṛvā hotā hai. "They say that the truth is bitter."
25.15 اگر آپ کچھ کہنا چاہتے ہیں تو کہیے، میں سن رہا ہوں۔ Agar āp kuch kahnā chāhte haiṅ to kahiye, maiṅ sun rahā hūṅ. "If you want to say something, then say it; I am listening."
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25.1 وہ کہتا ہے۔ 25.2 میں کہتا ہوں۔ 25.3 اس نے کہا۔ 25.4 کچھ کہو۔ 25.5 کہیے، کیا چاہیے؟ 25.6 اس نے مجھ سے کہا کہ آؤ۔ 25.7 ماں نے بیٹے سے کہا کہ دروازہ بند کرو۔ 25.8 کہنا آسان ہے، کرنا مشکل۔ 25.9 لوگ اسے استاد کہتے ہیں۔ 25.10 اس نے ایک بات کہی اور میں چپ رہا۔ 25.11 اس نے صاف صاف کہہ دیا کہ وہ نہیں آئے گا۔ 25.12 وہ کہنے لگی، مجھے معاف کر دیجیے۔ 25.13 بڑوں کا کہنا مانو، اس میں بھلائی ہے۔ 25.14 کہتے ہیں کہ سچ کڑوا ہوتا ہے۔ 25.15 اگر آپ کچھ کہنا چاہتے ہیں تو کہیے، میں سن رہا ہوں۔
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These are the grammar rules for کہنا as "to say."
The stem and the infinitive
The stem is کہ (kah-). The infinitive is کہنا (kahnā, "to say"). Before a postposition, or before لگنا, it takes the oblique ending: کہنے (kahne): کہنے کا مطلب (kahne kā matlab, "the meaning of saying"), کہنے لگا (kahne lagā, "he began to say"). The verb is regular: all its endings are those of any other verb, added to کہ-.
The habitual present
- میں کہتا ہوں (maiṅ kahtā hūṅ) — I say (man); میں کہتی ہوں (maiṅ kahtī hūṅ) — I say (woman) - تم کہتے ہو (tum kahte ho) — you say - آپ کہتے ہیں (āp kahte haiṅ) — you say (polite) - وہ کہتا ہے (woh kahtā hai) — he says; وہ کہتی ہے (woh kahtī hai) — she says - ہم کہتے ہیں (ham kahte haiṅ) — we say - وہ کہتے ہیں (woh kahte haiṅ) — they say
The progressive uses the stem کہہ (kah) and رہنا: وہ کہہ رہا ہے (woh kah rahā hai), "he is saying". The stem is written with two ہ here, as it is whenever it stands before a separate word.
The past: نے and what the verb agrees with
کہنا is transitive, so in every perfective tense the speaker takes نے (ne), and the verb agrees with the thing said, not with the speaker. When there is no object, or the "object" is a quotation or a کہ clause, the verb stays in the masculine singular:
- اُس نے کہا (us ne kahā) — he (or she) said - اُس نے مجھ سے کہا کہ آؤ (us ne mujh se kahā ke āo) — he told me to come
When the thing said is a noun, the verb agrees with it:
- اُس نے ایک بات کہی (us ne ek bāt kahī) — bāt is feminine singular, so کہی - اُس نے دو شعر کہے (us ne do sher kahe) — sher is masculine plural, so کہے. Here کہنا means "to compose": شعر کہنا (sher kahnā) is to make a couplet, غزل کہنا (ghazal kahnā) to make a ghazal - اُنہوں نے باتیں کہیں (unhoṅ ne bāteṅ kahīṅ) — bāteṅ is feminine plural, so کہیں
The subjunctive and the future
- Subjunctive: میں کہوں (maiṅ kahūṅ), تم کہو (tum kaho), وہ کہے (woh kahe), ہم / وہ کہیں (ham / woh kaheṅ) - Future: میں کہوں گا (maiṅ kahūṅ gā), تم کہو گے (tum kaho ge), وہ کہے گا (woh kahe gā), ہم / وہ کہیں گے (ham / woh kaheṅ ge)
In 24.15 of the last lesson, ان کے بارے میں کیا کہیں؟ (un ke bāre meṅ kyā kaheṅ?), "what should we say about them?", is this subjunctive.
The imperative: three levels
- کہہ (kah) — intimate, to a child or very close friend: کہہ دے (kah de), "say it" - کہو (kaho) — familiar, the form for تم: کہو، کیا بات ہے؟ (kaho, kyā bāt hai?), "tell me, what is the matter?" - کہیے (kahiye) — polite, the form for آپ: کہیے، کیا چاہیے؟ (kahiye, kyā chāhiye?)
Compounds with the stem کہہ
- کہہ کر (kah kar) — "having said": یہ کہہ کر وہ چلا گیا (yeh kah kar woh chalā gayā), "having said this, he left" - کہہ دینا (kah denā) — "to say outright, to come out and say": اُس نے صاف صاف کہہ دیا (us ne sāf sāf kah diyā) - کہہ سکنا (kah saknā) — "to be able to say": وہ کچھ نہ کہہ سکی (woh kuch na kah sakī), "she could say nothing" - کہنا چاہنا (kahnā chāhnā) — "to want to say": the infinitive stays unchanged before چاہنا - کہنے لگنا (kahne lagnā) — "to begin to say": the infinitive takes the oblique ending کہنے
Who is spoken to, and what is named
The person spoken to takes سے: مجھ سے کہا (mujh se kahā). When کہنا means "to call", the person or thing takes کو, as in اُسے استاد کہتے ہیں (use ustād kahte haiṅ), "they call him 'teacher'", where اُسے is اُس کو, and the name follows without a postposition. Compare English "call him (a) teacher".
Impersonal "they say"
- کہتے ہیں کہ… (kahte haiṅ ke…) — "they say that…", with no subject expressed - کہا جاتا ہے کہ… (kahā jātā hai ke…) — "it is said that…", the passive form of the same idea
Both openers introduce a proverb or a received opinion: کہتے ہیں کہ سچ کڑوا ہوتا ہے.
کہنا as a noun
کہنا can also be a masculine noun meaning "what one says, one's word": میرا کہنا یہ ہے کہ… (merā kahnā yeh hai ke…), "what I am saying is that…"; بڑوں کا کہنا ماننا (baṛoṅ kā kahnā mānnā), "to do as one's elders say".
Honorific plural
As in Lesson 24, an elder takes plural agreement even when only one person is meant: ابو کہتے ہیں کہ… (abbū kahte haiṅ ke…), "father says that…". The past is not affected: ابو نے کہا is the same for an elder as for anyone.
Common Mistakes
- Leaving out نے in the past: وہ کہا is wrong; say اُس نے کہا. The ergative marker is required with کہنا in every perfective tense. - Agreeing the past with the speaker instead of the thing said: اُس نے بات کہا is wrong; bāt is feminine, so اُس نے بات کہی. Before a quotation or a کہ clause the verb stays کہا. - Reaching for کو, because English says "to", for the person spoken to. The standard form is سے: مجھ سے کہا. - Mixing up the three spellings: کہ ("that", with one ہ), کہہ (the stem standing alone) and کھ (the aspirated kh). The three are different letters, and a wrong choice changes the word. - Confusing کہیں, which is spelled the same in three words: کہیں (kahīṅ), the feminine plural past, "(women) said"; کہیں (kaheṅ), the subjunctive, "let us say / let them say"; and کہیں (kahīṅ), "somewhere", which is a different word altogether. Context decides.
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کہنا is among the commonest verbs in the language, and the polite imperative کہیے is one of its commonest words. A shopkeeper greets a customer with کہیے، کیا چاہیے؟ and a host opens a conversation with کہیے، کیا حال ہے؟ ("Tell me, how are you?"). Between friends, کہو takes its place: کہو، کیا خبر ہے؟ The choice of کہہ, کہو or کہیے tells the listener how close you are.
In poetry, one does not "write" a ghazal in Urdu. One "says" it: غزل کہنا (ghazal kahnā), شعر کہنا (sher kahnā). The verb keeps the sense of verse as something spoken aloud, and "versify" is among the meanings the Rekhta Dictionary records for it.
The verb also carries the weight of family authority. بڑوں کا کہنا ماننا, "to do as your elders say", is a standard piece of advice to a child. Elders themselves are spoken of with plural agreement (ابو کہتے ہیں), as in Lesson 24.
Two sayings in this lesson show the verb at work in proverbs. کہنا آسان ہے، کرنا مشکل (25.8) is the Urdu form of "easier said than done", with the two infinitives set against one another, کہنا and کرنا. And کہتے ہیں کہ… is the usual way of bringing a proverb in: کہتے ہیں کہ سچ کڑوا ہوتا ہے, "they say the truth is bitter".
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From Mirza Ghalib (Asadullah Khan Ghalib), the closing couplet of the Urdu ghazal that begins ہے بس کہ ہر اک ان کے اشارے میں نشاں اور:
ہیں اور بھی دنیا میں سخن ور بہت اچھے کہتے ہیں کہ غالبؔ کا ہے انداز بیاں اور
Hain aur bhī duniyā meṅ sukhan-var bahut achhe Kahte haiṅ ke Ghālib kā hai andāz-e bayāṅ aur
F-A: Intralinear Analysis
Line 1:
ہیں are اور other بھی also دنیا world میں in سخن speech ور possessor بہت very اچھے good-PL
haiṅ (hain) are aur (or) other bhī (bhee) also duniyā (dun-YAA) world meṅ (mein) in sukhan (su-KHUN) speech var (var) possessor bahut (ba-HUT) very achhe (ACH-hay) good-PL
Line 2:
کہتے say-PL ہیں are کہ that غالبؔ Ghalib کا POSS ہے is انداز manner-of بیاں expression اور different
kahte (KEH-tay) say-PL haiṅ (hain) are ke (kay) that Ghālib (GHAA-lib) Ghalib kā (kaa) POSS hai (hay) is andāz-e (an-DAAZ-e) manner-of bayāṅ (ba-YAAN) expression aur (or) different
F-B: Natural Text with Translation
ہیں اور بھی دنیا میں سخن ور بہت اچھے / کہتے ہیں کہ غالبؔ کا ہے انداز بیاں اور
"There are other very fine poets in the world too; / but they say that Ghalib's manner of expression is something else."
F-C: Original Script
ہیں اور بھی دنیا میں سخن ور بہت اچھے کہتے ہیں کہ غالبؔ کا ہے انداز بیاں اور
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
کہتے ہیں کہ (kahte haiṅ ke, "they say that") is the impersonal opener described in Section D: plural habitual, no subject expressed, no نے, and the clause that follows is introduced by کہ, pronounced ke in standard Urdu. The "they" who say it are unnamed, and the poet reports his own fame as hearsay: the modesty of a convention, with a claim of great confidence inside it.
The couplet turns on the little word اور. In the first line اور بھی (aur bhī) means "others as well": there are other poets besides him. In the second line اور means "different, of another kind": his manner is something else again. The same word, in the same position at the end of the line, closes the couplet with the opposite meaning, and this is the whole point of the verse. The ghazal keeps اور as its refrain throughout, so every couplet closes on it. سخن ور (sukhan-var) is the Persian compound "speech-possessor", that is, poet. In انداز بیاں the connecting -e (izafa), "manner of expression", is read but not written; the couplet is printed in this way on Rekhta.
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A family evening, told in the past tense, with the speech itself in the present and the imperative. کہنا and its forms appear in every line: with نے, with an honorific plural, in a quotation, and in a proverb at the close.
Part A — Intralinear Construed Text
25.16a دادی grandmother نے ERG اسلم Aslam سے to کہا said کہ that ابو father کو DAT بلا call لاؤ bring-IMP
25.16b dādī (DAA-dee) grandmother ne (nay) ERG aslam (AS-lam) Aslam se (say) to kahā (ka-HAA) said ke (kay) that abbū (ab-BOO) father ko (ko) DAT bulā (bu-LAA) call lāo (LAA-o) bring-IMP
25.17a اسلم Aslam نے ERG کہا said میں I ابھی now جاتا go-MASC ہوں am
25.17b aslam (AS-lam) Aslam ne (nay) ERG kahā (ka-HAA) said maiṅ (main) I abhī (ab-HEE) now jātā (JAA-taa) go-MASC hūṅ (hoon) am
25.18a دکان shop پر at پہنچ reach کر having اُس him-OBL نے ERG ابو father سے to کہا said دادی grandmother بلا call رہی PROG-FEM ہیں are-HON
25.18b dukān (du-KAAN) shop par (par) at pahunch (pa-HUNCH) reach kar (kar) having us (us) him-OBL ne (nay) ERG abbū (ab-BOO) father se (say) to kahā (ka-HAA) said dādī (DAA-dee) grandmother bulā (bu-LAA) call rahī (ra-HEE) PROG-FEM haiṅ (hain) are-HON
25.19a ابو father نے ERG کہا said کہ that تم you چلو go-IMP میں I آتا come-MASC ہوں am
25.19b abbū (ab-BOO) father ne (nay) ERG kahā (ka-HAA) said ke (kay) that tum (tum) you chalo (cha-LO) go-IMP maiṅ (main) I ātā (AA-taa) come-MASC hūṅ (hoon) am
25.20a اسلم Aslam نے ERG کہا said نہیں no دادی grandmother نے ERG کہا said ہے is کہ that آپ you-HON میرے my-OBL ساتھ with چلیں go-SUBJ
25.20b aslam (AS-lam) Aslam ne (nay) ERG kahā (ka-HAA) said nahīṅ (na-HEEN) no dādī (DAA-dee) grandmother ne (nay) ERG kahā (ka-HAA) said hai (hay) is ke (kay) that āp (aap) you-HON mere (MAY-ray) my-OBL sāth (saath) with chaleṅ (cha-LEN) go-SUBJ
25.21a ابو father ہنس laugh کر having بولے spoke-PL تمہاری your-FEM دادی grandmother جو what کہتی say-FEM ہیں are-HON وہی that-very ہوتا happens-MASC ہے is
25.21b abbū (ab-BOO) father hans (huns) laugh kar (kar) having bole (BO-lay) spoke-PL tumhārī (tum-HAA-ree) your-FEM dādī (DAA-dee) grandmother jo (jo) what kahtī (KEH-tee) say-FEM haiṅ (hain) are-HON wohī (wo-HEE) that-very hotā (HO-taa) happens-MASC hai (hay) is
25.22a دونوں both گھر home پہنچے reached-PL تو then دادی grandmother نے ERG کہا said کھانا food ٹھنڈا cold-MASC ہو become رہا PROG-MASC ہے is
25.22b donoṅ (do-NON) both ghar (ghar) home pahunche (pa-HUN-chay) reached-PL to (to) then dādī (DAA-dee) grandmother ne (nay) ERG kahā (ka-HAA) said khānā (KHAA-naa) food ṭhanḍā (THUN-daa) cold-MASC ho (ho) become rahā (RAH-aa) PROG-MASC hai (hay) is
25.23a ابو father نے ERG کہا said ہم we پہلے first ہاتھ hand دھو wash لیں take-SUBJ
25.23b abbū (ab-BOO) father ne (nay) ERG kahā (ka-HAA) said ham (hum) we pahle (PEH-lay) first hāth (haath) hand dho (dho) wash leṅ (len) take-SUBJ
25.24a چھوٹی small-FEM بہن sister نے ERG کہا said کہ that میں I آج today کچھ anything نہیں not کھاؤں eat-SUBJ گی FUT-FEM
25.24b chhoṭī (CHHO-tee) small-FEM bahan (ba-HAN) sister ne (nay) ERG kahā (ka-HAA) said ke (kay) that maiṅ (main) I āj (aaj) today kuch (kuch) anything nahīṅ (na-HEEN) not khāūṅ (khaa-OON) eat-SUBJ gī (gee) FUT-FEM
25.25a دادی grandmother نے ERG کہا said بیٹی daughter کہو say-IMP کیا what بات matter ہے is
25.25b dādī (DAA-dee) grandmother ne (nay) ERG kahā (ka-HAA) said beṭī (BAY-tee) daughter kaho (ka-HO) say-IMP kyā (kyaa) what bāt (baat) matter hai (hay) is
25.26a وہ she کچھ anything نہ not کہہ say سکی could-FEM اور and رونے cry-INF.OBL لگی began-FEM
25.26b woh (woh) she kuch (kuch) anything na (na) not kah (keh) say sakī (sa-KEE) could-FEM aur (or) and rone (RO-nay) cry-INF.OBL lagī (la-GEE) began-FEM
25.27a ابو father نے ERG آہستہ soft سے with کہا said اسے her-DAT وقت time دو give-IMP
25.27b abbū (ab-BOO) father ne (nay) ERG āhista (aa-his-TA) soft se (say) with kahā (ka-HAA) said use (OO-say) her-DAT waqt (waqt) time do (do) give-IMP
25.28a تھوڑی little-FEM دیر delay بعد after اُس her-OBL نے ERG کہا said مجھے to-me امتحان exam کی POSS-FEM فکر worry ہے is
25.28b thoṛī (THO-ree) little-FEM der (der) delay baad (baad) after us (us) her-OBL ne (nay) ERG kahā (ka-HAA) said mujhe (mu-JHE) to-me imtihān (im-ti-HAAN) exam kī (kee) POSS-FEM fikr (fikr) worry hai (hay) is
25.29a دادی grandmother نے ERG کہا said کہ that محنت effort کرو do-IMP اور and باقی rest اللہ God پر on چھوڑ leave دو give-IMP
25.29b dādī (DAA-dee) grandmother ne (nay) ERG kahā (ka-HAA) said ke (kay) that mehnat (meh-NAT) effort karo (ka-RO) do-IMP aur (or) and bāqī (baa-QEE) rest Allāh (al-LAAH) God par (par) on chhoṛ (chhor) leave do (do) give-IMP
25.30a لوگ people ٹھیک right کہتے say-PL ہیں are کہ that صبر patience کا POSS پھل fruit میٹھا sweet-MASC ہوتا is-HAB ہے is
25.30b log (log) people ṭhīk (theek) right kahte (KEH-tay) say-PL haiṅ (hain) are ke (kay) that sabr (sabr) patience kā (kaa) POSS phal (phal) fruit mīṭhā (MEE-thaa) sweet-MASC hotā (HO-taa) is-HAB hai (hay) is
Part B — Natural Sentences
25.16 دادی نے اسلم سے کہا کہ ابو کو بلا لاؤ۔ Dādī ne aslam se kahā ke abbū ko bulā lāo. "Grandmother told Aslam to go and call his father."
25.17 اسلم نے کہا، میں ابھی جاتا ہوں۔ Aslam ne kahā, maiṅ abhī jātā hūṅ. "Aslam said, 'I'm going right now.'"
25.18 دکان پر پہنچ کر اس نے ابو سے کہا، دادی بلا رہی ہیں۔ Dukān par pahunch kar us ne abbū se kahā, dādī bulā rahī haiṅ. "Having reached the shop, he said to his father, 'Grandmother is calling.'"
25.19 ابو نے کہا کہ تم چلو، میں آتا ہوں۔ Abbū ne kahā ke tum chalo, maiṅ ātā hūṅ. "Father said, 'You go on, I'm coming.'"
25.20 اسلم نے کہا، نہیں، دادی نے کہا ہے کہ آپ میرے ساتھ چلیں۔ Aslam ne kahā, nahīṅ, dādī ne kahā hai ke āp mere sāth chaleṅ. "Aslam said, 'No, Grandmother has said that you are to come with me.'"
25.21 ابو ہنس کر بولے، تمہاری دادی جو کہتی ہیں، وہی ہوتا ہے۔ Abbū hans kar bole, tumhārī dādī jo kahtī haiṅ, wohī hotā hai. "Laughing, father said, 'What your grandmother says is what happens.'"
25.22 دونوں گھر پہنچے تو دادی نے کہا، کھانا ٹھنڈا ہو رہا ہے۔ Donoṅ ghar pahunche to dādī ne kahā, khānā ṭhanḍā ho rahā hai. "When the two reached home, Grandmother said, 'The food is getting cold.'"
25.23 ابو نے کہا، ہم پہلے ہاتھ دھو لیں۔ Abbū ne kahā, ham pahle hāth dho leṅ. "Father said, 'Let us wash our hands first.'"
25.24 چھوٹی بہن نے کہا کہ میں آج کچھ نہیں کھاؤں گی۔ Chhoṭī bahan ne kahā ke maiṅ āj kuch nahīṅ khāūṅ gī. "The little sister said that she would eat nothing today."
25.25 دادی نے کہا، بیٹی، کہو، کیا بات ہے؟ Dādī ne kahā, beṭī, kaho, kyā bāt hai? "Grandmother said, 'Child, tell me, what is the matter?'"
25.26 وہ کچھ نہ کہہ سکی اور رونے لگی۔ Woh kuch na kah sakī aur rone lagī. "She could say nothing and began to cry."
25.27 ابو نے آہستہ سے کہا، اسے وقت دو۔ Abbū ne āhista se kahā, use waqt do. "Father said softly, 'Give her time.'"
25.28 تھوڑی دیر بعد اس نے کہا، مجھے امتحان کی فکر ہے۔ Thoṛī der baad us ne kahā, mujhe imtihān kī fikr hai. "After a little while she said, 'I am worried about the exam.'"
25.29 دادی نے کہا کہ محنت کرو اور باقی اللہ پر چھوڑ دو۔ Dādī ne kahā ke mehnat karo aur bāqī Allāh par chhoṛ do. "Grandmother said, 'Make your effort, and leave the rest to God.'"
25.30 لوگ ٹھیک کہتے ہیں کہ صبر کا پھل میٹھا ہوتا ہے۔ Log ṭhīk kahte haiṅ ke sabr kā phal mīṭhā hotā hai. "People are right when they say that the fruit of patience is sweet."
Part C — Target Language Only
25.16 دادی نے اسلم سے کہا کہ ابو کو بلا لاؤ۔ 25.17 اسلم نے کہا، میں ابھی جاتا ہوں۔ 25.18 دکان پر پہنچ کر اس نے ابو سے کہا، دادی بلا رہی ہیں۔ 25.19 ابو نے کہا کہ تم چلو، میں آتا ہوں۔ 25.20 اسلم نے کہا، نہیں، دادی نے کہا ہے کہ آپ میرے ساتھ چلیں۔ 25.21 ابو ہنس کر بولے، تمہاری دادی جو کہتی ہیں، وہی ہوتا ہے۔ 25.22 دونوں گھر پہنچے تو دادی نے کہا، کھانا ٹھنڈا ہو رہا ہے۔ 25.23 ابو نے کہا، ہم پہلے ہاتھ دھو لیں۔ 25.24 چھوٹی بہن نے کہا کہ میں آج کچھ نہیں کھاؤں گی۔ 25.25 دادی نے کہا، بیٹی، کہو، کیا بات ہے؟ 25.26 وہ کچھ نہ کہہ سکی اور رونے لگی۔ 25.27 ابو نے آہستہ سے کہا، اسے وقت دو۔ 25.28 تھوڑی دیر بعد اس نے کہا، مجھے امتحان کی فکر ہے۔ 25.29 دادی نے کہا کہ محنت کرو اور باقی اللہ پر چھوڑ دو۔ 25.30 لوگ ٹھیک کہتے ہیں کہ صبر کا پھل میٹھا ہوتا ہے۔
Part D — Grammar Notes
دادی نے اسلم سے کہا کہ ابو کو بلا لاؤ (25.16) — the pattern of the whole lesson in one line: speaker + نے, person addressed + سے, then کہ ("that") and the thing said. The command inside it, بلا لاؤ (bulā lāo, "go and call"), joins two verbs, بلانا (to call) and لانا (to bring), in a quick sequence: "call (and) bring".
دادی نے کہا ہے کہ (25.20) — the present perfect: کہا + ہے, "has said". It is used when what was said still holds at the moment of speaking, here the standing instruction. Compare the simple past in 25.16.
جو کہتی ہیں (25.21) — the plural honorific again: دادی is one woman, but کہتی ہیں takes the plural. Note also بولے (bole, "spoke"), the past of بولنا, used here for the father's reply as a variation on کہا. The first is the act of speaking, the second is what was said.
کہہ سکی (25.26) — the stem کہہ with سکنا, in the feminine past to agree with the speaker (وہ کچھ نہ کہہ سکی). Here the verb has no نے: سکنا is intransitive and agrees with the subject, and the object کچھ is left unmarked. Compare 25.10, where کہا / کہی takes نے and agrees with the thing said.
چھوڑ دو (25.29) — the compound چھوڑ دینا ("to leave behind, to hand over"): دینا adds the sense of finally and completely, as in کہہ دینا (25.11).
صبر کا پھل میٹھا ہوتا ہے (25.30) — a well-known proverb ("the fruit of patience is sweet"), brought in with کہتے ہیں کہ. The habitual ہوتا ہے states a general truth.
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کہنا (kahnā): KEH-naa. Standard Urdu /kəɦ.nɑː/, with the realisation [kɛɦ.nɑː]: the short a before the ہ is said like the e of "bed", and the ہ is a breathy h, not silent. Two syllables.
کہا (kahā): ka-HAA. Two syllables, the stress on the long ā; the vowel of the first syllable is short and light. Compare کہتا (kahtā), KEH-taa, where the stress falls on the first syllable.
کہیے (kahiye): ka-HEE-yay. Three syllables. The ی is long ī, followed by a light y-glide into the final -e.
کہو (kaho): ka-HO. Two syllables. The final o is long.
کہیں (kaheṅ, kahīṅ): ka-HEN and ka-HEEN. They differ only in the vowel of the second syllable: ē (as in "ten", with nasalisation) for the subjunctive, ī (as in "seen", with nasalisation) for the feminine plural past. "Somewhere" is also kahīṅ.
کہہ (kah): keh. One syllable, "keh", with the breathy h at the end.
کہ (ke): kay. One short syllable, the conjunction "that". Wiktionary gives [ke] for standard Urdu.
کھ (kh) and کہ (k + h): in کھانا (khānā) the aspirate is a single puff of breath on the k. In کہنا the k is clean and the h follows as a separate breath after the vowel.
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