Urdu

Urdu is the national language of Pakistan and therefore the language of schooling. It is similar to Hindi, although Urdu is written in Arabic script and has borrowed many words from Persian and Arabic. Hindi on the other hand, has borrowed both the script and many words from Sabskritt.

Urdu is written from right to left, unlike Hindi and Punjabi which are both written from left to right but under the line rather than on it.

Word order

The main verb comes at the end of a sentence

e.g.; in English: 'I see you'; whereas in Urdu: 'I you see'

in English: Who is there?; in Urdu: 'There who is?'

Definite, indefinite articles and nouns

There are no definite or indefinite articles so 'a', 'an and 'the' will initially be missed out altogether when working in English.

Nouns have gender so it is possible that pupils may refer to objects as 'he' or 'she'.

Vowels

In Urdu there is a limited range of vowel sounds. A long 'o' as in hole can be difficult and may be written as 'haul' or 'whorl'. The 'a' in 'and' can often be confused with 'e' as in 'end', so 'very' could be presented as 'vary' and 'happy' as 'heppy'.

Consonants

There are about 30 consonants in the Urdu alphabet. However, there is no 'w' or th' sound. 'W' is usually rendered as 'v', especially when speaking. 'Th' as in 'Thin is spoken as a 'T' while the 'Th' in 'That' is spoken as 'D'.