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Mat Karo · No, Don't, Stop

Negation and commands — with courtesy built in

Saying no, telling people what (not) to do, and doing both politely. Urdu builds respect directly into command endings — the -iye you met at the chai dhaba runs the whole system.

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The phrases

متmat — don't (with commands)The command-negator: mat jāo — don't go.
مت جاؤmat jāo — Don't go!Every Bollywood/Lollywood climax in one phrase.
رکوruko — Stop! / Wait!
آؤāo — Come!Casual tum-level command. Āiye for āp-level.
بیٹھیےbaiṭhiye — Please sitThe -iye courtesy ending from Level 10 — every host's first word.
سنیےsuniye — Please listen / excuse meThe universal polite summons — how you call a waiter or begin a request.
مجھے نہیں پتہmujhe nahīṉ patā — I don't knowTop-five most useful sentence in the language. Deploy honestly.
کوئی مسئلہ نہیںkoī mas'alah nahīṉ — No problemSibling of L10's koī bāt nahīṉ.
فکر مت کروfikr mat karo — Don't worryFikr = worry. The phrase that ends most desi phone calls.
نہیں چاہیےnahīṉ chāhiye — (I) don't want/need itL5's chāhiye, negated — bazaar armor.

Good to know

✨ Commands come in three courtesies matching the three 'you's: (tū — blunt), jāo (tum — casual), jāiye (āp — gracious). The verb ending does your bowing for you.
Suniye — literally 'please listen' — is the all-purpose polite attention-getter: waiters, shopkeepers, strangers, spouses. Urdu's answer to 'excuse me', but warmer.
Nahīṉ parks right before the verb: “maiṉ nahīṉ jāūṉgā” — I will NOT go. Negation slots into every tense you now own.

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