Research on vocabulary retention is clear: words stick when they're about YOU. This level gives you colors plus the 'pasand hai' pattern, from here on, you can state a preference about anything you've learned.
لالlāl: redAlso means 'ruby' and 'darling', a very affectionate color.
نیلاnīlā: blue
ہراharā: greenThe color of Pakistan's flag, 'sabz' is its Persian twin.
پیلاpīlā: yellow
کالاkālā: black
سفیدsafed: white
گلابیgulābī: pinkLiterally 'rose-colored', from gulāb, rose.
رنگrang: colorAs in Holi's 'rang', and 'rangīn', colorful.
مجھے نیلا رنگ پسند ہےmujhe nīlā rang pasand hai: I like (the color) bluePattern: mujhe ___ pasand hai = I like ___.
مجھے چائے پسند ہےmujhe chāy pasand hai: I like teaLevels 5 + 9, one sentence. It's all one language now.
آپ کو کیا پسند ہے؟āp ko kyā pasand hai?: What do you like?Level 6's kyā earning its keep. Ask everyone.
مجھے یہ پسند نہیںmujhe yeh pasand nahīṉ: I don't like thisPoliter than it looks, but soften it with thoṛā if you can.
آپ کو کون سا رنگ پسند ہے؟āp ko kaun sā rang pasand hai?: Which colour do you like?L6's kaun sā, doing real work.
نارنجیnārangī: orangeFrom nārangī, the fruit. The same word travelled west and became 'orange'.
سرمئیsurmaī: greyFrom surma, the kohl lined around eyes. A colour named after a cosmetic.
مجھے بہت پسند آیاmujhe bahut pasand āyā: I really liked itPasand ānā, for one particular thing you liked, once.
Good to know
✨ “Mujhe chāy pasand hai” is literally “to-me tea pleasing is”, likes work like Spanish gustar: the thing you love does the verb, you just receive the feeling. Very romantic grammar.
✨ Gulābī (pink) comes from gulāb (rose), which is Persian for 'rose water', gul (flower) + āb (water). Inside the word for pink there's a whole garden.
✨ Mehndi green, gulābī pink, surkh deep red, wedding season owns half the Urdu color vocabulary.
Urdu Ustaadh is a free Urdu-learning resource: native audio, daily games, the Nastaliq script, and Pakistani culture. A project of Muneeb Ata Enterprises. Start learning free →