Asking and Answering about Personal Details in Urdu

Indo-Aryan language spoken in South Asia.

In this unit, we will focus on how to ask and answer questions about personal details in Urdu. This is a crucial part of any conversation, especially when meeting someone for the first time.

Forming Questions in Urdu

In Urdu, the question word usually comes at the end of the sentence. Here are some examples:

• What is your name? - آپ کا نام کیا ہے؟ (Aap ka naam kya hai?)
• How old are you? - آپ کی عمر کیا ہے؟ (Aap ki umar kya hai?)
• Where are you from? - آپ کہاں سے ہیں؟ (Aap kahan se hain?)
• What is your profession? - آپ کا پیشہ کیا ہے؟ (Aap ka pesha kya hai?)

Answering Questions in Urdu

When answering these questions, you usually start with the subject (I, you, he, she, etc.) and then add the information asked for. Here are some examples:

• My name is... - میرا نام ... ہے (Mera naam ... hai)
• I am ... years old - میں ... سال کا ہوں (Main ... saal ka hoon)
• I am from... - میں ... سے ہوں (Main ... se hoon)
• I am a... (profession) - میں ... ہوں (Main ... hoon)

Cultural Norms and Etiquette

In Pakistani culture, it's important to show respect when asking about personal details, especially when speaking to elders or people you've just met. Here are some tips:

• Use the formal "you" (آپ - Aap) instead of the informal "you" (تم - Tum) when asking questions.
• Avoid asking about someone's age unless it's necessary. It's considered impolite.
• When asking about someone's profession, it's better to ask "What do you do?" (آپ کیا کرتے ہیں؟ - Aap kya karte hain?) instead of "What is your profession?" (آپ کا پیشہ کیا ہے؟ - Aap ka pesha kya hai?). The latter can be seen as too direct.

By the end of this unit, you should be able to ask and answer questions about personal details in Urdu. Remember to practice these phrases and sentences to become more comfortable with them.