Urdu
Help! Has anyone learned Urdu or in the process of learning?
This is a feat that I continue to suffer at. My hubby promised to help me, but inevitably, it gets pushed to the back burner considering we see very little of one another. Consequently, the dialogue we do have needs to be understood by both, thus occurring in English. I know roughly 100* or so (I am not sure, I may be underestimating here) words which we use in our daily vocabulary while talking to the cats or cooking, etc.
I have purchased a self-guided book and c.d. titled: Teach Yourself Urdu by David Matthews and Mohamed Kasim Dalvi. I have tried numerous times to get through chapter one, but have a hard time feeling like I am getting anywhere. I have now decided to create my own flashcards. I am hoping that this will help me get through the first chapter considering I am very much a visual cue learner. I have asked my hubby if he would agree to play word of the day with me in which I pick one flashcard which introduces a new vowel or consonant sound with a sample Urdu word provided. Hubby has to help me by using that word at least two times in the evening in Urdu or Englurdu sentences.
What have y’all done? What works, what doesn’t? Do your significant others help, if so, how? Have you found any professional tutors, if so, where? For the parents, does your Urdu speaking partner faithfully speak to the babes, and does this help you by learning elementary Urdu along with the kids?
Thanks for playing :-)
*On second thought, I do know a lot more than 50 words
posted by Baji @ Wednesday, February 22, 2006
20 comments
20 Comments:
Salam Baji
Im also trying really hard to learn. I tried that book too but i found it really boring :P For now i'm just trying to build up my vocabulary to a decent level. I'll start worrying about the grammar later. I'm thinking of taking classes when we go to Pakistan. DH talks to our baby in Urdu most of the time, but when i catch him saying an English word i quickly remind him not to! I want her to speak Urdu perfectly, she gets plenty of English and Spanish from me anyway. I find that since the baby was born i'm learning along with the baby talk.
I have that book too and have a hard time moving forward with it. DH says it's a hard book anyhow. I do find the tape helps a lot though. Do any mosques in your area have urdu classes?
For that I wonder if you should take up your FIL's offer and go to Pakistan for a month or so? That will defeintly jump start it.
Thanks Um Mahtab.
Wayfarer, good suggestion. Does your hubby speak in Urdu to the little guy?
Aisha, I am avoiding the whole thing :-) I think that I am being selfish and trying to soak up as much time with hubby as I can. The explanation: We are meeting his parents in Europe for 10 days or so in April and then my MIL is here to stay for an indef. time (2-3 months).
Another good way is to watch Urdu/Hindi TV Dramas but I think you have to push your husband as speaking is the best way. Lets lean one word today.
SHAB-BA-KHAIR (shh-ab-b-kh-air)mean good-night.
I will write one word in every post with you.
I have a 2 C/DVD sets, 500 flash cards, three books, online course and I still can't speak Urdu. And the my husband rarely speaks Urdu and doesnt seem to care if I don't learn it, so I just pick it up where I can! Maybe we need to start a Learn Urdu Blog....:)
If you all guys are willing, we can setup a urdu blog, "learn urdu".You guys suggest a word/sentence, I will write translation.
Who want to be the boss ?
Mystic, how sweet! That would be great, let's do it!
I created this blog
http://urdu-sikho.blogspot.com/
Friends..give input.
Mystic, you're the best! :) I have about 500 Urdu flash cards that could be posted per day also if we were interested. :) (With my husbands help of course lol)
sure, lets leave word in comment area for next day
I did first word: Shab-ba-khair
I was lucky to find urdu keyboard with my new windowxp version.
he does speak urdu to the little one and i do too (the words i know).
glad to see mystic saint is going to do the urdu blog. Sweet!
I found Learn Urdu Blog by Harris very useful. Check it out at http://learnurdu.blogspot.com/
what a great idea! i'm going to forward that link to my gora hubby and my sis's soon-to-be-gora-hubby! :D
I have the book and I am taking classes at the mosque, starting this Saturday. I will see how well they go... I met some really nice aunties at the mosque who are nice and want to teach me 1 on 1, because the children's class is too advanced for me, lol. I am learning Arabic at the same time, so I hope that I don't get too confused. I am learning to read/write Arabic and only conversational Urdu, so hopefully I can keep the two separate.
salaam
I learned Urdu. I studied it at university and then studied abroad in India. I was lucky cuz I had good instruction for 2 years and then got to go for immersion, and I know that isn't realistic for everyone. At uni I just got the grammar rules and built up vocab---two musts because those are like the bones of any language. But when I studied abroad I got some "meat on my bones" because I got communication practice.
Do you have anyone to work with you one on one using that book? You can do basic grammar and then spend some time doing communication practice, say thirty minutes each for a couple times a week if you can find a suitable auntie tutor.
Then when u go to PK and get to put your Urdu to the test, you will improve a lot. It took me 3 years or so of really studying and practicing to get good. I am not native-speaker fluent, but I am pretty fluent especially on a spoken/daily life level. Inshallah u will find someone to help u out. Don't plan on osmosis of the language from hubby cuz that never works :) Good luck!
i think to learn a language one must live in areas where that language is spoken, otherwise you can endup with vacublory but not languege, wish you goodluck for Urdu :D
and there is a blog to help with learning urdu but that deals mostly with those pakistanis who already know how to speak but can not read urdu,
http://learnurdu.blogspot.com
I recently designed taaleemi taash (i.e urdu alphabet cards).
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5918/1482/320/khai.1.png
It is a fun way to learn Urdu interactively with kids, friends and relatives. I can send you printable cards if you wish. Please drop me a line on urdudaan to get those cards in pdf files.
its too easy To Learn Urdu Arabic english and many other languages too with www.learnalquran.com They offer online courses with live and online teaching method! info@learnalquran.com. complete educational solution!
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