Everything You Need To Learn Urdu

Everything You Need To Learn Urdu

Urdu, the official language of Pakistan, is a member of the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European family. Around 100 million people are believed to speak it worldwide, fifty percentage of whom live in India, where Urdu is one of the 22 official languages.

In terms of linguistic classification, Urdu is the south-western descendent of the Khari Boli vernacular. It is closely related to Standard Hindi, sharing around 75% of its vocabulary, making the two languages somewhat mutually intelligible.

Urdu is written in a modified form of the Arabic alphabet, which has been specially adapted to suit Urdu’s phonetic system. The script is written from right-to-left.

Though the list of learning resources isn’t very long, there are more than enough Urdu learning materials to get you to a decent level in the language.

Urdu Language Learning Books

If you’re just starting out, you might want to get yourself a comprehensive Urdu course book that will introduce you to the basics of the Urdu language, including Urdu grammar, the writing system, and how to structure sentences. You’ll come away with a solid foundation to build upon.

A necessity for all serious learners is an English-Urdu dictionary. It will become your go-to resource for when you come across words or phrases that you don’t understand.

If you think you’ll have particular trouble with the Urdu writing system, consider getting a book that focuses specifically on teaching the Urdu script and alphabet.

Colloquial Urdu: The Complete Course for Beginners
Amazon.com
Colloquial Urdu: The Complete Course for Beginners
Beginning Urdu: A Complete Course
Amazon.com
Beginning Urdu: A Complete Course
Urdu Alphabets with English Translation
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Urdu Alphabets with English Translation
Complete Urdu Beginner to Intermediate Course
Amazon.com
Complete Urdu Beginner to Intermediate Course
Urdu-English/English-Urdu Dictionary & Phrasebook
Amazon.com
Urdu-English/English-Urdu Dictionary & Phrasebook
Urdu: An Essential Grammar
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Urdu: An Essential Grammar
Oxford English-Urdu Mini Dictionary
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Oxford English-Urdu Mini Dictionary
Read and Write Urdu Script
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Read and Write Urdu Script

Urdu Children’s Books

One of the best ways to give your language skills a boost, once you’re done with your study course, is by reading children’s books in Urdu.

Urdu kids’ books are written to be easy-to-read, with short sentences and colorful pictures to aid in memorization. This makes them perfect for beginners looking to improve their vocabulary, reading comprehension, and overall command of the language.

22 Urdu Books for Children
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22 Urdu Books for Children
The Lion Who Saw Himself in the Water: English-Urdu Children's Book
Amazon.com
The Lion Who Saw Himself in the Water: English-Urdu Children's Book
Am I small? کیا میں چھوٹی ہوں؟: Children's Picture Book English-Urdu
Amazon.com
Am I small? کیا میں چھوٹی ہوں؟: Children's Picture Book English-Urdu
The Magic Horse: English-Urdu Edition
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The Magic Horse: English-Urdu Edition
My First Bilingual Book – Animals: English-Urdu Children's Book
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My First Bilingual Book – Animals: English-Urdu Children's Book
My First Bilingual Book – Love: English–Urdu Children's Book
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My First Bilingual Book – Love: English–Urdu Children's Book

Urdu Digital Courses

If book-study isn’t really your thing, you might do better with Urdu e-courses. These types of courses are generally audio or video-based, the former focusing on teaching you how to speak and understand the language, while the latter nurtures your overall Urdu skills.

Udemy’s Urdu digital course is comprehensive and affordable, giving you a staggering 17 hours of video lessons, downloadable worksheets, and lifetime access across any smart device. This is great for beginners who want to build their Urdu listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.

URDU UDEMY COURSESUrdu Udemy

URDU AUDIO COURSES

Audio-only Urdu courses exist, too. Pimsleur’s Basic Urdu course is great for those who don’t have time to sit and study, and for people with busy schedules. The course offers hours of audio lessons, designed to get you to conversational level in Urdu without you ever having to pick up a book or pen.

Pimsleur Basic Urdu: 5-CD Audio Course for Beginners

Amazon.com