Table of Contents
Talking about basic personal information
In this chapter you will learn how to say your name, nationality, and profession in simple, very common Urdu patterns. You will see both Urdu script and Roman Urdu, so you can start speaking immediately even if you are not yet comfortable with the script.
We will focus on a few useful sentence patterns, not full grammar explanations. Detailed work on questions, gender, verbs and so on will come in later chapters.
Saying your name
Key pattern: “My name is …”
The most neutral way to say your name is:
میرا نام … ہے
mera naam … hai
“My name is …”
Put your name in the middle.
| English | Urdu (script) | Roman Urdu |
|---|---|---|
| My name is Ali. | میرا نام علی ہے۔ | mera naam Ali hai. |
| My name is Sara. | میرا نام سارا ہے۔ | mera naam Saara hai. |
| My name is John. | میرا نام جان ہے۔ | mera naam John hai. |
| My name is Emma. | میرا نام ایما ہے۔ | mera naam Emma hai. |
Pattern:
میرا نام + [your name] + ہے
mera naam + [your name] + hai
Note that mera is “my” here. Detailed explanation of possession will come later, so for now just remember the whole phrase as a chunk.
A more casual pattern: “I am …”
In everyday speech, people sometimes introduce themselves simply as:
میں علی ہوں۔
main Ali hoon.
“I am Ali.”
This is shorter and feels natural in many informal contexts.
| English | Urdu | Roman Urdu |
|---|---|---|
| I am Ali. | میں علی ہوں۔ | main Ali hoon. |
| I am Sara. | میں سارا ہوں۔ | main Saara hoon. |
| I am John. | میں جان ہوں۔ | main John hoon. |
Use میں … ہوں (main … hoon) only with your own name or “I am …” sentences. For “My name is …” do not use hoon, use mera naam … hai.
Asking for someone’s name
You will learn full question words later, but here are some set phrases that are very common.
Polite and standard questions
- What is your name? (to someone your age or younger, or informal)
تمہارا نام کیا ہے؟
tumhaara naam kya hai?
- What is your name? (polite or formal, for respect)
آپ کا نام کیا ہے؟
aap ka naam kya hai?
Here, tumhaara / aap ka means “your,” and kya is “what.” You will see more about questions later, but you can already use this whole sentence.
| English | Urdu | Roman Urdu |
|---|---|---|
| What is your name? (informal) | تمہارا نام کیا ہے؟ | tumhaara naam kya hai? |
| What is your name? (formal) | آپ کا نام کیا ہے؟ | aap ka naam kya hai? |
Simple mini dialog examples
Dialog 1 (informal)
- A: تمہارا نام کیا ہے؟
tumhaara naam kya hai?
“What is your name?” - B: میرا نام علی ہے۔
mera naam Ali hai.
“My name is Ali.”
Dialog 2 (formal / polite)
- A: آپ کا نام کیا ہے؟
aap ka naam kya hai?
“What is your name?” - B: میرا نام سارا ہے۔
mera naam Saara hai.
“My name is Sara.”
Saying your nationality
To say “I am Pakistani” or “I am Indian,” we usually use a very simple pattern:
میں پاکستانی ہوں۔
main Pakistani hoon.
“I am Pakistani.”
The structure is:
Pattern:
میں + [nationality word] + ہوں
main + [nationality word] + hoon
Here are some common nationality words in Urdu:
| English | Urdu (script) | Roman Urdu |
|---|---|---|
| Pakistani | پاکستانی | Pakistani |
| Indian | بھارتی / ہندوستانی | Bhaarti / Hindustaani |
| American | امریکن / امریکی | American / Amreeki |
| British | برٹش / برطانوی | British / Bartaanwi |
| Canadian | کینیڈین | Canadian |
| Australian | آسٹریلین | Australian |
| Chinese | چائنیز / چینی | Chinese / Cheeni |
| German | جرمن | German |
| French | فرنچ | French |
| Turkish | ترک | Turk |
| Afghan | افغانی | Afghaanee |
Many nationalities are borrowed directly from English, like “American,” “Canadian” and “Australian.” Others have more “Urdu-style” forms like امریکی (Amreeki).
Example sentences
| English | Urdu | Roman Urdu |
|---|---|---|
| I am Pakistani. | میں پاکستانی ہوں۔ | main Pakistani hoon. |
| I am Indian. | میں بھارتی ہوں۔ | main Bhaarti hoon. |
| I am American. | میں امریکن ہوں۔ | main American hoon. |
| I am British. | میں برٹش ہوں۔ | main British hoon. |
| I am Canadian. | میں کینیڈین ہوں۔ | main Canadian hoon. |
| I am German. | میں جرمن ہوں۔ | main German hoon. |
Asking about nationality
Here is a very simple question pattern you can already use:
آپ کہاں سے ہیں؟
aap kahaan se hain?
“Where are you from?”
You will study kahaan (where) and se (from) more deeply later. For now, just memorize the whole sentence as a very useful phrase.
A very short way to ask, especially after hearing your name, is:
آپ پاکستانی ہیں؟
aap Pakistani hain?
“Are you Pakistani?”
The same pattern works with any nationality word.
| English | Urdu | Roman Urdu |
|---|---|---|
| Are you Pakistani? | آپ پاکستانی ہیں؟ | aap Pakistani hain? |
| Are you Indian? | آپ بھارتی ہیں؟ | aap Bhaarti hain? |
| Are you American? | آپ امریکن ہیں؟ | aap American hain? |
Simple dialog:
- A: آپ کہاں سے ہیں؟
aap kahaan se hain?
“Where are you from?” - B: میں پاکستان سے ہوں۔
main Pakistan se hoon.
“I am from Pakistan.”
(This “from …” pattern will be explored later. Here you only need to recognize it.)
Saying your profession
Profession words in Urdu are usually added after میں just like nationality words.
Basic pattern:
Pattern:
میں + [profession] + ہوں
main + [profession] + hoon
For example:
میں استاد ہوں۔
main ustaad hoon.
“I am a teacher.”
میں طالب علم ہوں۔
main taalib-e-ilm hoon.
“I am a student.”
Here are some very common professions and roles. At this level, you can usually use one form for everyone. Later, you will learn more about gender forms.
| English | Urdu (script) | Roman Urdu |
|---|---|---|
| student | طالب علم | taalib-e-ilm |
| teacher | استاد | ustaad |
| doctor | ڈاکٹر | doctor |
| engineer | انجینئر | engineer |
| nurse | نرس | nurse |
| driver | ڈرائیور | driver |
| shopkeeper | دکاندار | dukaandaar |
| manager | منیجر | manager |
| worker / laborer | مزدور | mazdoor |
| chef / cook | باورچی | bawarchi |
| artist | آرٹسٹ | artist |
| singer | گلوکار | gulookaar |
| writer | مصنف / رائٹر | musannif / writer |
| programmer | پروگرامر | programmer |
| businessman | بزنس مین | business man |
| housewife / homemaker | گھریلو خاتون | ghareloo khaatoon |
Example sentences
| English | Urdu | Roman Urdu |
|---|---|---|
| I am a student. | میں طالب علم ہوں۔ | main taalib-e-ilm hoon. |
| I am a teacher. | میں استاد ہوں۔ | main ustaad hoon. |
| I am a doctor. | میں ڈاکٹر ہوں۔ | main doctor hoon. |
| I am an engineer. | میں انجینئر ہوں۔ | main engineer hoon. |
| I am a driver. | میں ڈرائیور ہوں۔ | main driver hoon. |
| I am a shopkeeper. | میں دکاندار ہوں۔ | main dukaandaar hoon. |
| I am a manager. | میں منیجر ہوں۔ | main manager hoon. |
| I am an artist. | میں آرٹسٹ ہوں۔ | main artist hoon. |
Asking about someone’s job
A very useful question you can learn now:
آپ کیا کرتے ہیں؟
aap kya karte hain?
“What do you do?” or “What is your job?”
This literally means “What do you do?” and is commonly used to ask about profession. The answer often uses the میں … ہوں pattern.
Example dialogs:
Dialog 1
- A: آپ کیا کرتے ہیں؟
aap kya karte hain?
“What do you do?” - B: میں استاد ہوں۔
main ustaad hoon.
“I am a teacher.”
Dialog 2
- A: آپ کیا کرتے ہیں؟
aap kya karte hain?
“What do you do?” - B: میں طالب علم ہوں۔
main taalib-e-ilm hoon.
“I am a student.”
Remember, at this stage do not worry about small changes in karte / karti and other forms. You will learn these details later. Treat aap kya karte hain? as a fixed, very useful phrase.
Combining name, nationality, and profession
In real life, people often give two or three pieces of information together. You can simply use two separate sentences one after the other. That is easy and sounds natural.
Pattern with separate sentences
- میرا نام … ہے۔
mera naam … hai.
“My name is …” - میں … سے ہوں۔ or میں … ہوں۔
“I am from …” or “I am … [nationality / profession].”
You can chain them:
میرا نام علی ہے۔ میں پاکستانی ہوں۔ میں ڈاکٹر ہوں۔
mera naam Ali hai. main Pakistani hoon. main doctor hoon.
“My name is Ali. I am Pakistani. I am a doctor.”
More examples:
| English | Urdu | Roman Urdu |
|---|---|---|
| My name is Sara. I am American. I am a student. | میرا نام سارا ہے۔ میں امریکن ہوں۔ میں طالب علم ہوں۔ | mera naam Saara hai. main American hoon. main taalib-e-ilm hoon. |
| My name is John. I am British. I am a teacher. | میرا نام جان ہے۔ میں برٹش ہوں۔ میں استاد ہوں۔ | mera naam John hai. main British hoon. main ustaad hoon. |
| My name is Ahmad. I am Pakistani. I am an engineer. | میرا نام احمد ہے۔ میں پاکستانی ہوں۔ میں انجینئر ہوں۔ | mera naam Ahmad hai. main Pakistani hoon. main engineer hoon. |
| My name is Aisha. I am Indian. I am a nurse. | میرا نام عائشہ ہے۔ میں بھارتی ہوں۔ میں نرس ہوں۔ | mera naam Aisha hai. main Bhaarti hoon. main nurse hoon. |
Sample introduction dialogs
Dialog A
- A: آپ کا نام کیا ہے؟
aap ka naam kya hai?
“What is your name?” - B: میرا نام ایما ہے۔ میں کینیڈین ہوں۔ میں ٹیچر ہوں۔
mera naam Emma hai. main Canadian hoon. main teacher hoon.
“My name is Emma. I am Canadian. I am a teacher.”
Dialog B
- A: تمہارا نام کیا ہے؟
tumhaara naam kya hai?
“What is your name?” - B: میرا نام حارث ہے۔ میں پاکستانی ہوں۔ میں طالب علم ہوں۔
mera naam Haaris hai. main Pakistani hoon. main taalib-e-ilm hoon.
“My name is Haris. I am Pakistani. I am a student.”
Dialog C
- A: آپ کیا کرتے ہیں؟
aap kya karte hain?
“What do you do?” - B: میں انجینئر ہوں۔ میں جرمن ہوں۔ میرا نام لوکاس ہے۔
main engineer hoon. main German hoon. mera naam Lukas hai.
“I am an engineer. I am German. My name is Lukas.”
Notice that the order can change, but the basic patterns are the same.
Practice suggestions
You can try to write and say aloud your own introduction, using these three parts:
- My name is …
میرا نام … ہے۔ / mera naam … hai. - I am … (nationality)
میں … ہوں۔ / main … hoon. - I am a … (profession or student)
میں … ہوں۔ / main … hoon.
For example, if you are an Indian student named Riya:
میرا نام ریا ہے۔ میں بھارتی ہوں۔ میں طالب علم ہوں۔
mera naam Riya hai. main Bhaarti hoon. main taalib-e-ilm hoon.
Vocabulary list for this chapter
Personal reference
| English | Urdu (script) | Roman Urdu |
|---|---|---|
| I | میں | main |
| you (informal) | تم | tum |
| you (formal / polite) | آپ | aap |
| my | میرا | mera |
| your (informal) | تمہارا | tumhaara |
| your (formal) | آپ کا | aap ka |
| name | نام | naam |
Basic verbs and question words (as used here)
| English | Urdu | Roman Urdu |
|---|---|---|
| is (used in “my name is”) | ہے | hai |
| am (used with “I”) | ہوں | hoon |
| are (used with “you”) | ہیں | hain |
| what | کیا | kya |
| where | کہاں | kahaan |
| from | سے | se |
| to do | کرنا | karna |
Nationalities
| English | Urdu | Roman Urdu |
|---|---|---|
| Pakistani | پاکستانی | Pakistani |
| Indian | بھارتی / ہندوستانی | Bhaarti / Hindustaani |
| American | امریکن / امریکی | American / Amreeki |
| British | برٹش / برطانوی | British / Bartaanwi |
| Canadian | کینیڈین | Canadian |
| Australian | آسٹریلین | Australian |
| Chinese | چائنیز / چینی | Chinese / Cheeni |
| German | جرمن | German |
| French | فرنچ | French |
| Turkish | ترک | Turk |
| Afghan | افغانی | Afghaanee |
Professions and roles
| English | Urdu | Roman Urdu |
|---|---|---|
| student | طالب علم | taalib-e-ilm |
| teacher | استاد | ustaad |
| doctor | ڈاکٹر | doctor |
| engineer | انجینئر | engineer |
| nurse | نرس | nurse |
| driver | ڈرائیور | driver |
| shopkeeper | دکاندار | dukaandaar |
| manager | منیجر | manager |
| worker / laborer | مزدور | mazdoor |
| cook / chef | باورچی | bawarchi |
| artist | آرٹسٹ | artist |
| singer | گلوکار | gulookaar |
| writer | مصنف / رائٹر | musannif / writer |
| programmer | پروگرامر | programmer |
| businessman | بزنس مین | business man |
| homemaker / housewife | گھریلو خاتون | ghareloo khaatoon |
With these patterns and words, you can already introduce yourself in simple but real Urdu.