Table of Contents
Overview
In this chapter you will learn the names of the days of the week in Urdu, how to pronounce them, and how to use them in very simple sentences. You will also see how days are used together with common time words like “today” and “tomorrow” in everyday speech.
The Seven Days of the Week in Urdu
Urdu has seven days, just like English. Here is a table with each day in Urdu script, its transliteration, and its English meaning.
| English | Urdu (script) | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | پیر | peer |
| Tuesday | منگل | mangal |
| Wednesday | بدھ | budh |
| Thursday | جمعرات | jumeraat |
| Friday | جمعہ | juma |
| Saturday | ہفتہ | haftaa |
| Sunday | اتوار | itwaar |
Pronunciation notes:
- پیر (peer), long “ee” as in “see.”
- منگل (mangal), short “a” as in “cup.”
- بدھ (budh), the last sound is like “dh” said with the tongue a bit back.
- جمعرات (jumeraat), stress on “raat.”
- جمعہ (juma), “ju” like “joo,” but short.
- ہفتہ (haftaa), the final “aa” is long.
- اتوار (itwaar), “it-waar,” both short vowels.
Religious and Cultural Notes About Days
Some days have special importance in Urdu speaking cultures.
- جمعہ (juma), Friday, is the main weekly congregational prayer day for Muslims. People often say:
- جمعہ مبارک
juma mubaarak
“Blessed Friday” or “Happy Friday.” - اتوار (itwaar), Sunday, is often a holiday or a day off from work and school.
These associations are cultural, not grammar rules, but they help you remember the days.
Days with “on” in Urdu
In English you say “on Monday,” “on Friday.” In Urdu, you usually do not use a separate word for “on” before days. You just say the day word directly.
Rule: To say “on + day” in Urdu, normally use the day alone, without a preposition.
Examples:
- پیر کو, پیر sometimes with کو
- جمعرات, جمعرات کو both are understood as “on Thursday.”
The tiny word کو (ko) can sometimes be added to days, especially in more careful or explicit speech. As a beginner, it is fine if you:
- Use the bare day: پیر, منگل, جمعہ
- Or use day + کو: پیر کو, منگل کو, جمعہ کو
Both are widely understood.
Examples:
- میں پیر کو آتا ہوں۔
main peer ko aataa hoon.
“I come on Monday.” - ہم اتوار ملتے ہیں۔
hum itwaar miltay hain.
“We meet on Sunday.”
You will learn more about the particle کو (ko) when you study postpositions and objects. For now, just see it as an optional helper that can follow the day.
Common Time Words with Days
To talk about days, you often need basic time words. Here are some very common ones that combine naturally with the days of the week:
| English | Urdu (script) | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| today | آج | aaj |
| yesterday | کل | kal |
| tomorrow | کل | kal |
| day | دن | din |
| week | ہفتہ | haftaa |
| weekend | ویک اینڈ / چھٹی کے دن | week end / chhutti ke din |
Note: کل (kal) can mean “yesterday” or “tomorrow.” Context and sometimes extra words show which one is intended. You will see examples below.
Examples combining days with time words:
- آج پیر ہے۔
aaj peer hai.
“Today is Monday.” - کل اتوار تھا۔
kal itwaar thaa.
“Yesterday was Sunday” or “Tomorrow is Sunday,” depending on context. - اگلے ہفتے جمعرات کو امتحان ہے۔
aglay haftay jumeraat ko imtihaan hai.
“On Thursday next week there is an exam.”
Simple Sentences with Days
Here are some very simple sentence patterns using the days. These assume you already know a little about the verb “to be” in Urdu and basic pronouns, but the focus here is on the days.
Saying what day it is
Pattern:
- آج + [day] + ہے۔
aaj + [day] + hai.
“Today is [day].”
Examples:
- آج جمعہ ہے۔
aaj juma hai.
“Today is Friday.” - آج بدھ ہے۔
aaj budh hai.
“Today is Wednesday.”
You can also talk about yesterday and tomorrow:
- کل ہفتہ تھا۔
kal haftaa thaa.
“Yesterday was Saturday” or “Tomorrow is Saturday.”
Context will clarify.
Talking about plans on a specific day
Pattern with “I”:
- میں [day] آتا ہوں۔ (male speaker)
- میں [day] آتی ہوں۔ (female speaker)
main [day] aataa hoon. / main [day] aati hoon.
“I come on [day].”
Examples:
- میں پیر آتا ہوں۔
main peer aataa hoon.
“I come on Monday.” (male) - میں پیر آتی ہوں۔
main peer aati hoon.
“I come on Monday.” (female)
You can also add کو (ko):
- میں منگل کو پڑھتا ہوں۔
main mangal ko parhtaa hoon.
“I study on Tuesday.” (male) - میں جمعرات کو کام کرتی ہوں۔
main jumeraat ko kaam karti hoon.
“I work on Thursday.” (female)
Talking about regular weekly habits
To show something happens every week on a certain day, you can use the day word with a verb in the present.
Examples:
- میں ہر اتوار سو جاتا ہوں۔
main har itwaar so jaataa hoon.
“I fall asleep (early) every Sunday.” (male)
Here ہر (har) means “every.” - ہم جمعہ کو بازار جاتے ہیں۔
hum juma ko bazaar jatay hain.
“We go to the market on Friday.” - وہ ہفتہ کو کرکٹ کھیلتا ہے۔
woh haftaa ko cricket khailtaa hai.
“He plays cricket on Saturday.”
Asking about days
You can ask simple questions about which day something happens.
Useful question words here are basic forms of “when” or “which day,” but since questions as a full grammar topic are covered later, we keep it very simple.
Patterns:
- [Event] کس دن ہے؟
[Event] kis din hai?
“[Event] is on which day?” - آج کون سا دن ہے؟
aaj kaun sa din hai?
“Which day is it today?”
Examples:
- کلاس کس دن ہے؟
class kis din hai?
“Class is on which day?” or “On what day is the class?” - آج کون سا دن ہے؟
aaj kaun sa din hai?
“What day is today?”
Possible answers use the days:
- کلاس پیر کو ہے۔
class peer ko hai.
“Class is on Monday.” - آج منگل ہے۔
aaj mangal hai.
“Today is Tuesday.”
Days in Common Phrases
Here are some very common phrases using days of the week, which you can start memorising and using right away.
- پیر کو ملتے ہیں۔
peer ko miltay hain.
“Let us meet on Monday.” - میں بدھ مصروف ہوں۔
main budh masroof hoon.
“I am busy on Wednesday.” - جمعرات کو میرا ٹیسٹ ہے۔
jumeraat ko mera test hai.
“I have a test on Thursday.” - جمعہ کو دفتر بند ہے۔
juma ko daftar band hai.
“The office is closed on Friday.” - ہفتہ کو میں فارغ ہوں۔
haftaa ko main faarigh hoon.
“I am free on Saturday.” - اتوار ہماری چھٹی ہے۔
itwaar hamari chhutti hai.
“Sunday is our holiday.”
You can mix days with “today,” “yesterday,” “tomorrow”:
- آج بدھ ہے, کل جمعرات ہے۔
aaj budh hai, kal jumeraat hai.
“Today is Wednesday, tomorrow is Thursday.” - آج جمعہ ہے, کل ہفتہ ہے۔
aaj juma hai, kal haftaa hai.
“Today is Friday, tomorrow is Saturday.”
Practice: Matching and Filling
Use these examples to test yourself.
Try to say them aloud first, then check.
- “Today is Monday.”
- آج پیر ہے۔
aaj peer hai. - “Tomorrow is Sunday.”
- کل اتوار ہے۔
kal itwaar hai. - “On Tuesday I study.”
- میں منگل کو پڑھتا ہوں۔ (male)
- میں منگل کو پڑھتی ہوں۔ (female)
- “On Friday we pray.”
- ہم جمعہ کو نماز پڑھتے ہیں۔
hum juma ko namaaz parhtay hain. - “Let us meet on Saturday.”
- ہفتہ کو ملتے ہیں۔
haftaa ko miltay hain. - “School is closed on Sunday.”
- سکول اتوار کو بند ہے۔
school itwaar ko band hai.
New Vocabulary from this Chapter
| English | Urdu (script) | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | پیر | peer |
| Tuesday | منگل | mangal |
| Wednesday | بدھ | budh |
| Thursday | جمعرات | jumeraat |
| Friday | جمعہ | juma |
| Saturday | ہفتہ | haftaa |
| Sunday | اتوار | itwaar |
| today | آج | aaj |
| yesterday / tomorrow | کل | kal |
| day | دن | din |
| week | ہفتہ | haftaa |
| weekend / holiday days | چھٹی کے دن | chhutti ke din |
| every | ہر | har |
| busy | مصروف | masroof |
| free (not busy) | فارغ | faarigh |
| holiday / day off | چھٹی | chhutti |
| office | دفتر | daftar |
| market | بازار | bazaar |
| class | کلاس | class |
| test / exam | ٹیسٹ / امتحان | test / imtihaan |
| mosque prayer (ritual) | نماز | namaaz |
Use these words together with the days of the week to build many small, useful sentences in Urdu.