3.8.1 News, television, and social media

Understanding Modern Urdu Media

In contemporary Urdu, news, television, and social media shape how people speak, write, and even think. At B1 level you can begin to understand not only what is said, but how it is said in different media contexts. This chapter focuses on typical language, structures, and small cultural details that are specific to these three areas.

Urdu News: Style, Structure, and Key Phrases

Formal tone in Urdu news

Urdu news, especially on TV and in newspapers, usually uses:

• More formal vocabulary (often from Arabic and Persian)
• Longer sentences
• A neutral, impersonal tone

You will often see and hear verbs in third person, and many passive or impersonal structures, even if you do not yet form them yourself.

Examples of typical news style:

• آج اسلام آباد میں ایک اہم اجلاس ہوا۔
  “Today an important meeting was held in Islamabad.”
• وزیرِاعظم نے کہا کہ حکومت عوام کے مسائل حل کرے گی۔
  “The Prime Minister said that the government will solve the people’s problems.”
• شہر کے مختلف علاقوں میں بارش ہوئی ہے۔
  “It has rained in different areas of the city.”

Notice how the focus is on events, not on “I” or “we.”

Common sections and labels in Urdu news

On TV and in written news you will see short labels or titles. Learning these helps you quickly understand what a story is about.

You may also see ticker text at the bottom of TV screens, known as:

• خبرنامہ (khabarnāma) – news bulletin
• ہیڈلائنز (headlines) – headlines, often spoken in English pronunciation

Typical sentence patterns in news

Urdu news uses a few repeating patterns. Recognizing them helps you understand stories faster.

1. Event + place + time
• آج لاہور میں ایک پریس کانفرنس ہوئی۔
  “Today a press conference was held in Lahore.”
• کل کراچی میں شدید بارش ہوئی۔
  “Yesterday there was heavy rain in Karachi.”
2. Person or institution + نے + statement verb
• پولیس نے کہا کہ واقعے کی تحقیقات جاری ہیں۔
  “The police said that the investigation of the incident is ongoing.”
• حکومت نے اعلان کیا کہ نیا منصوبہ شروع کیا جائے گا۔
  “The government announced that a new project will be started.”
3. Number + people + affected
• حادثے میں تین افراد زخمی ہوئے۔
  “In the accident three people were injured.”
• سیلاب سے ہزاروں لوگ متاثر ہوئے ہیں۔
  “Thousands of people have been affected by the flood.”
4. Passive or impersonal
• نئی پالیسی کا اعلان کیا گیا۔
  “The new policy was announced.”
• قیمتوں میں اضافہ کیا گیا ہے۔
  “Prices have been increased.”

Examples:

• وزیرِتعلیم نے کہا کہ امتحانات وقت پر ہوں گے۔
  “The Education Minister said that exams will be on time.”
• ترجمان نے کہا کہ کسی قسم کا خطرہ نہیں ہے۔
  “The spokesperson said that there is no kind of danger.”

Listening strategies for Urdu news

At B1 level, you will not understand every word. Focus on:

• Who?
  Names, institutions: حکومت, پولیس, عدالت, عوام, طلبا.
• Where?
  Cities, countries: لاہور, کراچی, دہلی, اسلام آباد, امریکہ.
• What happened?
  Look for key verbs: ہوا, شروع ہوا, ختم ہوا, اعلان کیا, گرفتار کیا, ہلاک ہوا, زخمی ہوا.
• When?
  Time words: آج, کل, ابھی, صبح, شام, گزشتہ رات, آئندہ ہفتے.

Example listening breakdown:

Sentence:
آج صبح کراچی میں ایک ٹریفک حادثہ ہوا جس میں دو افراد زخمی ہوئے۔

You might catch:
آج صبح ... کراچی ... حادثہ ... دو افراد ... زخمی

From this you can guess:
“Today in the morning, in Karachi, an accident, two people injured.”

Television in Urdu: Shows, Channels, and Everyday Language

Types of Urdu TV content

Urdu speakers watch many different types of programs. Knowing the words helps you understand conversations about TV.

When people talk about what they watch, they often mix Urdu and English:

• میں رات کو ایک نیا ڈرامہ دیکھ رہی ہوں۔
  “I am watching a new drama at night.”
• تم کون سا شو دیکھتے ہو؟
  “Which show do you watch?”
• آج نیوز دیکھی؟
  “Did you watch the news today?”

Informal vs formal on TV

On news programs, language stays formal:

• ناظرین کو خوش آمدید۔
  “Welcome, viewers.”
• آپ دیکھ رہے ہیں … چینل۔
  “You are watching … channel.”

On talk shows and dramas, language is more informal and closer to everyday speech:

• کیا حال ہے؟ سب ٹھیک؟
  “How are you? Everything ok?”
• یار، تم اتنے غصے میں کیوں ہو؟
  “Friend, why are you so angry?”

You will also hear polite forms:

• آپ سن رہے ہیں پروگرام …
  “You are listening to the program …”
• ہمارے ساتھ موجود ہیں …
  “With us is present … (Mr. / Ms. X).”

Example:

• ناظرینِ کرام، آج کے پروگرام میں ہمارے ساتھ موجود ہیں مشہور گلوکار علی خان۔
  “Dear viewers, in today’s program we have with us the famous singer Ali Khan.”

Talking about TV in everyday Urdu

You can practice simple comments about TV using structures you already know.

Patterns:

1. I watch / do not watch
• میں ہر روز خبریں دیکھتا ہوں۔
  “I watch the news every day.”
• میں ڈرامے نہیں دیکھتی۔
  “I do not watch dramas.”
2. I like / I do not like
• مجھے یہ ڈرامہ پسند ہے۔
  “I like this drama.”
• مجھے سیاسی ٹاک شو پسند نہیں ہیں۔
  “I do not like political talk shows.”
3. Time and frequency
• میں رات آٹھ بجے ٹی وی دیکھتا ہوں۔
  “I watch TV at 8 p.m.”
• میں کبھی کبھار نیوز چینل دیکھتا ہوں۔
  “I sometimes watch news channels.”
4. Opinions
• میرے خیال میں یہ پروگرام بہت دلچسپ ہے۔
  “In my opinion this program is very interesting.”
• مجھے لگتا ہے کہ یہ ڈرامہ بہت لمبا ہے۔
  “I think this drama is very long.”

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Urdu on Social Media: Style, Slang, and Mixed Scripts

Social media in Urdu is very different from news or formal TV. It is:

• Fast
• Informal
• Often mixed with English
• Often written in Roman Urdu rather than Nastaliq

You may see the same sentence in different forms:

• آپ کیسے ہیں؟
• ap kaise hain?
• ap kesy hen?

All three are “How are you?” The first is in Urdu script, the other two are in Roman Urdu with spelling variation.

Common platforms and words

Typical mixed sentence:

• میں نے تمہاری نئی post دیکھی، بہت اچھی لگی۔
  “I saw your new post, I liked it a lot.”

Abbreviations and shorthand in Roman Urdu

On social media, Urdu speakers shorten many expressions, sometimes using English letters.

Some very common ones:

You do not need to use these, but recognizing them will help you read chats.

Common informal expressions and reactions

Punjabi and Urdu speakers often use short emotional words online.

Example comments:

• واہ، کیا خوبصورت تصویر ہے۔
  “Wow, what a beautiful picture.”
• ما شاء اللہ، بہت اچھا لگ رہے ہو۔
  “MashaAllah, you look very nice.”
• سچی؟ مجھے پتہ ہی نہیں چلا۔
  “Really? I did not know at all.”

Typical social media patterns and templates

You can use simple templates for posting or commenting in Urdu.

1. Sharing a feeling
• آج میں بہت خوش ہوں۔
  “Today I am very happy.”
• آج میرا موڈ اچھا نہیں ہے۔
  “Today my mood is not good.”
• آج بہت تھکا ہوا ہوں۔
  “I am very tired today.”
2. Commenting on a photo or video
• تصویر بہت اچھی ہے۔
  “The picture is very good.”
• ویڈیو بہت مزے کی تھی۔
  “The video was very fun.”
• لوکیشن بہت خوبصورت ہے۔
  “The location is very beautiful.”
3. Inviting or asking
• کل کون آن لائن ہوگا؟
  “Who will be online tomorrow?”
• شام کو کال کریں؟
  “Call in the evening?”
• گروپ میں کون نیا ہے؟
  “Who is new in the group?”
4. Announcing plans
• میں اگلے ہفتے سفر پر جا رہا ہوں۔
  “I am going on a trip next week.”
• آج میں گھر سے کام کر رہا ہوں۔
  “Today I am working from home.”

Comparing Styles: News vs TV vs Social Media

At B1 level it is helpful to notice how language changes with context.

Formal vs informal examples

Same basic idea in three styles:

1. News style
• آج لاہور میں ہونے والی بارش سے ٹریفک کا نظام متاثر ہوا۔
  “Today, due to rain in Lahore, the traffic system was affected.”

Features: formal words, passive, longer phrase.

2. Everyday / TV dialogue style
• آج لاہور میں بہت بارش ہوئی، ٹریفک کا برا حال تھا۔
  “Today it rained a lot in Lahore, traffic was in a bad condition.”

Features: more conversational, simpler vocabulary.

3. Social media style (Roman Urdu example)
• aaj lahore me bohat barish hui, traffic ka scene hi kharab tha.
  “Today there was a lot of rain in Lahore, the traffic situation was terrible.”

Features: Roman script, slang “scene hi kharab tha,” no strict spelling.

Another set:

1. News
• حکومت نے اعلان کیا کہ کل سے نئی پابندیاں نافذ ہوں گی۔
  “The government announced that from tomorrow new restrictions will come into force.”
2. Conversation / TV
• حکومت نے کہا ہے کہ کل سے نئی پابندیاں لگیں گی۔
  “The government has said that from tomorrow new restrictions will be placed.”
3. Social media (Roman)
• govt ne bol dia kal se new pabandiyan lagen gi.
  “The government has said new restrictions from tomorrow.”

You do not need to copy social media spelling. Focus on understanding it first.

Practical Exercises You Can Try (Self-study)

Below are simple self-practice ideas that connect directly to the media topics.

1. One-sentence news summary

Watch or read one short Urdu news item. Then write one simple sentence in your own words:

Pattern:

• [Place] میں [event] ہوا ہے۔
  “[Event] has happened in [place].”

Examples:

• کراچی میں بارش ہوئی ہے۔
• اسلام آباد میں میٹنگ ہوئی ہے۔

This helps you focus on the core information.

2. TV preference statement

Write 3 sentences about your TV habits:

• میں … دیکھتا / دیکھتی ہوں۔
• مجھے … پسند ہے / نہیں ہے۔
• میں زیادہ تر … وقت ٹی وی دیکھتا / دیکھتی ہوں۔

Example:

• میں زیادہ تر ڈرامے دیکھتی ہوں۔
• مجھے نیوز چینل پسند نہیں ہیں۔
• میں رات کو ٹی وی دیکھتی ہوں۔

3. Social media comments

Take any picture (real or imaginary) and write 3 short comments as if you are on social media.

Examples:

• واہ، بہت خوب!
• تصویر بہت اچھی ہے۔
• ما شاء اللہ، بہت پیارا لگ رہا ہے۔

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New Vocabulary from This Chapter