The doubtful figure in Urdu
Two employees decide whether the figures in the report can be believed in Urdu. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «یہ عدد مجھے مشکوک لگتی ہے، تناسب دیکھو۔» — This figure seems dubious to me — look at the ratio; «سچ ہے۔ یہ معلومات کس ذریعے سے ہیں؟» — True. From what source is this information?
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: two employees decide whether the figures in the report can be believed. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- یہ عدد مجھے مشکوک لگتی ہے، تناسب دیکھو۔ye adad mujhe mashkuk lkti hai, tanasub dekho.This figure seems dubious to me — look at the ratio.
- سچ ہے۔ یہ معلومات کس ذریعے سے ہیں؟sach hai. ye malumat kis zarie se hain?True. From what source is this information?
- دوسروں سے۔ کوئی معتبر ثبوت نہیں۔dusron se. koi mutebar sabut nahin.Second-hand. No credible evidence at all.
- تو بات دوبارہ جانچنی چاہیے یا رد کرنی چاہیے۔to bat dobara dzhanchni chahiye ya rad karni chahiye.Then the assertion must either be double-checked or refuted.
- نیا ناپ بتائے گا کہ یہ بھول تھی یا نہیں۔naiya nap btae ga ke ye bhul thi ya nahin.A new measurement will show whether it was a misconception or not.
- اسلوب گہرائی سے بیان کرو، چند لفظوں میں نہیں۔uslub gehrai se bayan karo, chand lafzon main nahin.Describe the method thoroughly, not in a nutshell.
- مشاہدات کے بنیاد پر فیصلہ کریں گے۔mushahidat ke bunyad per faisla karen ge.On the basis of the observations we shall take the decision.
- اگر غلطی ہماری نکلی تو فوراً درست کر لیں گے۔agar ghalti humari nikli to fauran darust kar len ge.If it turns out the error is ours, we shall correct it at once.
Lines one by one
| Urdu | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| یہ عدد مجھے مشکوک لگتی ہے، تناسب دیکھو۔ | ye adad mujhe mashkuk lkti hai, tanasub dekho. | This figure seems dubious to me — look at the ratio. |
| سچ ہے۔ یہ معلومات کس ذریعے سے ہیں؟ | sach hai. ye malumat kis zarie se hain? | True. From what source is this information? |
| دوسروں سے۔ کوئی معتبر ثبوت نہیں۔ | dusron se. koi mutebar sabut nahin. | Second-hand. No credible evidence at all. |
| تو بات دوبارہ جانچنی چاہیے یا رد کرنی چاہیے۔ | to bat dobara dzhanchni chahiye ya rad karni chahiye. | Then the assertion must either be double-checked or refuted. |
| نیا ناپ بتائے گا کہ یہ بھول تھی یا نہیں۔ | naiya nap btae ga ke ye bhul thi ya nahin. | A new measurement will show whether it was a misconception or not. |
| اسلوب گہرائی سے بیان کرو، چند لفظوں میں نہیں۔ | uslub gehrai se bayan karo, chand lafzon main nahin. | Describe the method thoroughly, not in a nutshell. |
| مشاہدات کے بنیاد پر فیصلہ کریں گے۔ | mushahidat ke bunyad per faisla karen ge. | On the basis of the observations we shall take the decision. |
| اگر غلطی ہماری نکلی تو فوراً درست کر لیں گے۔ | agar ghalti humari nikli to fauran darust kar len ge. | If it turns out the error is ours, we shall correct it at once. |
How to prepare for a conversation like this
Memorizing the lines is not enough: the other person will say their own thing, not what is written. What helps more is catching the key words by ear and keeping three rescue phrases ready: “I don't understand”, “repeat, please”, “slower”.
And one more thing phrasebooks do not mention: awkwardness gets in the way more than not knowing the words.
- Fear of making mistakes gets in the way of learning a language, and noticeably so. The link turns up study after study, and together those studies cover almost twenty thousand people.checked many timesTeimouri, Goetze & Plonsky, 2019, Studies in Second Language Acquisition 41(2) · 19,933 participants from 23 countries; correlation with results r = −0.36.
- That fear can be dealt with — the methods have been tested and they work.checked many timesXiong et al., 2024, Journal of Language and Social Psychology · 37 studies, anxiety reduced by −0.61. Of the seven conditions examined, only age turned out to matter.
Frequently asked
How do you start a conversation in Urdu in this situation?
“یہ عدد مجھے مشکوک لگتی ہے، تناسب دیکھو۔” (ye adad mujhe mashkuk lkti hai, tanasub dekho.) — This figure seems dubious to me — look at the ratio. The first line in such a conversation is almost always the same, and that is the one worth learning: the other person will carry it from there.
What if you did not understand the reply?
Say “I don't understand” and “repeat, please” — both are in the rescue set. Admitting your language is still shaky almost always makes the other person more patient.
Should you memorize the dialogue?
No. It is more useful to catch the key words by ear: the other person will say their own thing, and a memorized line will not always fit their reply.