پہلی دفعہ
“پہلی دفعہ” (pehli dafa) — for the first time in Urdu. Adverb, level A2, topic — time, days and hours. The first again: for the first time in the big city. In a live sentence: “میں پہلی دفعہ اس شہر میں ہوں” — For the first time he saw the sea. Written with the characters پ, ہ, ل, ی, د, ف, ع, ہ. One of 138 words in the set “time, days and hours” in the Urdu course.
In short
| Written in Urdu | پہلی دفعہ |
| Read in Latin letters | pehli dafa |
| Translation | for the first time |
| Part of speech | adverb |
| Level | A2 |
Why it looks that way
The first again: for the first time in the big city
A word with a story stays in memory longer than one learned as a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
In a live sentence
A single word almost never appears alone in conversation. A sentence shows where it fits and what stands next to it.
- میں پہلی دفعہ اس شہر میں ہوںmain pehli dafa is sheher main hunFor the first time he saw the sea
Nearby words: time, days and hours
Today, tomorrow, in the morning, at six. You cannot arrange to meet without these — let alone understand the answer.
- گھڑیghariwatchThe watch on the wrist and the clock at the station are one word. Kitne baje? — what time is it? — is literally "how many strokes"
- وقتwaqttimeThe same waqt the Persians carry: a word of the trade roads. Waqt nahin — no time — is the frequent answer
- آجadzhtodayOpens with the madda — a long aa. Its partner kal is both "tomorrow" and "yesterday": the verb tells you which day is meant
- کلkaltomorrowOne word for "tomorrow" and "yesterday" — the verb says which way to look. Kal milenge — see you tomorrow — is the polite parting
- صبحsubahmorningThe word you know from subah bakhair. The morning starts early here — before the heat — and the first glass of tea is drunk outdoors, by the kettle
- شامshameveningThe word from shaam bakhair. Evening is the time of walks: shaam starts at midday and lives on until raat
- راتratnightOne letter and a dot. The summer night on the roof is a family ritual: mattresses, tea and talk under the fan
- دنdindayOne syllable. The days of the week are counted by number here: Itwaar is Sunday, then Peer, Mangal, Budh
- ہر روزhar rozevery dayLiterally "every day": roz is the same word as in Nowruz — the new day, the spring festival. Har roz chai is a ritual, not a drink
- پھرphirthen, againWith a breath: ph-ir. Both "then" and "again" at once: phir milenge — see you again — is literally "then we meet"
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “time, days and hours”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “for the first time” in Urdu?
The first again: for the first time in the big city
- How do you say “night” in Urdu?
One letter and a dot. The summer night on the roof is a family ritual: mattresses, tea and talk under the fan
- How do you say “today” in Urdu?
Opens with the madda — a long aa. Its partner kal is both "tomorrow" and "yesterday": the verb tells you which day is meant
- How do you say “then, again” in Urdu?
With a breath: ph-ir. Both "then" and "again" at once: phir milenge — see you again — is literally "then we meet"
- How do you say “evening” in Urdu?
The word from shaam bakhair. Evening is the time of walks: shaam starts at midday and lives on until raat
How not to forget this word
Reading a word and remembering it are different jobs. A day later, little survives of a single reading — and that is not bad memory, that is how memory works.
- This has been tested on foreign words too. The difference shows up most when you test yourself a few days later rather than straight away.checked many timesKim & Webb, 2022, Language Learning 72(2) · 48 experiments, 3,411 participants, 98 comparisons.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- An answer you worked out yourself sticks better than one handed to you.checked many timesBertsch et al., 2007, Memory & Cognition 35(2) · 86 studies, 445 comparisons, d = 0.40.
Frequently asked
How do you say “for the first time” in Urdu?
«پہلی دفعہ», read “pehli dafa”. In a live sentence: “میں پہلی دفعہ اس شہر میں ہوں” — For the first time he saw the sea. Adverb, level A2, from the set “time, days and hours”; written with the characters پ, ہ, ل, ی, د, ف, ع, ہ.
How is “پہلی دفعہ” written in Latin letters?
pehli dafa. This is a practical spelling — you need it to read aloud and be understood, not to meet an academic standard.
Why does this word look the way it does?
The first again: for the first time in the big city. A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.