Learn German in Urdu – free, step by step

Why Urdu speakers have an advantage in German

German looks far away from Urdu, but your mother tongue already gives you some useful habits:

• Nouns have gender. In Urdu you already say achhi kitaab but achha kamra. German also has gender – it just has three (der, die, das) instead of two.
• Formal and informal “you”. German Sie is your aap, and du is your tum/tu. Use Sie with strangers, at offices and at work.
  Aap kaise hain? = Wie geht es Ihnen?
  Tum kaise ho? = Wie geht es dir?
• Verb at the end. In German side clauses (after weil, dass, wenn) the verb goes to the end – just like in Urdu.
  …, weil ich Deutsch lerne. = …kyunke main German seekh raha hoon.
• Sounds you already know. The “ch” in Buch is your خ, and “sch” is your ش. Many English speakers struggle with these – you won't.

One difference to remember: in a normal German main clause the verb comes second, not last. Ich lerne heute Deutsch. (I am learning German today.) Main aaj German seekh raha hoon – Urdu puts the verb at the end, German does not.

German alphabet in Urdu: the tricky letters

Most German letters sound as they are written. These are the ones to practise. The Urdu hints are approximate – listen to the real sounds in the pronunciation trainer.

30 basic German sentences with Urdu meaning

These German to Urdu basic sentences cover greetings, introducing yourself and getting help. Where Urdu changes for men and women, both forms are given (rehta/rehti).

Say them out loud: the speaking practice listens through your microphone and checks your German.

German numbers in Urdu (0–20 and the tens)

Good news: from 21 on, German says the unit first – einundzwanzig is literally “one-and-twenty”. Urdu does the same: ikkees (21) and pachchees (25) also start with the unit.

Watch out: sechs loses its “s” in sechzehn and sechzig, sieben becomes siebzehn and siebzig, and 30 is dreißig (with ß, not “-zig”).

Days of the week and months

All days and months are masculine in German (der Montag, der Januar). “On Monday” is am Montag – Peer ko. The months are easy, because Urdu uses the same English-style names.

der, die, das – explained for Urdu speakers

Urdu has two genders, German has three: der (masculine), die (feminine) and das (neuter). The tricky part is that German gender often does not match Urdu, so never translate the gender – learn it with the word.

Rules that help

• Words ending in -ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft, -ion are die: die Zeitung, die Freiheit, die Information.
• Words ending in -chen or -lein are das: das Mädchen, das Brötchen.
• Days, months and seasons are der: der Montag, der Mai, der Winter.
• In the plural, every noun takes die: die Bücher, die Tische, die Türen.

In Urdu, gender shows in the verb and adjective: larka achha hai, larki achhi hai. In German it shows in the article and the adjective ending: ein guter Tisch, eine gute Tür, ein gutes Buch. Practise this with the Der-Die-Das Dash game and the grammar A–Z.

Your 4-week plan with the free 30-day course

Twenty to thirty minutes a day is enough. Here is how to fit the 30-day course into four weeks:

1. Week 1 – sounds and first words. Start with Day 1 and do days 1–7. Spend five minutes a day on the tricky letters in the sounds trainer.
2. Week 2 – speak from the start. Do days 8–14. Say the 30 sentences above out loud and try the everyday conversations in speaking practice.
3. Week 3 – grammar that sticks. Do days 15–21. Learn every new noun with der, die or das and repeat words in the vocabulary trainer.
4. Week 4 – finish and test yourself. Do days 22–30, then open exam prep and try a Goethe or telc A1 practice test to see where you stand.

What else you'll find in the app