Pakistan

There is no direct match for the British slang “swear down”, but in Pakistan people say قسم سے (qasam se), “I swear”, to promise they are telling the truth.

The everyday Urdu word for black is کالا (kālā), with کالی (kālī) for a feminine noun and کالے (kāle) for plurals.

In Pakistan “my friend” is میرا دوست (merā dost) for a male friend and میری دوست (merī dost) for a female friend.

In Pakistan “white” in Urdu is سفید (safēd). It is the common word for the color, from clothes to walls.

Brother is بھائی (bhāī) in Pakistan. Urdu adds the age: چھوٹا بھائی (chhoṭā bhāī) is a younger brother and بڑا بھائی (baṛā bhāī) is an older one.

Urdu has no single word for “sister-in-law” in Pakistan, and the word depends on who she is.

The Urdu word for “monkey” is بندر (bandar). A female monkey is بندریا (bandariyā).

The usual Urdu word for “stupid” in Pakistan is بیوقوف (bevaqūf). It is an insult, though a mild one, and friends sometimes say it as a joke.

In Pakistan “thank you so much” is بہت بہت شکریہ (bohat bohat shukriya), where repeating بہت (bohat), “very”, adds the extra feeling.

In Pakistan the polite way to say “sorry” in Urdu is معاف کیجیے (māf kījiye), literally “please forgive”.