آؤ
āo
The Urdu verb for 'come' is آؤ (āo).
The verb is used to express the action of arriving or appearing.
Meaning: to arrive, to appear (verb)
Which one should you use?
آئیے is used for politeness, whereas آجاؤ provides a more relaxed tone.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form آؤ is the informal imperative used when addressing a single person or a group of friends. To show respect to an elder or stranger, use the polite form آئیے instead of آؤ.
How do you pronounce it?
āo
Did you know?
- Depending on the region, the polite آئیے can be replaced by تشریف لائیے, which literally means 'bring your nobility' and is the highest form of inviting someone to come.
- The root of آؤ is shared with the Persian word for 'come', reflecting the deep linguistic fusion that created Urdu from local dialects and Persian.
- In many parts of South Asia, someone might say 'come' when they actually mean 'sit down' or 'join us' as a way of showing hospitality.
Examples in context
- میں کل ضرور آؤوں گا۔I'll certainly come tomorrow.This sentence demonstrates the use of آؤ in a future context regarding an arrival.Tatoeba #5690264 by eeyinn, translation #5690257 by eeyinn
- آجاؤ، چائے پی لیںCome, let's have a cup of tea.
- میری محفل میں آؤ۔meri mehfil mein aao.Come to my gathering.
- تھوڑی دیر میں یہاں آؤ۔thori der mein yahan aao.Come here in a little while.
Example conversation
Aisha is calling Ali into the room.
- عائشہ Ayeshaعلی، کمرے میں آؤ۔Ali, kamray mein ao.Ali, come into the room.
- علی Aliمیں ابھی آتا ہوں۔Main abhi aata hoon.I am coming right now.
- عائشہ Ayeshaدیکھو، یہاں آؤ۔Dekho, yahan ao.Look, come here.
- علی Aliجی، میں آ گیا۔Ji, main aa gaya.Yes, I have arrived.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
