لطیفہ
lateefa
The English word "joke" translates to Urdu as لطیفہ (lateefa).
لطیفہ specifically refers to a humorous or witty remark. If you want to express the action of telling a joke, use the phrase لطیفہ سنانا.
Meaning: amusing story (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of لطیفہ is لطائف.
How do you pronounce it?
lateefa
Did you know?
- The verb سنانا used in لطیفہ سنانا literally means 'to make someone hear'. While English speakers 'tell' a joke, Urdu speakers 'make the joke be heard'.
- The plural form لطائف is an example of a 'broken plural', which is a feature inherited from Arabic grammar. Instead of adding a suffix, the internal structure of the word changes.
- The word لطیفہ is not just a joke, but also describes something that is 'subtle' or 'delicate' due to its Arabic roots.
Examples in context
- یہ ایک بہت اچھا لطیفہ ہے۔This is a very good joke.
- یہ لطیفہ بہت اچھا ہے۔yeh latifa bohat acha hai.This joke is very good.
- کیا آپ نے کوئی لطیفہ سنایا؟kya aap ne koi latifa sunaya?Did you tell a joke?
- میں ایک لطیفہ سنانا چاہتا ہوں۔mein ek latifa sunana chahta hoon.I want to tell a joke.
Example conversation
Two friends are chatting during a break.
- حمزہ Hamzaزینب، کیا آپ کو کوئی لطیفہ پتا ہے؟Zainab, kya aap ko koi lateefa pata hai?Zainab, do you know any joke?
- زینب Zainabہاں، میں آپ کو ایک لطیفہ سناتی ہوں۔Haan, mein aap ko ek lateefa sunati hoon.Yes, I will tell you a joke.
- حمزہ Hamzaٹھیک ہے، میں سن رہا ہوں۔Theek hai, mein sun raha hoon.Okay, I am listening.
- زینب Zainabایک دفعہ ایک آدمی بازار گیا۔۔۔Ek dafa ek aadmi bazaar gaya…Once a man went to the market…
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries لطیفہ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
