کبھی نہیں
kabhī nahī̃/kə.bʱiː nə.ɦĩː/word by word
The English phrase "never" is کبھی نہیں (kabhī nahī̃) in Urdu.
کبھی نہیں is an adverb meaning "at no time." You can also use the phrase kabhi himmat na haro to express the idea of "never give up." For a more elaborate and formal way to say "never for any reason," you can use Kabhi kisi wajah se bhi nahi.
Meaning: at no time (adv)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase کبھی نہیں is composed of کبھی, meaning "ever" or "at any time" and نہیں, meaning "not".
How does it change in a sentence?
In Urdu, کبھی نہیں can be placed either before or after the verb it modifies, although placing it before the verb is very common for emphasis.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is kabhī nahī̃.
Did you know?
- Urdu speakers often repeat کبھی کبھی to mean 'sometimes', using the same root word found in کبھی نہیں.
- The word نہیں shares a common ancient ancestor with the English word 'no'.
- In Urdu poetry and songs, کبھی is often used alone to create a sense of longing or 'sometime' in the future, contrasting with the absolute finality of کبھی نہیں.
Examples in context
- ہم ٹام کو کبھی نہیں بھولینگے۔We'll never forget Tom.Tatoeba #12486814 by Roomba_Unit, translation #3921416 by CK
- تم مجھ سے اتفاق کبھی نہیں کرتے ہو۔You never agree with me.Tatoeba #10814924 by Roomba_Unit, translation #7587485 by _undertoad
- میرا بھائی ٹینس میں کبھی نہیں ہارا ہےMy brother has never lost at tennis.Tatoeba #1434752 by nabeel_tahir, translation #1843429 by LanguageExpert
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Omar and Zainab are talking about visiting a city.
- عمر Omarکیا تم لاہور جاؤگے؟Kya tum Lahore jao gay?Will you go to Lahore?
- زینب Zainabمیں وہاں کبھی نہیں جاتا۔Main wahan kabhi nahi jata.I never go there.
- عمر Omarکیوں؟ کیا وہاں کوئی مسئلہ ہے؟Kyun? Kya wahan koi masala hai?Why? Is there some problem there?
- زینب Zainabنہیں، بس مجھے وہ شہر پسند نہیں۔Nahi, bas mujhe woh shehar pasand nahi.No, I just don't like that city.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “never” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (کبھی, نہیں) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries نہیں, کبھی, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
