مہربانی
meharbānīpolite
Urdu speakers in Pakistan often say مہربانی (meharbānī) or the fuller براہ مہربانی (barāh-e-meharbānī) for "please". Many young people also say پلیز (pleez), borrowed from English.
Meaning: polite request word (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Pakistan | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| مہربانی | meharbānī | polite |
| براہ مہربانی | barāh-e-meharbānī | formal |
| پلیز | pleez | casual, borrowed from English |
براہ مہربانی (barāh-e-meharbānī) fits notices, offices and polite requests to strangers. Between friends, the request is often made softer through the verb ending alone, with ذرا (zarā) meaning "just".
How does it change in a sentence?
Urdu also builds politeness into the verb. بیٹھیے (baiṭhiye) is a polite "sit down" and بیٹھو (baiṭho) is the familiar one, so پلیز (pleez) is not always needed.
Did you know?
- مہربانی (meharbānī) comes from مہر (mehar), meaning affection or kindness, so the word literally means "kindness".
Examples in context
- براہ مہربانی یہاں بیٹھیے۔barāh-e-meharbānī yahāṉ baiṭhiye.Please sit here.
- مہربانی کر کے دروازہ بند کر دیں۔meharbānī kar ke darwāza band kar deṉ.Please close the door.
- پلیز، مجھے پانی دے دو۔pleez, mujhe pānī de do.Please give me some water.
Example conversation
Bilal asks a shopkeeper in Karachi for help, then talks with his friend Danish.
- Bilalبھائی، براہ مہربانی یہ دکھا دیں۔bhāī, barāh-e-meharbānī yeh dikhā deṉ.Brother, please show me this.
- Dukandarجی، یہ لیجیے۔jī, yeh lījiye.Yes, here you are.
- Danishیار، پلیز جلدی کرو۔yār, pleez jaldī karo.Friend, please hurry.
