Ways to say it
| Urdu | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| اِنْتِظار کَرْنا | intizār karnā |
| مُنْتَظِر ہونا | muntazir honā |
| صَبْر کَرْنا | sabr karnā |
| ٹَھہَرْنا | ṭhaharnā |
Urdu uses different verbs to express waiting depending on whether you are waiting for an event, practicing patience or pausing your movement. اِنْتِظار کَرْنا is used when you are waiting for a specific person, object or event to arrive or happen. صَبْر کَرْنا is used when the focus is on exercising patience or enduring a difficult situation rather than just waiting for a person. ٹَھہَرْنا is used when the sense of waiting implies stopping one's movement or staying in a specific place.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase مُنْتَظِر ہونا literally means 'to be in a state of waiting' and is often used to describe the state of the person waiting.
Which one should you use?
صَبْر کَرْنا shifts the meaning toward being patient or enduring, and ٹَھہَرْنا describes the physical act of stopping or staying in a spot.
How does it change in a sentence?
اِنْتِظار کَرْنا is a compound verb where the noun intizār (waiting) is combined with the auxiliary verb karnā (to do).
How do you pronounce it?
intizār karnā
Did you know?
- The word ہونا in the phrase مُنْتَظِر ہونا shares a common ancestor with the English verb 'be' and the Latin 'fui', all tracing back to the Proto-Indo-European root for 'to become'.
- While اِنْتِظار کَرْنا means 'to wait', the word اِنْتِظار itself is a loanword from Arabic, reflecting the heavy influence of Islamic scholarship on Urdu's formal vocabulary.
- In many South Asian cultures, if someone tells you to صَبْر کَرْنا, they are often offering spiritual consolation rather than just asking you to wait a few minutes.
Examples in context
- ہمیں تھوڑی دیر اِنْتِظار کَرْنا پڑے گا۔humein thori der intezar karna paray ga.We will have to wait a little while.
Example conversation
Ali and Zainab are meeting at a park.
- علی Aliزینب، کیا تم میرا اِنْتِظار کَرْنا ہو؟Zainab, kya tum mera intezar karna ho?Zainab, are you waiting for me?
- زینب Zainabہاں، میں یہاں کھڑی ہوں۔Haan, mein yahan khari hoon.Yes, I am standing here.
- علی Aliمعاف کرنا، مجھے دیر ہوگئی۔Maaf karna, mujhe der ho gayi.Sorry, I am late.
- زینب Zainabکوئی بات نہیں، علی۔Koi baat nahi, Ali.No problem, Ali.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wait” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ہونا, CC BY-SA 4.0.
