شاباش
shābāshcommon
In Pakistan "well done" in Urdu is شاباش (shābāsh). It is what a parent, teacher or boss says to praise good work. It is also called بہت خوب (bohat khūb) and ماشاء اللہ (māshā Allāh).
Meaning: praise (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Pakistan | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| شاباش | shābāsh | common |
| بہت خوب | bohat khūb | praise |
| ماشاء اللہ | māshā Allāh | religious, admiring |
Say شاباش (shābāsh) after someone succeeds, for example a child with homework. بہت خوب (bohat khūb), "very good", is a calmer praise, and ماشاء اللہ (māshā Allāh) is used to admire something with a blessing.
Which one should you use?
Between adults شاباش (shābāsh) can sound as if an elder is praising a younger person. To a peer, کمال کر دیا (kamāl kar diyā), "you did great", fits better.
Did you know?
- شاباش (shābāsh) came into Urdu from Persian, and the word is also used in Hindi, Punjabi and several other languages of South Asia.
Examples in context
- شاباش، تم نے اچھا کام کیا۔shābāsh, tum ne achchā kām kiyā.Well done, you did good work.
- بہت خوب، یہ تو کمال ہے!bohat khūb, yeh to kamāl hai!Very good, this is amazing!
- ماشاء اللہ، بہت اچھا گایا۔māshā Allāh, bohat achchā gāyā.Wonderful, you sang very well.
Example conversation
Father Naeem praises his son Arsalan, who passed an exam.
- Arsalanابو، میں امتحان میں پاس ہو گیا۔abbū, maiṉ imtihān meṉ pās ho gayā.Dad, I passed the exam.
- Naeemشاباش، بیٹا!shābāsh, beṭā!Well done, son!
- Arsalanشکریہ، ابو۔shukriya, abbū.Thank you, Dad.
