شاباش
śābāś/ʃɑː.bɑːʃ/
The English phrase "well done" can be expressed in Urdu using several forms such as شاباش (śābāś), آفْرِین or اَحْسَنْت.
Meaning: exclamation of praise (intj)
Ways to say it
| Urdu | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| شاباش | śābāś | /ʃɑː.bɑːʃ/ (Standard, Urdu) |
| آفْرِین | āfrīn | |
| اَحْسَنْت | ahsant |
These terms are used as exclamations of praise to show appreciation for someone's actions. While شاباش is typically used to give a genuine compliment, it can also be used sarcastically to mock someone's mistake depending on the speaker's tone.
Which one should you use?
The form شاباش is the most common and casual way to say "well done" or "bravo" in everyday conversation. In contrast, آفْرِین is more poetic and is often found in literature or used to express high admiration. The form اَحْسَنْت is a formal term, often used in religious or classical contexts and literally means "you did well".
How do you pronounce it?
شاباش is pronounced as /ʃɑː.bɑːʃ/ and has two syllables.
Did you know?
- The word آفْرِین is so closely tied to high praise that it is often used as a name for girls in Urdu and Persian speaking cultures.
- In many South Asian cultures, verbal praise like شاباش is often accompanied by a gentle pat on the shoulder or head to reinforce the connection between the speaker and the person being praised.
- The word شاباش is a loanword from Persian, which means its roots lie in the classical courtly language of the Persian Empire rather than native Indo-Aryan roots.
Examples in context
- شاباش! تم نے بہت اچھا کام کیا۔shabash! tum ne bohat achha kaam kiya.Well done! You did a very good job.
- شاباش، تم جیت گئے!shabash, tum jeet gaye!Well done, you won!
- تم نے امتحان پاس کر لیا، شاباش۔tum ne imtihan pass kar liya, shabash.You passed the exam, well done.
Example conversation
Ahmed is praising Fatima for her high marks in a test.
- احمد Ahmedفاطمہ، تم نے بہت اچھے نمبر لیے ہیں۔Fatima, tum ne bohat achhe number liye hain.Fatima, you got very good marks.
- فاطمہ Fatimaشکریہ، احمد۔shukriya, Ahmed.Thank you, Ahmed.
- احمد Ahmedشاباش! مجھے تم پر فخر ہے۔shabash! mujhe tum par fakhr hai.Well done! I am proud of you.
- فاطمہ Fatimaآپ کی حوصلہ افزائی کا شکریہ۔aap ki hosla afzai ka shukriya.Thank you for your encouragement.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “well done” translations and entries شاباش, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries شاباش, CC BY-SA 4.0.
