What does it mean word for word?
تم is you, خوبصورت is beautiful, لگ رہی is appearing and ہو is are, so it literally says you are appearing beautiful.
Which one should you use?
تم خوبصورت ہو means you are beautiful in general, while تم خوبصورت لگ رہی ہو means you look beautiful at this moment. Aap Dilkash Lag Rahi Hain means you look charming or captivating, and Aap Bahut Haseen Lag Rahi Hain uses the classical word for beautiful.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Using aap instead of tum makes the compliment more formal and respectful: آپ خوبصورت لگ رہی ہیں.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb lag rahi ho is in the continuous form, which is why it refers to the present moment. To say it to a man, change the feminine ending to the masculine one: تم خوبصورت لگ رہے ہو.
How do you pronounce it?
It is romanized as tum khoobsurat lag rahi ho.
Did you know?
- In Urdu culture, calling someone خوبصورت (khoobsurat) is a common compliment, but calling them چاند جیسا (chaand jaisa) compares their beauty to the moon, which is the ultimate cultural standard for radiance.
- In traditional Urdu poetry, the beauty of a person is often described through 'metonymy', where poets praise specific features like the زلف (zulf), meaning curls of hair, instead of saying the whole person is beautiful.
- The word خوبصورت is actually a Persian compound where the first part, خوب, means 'well' or 'good', and the second part, صورت, refers to a 'form' or 'face'.
Examples in context
- اس لباس میں تم خوبصورت لگ رہی ہوis libaas mein tum khoobsurat lag rahi hoYou look beautiful in this dress.
Example conversation
Ali compliments Fatima's appearance before a party.
- علی Aliفاطمہ، تم خوبصورت لگ رہی ہوFatima, tum khoobsurat lag rahi hoFatima, you look beautiful.
- فاطمہ Fatimaشکریہ علی، تم بھی بہت اچھے لگ رہے ہوshukriya Ali, tum bhi bohat achay lag rahay hoThank you Ali, you look very good too.
- علی Aliکیا یہ لباس ٹھیک ہے؟kya yeh libaas theek hai?Is this dress okay?
- فاطمہ Fatimaہاں، یہ تم پر بہت جچ رہا ہےhaan, yeh tum par bohat jach raha haiYes, it suits you very well.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries تم, خوبصورت, CC BY-SA 4.0.
