# Urdu: overwhelm



## SaritaSarang

A question about how to say something in Urdu:  

The word, "*overwhelm*" -  I would like to know how to say it in Urdu. 
Thanks.


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## linguist786

More context, please!
Give us an example sentence.


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## SaritaSarang

Example: Sometimes you overwhelm me.
Also:  I am feeling overwhelmed.


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## linguist786

SaritaSarang said:


> Sometimes you overwhelm me.


*كبهى كبهى تم مجهكو برباد كر ديتے ہو!*
kabhi kabhi tum mujhko barbaad kar dete ho!

OR: 

*كبهى كبهى تم مجهكو بے بس كر ديتے ہو!*
kabhi kabhi tum mujhko be bas kar dete ho!


> Also: I am feeling overwhelmed.


At the moment, I would say:

*مجهے بربادى محسوس ہو رہى ہے!*
Mujhe barbaadi mehsoos ho rahii hai!

But I'm still not sure about this one. I'd need even more context!
Why is the person feeling overwhelmed? What has happened, for example?
It'd be easier for me if, for example, a conversation was presented to me.
"Overwhelming" can be a bit of a vague word (even in English) without any context.


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## SaritaSarang

Okay context is this :  

This girl is telling her boyfriend that sometimes he overwhelms her.  Be it because he is very needy, wants her attention a lot, etc....  she feels overwhelmed by him.  I dont know how else to explain it..    But I am really only looking for the verb " overwhelm" and the adjective " overwhelmed"


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## panjabigator

Linguist, is barbaadii really appropriate in this context?  I have no idea what to say here, but I feel like barbaad has the conotation of "izzat lootna!"


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## linguist786

to overwhelm somebody = *كسى كو برباد كرنا* _(kisi ko barbaad karnaa)/_*كسى كو بے بس كرنا* _(kisi ko be bas karnaa)_

(to feel) overwhelmed = *بربادى محسوس كرنا* _(barbaadi mehsoos karnaa)_

There is no direct translation for just "overwhelmed". We say (literally) "to feel (the noun of "overwhelm")". Do you see what I mean?



> Okay context is this :
> 
> This girl is telling her boyfriend that sometimes he overwhelms her. Be it because he is very needy, wants her attention a lot, etc.... she feels overwhelmed by him. I dont know how else to explain it.. But I am really only looking for the verb " overwhelm" and the adjective " overwhelmed"


 
In this context, I would simply say "Tu mujhe thakaa detaa hai!" (lit. "you tire me out"). That's the closest I can get to it, personally. Panjabigator?


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## linguist786

panjabigator said:


> Linguist, is barbaadii really appropriate in this context? I have no idea what to say here, but I feel like barbaad has the conotation of "izzat lootna!"


Honestly, I was also thinking the same!! 
But I looked in an online-dictionary and I saw "barbaadii" there! My reaction at first was like yours, but then I started to think "hmm.. maybe you _can_ use it for this" 

What do you suggest anyway?


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## SaritaSarang

Wow, thank you both so much, you've both really helped me!  like always


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## panjabigator

How about /Duubonaa/?


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## linguist786

How is that written in Urdu? (I don't always understand your transliterations lol. Transliterations are sometimes annoying for me too, don't worry )


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## omlick

SaritaSarang said:


> A question about how to say something in Urdu:
> 
> The word, "*overwhelm*" - I would like to know how to say it in Urdu.
> Thanks.


 
This is an old thread that I saw was not quite resolved.  I believe the Urdu word to express this feeling of being "overcome" is 

مغلوب मग़लूब


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## omlick

omlick said:


> This is an old thread that I saw was not quite resolved. I believe the Urdu word to express this feeling of being "overcome" is
> 
> مغلوب मग़लूब


Another word I found is 
 غرق  Garq  ग़र्क़


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## Faylasoof

I wouldn’t use <barbaad بَرباد > in this context as _barbaad karnaa _=  tabaah karnaa  تَباہ كرنا = wiiraan karnaa  وِیران كرنا  =  xaraab karnaa  خَراب كرنا  =  niist o naabood karnaa  نِیست و نابُو كرنا  = to destroy, ravage, annihilate. 

 But <maghloob karnaa  مغلوب كرنا > would be very much appropriate. Similarly these, depending on the situation:
 <zer karnaa    زیر كرنا >;  <zich karnaa زِچ كرنا >;  even <qaa’il karnaa قائل کرنا > if we are talking about a force of an argument,though it really means _to convince_.

 Passives would me made simply by replacing <karnaa> with <honaa> e.g. <maghloob hona  مغلوب ہونا > … and there are also  <shikast xurdah honaa  شکست خوردہ ہونا >; <maftuuH honaa  مفتوح ہونا >.


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## Cilquiestsuens

Nobody mentioned the verb *Haawi hona* (kisii par)

I think it works in many contexts??????

So the above sentence should be .




Kabhii kabhii tum mujh par Haawi ho jate ho...


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## omlick

Cilquiestsuens said:


> Nobody mentioned the verb *Haawi hona* (kisii par)
> 
> I think it works in many contexts??????
> 
> So the above sentence should be .
> 
> View attachment 6266
> 
> Kabhii kabhii tum mujh par Haawi ho jate ho...


 
From Platts online:

A حاوي _ḥāwī_ (act. part. n. of حوي 'to collect,' &c.), part. & s.m. Collecting; comprising, comprehending, including; getting within one's grasp;—a collector; a comprehender, &c.:—_*ḥāwī* honā_ (-_par_), To comprise, comprehend, include, &c.

It doesn't seem to mean overwhelm, does it have a second meaning?


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## Faylasoof

Omlick,
Clico's suggestion is good. We do use حاوي _ḥāwī _to mean overpower / overwhelm, althought Platts' defintions do not include the word <overwhelm> the idea is expressed somewhat in <getting within one's grasp> but not very clearly. Other meanings of the compond verb using this include: to surround, encircle; to get someone / thing in your grip.

 حاوی ہوناHāwī  honā = غالب ہوناghālib honā = مغلوب كرناmaghloob karnā


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## omlick

!اچھا، بہت دلچسپ ہے


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## meray_paas

_Barbaad_ seems too strong of a word to express _overwhelm_.


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## panjabigator

Well, back tracking to my earlier post on <ḍubonā>, I had this Ghalib sher in mind:

<ḍuboyā mujh ko hone ne, na hotā mai.n to kyā hotā>

Many ways to translate this line.  Mine does the versus no justice, of course (no end to the Urdu self abasement!!!).  "Existence has drowned (read: overwhelmed?) me, but if it wasn't for me, than what would be?"


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## Faylasoof

Omlick,

 


omlick said:


> !اچھا، بہت دلچسپ ہے


          ! بےحد ہی دلچسپ  ! جی، بجا فرمایا

 [jii, bajaa farmaayaa! behadd hii dilchasp!]

 … and there are these too:

 غَلَبَہ پانا \ پالینا \ پا جانا \ حاصل ہونا
 ghalabah paanaa / paa lenaa / paa jaanaa / HaaSil honaa


panjabigator said:


> Well, back tracking to my earlier post on <ḍubonā>, I had this Ghalib sher in mind:
> 
> <ḍuboyā mujh ko hone ne, na hotā mai.n to kyā hotā>
> 
> Many ways to translate this line. Mine does the versus no justice, of course (no end to the Urdu self abasement!!!). "Existence has drowned (read: overwhelmed?) me, but if it wasn't for me, than what would be?"



  PG, you were not wrong in your suggestion! I was actually meaning to get back on your <dubonā>!  This verse did cross my mind! But giving a prosaic example, one could translate this English sentence obviously with the Hindi-Urdu <dubonā>:

 <The wave overwhelmed them!>

_mauj ne unkoo dubo diyaa_ ! = _mauj un par Hāwī ho gai_! = _mauj ne un par ghalabah pāyā_! – the latter two would be regarded as highly literary, but people might use them even in speech in a certain context to have a greater impact. Higher register Urdu!

… and Ghālib’s <dubonā>, as you rightly guess, can be interpreted in many ways. I always take this to mean Man’s _debasement_ by coming into being (_hon__ā_) rather than him being _overwhelmed_. The key to this, I think, is what he says before AND your second half above: 

 nah thhā kuchh to xudā thhā, nah hotā kuchh to xudā hotā
 duboyā mujh ko hone ne, na hotā mai.n to kyā hotā

 What he seems to be saying is that if he hadn’t come into being, which he equates to being drowned in this worldly (base) existence (_duboyā mujh ko hone ne_), he’d be on a superior plane of existence, i.e. _with_ God! 

 This mystical vision of Ghālib appears to be inspired from our belief that “we are from God and to Him we return” [_inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rāji3oon_]; therefore if we don’t get born in the first place then we would remain _with Him_!!

  So, I think it is not so much about being overwhelmed but being debased, though he does use a word associated with the former only to convey the meaning of the latter. Anyway, that is my interpretation.
  I find Ghālib very, very subtle and yes he is prone to several interpretations. Mine need not be acceptable to all!


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## BP.

My preferred words for overwhelm might be _maghluub karna_, _ghalba paana_, _zer karna_ etc.

Examples:
*the words in ("") represent the closest sense in English

_us ne ye qadam jazbaat se *maghluub* ho kar uT.haaya._-اس نے یہ قدم جزبات سے *مغلوب* ہو کر اٹھایا۔ ("overcome")

_tum ne to mujhe *zich* kar daala._-تم نے تو مجھے *زچ* کر ڈالا۔ ("harrassed to the point of defeat")

_*firt* e imbisaat se uski zabaan gung t.hi._-*فرط* انبساط سے اسکی زبان گنگ تھی۔ ("overcome/overwhelmed (with joy in this example)")

Please do correct the potential mistakes among the diacritical sounds of my last sentence, if they turn out to actually be mistakes.


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## Faylasoof

BP, I’m sure you have your own (good) reasons to prefer some over the others, but not sure if personal preferences should come into these given that ALL of the following are used idiomatically and most of them fairly commonly:

غالب ہوناghālib honā 
مغلوب كرناmaghloob karnā
زیر كرنا zer karnaa  

… including, I must say the use of حاوی Hāwī.

Talking of حاوی ہوناHāwī honā, though it might be used less now than earlier, but then that is hardly surprising as many Urduphones with ever shrinking vocabularies would rather use the English word <overwhelm> anyway - even better the “Urduised” monstrosity <_ovarrwhelam_>!

_isne to mujhe ovarrwhelam kar diyaa!!_

I’d rather use <Hāwī حاوی >:

_woh to mujh par __H__āwī ho gayaa!     _

< زِچ كرنا  zich karnaa >: This might be used less in some circles but your usage is perfect. It’ll be nice to see this verb used more often. But I think I’m just dreaming!

… and as for these compounds; well, I’ve seen their use in various works. They too are pretty idiomatic:

غَلَبَہ پانا \ پالینا \ پا جانا \ حاصل ہونا
ghalabah paanaa / paa lenaa / paa jaanaa / HaaSil honaa


Interestingly, I’ve noticed that although most Urdu dictionaries and Urduphones pronounce it is as <ghalbah غَلبَہ>, with a _sukoon_ on <_laam_>, those with an Arabic background -not necessarily mullahs, I hasten to add- prefer to say <ghal*a*bah غَلَبَہ> i.e. with a <zabar زَبَر / fatHah فَتحَةَ>, as it is in the original Arabic. Here we can try our preferences!

Concerning your last sentence, the only <Harkat / Harakat (!)> that is at variance is in the first word. Here, for once the Urdu is the same as the original Arabic and pronounced as <fa-r_T_ فَرْط = ط - رْ - فَ >, i.e. the first letter <_fe_ ف> has a <zabar زَبَر / fatHah فَتحَةَ> (and the second <_re_ ر> of course has a _sukoon_, as you correctly indicate). Its usage is more or less the same in both the languages and means <excess, immoderation, abundance, exaggeration>.

 One final point. The pronunciation of  انبساط also seems to be subject to some variation. Most Urduphones seem to say <imbisaa_T_> -as listed in our dictionaries and as you write- but depending on their level of Arabic, some Urduphones use the original pronunciation:<inbisaa_T_>.


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## BP.

janaab e Falsafii,

The use of 'preference' came from another language's influence, and I wasn't paying close enough attention to which words I was using. That said, I'd still prefer not to use _Haawi_ in the given context, since it will most probably be interpreted as one person domineering over another. In fact i'd admit this particular use of 'overwhelm' is pretty hard to translate, at least for me.

About _fart_, that's how I pronounce it myself, but recently I heard a TV presenter say _*i*fraat e zar_, and I have this tendency of accepting other peoples' slant on something over mine....Thanks for reminding me.

_i*n*bisaat_...how do you pronounce the plural of _nabii_?



> ...not necessarily mullahs...


What! You too falling prey to one of the most common mistakes! Where does the extra h sneak in from? It certainly isn't there when we write _mulla_ in Urdu rasm ul khat.


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## panjabigator

Faylasoof said:


> Most Urduphones seem to say <imbisaa_T_> -as listed in our dictionaries and as you write- but depending on their level of Arabic, some Urduphones use the original pronunciation:<inbisaa_T_>.



Wouldn't this pronounciation just in keeping with typical phonological conventions?  Nasals before labial sounds tend to be said as "m".  

Good to know the plural.  Thanks for the info.

BG, isn't "mullah" the accepted spelling in English?


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## BP.

> BG, isn't "mullah" the excepted spelling in English?


Like _nullah_ (factually _naala_, meaning both sound and canal) you mean?


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## panjabigator

Maybe - I don't know that word though.


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## Faylasoof

BelligerentPacifist said:


> janaab e Falsafii,
> 
> The use of 'preference' came from another language's influence …. That said, I'd still prefer not to use _Haawi_ in the given context, since it will most probably be interpreted as one person domineering over another. In fact i'd admit this particular use of 'overwhelm' is pretty hard to translate, at least for me.



  janaab-e-giraamii,

  Which context are we talking about? 

  To dominate very often is synonymous with <overwhelm>. I do not have any particular problem with the use of <  حاوی ہوناHāwī honā>. Of course context always matters. So this usage is perfectly fine:

 <The wave overwhelmed them! = The wave overpowered them! = _mauj un par Hāwī ho gai_! = _mauj ne un par ghalabah pāyā_!>

 … and as an aside, about this:



> What! You too falling prey to one of the most common mistakes! Where does the extra h sneak in from? It certainly isn't there when we write _mulla_ in Urdu rasm ul khat.



  A common mistake! Really! It is time you learnt the difference between a <_conventional spelling_> and a <_spelling mistake_>! Not to know this difference is a mistake in itself!!

  In _English_, my dear Sir, the accepted spelling is <_mullah_> and seems to be preferred over <_mulla_>, whether we like it or not. Look up any good English dictionary if you don’t believe. Besides, here is a web search for <_mullah_> vs <_mulla_> images. As you’ll note the former (the common mistake, according to you), shows the thing we are looking for far more frequently than the latter.

 The rest of the points I've answered separately.


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## BP.

So are you okay with Ilahbaad being called Allahbad, and Awad-h mispronounced Ood, or Panjaab Poonjaab?

حمیٌت تھا جس کا نام گئی تیمور کے گھر سے


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## Faylasoof

No I'm not! 

I've already explained how I feel about Lucknow for Lakhnau. I'd rather it be the latter. But the former is a convention we are still using. There are many other conventional spellings I don't agree with but use all the same. 

جہاں ہے مكتبِ حیرت سبق ہے چپ رہنا
- شاد


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