# Urdu:  Good luck



## panjabigator

How do you say "good luck" in Urdu?


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## linguist786

We had a thread about this before, if you remember. We didn't reach a conclusion. Now I think I have an idea. It's:

توفيق سے!
_(taufiiq se!)_

which is taken from the Arabic بالتوفيق! (bit-tawfiiq!).
I am not 100% sure about this, probably about 85. I will try and found out though.


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## panjabigator

I was just reading Premchand's _Shatranj kii baazii_ (Hindi: _shatranj ke khilaaD.ii_) and there was a line where the phrase <pau barah> was used.  The glossary defined it as "good luck," but I wonder if this is just a reading associated with chess.  What would be said in Urdu?

In Hindi, the equivalent is <shubh kaamnae>.


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## Faylasoof

Oh dear! I know nothing about chess! I think here the Urdu eqiuvalent would depend on the occasion. If you are talking about someone being lucky then you'd use terms like: 'خوش بخت / خوش بختى' or ' خوش قسمت / خوش قسمتى'. But if you want to wish 'good luck' (Eng) = veel succes (Dutch) for what they are about to do, then it'll be more like:  كامیاب ہو / بركت پاو etc.. It really will depend on the occasion.


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## Qureshpor

panjabigator said:


> I was just reading Premchand's _Shatranj kii baazii_ (Hindi: _shatranj ke khilaaD.ii_) and there was a line where the phrase <pau barah> was used.  The glossary defined it as "good luck," but I wonder if this is just a reading associated with chess.  What would be said in Urdu?
> 
> In Hindi, the equivalent is <shubh kaamnae>.



*janaab-i-Platts ke mutaabiq..

*H پو पौ _pau_, s.f. The one or ace on dice:—_pau-bārah_, s.f.  The ace and the twelve in dice; (_fig._) *good* *luck*, good fortune, success;—_pau-bārah paṛnā_ (-_ko_), To have a stroke of fortune, to come off well or successful:—_pau-ćakkā_, s.m. Gambling with dice.

*Based on the "mubaarak-baad" [May your "Eid, Birthday etc" be blessed!] pattern, we can use "Khush-baKht baad" [May (you) be lucky!]*


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## Qureshpor

QURESHPOR said:


> *janaab-i-Platts ke mutaabiq..
> 
> *H پو पौ _pau_, s.f. The one or ace on dice:—_pau-bārah_, s.f.  The ace and the twelve in dice; (_fig._) *good* *luck*, good fortune, success;—_pau-bārah paṛnā_ (-_ko_), To have a stroke of fortune, to come off well or successful:—_pau-ćakkā_, s.m. Gambling with dice.
> 
> *Based on the "mubaarak-baad" [May your "Eid, Birthday etc" be blessed!] pattern, we can use "Khush-baKht baad" [May (you) be lucky!]*




How about, "anjaam ba-Khair!"?


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## panjabigator

Thanks for the suggestion. Do people say this, though?

I would probably say "khuda kare aap apne kaam mein kaamyab rahe.n," or something like that.


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## Qureshpor

panjabigator said:


> Thanks for the suggestion. Do people say this, though?
> 
> I would probably say "khuda kare aap apne kaam mein kaamyab rahe.n," or something like that.



"anjaam ba-Khair honaa" actually means "to have a good ending". When you wish someone "good luck", that is exactly what you are wishing them, is n't it? By the time you have said your verbose suggestion, he/she will have returned from the task you are wishing them good luck for!


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## suhussain

panjabigator said:


> How do you say "good luck" in Urdu?


*Khush Kismati Aap Kai Qadam Choomey.*


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## marrish

^ This is certainly very nice! but I'd say it with a ''qaaf'' ق in Urdu, Khush *q*ismatii خوش قسمتی. A remark just for the ones who'd be learning Urdu.


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## marrish

linguist786 said:


> We had a thread about this before, if you remember. We didn't reach a conclusion. Now I think I have an idea. It's:
> 
> توفيق سے!
> _(taufiiq se!)_
> 
> which is taken from the Arabic بالتوفيق! (bit-tawfiiq!).
> I am not 100% sure about this, probably about 85. I will try and found out though.



I think it is a very good suggestion, especially if we make it a bit longer to ''_allaah aap ko taufiiq de/farmaa'e_''. 
F. SaaHib's suggestions are also very good because they are short and refer to the Dutch phrase I'm interested in.

pau-baarah (Punjabi: pauN-baaraaN) is also perfect but it can't help us with a wish phrase.


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## panjabigator

Marrish Sahib, could you provide some Urdu and Punjabi examples for "pau(N)-barra(n)?"


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## marrish

panjabigator said:


> Marrish Sahib, could you provide some Urdu and Punjabi examples for "pau(N)-barra(n)?"


No, I can't at the moment, I'll wait six months before I do it!


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## Sheikh_14

marrish said:


> I think it is a very good suggestion, especially if we make it a bit longer to ''_allaah aap ko taufiiq de/farmaa'e_''.
> F. SaaHib's suggestions are also very good because they are short and refer to the Dutch phrase I'm interested in.
> 
> pau-baarah (Punjabi: pauN-baaraaN) is also perfect but it can't help us with a wish phrase.



One only comes across the word taufiiq in that very context does it literally mean divine guidance or ability? Judging by that taufiiq se from a literal perspective sounds odd unless one takes a long linguistic meandering and arrives at something sembling may destiny created by the lord be with you. In other words taufiiq se being a near equivalent to Inshallah. On the other hand, from a punjabi perspective, kismat thwade/thade saat hoon in urdu aapke would be a good alternative especially since its appreciative of local nuances.


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## marrish

^ _qismat/kismat tu_ááDaa saath_ dave OR _qismat tu__tu_áá__De naal hove_ for Punjabi however the latter is a bit strange if we use this word (qismat=destiny) departing from the idea that it never leaves you.

This is the description of the word _taufiiq _- as you can see it can mean both, according to the context but the primary meaning is stated first:

A توفيق taufīq [inf. n. ii of وفق '*to find convenient and useful'], s.f. Making events to conspire happily* (Divine Providence); divine guidance, grace, or favour; *the completion of one's wishes; prosperity*;—ability, power, means, resources.
​


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## Sheikh_14

marrish said:


> ^ _qismat/kismat tu_ááDaa saath_ dave OR _qismat tu__tu_áá__De naal hove_ for Punjabi however the latter is a bit strange if we use this word (qismat=destiny) departing from the idea that it never leaves you.
> 
> Firstly thank you for granting me your vicarious knowledge but based upon these findings taufiiq mile! would suffice. There we go now we have more good luck alternatives than the english language.


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