# Urdu, Hindi, Persian: Take a few lessons



## Sheikh_14

Dear Foreros',

In the languages above how would you refer to "taking a few lessons," on any particular matter of import? Thus instead of saying "thore bohat lessons lene haiN" or "hoN gay" and so on and so forth how would you create an equivalent sentence without resorting to English and lessons/lesson? Something along the lines of dars or sabaq is what I expect.

Best Regards,
Sheikh


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## Jashn

In a similar vein, may I also ask, Sheikh, what you and other forum members would suggest to express something like, ''I took a course in Hindi/Urdu at university''? I usually resort to the English word for 'course', or sometimes, 'class', and wonder whether it's correct to use the verb 'lena' to describe taking a course in Hindi/Urdu. In French, for example, one 'follows' a course, so it's easily possible that another verb entirely would be preferred.


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## molana

Sheikh_14 said:


> "taking a few lessons,



At university, we usually use the words  _درس_ or _(واحدِ (درسی_ (=unit).
Ex:. ترم قبل چند واحدِ (درسی) فلسفه برداشتم/گذراندم/خواندم
Ex:ترم قبل درس فلسفه را برداشتم/گذراندم/خواندم


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## Dib

Jashn said:


> In a similar vein, may I also ask, Sheikh, what you and other forum members would suggest to express something like, ''I took a course in Hindi/Urdu at university''? I usually resort to the English word for 'course', or sometimes, 'class', and wonder whether it's correct to use the verb 'lena' to describe taking a course in Hindi/Urdu. In French, for example, one 'follows' a course, so it's easily possible that another verb entirely would be preferred.



Your suspicion is correct. The usual colloquial Hindi uses "karnaa" as the verb. So: maiN ne kors kiyaa hai / maiN ne klaas kii hai.
I am not sure, but "klaas/kors lenaa" may imply "give/offer a class/course" (unless I am confusing with the Bengali usage).


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## Alfaaz

Sheikh_14 said:
			
		

> In the languages above how would you refer to "taking a few lessons," on any particular matter of import? Thus instead of saying "thore bohat lessons lene haiN" or "hoN gay" and so on and so forth how would you create an equivalent sentence without resorting to English and lessons/lesson? Something along the lines of dars or sabaq is what I expect.


 _Lesson and lessons -_ سبق | اَسباق ؛ درس | دُروس

_Previous/old lesson_ - آموختہ



			
				Jashn said:
			
		

> I usually resort to the English word for 'course', or sometimes, 'class', and wonder whether it's correct to use the verb 'lena' to describe taking a course in Hindi/Urdu.





			
				Dib said:
			
		

> Your suspicion is correct. The usual colloquial Hindi uses "karnaa" as the verb. So: maiN ne kors kiyaa hai / maiN ne klaas kii hai.
> I am not sure, but "klaas/kors lenaa" may imply "give/offer a class/course" (_unless I am confusing with the Bengali usage_).


Relevant thread and quote (describing Urdu usage): Hindi/Urdu: to take/give a class, exam

Dib: Based on the discussion in the quoted thread, it seems that there might be a difference in Urdu and Hindi (_and Bengali?_) usage of _lenaa _and _denaa_ in this case.



			
				Faylasoof said:
			
		

> albondiga said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Faylasoof said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> In Urdu it can be both _klaas / kilaas denaa_ or_ lenaa_, depending on what is meant!
> 
> 
> 
> Faysaloof, in your usage, what would <lenaa> imply and what would <denaa> imply? which is the teacher doing and which is the student doing?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Albondiga,
> 
> This usage is, btw, not entirely restricted to our speech! Our teachers would also distinguish between someone teaching (_klaas denaa_) and someone learning (_klaas lenaa_). Actually the whole thing may go back to the original Urdu expressions of _dars denaa_ (= to teach) and _dars lenaa_ (= to learn)! From this we ended up with the change of _klaas_ for _dars_.
> 
> _Both can also be used figuratively!_
> 
> Incidentally, _dars_ دَرْس is from Arabic – derived from the verb دَرَسَ_ darasa_ = to teach. There are of course other ways to express the idea in Urdu, some using entirely Indic expressions others borrowed from Arabic-Persian.
> 
> Here is Platts:
> 
> درس dars inf. n. of درس 'to read'
> 
> A درس dars (inf. n. of درس 'to read'), s.m. Reading, learning to read; a lecture; a lesson, exercise:—dars denā (-ko), To give a lecture, or a lesson (to), to lecture; to teach to read, to instruct:—dars kahnā, To lecture, to preach:—dars lenā (-se), To take a lesson (from), to read a lesson:—dars-o-tadrīs, s.m. Learning and teaching.
Click to expand...


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## Dib

Thanks a lot, Alfaaz. That thread has really thoroughly discussed the issue at hand. The Bengali usage is very similar to the Hindi one, as described in that thread. But "klas newa" (newa=lenaa) is always "giving/teaching a class" - at least, in the varieties of Bengali, I am familiar with. "Taking/Attending a class" is "klas kɔra" (kɔra=karnaa).


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## littlepond

Dib said:


> Your suspicion is correct. The usual colloquial Hindi uses "karnaa" as the verb. So: maiN ne kors kiyaa hai / maiN ne klaas kii hai.
> I am not sure, but "klaas/kors lenaa" may imply "give/offer a class/course" (unless I am confusing with the Bengali usage).



No, Dib jii; the colloquial version is "klaas lenaa, kors lenaa". "karnaa" is not much common. The teacher _also_ says "klaas lenaa". ("kisii kii klaas lenaa" as an expression - to reprimand someone, to interrogate someone, etc. - comes from that.)


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## Dib

Thanks a lot, littlepond, for the correction. I wish, I could delete my original comment, so as not to mislead future learners.


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## Sheikh_14

littlepond said:


> No, Dib jii; the colloquial version is "klaas lenaa, kors lenaa". "karnaa" is not much common. The teacher _also_ says "klaas lenaa". ("kisii kii klaas lenaa" as an expression - to reprimand someone, to interrogate someone, etc. - comes from that.)



Yes, klaas karnaa is not used at all, instead lenaa is the go-to option. However karnaa is used with Kors woh aaj kal falaaN chiiz meiN Kors kar rahaa Hai or Kors paRh rahaa Hai. Any idea as to where this class lenaa comes from for reprimanding someone since it is used quite often but doesn't really make any sense since klaas lenaa would instead mean to take a class rather than to teach someone a lesson? Therefore this colloquial usage does appear to be a misnomer but one that has gained huge currency.


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## littlepond

Indeed, you are very right with "aaj kal voh xyz kaa kors kar rahaa hai" option, Sheikh jii: that indeed exists very much. "kors paRhnaa", though, is quite uncommon; "subject paRhnaa" is common. "subject/elective lenaa" also exists (when the student opts for a subject).



Sheikh_14 said:


> Any idea as to where this class lenaa comes from for reprimanding someone since it is used quite often but doesn't really make any sense since klaas lenaa would instead mean to take a class rather than to teach someone a lesson? Therefore this colloquial usage does appear to be a misnomer but one that has gained huge currency.



Considering that many and many teachers are simply too rude and arrogant and frustrated people venting it out on their pupils, I hardly think it a misnomer: it's a very, very apt expression!


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## littlepond

Dib said:


> Thanks a lot, littlepond, for the correction. I wish, I could delete my original comment, so as not to mislead future learners.



Don't worry, Dib jii; I think most learners will read the whole thread


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## Jashn

I certainly read to the end with great interest. Thanks to everyone for the input.

So if I wanted to say something like, "I took three courses in Hindi at university", I could say, "mai.nne university mein hindi kii teen class(en?) lee.n"?


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## littlepond

^ Yes. Or "teen klaas(iz/iz) liye". "class" can be masculine or feminine in Hindi: depends on the speaker.

"classeN" is rare as plural, though certainly used; more common is "class" itself as plural or "classes".


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## taraa

سلام
 -take- کدوم یک از معانی تو لینک زیر  رو میده؟
"take a class"
معنی take - دیکشنری آنلاین آبادیس


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## Derakhshan

این عبارت به معنای "رفتن به کلاس" است

مثال: 

"I took an English class"

من کلاس زبان انگلیسی رفتم


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## taraa

میشه لطفا بگین کدوم یکی از معانی تو دیکشنری که لینک کردم درسته؟


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## Derakhshan

The equivalent of "take" in this sense would be گرفتن.


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## taraa

Derakhshan said:


> The equivalent of "take" in this sense would be گرفتن.


خیلی ممنون
تو عبارت زیر کدوم معنی رو میده؟
 "take an exam"??


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## Derakhshan

امتحان دادن = take an exam

You cannot use the words in that link for "take an exam". English and Persian differ in this instance.


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## taraa

Derakhshan said:


> امتحان دادن = take an exam
> 
> You cannot use the words in that link for "take an exam". English and Persian differ in this instance.


Thank you very much


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