# Urdu/Punjabi: Awesome, Great and "You Rock"



## Todd The Bod

How would you say "awesome" like if you schedule a meeting for lunch with someone or something or to go see a movie or something and they're like "Okay, see you then" and you're like "awesome" or "great".  

Or if someone saw let's say such-and-such a movie and you say you saw it too, and they're like "That movie rocked!" or "That movie was awesome!". 

Last, what would the equivalent colloquial expression be for "you rock" like if you're playing softball with some buddies and your buddy drives in the winning run so you're like "you rock, bro!"


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## panjabigator

How about <barhiyā> or <khūb> for "awesome."  In Panjabi: <ghainṭ>.

I'll have to think about "you rock" a bit more.


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## Todd The Bod

Thanks, Punjabigator.  You rock, bro!  I'll keep my eyes open for the other response as well.  

And PS-I didn't remember to put "Urdu/Punjabi" in the titles of my posts today.  I've got to remember to do that, because there's no edit feature for the titles.


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## Birdcall

I would say Dhaasu ढासु for awesome as an exclamation.

For great I'd say (bahut) khuub ख़ूब or jhakaas* झकास *(definitely a Mumbai word)

baRhiyaa बढ़िया works too, it means really good. shaandaar शानदार can mean the same.

shaabaash शाबाश is a common exclamation for something really good, like if someone hits a home run.


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## panjabigator

Birdcall said:


> I would say Dhaasu ढासु for awesome as an exclamation.
> 
> For great I'd say (bahut) khuub ख़ूब or jhakaas* झकास *(definitely a Mumbai word)
> 
> baRhiyaa बढ़िया works too, it means really good. shaandaar शानदार can mean the same.
> 
> shaabaash शाबाश is a common exclamation for something really good, like if someone hits a home run.



Never heard <dhaasu>.  Can you (or anyone else) tell me more about it?  I 110% agree with <shāndār> and <shābāsh>.

I can think of some other retorts which aren't necessarily "you rock" but convey the idea, depending on context of course.

<vah bhai>
<vah ji vah>
<kamāl kar diyā>
<sachī bhai,> yada yada yada.

I'll have to listen to my parents, or perhaps, be (more  ) amazing to elicit such responses in Hindi/Urdu/Punjabi.  I'll get back to you.


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## Todd The Bod

Thanks, everyone!  Is the "sachi" in "sachi bhai" at all related to "sach" meaning true?


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## panjabigator

Todd The Bod said:


> Thanks, everyone!  Is the "sachi" in "sachi bhai" at all related to "sach" meaning true?



Yes; I'm using it as an emphatic here.  <sach much> can also mean "really" as in: <āp sach much pākistān jae.nge> - are you really going to Pakistan?


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## Birdcall

I forgot about kamaal hai कमाल है

ढासु is extremely common in Mumbai, it's as common as "cool" anywhere in the US.

kamaal is like shaabaash

sach means truth, sachaa/sachii means true. sach me.n and sachmuch "really"


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## Birdcall

How did I forget ग़ज़ब ghazab (the gh is guttural but commonly pronounced like a regular ga) and ghazab kaa, meaning great/awesome.


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## panjabigator

Birdcall said:


> How did I forget ग़ज़ब ghazab (the gh is guttural but commonly pronounced like a regular ga) and ghazab kaa, meaning great/awesome.



<zabardast> is another.


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## Cilquiestsuens

panjabigator said:


> <zabardast> is another.


 

Thanks for mentioning it....

You also can go : kyaa baat hai::: or waah waah or waah jii waah !!


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## Todd The Bod

"Kyaa baat hai" sounds like "what's this all about?".  It must be all in the voice tone and delivery, hunh?


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## Cilquiestsuens

Todd The Bod said:


> "Kyaa baat hai" sounds like "what's this all about?". It must be all in the voice tone and delivery, hunh?


 

Yes indeed... It is kyaa baaat hai !!!!! not kyaa baat hai????


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## panjabigator

Cilquiestsuens said:


> Yes indeed... It is kyaa baaat hai !!!!! not kyaa baat hai????



Might I add a hand gesture to this: an up-turned hand (palm up).  

If you invert the syntax to <baat kyaa hai> ('what's the problem/issue'), then an interrogative tone is appropriate.  Intonation is everything


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## Birdcall

My black friend, who has dreadlocks, was told by a 12 year old boy in India "sunie bhaiyyaa, baal to mast hai.n"

Is this usage of mast common, to mean cool?


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## panjabigator

Have you heard the song <tu chīz baṛī hai mast, mast> from the movie Mohra?  I never really translated it before, but I guess it would mean something like "you are a hot thing." I've never heard <mast> used in either way outside of movies, but in both contexts, it seems to mean "cool" or "awesome."


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## Birdcall

Yes, I never knew what mast meant in that song though. Udit Narayan does say "nahii.n teraa koii dosh dosh, madhosh hai tuu har waqt waqt" so I thought "mast" referred to "madhosh" (drunk? carefree?)


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## panjabigator

Birdcall said:


> Yes, I never knew what mast meant in that song though. Udit Narayan does say "nahii.n teraa koii dosh dosh, madhosh hai tuu har waqt waqt" so I thought "mast" referred to "madhosh" (drunk? carefree?)



You are absolutely right - <mast> is refers to intoxication.  Akshay Kumar is reveling in it.


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## Faylasoof

I agree _mast_ (مخمور _maxmuur_ = مَدْہوش _madhoosh_) here is not appropriate. The use of this word in the above example for a person with dreadlocks is more to do with the idea of a _mast malang_!

But here are two words which we use a lot to mean superb, great, awesome etc.:
لاجواب _laa javaab _
بے مثال _be mithaal / misaaal_

_… we also use zabardast and koii javaab nahii.n – same as laa javaab._


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## omlick

panjabigator said:


> Have you heard the song <tu chīz baṛī hai mast, mast> from the movie Mohra? I never really translated it before, but I guess it would mean something like "you are a hot thing." I've never heard <mast> used in either way outside of movies, but in both contexts, it seems to mean "cool" or "awesome."


 
I always interpreted the तू चीज़ बड़ी  part to mean "you are hot", and the मस्त मस्त  part to mean "you floor me" or something like that.


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## Faylasoof

panjabigator said:


> Have you heard the song <tu chīz baṛī hai mast, mast> from the movie Mohra?  I never really translated it before, but I guess it would mean something like "you are a hot thing." I've never heard <mast> used in either way outside of movies, but in both contexts, it seems to mean "cool" or "awesome."



I would agree with this! We don't use _mast_ to mean cool.


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## akak

Faylasoof said:


> I would agree with this! We don't use _mast_ to mean cool.


 
It's pretty common in Bombay, to mean awesome or hot. Even as a response, like "OK". I fear it may be spreading to the rest of the country.


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## Birdcall

A definition of mast on urbandictionary.com:

adjective (In HINDI) Meaning- of very good quality; super; cool; awesome etc.


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## Faylasoof

akak said:


> It's pretty common in Bombay, to mean awesome or hot. Even as a response, like "OK". I fear it may be spreading to the rest of the country.


 Yes I see what you mean but this is relatively recent and strictly speaking a misuse! Not that it bothers me! 

In Urdu proper we wouldn't use it.



Birdcall said:


> A definition of mast on urbandictionary.com:
> 
> adjective (In HINDI) Meaning- of very good quality; super; cool; awesome etc.



Good to know! However, _mast_ originally is from Persian and used in Urdu with the original meaning of intoxication, intense spiritual absorption etc. But I can see why in current colloquial Hindi people are starting to use it this way. The word has also represented a carefree, easy going attitude as in the example of a _mast malang_ I give above.

As I say above (post#19) these are what we would normally use in Urdu:




Faylasoof said:


> ....
> But  here are two words which we use a lot to mean superb, great, awesome  etc.:
> لاجواب _laa javaab _
> بے مثال _be mithaal / misaaal_
> 
> _… we also use zabardast and  koii javaab nahii.n – same as laa javaab.
> _


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## Birdcall

Right, mast is the cognate of the Sanskrit matt, which only means intoxicated as far as I know, and isn't nearly as common as mast.

In the song from Dil to Paagal Hai "Bholi-si Surat," I'm guessing the word mastii in the line "bholii-sii suurat, aankho.n me.n mastii" means happiness or excitement?


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## Faylasoof

Birdcall said:


> Right, mast is the cognate of the Sanskrit matt, which only means intoxicated as far as I know, and isn't nearly as common as mast.
> 
> In the song from Dil to Paagal Hai "Bholi-si Surat," I'm guessing the word mastii in the line "bholii-sii suurat, aankho.n me.n mastii" means happiness or excitement?



Precisely!

Ah! For this:_ bholii-sii suurat, aankho.n me.n mastii_ 

We may have two possibilities! _mastii _here can mean being intoxicated with love OR having naughtiness! 

 In certain forms of colloquial usage, _mastii _= naughtiness, wickedness (in a nice way) = شرارت_ sharaarat_!  It might even be _this_ as it contrasts with the first part of the line <_ bholii-sii suurat_ = an innocent face>.

 
. .. and as for your suggestion <happiness or excitement>, it could be this too, in a poetic way!


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## Sheikh_14

Faylasoof said:


> I agree _mast_ (مخمور _maxmuur_= مَدْہوش _madhoosh_) here is not appropriate. The use of this word in the above example for a person with dreadlocks is more to do with the idea of a _mast __._



I doubt a 12 year old was thinking that far ahead, mast in colloquial language can mean outstanding and on other occassions even jolly. For the latter intoxication obviously has a place but it barely does for the former.
Mastii charnaa under the same light can mean either Inebriation or excessive excitement.


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