For a Pakistani expat in the UK, learning Urdu is not only a practical task but a way to keep the culture alive. We’ve prepared 5 tips on how to learn Urdu — apply them and level up your skill.
Dramas and movies
Urdu language courses
Journaling
Surround yourself with Urdu
Go all in
FAQ — learn to speak Urdu
Dramas and movies
If you don’t have spare money for Urdu language courses, watching TV series and movies will help you improve fast. Don’t watch them mindlessly. Catch the words, check translations, try to guess the meaning of a sentence from the context and pay attention to the pronunciation. It’ll be more like an Urdu lesson than a relaxation time, but we’re here to learn to speak Urdu, not rest.
Pakistanis on Reddit recommend these series for learning Urdu:
- Parizaad
- Alif
- Pyaare Afzal
- Sitara Aur Mehrunissa
- Zindagi Gulzar Hai
Learning Urdu isn’t the only way to stay connected with Pakistan. Whether it’s supporting loved ones, running a business, or making purchases, you can easily send money from the UK to Pakistan with Profee. Transfers are set up in minutes, so you won’t have to pause your language learning.
Gift for our readers: a promo code READPROMO for a 0% fee transfer. Use it until September 30th, 2025.
Urdu language courses
Urdu language courses are amazing because they are all different. From the basics to poetic usage of words, you’ll find Urdu lessons for every level. Pre-recorded videos will guide you on how to learn Urdu, while tests help with practising rules and phrases in real life.
A list of the Urdu language courses:
- UrduPod101
- Memrise
- Mango Languages
- Pimsleur Urdu
- Loecsen
These courses focus on Urdu for beginners, for more advanced levels we recommend finding a tutor or someone who you can talk to in real life.
Journaling
We don’t know why, but people rarely mention journaling when discussing how to learn Urdu quickly. But it’s one of the most powerful tools. Even if you write a couple of sentences before sleep, your mind will connect the phrases to emotional events that happened during the day, which means you'll remember them better.
How to journal:
- Try to write sentences by yourself.
- Use a translator only after writing a draft.
- You can ask AI to evaluate and improve your text.
If you want to know how to learn Urdu quickly, the answer is consistency. One sentence a day can make a huge difference. So fight the laziness and open that journal app on your phone. Our brain needs constant exposure to the language, otherwise, it’ll be forgotten easily.
Surround yourself with Urdu
Read short stories in Urdu for beginners, find people who teach how to learn Urdu online and follow them, watch YouTube videos from the natives, listen to music, change your phone language — there are so many options of how to learn Urdu without reading boring textbooks.
Honestly, all you need to learn a language is creating a situation where you have no choice but to start speaking it. If you can’t go to Pakistan now, build an Urdu-dominated routine, it’ll help.
Articles for Pakistanis in the UK:
Go all in
Accept the challenge: practising Urdu for two hours every day for two weeks. You’ll be surprised by the result. Opening a course lesson once a week for 30 minutes won't make miracles, and you'll be stuck in the progress. How to learn Urdu quickly? Do it often. Math is simple here.
FAQ — learn to speak Urdu
How to learn Urdu?
Watch dramas, find online courses and private teachers, surround yourself with the language, journal and stay consistent.
Can you learn Urdu on Duolingo?
No, there are no official Urdu courses on Duolingo as of 2025. It may appear in the future.
Is Hindi the same as Urdu?
They are similar but not identical. Hindi and Urdu are sister languages with shared grammar patterns, but the writing system and some vocabulary are different.
Is Urdu the oldest language?
No. It's still an open discussion which language is the oldest. Among the candidates are Sumerian, Akkadian, Egyptian, Tamil, and Sanskrit.
How to send money from the UK to Pakistan?
- Join Profee.
- Select counties and enter the transfer amount.
- Choose the payment method.
- Enter recipient details.
- Confirm.
