Essential Urdu phrases

The universal greeting. Faisalabad is a trading city and business here is transacted through relationship first — walking in and naming a price without it lands badly.

'How are you?' in Punjabi, which is what Faisalabad actually speaks. Urdu is the written and official register; the mill floor, the bazaar and the dinner table are Punjabi.

Elder brother, and the default respectful address for a shopkeeper, a foreman or an older colleague in this city. Warmer than 'bhai' and very Faisalabadi.

The clock tower at the exact centre of the old city, with eight bazaars radiating from it in a Union Jack. Every direction anyone gives you in central Faisalabad is measured from it.

The commercial block in Peoples Colony that is Faisalabad's real centre of gravity after dark — restaurants, shops, and where the city goes out. Nobody says 'Peoples Colony'.

The tenancy agreement. In Punjab registering it is compulsory, and the registration is what gets you into a Rent Tribunal rather than an ordinary civil court.

Used in Urdu unchanged. Faisalabad's winter air is not Lahore's, but it is Punjab's, and the province's AQI dashboard puts the city in the same conversation from November to January.

Used in Urdu and Punjabi unchanged, and the unit of local geography. Addresses, bus stops and whole neighbourhoods are named after the mill they grew around.

Exporter. In Faisalabad this is a job title rather than a description — the city's professional class is organised around export orders, letters of credit and shipment dates.

'God willing', attached to every future commitment including delivery dates. Sincere, and also the polite delivery vehicle for 'probably not'. Read the tone, then confirm in writing.

What the city was called until 1977, and what older residents still call it. The name is on the museum, on the old railway records and in every conversation about the canal-colony history.

Police, Rescue 1122 — the Punjab Emergency Service, which runs ambulance, fire and rescue on one number — and the Punjab women's helpline. Edhi's ambulances are on 115.