I secretly learned my mother's language

I spent 4-5 months last year secretly learning Urdu to surprise my mum who has never spoken to me in anything but English. I did it to inshaAllah feel more in touch with where I'm from, to challenge myself, but most of all - to see the look on her face, haha! I won't pretend it wasn't a challenge - It was months of hiding and sneaking around, leaving the house early to have lessons in cafe's but it was so worth it. I really hope you enjoy this video as much as I did making it 😊

these are some other amazing language youtubers I love and who have inspired me so much :

Amazing voices that revolutionised how I approach learning:

[fairyati_]

You can see how genuinely happy her mother was that her daughter can speak her language and that is so adorable 😭

[farahin]

4 months ?! And you are able to make conversations ? That’s amazing !

[hotelmario]

Watching this a white dude who has absolutely no experience of being an immigrant or a Muslim, and this warmed my heart. It's also inspired me to try and learn a language myself. Kudos, the positivity you put into the world has far-reaching ripples.

[petranilla]

Please, please teach your siblings so they won't feel left out. It's always great to learn another language!! You are a wonderful daughter.

[ksj]

as an immigrant child to indian parents, i know how happy you made your mom by doing this. when i started learning my mother tongue, every new word i learned was met with the same enthusiasm she had with my first words ever. love your mom, love you!!

[tanjeergaffar]

Her parents are blessed to have a daughter like her, a person of action, determination, intellect and of course, A LOTTA love for them.

[RiKiMinAjJ]

As a native Urdu speaker IM IMPRESSED GURLLL YOUR SUCH A.GOOD LEARNER in my opinion Urdu isn't a easy language to learn especially if you don't have anyone else to speak in that language IM VERY PROUD OF YOU AND IM SO HAPPY FOR YOU AND YOUR MOTHER THIS WAS SO WHOLESOME

[kinggimped]

Love how happy your mum is, and equally how your siblings are completely alienated and just leave the room. Good for you

[Samirbons]

When she says "your grandparents would be proud of you" I start tearing 🥲. You really gift her the apreciation of who she is. You decide to make yours a part of her, as a medall of honor. Thats beautifull! 💜

[Garygarygary]

White English guy here. This actually made me tear up. I come from a family and lineage where we all speak English, so I’ve never thought about the fact that some parents/grandparents that settled in Britain are witnessing their grandchildren and so on gradually lose their native tongues, and I can imagine that can be a bittersweet feeling. Your Mum looked beyond happy! And you can tell she’s proud of you for going out of your way to learn it. Well done!

[hahadarrie]

She instantly became her Moms best friend. This brought tears to my eyes.

[Maino]

This is both utterly heartwarming and also, totally soul-crushing for your siblings who are now contemplating how they can possibly top that! It's a flex. A major sibling flex. And I like it a lot.

[ChrisC]

The joy on your mum's face was as loud as if she was shouting: "finally I can be myself and speak my language with someone else. Finally I can be understood for who I am"
A language is a huge part of one's identity

[salty_pearl]

Tearing up when your mum said your grandparents would have been proud. You've really motivated me to get back into my own language projects.

[LeslieGrantlovefaithhope]

What a true love letter to your mother and a honor to her. I was tearing up at her glee and shock...ohh how this must have deepen your bond to your mom but also open up the door to your culture and religion in a whole new way. God bless.

Yes, your siblings leaving the room was hilarious for sure.

You inspired me to not give up on wanting to learn another language.

[charithreddy]

I love the way mom smiled and laughed with joy.
You continued a line of culture, heritage by learning your mom’s language.
Lots of love from India 🇮🇳💌

[angel-meta]

I’m an immigrant daughter to pakistani parents and I started tearing up. Your mom couldn’t do anything but laugh out of pure joy and be speechless out of glee, she literally looked at you with heart eyes. Your urdu is fantastic, but just the fact that you took your moms ‘zabaan’ so seriously is enough for her to be blessed to have you. You’re heart is large and your love for others is beautiful. You make me want to learn punjabi ❤️

[shaziaalam]

This brought such a big smile on my face, made my day. Learning Urdu in just 4 months is amazing.

[BenStimpsonAuthor]

This is so wholesome, I love it. This randomly came up on my feed. I'm from Wales myself and I'm learning Welsh currently, there is nothing quite like learning your indigenous ancestral language. I love how delighted your Mum looks when you speak to her

[malkam.]

this is absolutely the sweetest thing I've ever seen. What an amazing gift both for your mother and for you to be able to talk better with relatives. You are really gifted, too, to learn in only 4 months! congratulations!!