Urdu Grammar

Help learning the grammar in urdu

What is Urdu’s basic word order?

SOV (Subject–Object–Verb)
Example:
Main khana khata hoon.
(I food eat am)

Where does the verb go in an Urdu sentence?

At the end of the sentence.

What does “main” mean?

Main = I
Urdu: میں

Difference between “tum” and “aap”?

Tum = informal you
Aap = formal/respectful you

Does Urdu have separate pronouns for “he” and “she”?

No.
“Woh” is used for both.
Gender appears in the verb, not the pronoun.

What two genders exist in Urdu?

Masculine & Feminine

Common masculine noun ending?

“-a”
Examples: larka, kamra

Common feminine noun ending?

“-i”
Examples: larki, kursi

What does the Urdu infinitive end in?

“-na”
Example: khana (to eat), jana (to go)

What does the verb agree with in Urdu?

Usually the subject’s gender
BUT in past tense with “ne,” it agrees with the object

Structure of present habitual tense?

Verb stem + ta/ti/te + hoon/hai/hein

Example: “I eat” (masculine)

Main khata hoon.

Example: “She eats”

Woh khati hai.

Structure of present continuous tense?

Verb + raha/rahi/rahe + hoon/hai/hein

Example: “I am going”

Main ja raha hoon. (present continuous)

Example: “She is coming”

Woh aa rahi hai.

When do you use “ne” in past tense?

With transitive verbs (verbs that take an object)

What happens after adding “ne”?

The verb agrees with the object, not the subject.

Example: “I ate bread” (roti = feminine)

Main ne roti khayi.

Do intransitive verbs use “ne”?

No.
Example: Main gaya. (I went)

Future tense endings?

ga (masc), gi (fem), ge (plural/respect)

Example: “I will go” (masculine)

Main jaunga.

Example: “She will come”

Woh aaye gi.

Urdu word for “in”?

Mein
Example: ghar mein

Urdu word for “with”?

Ke saath
Example: dost ke saath

Urdu word for “from”?

Se
Example: school se

What happens to nouns before postpositions?

They go into the oblique form

Example: kamra → ?

kamre
kamre mein

Do adjectives agree in Urdu?

Yes — some adjectives change with gender.

Example: “big house” vs “big car”

bara ghar
bari gaari

Do all adjectives change?

No. Some are fixed (e.g., zabardast).

Urdu word for “not”?

Nahi

Example: “I am not going”

Main nahi ja raha hoon.

How do you make a yes/no question?

Same word order, rising intonation.

Urdu word for “where”?

Kahan

Example: “Where are you going?”

Tum kahan ja rahe ho?

Three levels of command for “go”

Ja (informal)
Jao (neutral)
Jaiye (polite)

Urdu word for “because”?

Kyun ke

Example sentence with “because”

Main nahi gaya kyun ke barish ho rahi thi.

Urdu word for “who/that” (relative clause)?

Jo

Example: “The boy who is standing there…”

Jo larka wahan khara hai…

What should you memorize instead of rules?

Full sentences, not isolated rules.

What is the fastest way to internalize grammar?

Speaking + repeating real sentences daily.