Viakaran

Punjabi vaak kiven bande han, shabadan di tarteeb ton lai ke is tak ki “kita” kyon hai, “kiti” kyon nahi.

  1. Word order, pronouns and “to be”Punjabi puts the verb last. The order of a sentence, the words for I, you and they, and haan, hai, ho and han.Lagbhag 4 minute
  2. Gender, plurals and agreementEvery noun is masculine or feminine, and adjectives and verbs change to match: changa munda, changi kurhi.Lagbhag 4 minute
  3. Whose is it? da, di, dePossession with da, di and de, and my, your, our: mera, tuhada, saada. They agree with the thing owned.Lagbhag 4 minute
  4. Little words after nouns: nu, ton, vich, naalPunjabi puts its prepositions after the noun, and the noun changes shape before them: kamra, but kamre vich.Lagbhag 4 minute
  5. The present: I do, I am doingSay what you usually do (main karda haan), what you are doing now (main kar riha haan), and that you don’t.Lagbhag 4 minute
  6. The past, and why it’s kita and not kitiPast verbs agree with the person when nothing is done to anything, and with the thing when something is.Lagbhag 5 minute
  7. The future: will, and let’sMake the future with -ga: main javanga, fer milange. Plus the everyday ways to suggest a plan.Lagbhag 3 minute
  8. Asking and telling: kar, karo, karna jiCommands at three levels of politeness, the helper verbs that soften them, and how to say don’t.Lagbhag 4 minute
  9. Questions, and saying noQuestion words (ki, kaun, kithe, kadon, kiven, kyon) and the ways to say no: nahi, na and nahi si.Lagbhag 4 minute
  10. Respect: tusi, ji and the pluralHow Punjabi shows respect: tusi for one person, ji after names, and plural verbs for an elder.Lagbhag 4 minute
  11. Mainu: when things happen to youHunger, liking, knowing and needing happen to you in Punjabi: mainu bhukh lagi hai, mainu chaa pasand hai.Lagbhag 4 minute
  12. Helper verbs: can, already, shouldVerb pairs like ho gaya and dass deo, and the helpers for can, already, having done, and should.Lagbhag 4 minute