The word “Punjabi” is an adjective or a noun that refers to something or someone from the Punjab region. In English, the plural form of “Punjabi” would be “Punjabis.” It refers to more than one person from the Punjab region.
That sounds like a pretty easy grammar point to consider, right? Well, here is the thing: Making Punjabi words plural is a different story entirely! Let’s take a look.
Table Of Contents
How To Make Punjabi Words Plural?
Generally, Punjabi words can be made plural by adding the suffix -e to masculine nouns and the suffix -aan to the feminine nouns. For example, masculine noun munda (boy) changes to munde (boys). Similarly, kitaab, which means “book” would become kitaabaan in the plural form and mombati (candle) will become mombatiaan (candles). Simple, right?
But, certain words do not have a plural form, such as nouns already in the plural form, like “parents” or “clothes” and uncountable nouns such as “water” or “milk.” Also, words that denote an idea or a concept, like “love” or “truth,” fall in the same category and don’t have a plural version.
In this post, we will look at several more examples of these, and I’ll also help you understand how irregular plural forms in the Punjabi language may differ.
Rules On Making Punjabi Words Plural
In the Punjabi language, there are a few different ways to form plurals, depending on the gender of the word. Standard rules and Punjabi pronunciation include:
- Adding the suffix -aan (ਆਂ) to the end of the feminine noun. For example: mombati (ਮੋਮਬੱਤੀ) which means “candle” to mombatiaan (ਮੋਮਬੱਤੀਆਂ) or “candles”.
- Adding the suffix -e (ਏ) to the end of the masculine noun. For example: munda (ਮੁੰਡਾ) which means “boy” to munde (ਮੁੰਡੇ) or “boys”.
- When feminine nouns change form from singular to plural, the adjectives also change form. For example: “A black cat” would be ik kaali billi (ਇੱਕ ਕਾਲੀ ਬਿੱਲੀ) whereas “two black cats” would be do kaaliaan billiaan (ਦੋ ਕਾਲੀਆਂ ਬਿੱਲੀਆਂ) in Punjabi.
- When masculine nouns change form from singular to plural, the adjectives also change form. For example: “a black dog” would be ik kaala kutta (ਇੱਕ ਕਾਲਾ ਕੁੱਤਾ) whereas “two black dogs” would be do kaale kutte (ਦੋ ਕਾਲੇ ਕੁੱਤੇ).
- Some nouns remain unchanged in the plural form. For example: praani (ਪ੍ਰਾਣੀ) which means “animal” remains the same even in its plural form.
Here are examples and vocabulary of plurals in Punjabi that show examples of all three rules. Are you able to spot the differences?
Objects
| English | Punjabi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Blanket-blankets | ਕੰਬਲ-ਕੰਬਲ | Kabala – kabala |
| Broom-brooms | ਝਾੜੂ-ਝਾੜੂ | Jhāṛū-jhāṛu |
| Color-colors | ਰੰਗ-ਰੰਗ | Raga-raga |
| Chair-chairs | ਕੁਰਸੀ-ਕੁਰਸੀਆਂ | Kursi-kursian |
| Fan-fans | ਪੱਖਾ-ਪੱਖੇ | Pakha-pakhe |
| Glass-glasses | ਗਲਾਸ-ਗਲਾਸ | Galasa-galasa |
Gender: Masculine And Feminine
| English | Punjabi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Boy-boys | ਮੁੰਡਾ-ਮੁੰਡੇ | Munda-munde |
| Girl-girls | ਕੁੜੀ-ਕੁੜੀਆਂ | Kudi-kudiaan |
| Man-men | ਆਦਮੀ-ਆਦਮੀ | Aadami-aadami |
| Woman-women | ਔਰਤ-ਔਰਤਾਂ | Aurat-aurataan |
| Cow-cows | ਗਊ-ਗਾਵਾਂ | Gau-gavaan |
| Bull-bulls | ਬਲਦ-ਬਲਦ | Balada-balada |
Making Punjabi Words Plural In Phrases With Pronouns
| English | Punjabi | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| His daughter. | ਉਸਦੀ ਧੀ। | Usadi dhi. |
| His daughters. | ਉਸ ਦੀਆਂ ਧੀਆਂ। | ਉਸ ਦੀਆਂ ਧੀਆਂ। |
| He has a chicken in his courtyard. | ਉਸਦੇ ਵਿਹੜੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਇੱਕ ਮੁਰਗਾ ਹੈ। | Usade vihare vich ik muraga hai. |
| He has two chickens in his courtyard. | ਉਸ ਦੇ ਵਿਹੜੇ ਵਿਚ ਦੋ ਮੁਰਗੇ ਹਨ। | Usade vihare vich do murage han. |
| There is a girl in the room. | ਕਮਰੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਇੱਕ ਕੁੜੀ ਹੈ। | Kamare vich ik kudi hai. |
| There are six girls in two rooms. | ਦੋ ਕਮਰੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਛੇ ਕੁੜੀਆਂ ਹਨ। | Do kamare vich chhe kudiaan han. |
| I have a pet animal at home. | ਮੇਰੇ ਘਰ ਵਿੱਚ ਇੱਕ ਪਾਲਤੂ ਜਾਨਵਰ ਹੈ। | Mere ghar vich ik palatu janavar hai. |
| I have two pet animals at home. | ਮੇਰੇ ਘਰ ਵਿੱਚ ਦੋ ਪਾਲਤੂ ਜਾਨਵਰ ਹਨ। | Mere ghar vich do palatu janavar han. |
You can look up more Punjabi pronouns to practice using them in sentences.
How Do You Say Plural In Punjabi?
In Punjabi, the term “plural” is known as bahuvachan (ਬਹੁਵਚਨ). It is pronounced as ba-hu-va-chan.
Why Learn Punjabi Pluralization?
Learning the pluralization rules for a language such as Punjabi can improve one’s ability to communicate effectively in that language. It can also deepen one’s understanding and appreciation of the culture associated with the language. Additionally, it can be useful for academic or professional purposes, for example, in fields such as linguistics or translation.
The difficulty of learning the pluralization rules for a language can vary depending on the individual learner and their prior experience with similar languages or grammar structures. Some learners may find the rules to be relatively straightforward, while others may find them to be more challenging. However, with practice and exposure to the language, most learners should be able to master the pluralization rules.
Punjabi Grammar
Let’s take a look at Punjabi grammar, where making plural in Punjabi is concerned.
Punjabi grammar is similar to English grammar when looking at the rules of making words plural. In English, the plural form of a word is usually formed by adding “-s” to the end of the singular form of the word. For example, “book” becomes “books” in the plural form.
However, there are also some exceptions and irregular plural forms in English. Also, some nouns have the same form in both singular and plural, such as deer, sheep, and fish. It sounds quite the same as in Punjabi!
The difference between the Punjabi language and English can be seen in the sentences. The sentence structure of Punjabi is SOV (subject object verb), while in the English language, it is SVO (subject verb object). It can affect the way you would generally put together a plural sentence.
Frequently Asked Questions About Making Punjabi Words Plural
How Do You Change Words To Plural In Punjabi?
To make Punjabi nouns plural, add the suffix -aan to the words that have feminine gender. Similarly, add the suffix -e to the words that are masculine in gender. For example, kudi (girl) changes to kudiaan (girls) and munda (boy) changes to munde (boys).
What Is Singular And Plural In Punjabi?
In Punjabi, singular refers to a noun representing one item or individual, while plural refers to a noun representing more than one. Plural forms are typically formed by adding specific suffixes or altering the word ending. Singular and plural distinctions are important for conveying quantity and grammatical agreement in Punjabi sentences.
What Is The Plural Form Of Punjabi?
The noun “Punjabi”, in English, can be changed into the form “Punjabis”. But in the Punjabi language, the noun Punjabi (referring the people from the region of Punjab) remains Punjabi even in its plural form. For example: “I am Punjabi,” will be main punjabi haan (ਮੈਂ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਹਾਂ) and “we are Punjabis,” will be asi punjabi haan (ਅਸੀਂ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਹਾਂ). Note that the word Punjabi (ਪੰਜਾਬੀ) doesn’t change form.
Want To Explore More? Check Ling Punjabi Blog!
Want to learn more about Punjabi grammar? Ling blog can help! The Ling blog is an extension of the Ling app – a language learning app that can provide various tools and resources to help learners understand and practice the pluralization rules for a language like Punjabi. These resources can help learners develop a deeper understanding of the pluralization rules and become more proficient in using them in spoken and written Punjabi.
