If you want to explore more about your native language, learning these 6 Urdu grammar rules is the best way to understand the language deeply.
Nonetheless, having a strong grasp on basic Urdu grammar is essential to make proper sentences and communicate your thoughts to your Urdu-speaking family and friends.
Hence, this blog post will walk you through 6 essential aspects of Urdu grammar in the simplest way possible to help you understand the language more easily.
So, let’s get started!
Table of Contents
An Introduction To Urdu Grammar
Urdu is the lingua franca, also known as, the official language of Pakistan.
It is widely spoken in Pakistan, along with some regions of India. Urdu is considered a mixture of Turkish, Persian, and Arabic; thus, many words in Urdu are from these languages.
Adding more to it, Urdu is exceptionally close to Hindi, as both have been derived from Sanskrit and are also often called Hindustani.
However, when it comes to Urdu grammar, the first thing you should know is that the Urdu language is highly inflected.
This means that almost every word has a different form depending on its function in the sentence (adjectives, nouns, pronouns, etc.).
Though it may sound tricky, we’ll do our best to explain this in this blog to make it easy for you to converse with your loved ones in your native language.
Let’s dive in to 6 essential parts of speech in Urdu!
Adjectives In Urdu Grammar
Adjectives are called sifat (صفت) in Urdu grammar. These describe the qualities of a noun or pronoun.
For example:
- I want a beautiful cat – Mujhe ek khoobsurat billi chahiye (مجھے ایک خوبصورت بلی چاہیے۔)
The word khoobsurat (خوبصورت) means beautiful.
Let’s look at some more adjectives in Urdu.
English | Urdu | Romanized |
---|---|---|
Attractive | پر کشش | Pur Kashish |
Bald | گنجی/گنجا | Ganji / Ganjaa |
Beautiful | خوبصورت | Khubsoorat |
Chubby | موٹی/موٹا | Mouti / Mota |
Clean | صاف | Saaf |
Dazzling | شاندار | Shandaar |
Dirty | گندی/گندا | Gandi / Ganda |
Elegant | خوبصورت | Khubsoorat |
Like | پسند | Pasand |
Fit | فٹ | Fit |
Flabby | بے چین | Bey Chain |
Glamorous | دلکش | Dilkash |
Gorgeous | خوبصورت | Khubsoorat |
Handsome | خوبصورت | Khubsoorat |
Long | طویل | Taweel |
Magnificent | شاندار | Shandaar |
Pretty | پیارہ | Pyaara |
Plain | سادہ | Saada |
Plump | بولڈ | Bold |
Quaint | عجیب | Ajeeb |
Scruffy | گندی/گندا | Gandi / Ganda |
Beautiful | حسین | Haseen |
Short | مختصر | Mukhtasir |
Skinny | پتلی/پتلا | Patli / Patla |
Ugly | بدصورت | Badsoorat |
What Are Urdu Nouns?
Nouns are called Ism (اسم) in Urdu grammar. These can be the names of a person, place, or thing.
For example:
- My name is Liya – Mera naam Liya hai (میرا نام لیا ہے۔ )
The word Liya (لیا ) is a name that is a noun.
Let’s look at more nouns in Urdu.
English | Urdu | Romanized |
---|---|---|
Case | معاملہ | Maamla |
Child | بچہ | Bacha |
Company | کمپنی | Company |
Day | دن | Din |
Eye | آنکھ | Aankh |
Fact | حقیقت | Haqeeqat |
Government | حکومت | Hukoomat |
Group | گروپ | Group |
Hand | ہاتھ | Haath |
Life | زندگی | Zindagi |
Man | آدمی | Aadmi |
Number | نمبر | Number |
Part | حصہ | Hissa |
Person | شخص | Shakhs |
Place | جگہ | Jagah |
Point | نقطہ | Nuqta |
Problem | مسئلہ | Masla |
Thing | چیز | Cheez |
Time | وقت | Waqt |
Way | راستہ | Rasta |
Week | ہفتہ | Hafta |
Woman | عورت | Aurat |
Work | کام | Kaam |
World | دنیا | Duniya |
Year | سال | Saal |
What Are Urdu Pronouns?
The word for pronouns in Urdu is Ism-e-zameer (اسم ضمیر )
For example:
- You can come with me – Aap merey saath asaktey hain (آپ میرے ساتھ آ سکتے ہیں۔)
Aap (آپ ) is a pronoun meaning you.
Let’s look at most pronouns in Urdu.
English | Urdu | Romanized |
---|---|---|
Anyone | کوئی بھی | Koi Bhi |
Anything | کچھ بھی | Kuch Bhi |
Everyone | ہر کوئی | Har Koi |
Everything | سب کچھ | Sab Kuch |
He | وہ | Woh |
Her | اس کا | Is Ka |
Him | اسے | Usay |
Himself | خود | Khud |
I | میں | Mein |
It | یہ | Yeh |
Itself | خود | Khud |
Me | میں | Mein |
Myself | میں خود | Mein Khud |
Nothing | کچھ نہیں | Kuch Nahi |
One | ایک | Aik |
She | وہ | Woh |
Someone | کسی | Kisi |
Something | کچھ | Kuch |
Them | انہیں | Inhen |
Themselves | خود | Khud |
They | وہ | Woh |
Us | ہمیں | Humnay |
We | ہم | Hum |
Who | کون | Kon |
You | تم | Tum |
Adverbs In Urdu
The word for adverbs in Urdu is Mutaliq fail (متعلق فعل). Adverbs talk about the quality of verbs that we will talk about next.
For example:
- Hurry up, we are getting late – jaldi karo hamain der ho rahi hai (جلدی کرو ہمیں دیر ہو رہی ہے۔)
Jaldi karo (جلدی کرو ) is an adverb meaning hurry up.
Check out the rest of these adverbs in Urdu to familiarize yourself with the Urdu adverbs vocabulary.
English | Urdu | Romanized |
---|---|---|
Annually | سالانہ | Salana |
Briefly | مختصر طور پر | Mukhtasir Tor Par |
Carefully | احتیاط سے | Ahthyat Se |
Daily | روزانہ | Rozana |
Exactly | بالکل | Bilkul |
Fairly | منصفانہ | Munsifana |
Greatly | بہت | Bohat |
Immediately | فوری طور پر | Fori Tor Par |
Jealously | حسد سے | Hasad Se |
Keenly | دلچسپی سے | Dilchaspi Se |
Lively | جاندار | Jandaar |
Mysteriously | پراسرار طور پر | Pur Asraar Tor Par |
Naturally | قدرتی طور پر | Qudrati Tor Par |
Often | اکثر | Aksar |
Politely | شائستگی سے | Shaistagi Se |
Quickly | جلدی سے | Jaldi Se |
Regularly | باقاعدگی سے | Baqaidagi Se |
Suddenly | اچانک | Achanak |
Thankfully | شکر ہے | Shukar Hai |
Usefully | مفید طور پر | Mufeed Tor Par |
Voluntarily | رضاکارانہ طور پر | Raza Karana Tor Par |
Wrongly | غلط طریقے سے | Ghalat Tareeqay Se |
Example Of Urdu Verbs
The word for Verb in Urdu is Fael (فعل ). It describes the action done by a noun/pronoun.
For example:
- He went to the bathroom – wo bathroom chala gaya (وہ باتھ روم چلا گیا۔ )
Chala gaya (چلا گیا) is a verb meaning went.
Here is a list of Urdu verbs for you.
English | Urdu | Romanized |
---|---|---|
Answer | جواب دینا | Jawab Dena |
Approve | منظور کرنا | Manzoor Karna |
Arrange | بندوبست کرنا | Bandobast Karna |
Break | توڑنا | Torna |
Build | تعمیرکرنا | Taa-Meer Karna |
Cough | کھانسی | Khansi |
Create | بنانا | Banana |
Cry | رونا | Rona |
Dance | رقص کرنا | Raqs Karna |
Describe | بیان کرنا | Bayan Karna |
Edit | ترمیم کرنا | Tarmeem Karna |
Enter | داخل کرنا | Daakhil Karna |
Imitate | نقل کرنا | Naqal Karna |
Invent | ایجاد کرنا | Ijaad Karna |
Jump | چھلانگ لگانا | Chhalang Lagana |
Laugh | ہنسنا | Hansna |
Paint | پینٹ کرنا | Paint Karna |
Sing | گانا | Gana |
Sleep | سونا | Sona |
Sneeze | چھینکنا | Chhenknaa |
Solve | حل کرنا | Hal Karna |
Study | مطالعہ کرنا | Mutalea Karna |
Teach | سکھانا | Sikhana |
Touch | چھونا | Chouna |
Turn | موڑنا | Modna |
Walk | چلنا | Chalna |
Whistle | سیٹی بجانا | Seeti Bajana |
Win | جیتنا | Jeetna |
Write | لکھنا | Likhna |
Conjunctions In Urdu
Conjunctions are called haroof e ataf (حروف عطف) in Urdu grammar. These connect different phrases and words in the Urdu language.
For example:
- I need a cat and a dog. – mujhe aik bili aur aik kutta chahiye (مجھے ایک بلی اور ایک کتا چاہیے۔)
The word aur (اور) means and.
Let’s look at more conjunctions in Urdu.
English | Urdu | Romanized |
---|---|---|
After | کے بعد | Ke Baad |
Although | اگرچہ | Agarcha |
And | اور | Aur |
As | کے طور پر | Ke Tor Par |
Because | کیونکہ | Kyunkay |
Before | پہلے | Pehlay |
But | لیکن | Lekin |
Except | سوائے | Siwaye |
If | اگر | Agar |
Like | پسند | Pasand |
Nor | نہ ہی | Nah Hi |
Now | ابھی | Abhi |
Once | ایک بار | Aik Baar |
Or | یا | Ya |
Since | جب سے | Jab Se |
So | تو | To |
Than | مقابلے | Muqablay |
That | کہ | Ke |
Though | اگرچہ | Agarchay |
Unless | جب تک | Jab Tak |
Until | جب تک | Jab Tak |
When | کب | Kab |
Where | کہاں | Kahan |
Whether | چاہے | Chahay |
While | جبکہ | Jabkay |
How Do You Say Grammar In Urdu?
In Urdu, we say Grammar as qawaid (قواعد). So, Urdu grammar will become Urdu zaban ke qawaid (اردو زبان کے قواعد).
Tips To Master Basic Urdu Grammar Quickly
Learning Urdu grammar can seem daunting at first, but with the right approach, it becomes manageable and even enjoyable.
Below are a few simple tips to make you quickly master Urdu grammar before you get to meet your native family:
1. Practice with simple sentences. Begin by forming basic sentences to grasp the fundamental structure. This approach helps in understanding verb conjugations and sentence flow.
2. Watch Urdu cartoons and movies with subtitles. Simple dialogues help in understanding sentence structure and grammar naturally.
3. Engage with grammar exercises to reinforce your learning. For this, you can use online exercises or practice the ones present in grammar books. Consistent practice through structured activities can solidify your grasp of grammatical rules.
4. Learn one rule at a time. Focus on one grammar rule before moving to the next to avoid confusion.
5. Practice with native speakers. Engage in conversations with native Urdu speakers to learn grammar naturally. Listening to their sentence structure and speech patterns will improve fluency and accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions About Urdu Grammar
What Is The Basic Urdu Grammar Rule?
The basic Urdu grammar rule is to follow Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) word order when making sentences in Urdu. For instance,
I eat an apple – me ne ek saib khaya (میں نے ایک سیب کھایا).
Here, I-me (میں) is the subject, Apple-saib (سیب) is the object, and eat – khaya (کھایا) is the verb.
It is a strict sentence structure in Urdu that you must follow always.
What Is The Difference Between Hai (ہے) and Hain (ہیں) In Urdu Grammar?
Hai (ہے) and Hain (ہیں) in Urdu are the helping verbs used in the present tense.
- Hai (ہے) means is. It is for singular. For example, she eats – wo khati hai (وہ کھاتی ہے)
- Hain (ہیں) means are. It is used to indicate plural. For example, they eat – wo khate hain (وہ کھاتے ہیں)
Urdu people also use are – Hain (ہیں) when talking to elders or in formal conversations. As in, how are you? – aap kese hain? (آپ کیسے ہیں؟)
What Is The Difference Between yeh (یہ) and wo (وہ) in Urdu Grammar?
In Urdu,
- Yeh (یہ) means this or these. It refers to something that is nearby.
- Wo (وہ) means that or those. It refers to something that is far.
For instance,
This book is good – yeh kitaab achi hai (یہ کتاب اچھی ہے)
Pass me that book — wo kitaab mujhe de do (وہ کتاب مجھے دے دو)
Structure Your Sentences Properly!
In Urdu grammar, structuring the sentences properly is the first and the foremost thing to get on the right track. Plus, it is also the first thing that our desi parents identify, lol!
For instance, what if you ask your father for money in Urdu as pese thore mujhe chahiyain (پیسے تھوڑے ہیں مجھے چاہئے), instead of saying mujhe thore pese chahiye hain (مجھے تھوڑے پیسے چاہئے ہیں).
It will be very difficult for him to understand what you are saying.
Considering this, we have covered 6 essential parts of speech in Urdu, including adjectives, nouns, verbs, adverbs, pronouns, and conjunctions.
Mastering these will help you in understanding other Urdu grammar rules also.
Thus, you can make a clear sentence or teach your little brother basic nouns or pronouns in Urdu.
To make learning more easier for you, this article also has a few tips and a quick vocabulary list for you to keep it handy and take it out whenever you feel overwhelmed.
Nonetheless, learning Urdu grammar can be a bit challenging, but isn’t it fine to take some challenges if we can end up making our family proud of ourselves? Indeed, it is!
Want To Explore More?
If you want to learn more about your mother tongue to feel more connected to your culture and heritage, give the Ling app a chance to become your language learning partner!
Learn Urdu for 10-15 minutes regularly with Ling.
Practice what you have learned through practice exercises and fun quizzes, and see yourself how much progress you made!
Download the app today and show your loved ones that you haven’t forgotten your roots and love your culture more than before.
Happy learning!