3 Essential Parts Of Urdu Sentence Structure

Are you interested in learning Urdu sentence structure to take a step forward in your language-learning journey? If so, you’re in the right place.

Having enough vocabulary might motivate us to speak, but unorganized sentences can shatter our confidence when using the language. To avoid that, let’s briefly explore Urdu sentence structure so you know how to form accurate sentences!

An Introduction To Basic Urdu Sentence Structure

If you’ve ever planned to cook delicious food for your family, you know you can’t achieve your final dish without clear instructions and ingredients.

Similarly, to achieve excellence in any language, you must first get to know some mandatory tools. And, just like other languages, there are certain tools that can help you master Urdu.

One such tool is Urdu Sentence structure and its correct word order. Let’s learn it together!

SOV Word Order

Unlike English, Urdu doesn’t follow a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) word order to form sentences.

Instead, we follow a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) word order as the basic sentence structure in Urdu.

Let’s look at an example to see how it works:

• She is eating food – Wo khana kha rahi hai (وہ کھانا کھا رہی ہے)
  
  

Here, “she” – wo (وہ) is the subject, “food” – khana (کھانا) is the object, and “is eating” – kha rahi hai (کھا رہی ہے) is the verb. See, we have placed the verb at the end of the sentence.

3 Main Essential Parts Of Urdu Sentence Structure

Urdu sentence structure has three main components that combine to make a perfect sentence. These are: subject – faa’el (فاعل), object – maf’ool (مفعول), and verb – fael (فعل).

Let’s look at these briefly one by one!

1. Subject – Faa’el (فاعل)

In Urdu, we say “subject” as faa’el (فاعل). Your sentences will be incomplete without one.

This is because the subject indicates the doer of the action. Therefore, without it, it would be unclear who acted.

So, that’s the very first component of Urdu sentence structure.

Let’s look at an example to understand it!

• He drives the bus – Wo bus chalata hai (وہ بس چلاتا ہے۔)
  
  

In this sentence, the subject “he” – wo (وہ) shows who performed the action.

If you omit it and simply write,

• drives the bus – bus chalata hai (بس چلاتا ہے۔)
  
  

Here, the omission of the subject makes the sentence unclear. Like, who drives the bus? Besides, look at how vague the sentence looks without a subject.

That’s why it is the foremost part of Urdu sentence structure.

2. Object – Maf’ool (مفعول)

Another significant component of Urdu sentence structure is the “object” – maf’ool (مفعول). We all know that we use the object to indicate who receives the action.

So, isn’t it clear what makes it a significant element of Urdu sentences?

Suppose you want to say,

• He opened the door – Us ne darwaza khola (اُس نے دروازہ کھولا)
  
  

If instead of saying this, you say,

• He opened – Us ne khola (اُس نے کھولا)
  
  

This sentence raises questions. Like, he opened what?

Similarly, in the sentence, “He took the key” – Us ne chabi li (اُس نے چابی لی), if you don’t write “the key” – chabi (چابی), the sentence will be incomplete.

That’s why we use objects in Urdu grammar to specify who received the action.

3. Verb – Fael (فعل)

The third most important element of Urdu sentence structure is the verb – fael (فعل). You must know that it indicates the action in a sentence.

Suppose you want to say,

• He plays with a football – Woh football se khelta hai (وہ فٹ بال سے کھیلتا ہے)
  
  

Here, the verb “plays” – khelta hai (کھیلتا ہے) is the main action of the sentence.

It wouldn’t even be wrong to say that, basically, the verb sets the sentence’s main purpose. If you don’t want to tell anyone that “he plays with a ball,” then there isn’t any need to make a sentence.

Yet, ironically, in Urdu, we write verbs at the end even though they set the sentence’s purpose. Let’s look at the above example again:

• “He plays with a football” – Woh football se khelta hai (وہ فٹ بال سے کھیلتا ہے).
  
  

In this sentence, the subject is “he” – woh (وہ), the object is “football” – football (فٹ بال), and the verb is “plays” – khelta hai (کھیلتا ہے).

Look at the position of the verb here. We have placed the Urdu verb at the end of the sentence, after the object.

So, remember this Urdu grammar rule and try making sentences using the same SOV word order.

Sentences To Practice Urdu Sentence Structure

Now that you’ve mastered the basic Urdu sentence structure rules, it’s time to quickly practice them with some sentences to clear all potential doubts.

Let’s dive in!

English	Urdu	Pronunciation	Breakdown of the word order
I read books	میں کتابیں پڑھتا ہوں	Me kitabain parhta hun	Subject: I – me (میں) Object: books – kitabain (کتابیں) Verb: read – partha hun (پڑھتا ہوں)
He drinks water	وہ پانی پیتا ہے	Wo pani peeta hai	Subject: he – wo (وہ) Object: water – pani (پانی)  Verb: drinks – peeta hai (پیتا ہے)
He is fighting with him	وہ اُس سے لڑ رہا ہے	Wo us se lar raha hai	Subject: he – wo (وہ) Object: with him – us se (اُس سے) Verb: fighting – lar raha hai (لڑ رہا ہے)
We are watching a movie	ہم فلم دیکھ رہے ہیں	Hum film dekh rahe hain	Subject: we – hum (ہم) Object: movie – film (فلم)  Verb: watching – dekh rahe hain (دیکھ رہے ہیں)
She is opening the window	وہ کھڑکی کھول رہی ہے	Wo khirki khol rahi hai	Subject: she – wo (وہ) Object: window- khirki (کھڑکی) Verb: opening – khol rahi hai (کھول رہی ہے)

Tips To Quickly Master Urdu Sentence Structure

Below are a few tips to help you quickly master Urdu sentence structure:

1. Locate the subject, verb, and object in the sentence to understand their purpose. Remember that the person who acts is the subject, the verb indicates the action, and the object receives the action.
   
   
2. Position the verb at the end of the sentence. Like, in the sentence “He eats an apple” – Wo saib khata hai (وہ سیب کھاتا ہے), “eats” – khata hai (کھاتا ہے) is the verb, which we placed at the end.
   
   
3. Start with simple sentences. Practice Urdu sentence structure by making short and simple sentences. Don’t forget to follow the SOV word order when making them.
   
   
4. Speak and write Urdu sentences daily. This will help you understand the rules properly. Thus, you can avoid making common Urdu grammar mistakes and form sentences smoothly.
   
   
5. Practice as much as possible. The more you practice, the faster you learn. So, consistently practice making Urdu sentences to retain sentence structure rules.

Frequently Asked Questions About Urdu Sentence Structure 

1. What Is The Urdu Sentence Structure For Negative Sentences? 

In Urdu, we make negative sentences using the same SOV structure. We just add the word “no” – nahin (نہیں) before the main verb. For instance, 

• Positive Sentence: I eat an apple – Me ne saib khaya (میں نے سیب کھایا) 
• Negative Sentence: I do not eat an apple – Me ne saib nahin khaya (میں نے سیب نہیں کھایا) 
  
  

Here, we simply added the word “no” – nahin (نہیں) before the verb “eat” – khaya (کھایا) to make the sentence negative. 

So, we follow the same Urdu sentence structure to make negative sentences, only adding the word “no” – nahin (نہیں). 

2. What Sentence Structure Do We Follow To Make Questioning Sentences In Urdu? 

We follow three different structures to make questioning sentences in Urdu: using question words, making yes or no sentences, and changing a statement into a question. Let’s look at them in more detail: 

1. Add Urdu question words like “what” – kya (کیا), “where” – kahan (کہاں), “when” – kab (کب), etc., anywhere in the sentence to make it a questioning sentence. For instance: 

• What is your name? – Apka naam kya hai? (آپ کا نام کیا ہے؟) 
  
  

Here, we have added the question word “what” – kya (کیا) after the noun. 

2. Add the question word kya (کیا) at the beginning to make a questioning sentence. We call these “yes or no sentences” because you can answer them with just yes or no. For example: 

• Question: Do you drink tea? – Kya aap chai peete hain? (کیا آپ چائے پیتے ہیں؟) 
• Answer: Yes, I do drink tea. – Han me chai peeta hun (ہاں، میں چائے پیتا ہوں)
  
  

3. Use helping verbs at the beginning to raise the intonation and turn a statement into a question. For instance: 

• Are you okay? – Aap theek hain? (آپ ٹھیک ہیں؟) 
• Did you eat? – Tum ne khana khaya? (تم نے کھانا کھایا؟) 

3. Does Gender Affect Urdu Sentence Structure? 

No, gender doesn’t directly affect the sentence structure of Urdu as a whole. Yet, as the verbs in the sentence change according to the gender, you can say that it affects it in a way. 

For example: 

• Maryam brought food for me – Maryam mere liye khana layi (مریم میرے لئیے کھانا لائی) 
  
  

Here, as the subject is female, “Maryam” (مریم), we use the feminine verb “brought”- layi (لائی) with it.  

If we substitute Maryam with Ahmed and say, 

• Ahmed brought food for me – Ahmed mere liye khana laya (احمد میرے لئیے کھانا لایا) 
  
  

As the subject “Ahmed” (احمد) is masculine, we use the masculine verb brought – laya (لایا) with it. 

See, only the verb endings change based on gender without altering the whole sentence structure.

Urdu Sentence Structure: A Brief Summary

Hurray! You have mastered the three essential Urdu sentence structure components and the basic order we follow to make sentences.

Hopefully, you can now easily write new sentences in Urdu without worrying about the word order.

Just remember, we begin the sentence with the subject, write the verb at the end, and sandwich the object between the two. Missing any of these three elements will make your sentence unclear and vague.

So, practice making Urdu sentences accordingly to have the rules at your fingertips.

Explore The Urdu Language

Isn’t learning Urdu easy? The Ling app can make it even easier for you!

It divides the topics into short, beginner-friendly lessons to make Urdu learning less overwhelming, as learning in chunks is more effective.

These lessons, partnered with fun exercises and quizzes, enable you to practice and instantly use what you’ve learned in your daily conversations. It even offers a chatbot to help you practice speaking. Convincing, right?

What’s more, you can access Ling’s blog as an additional treat to learn and explore the culture of the language.

So, download the app today and start taking Urdu online classes with Ling. You’ll find it’s the best app to learn Urdu!