Language/Panjabi/Grammar/Adjectives-and-Adverbs

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Panjabi → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Basic Sentence Structure → Adjectives and Adverbs

Introduction

In this lesson, we will explore the usage of adjectives and adverbs in Panjabi sentences. Adjectives and adverbs play an important role in describing and modifying nouns and verbs, respectively. Understanding how to use them correctly will enhance your ability to express yourself effectively in Panjabi. We will discuss the placement of adjectives and adverbs in sentences and provide numerous examples to illustrate their usage. By the end of this lesson, you will have a solid foundation in using adjectives and adverbs in Panjabi.

Adjectives in Panjabi

Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns. They provide additional information about the noun, such as its size, color, shape, or opinion. In Panjabi, adjectives generally follow the noun they modify. Let's look at some examples:

Example 1

Panjabi	Pronunciation	English
ਚੰਗੀ ਕਿਤਾਬ	Chāṅgī kitāb	Good book
ਮੋਟੀ ਮੁਰਗੀ	Moṭī murghī	Fat hen
ਸੁੰਦਰ ਫੁੱਲ	Sundar phull	Beautiful flower
ਕਿਤਾਬ ਚੋਟੀ	Kitāb chotī	Small book

In the above examples, the adjectives ਚੰਗੀ (chāṅgī), ਮੋਟੀ (moṭī), ਸੁੰਦਰ (sundar), and ਚੋਟੀ (chotī) describe the nouns ਕਿਤਾਬ (kitāb), ਮੁਰਗੀ (murghī), ਫੁੱਲ (phull), and ਕਿਤਾਬ (kitāb) respectively. Notice that the adjectives come after the nouns. This is the general rule in Panjabi, although there are exceptions which we will discuss later.

Example 2

Panjabi	Pronunciation	English
ਸੋਹਣਾ ਘਰ	Sohṇā ghar	Beautiful house
ਸੁੰਦਰ ਲਡਕੀ	Sundar laḍkī	Beautiful girl
ਵੱਡਾ ਮੇਲਾ	Vaḍḍā melā	Big fair
ਛੋਟੀ ਨਦੀ	Chhoṭī nadī	Small river

In these examples, the adjectives ਸੋਹਣਾ (sohṇā), ਸੁੰਦਰ (sundar), ਵੱਡਾ (vaḍḍā), and ਛੋਟੀ (chhoṭī) describe the nouns ਘਰ (ghar), ਲਡਕੀ (laḍkī), ਮੇਲਾ (melā), and ਨਦੀ (nadī) respectively. Again, the adjectives come after the nouns.

Adverbs in Panjabi

Adverbs are words that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. They provide information about how, when, where, or to what extent an action is performed. In Panjabi, adverbs can come before or after the verb they modify, but they usually appear after the verb. Let's look at some examples:

Example 1

Panjabi	Pronunciation	English
ਉੱਠ ਜਲਦੀ	Uṭh jaldī	Wake up quickly
ਸੋਈ ਘੱਟ	Soī ghaṭ	Sleep less
ਚੱਲ ਧੀਰੇ	Chaḷ dhīre	Walk slowly
ਗੱਲ ਜ਼ਿਆਦਾ	Gall ziyādā	Talk more

In the above examples, the adverbs ਜਲਦੀ (jaldī), ਘੱਟ (ghaṭ), ਧੀਰੇ (dhīre), and ਜ਼ਿਆਦਾ (ziyādā) modify the verbs ਉੱਠ (uṭh), ਸੋਈ (soī), ਚੱਲ (chaḷ), and ਗੱਲ (gall) respectively. Notice that the adverbs come after the verbs. This is the general rule in Panjabi, although there are exceptions which we will discuss later.

Example 2

Panjabi	Pronunciation	English
ਕੱਠਣ ਮਿਹਨਤ ਨਾਲ	Kaṭṭhaṇ mihnat nāl	Work hard
ਸੋਹਣੇ ਤਰੀਕੇ ਨਾਲ	Sohṇe tarīke nāl	In a beautiful way
ਗੁਰੂਆਂ ਦੀ ਮਦਦ ਨਾਲ	Gurūāṁ dī madda nāl	With the help of teachers
ਆਪਾ ਸਾਂਝੇ ਕਰੋ	Āpā sānjhe karo	Share together

In these examples, the adverbs ਨਾਲ (nāl) and ਕਰੋ (karo) modify the verbs ਮਿਹਨਤ (mihnat), ਤਰੀਕੇ (tarīke), ਮਦਦ (madda), and ਸਾਂਝੇ (sānjhe) respectively. Again, the adverbs come after the verbs.

Exceptions and Additional Rules

While the general rule in Panjabi is for adjectives to appear after the noun and for adverbs to appear after the verb, there are some exceptions and additional rules to be aware of.

Adjectives Before Nouns

In certain cases, adjectives can appear before the noun they modify in Panjabi. This is often done for emphasis or to convey a certain poetic or literary style. Let's look at some examples:

Panjabi	Pronunciation	English
ਵੱਡਾ ਘਰ	Vaḍḍā ghar	Big house
ਸੋਹਣੀ ਲੜਕੀ	Sohaṇī laḍkī	Beautiful girl
ਚੋਟੀ ਨਦੀ	Chotī nadī	Small river
ਸੁੰਦਰ ਪਰੀ	Sundar parī	Beautiful fairy

In these examples, the adjectives ਵੱਡਾ (vaḍḍā), ਸੋਹਣੀ (sohaṇī), ਚੋਟੀ (chotī), and ਸੁੰਦਰ (sundar) appear before the nouns ਘਰ (ghar), ਲੜਕੀ (laḍkī), ਨਦੀ (nadī), and ਪਰੀ (parī) respectively. This is a stylistic choice and is not as common in everyday conversation.

Adverbs Before Verbs

Similarly, adverbs can appear before the verb they modify in Panjabi, although this is less common than the usual placement after the verb. Again, this is often done for emphasis or to convey a certain poetic or literary style. Let's look at some examples:

Panjabi	Pronunciation	English
ਜਲਦੀ ਉੱਠ	Jaldī uṭh	Wake up quickly
ਘੱਟ ਸੋ	Ghaṭ so	Sleep less
ਧੀਰੇ ਚੱਲ	Dhīre chaḷ	Walk slowly
ਜ਼ਿਆਦਾ ਗੱਲ ਕਰ	Ziyādā gall kar	Talk more

In these examples, the adverbs ਜਲਦੀ (jaldī), ਘੱਟ (ghaṭ), ਧੀਰੇ (dhīre), and ਜ਼ਿਆਦਾ (ziyādā) appear before the verbs ਉੱਠ (uṭh), ਸੋ (so), ਚੱਲ (chaḷ), and ਕਰ (kar) respectively. Again, this is a stylistic choice and is not as common in everyday conversation.

Practice Exercises

Now it's time to practice what you've learned. Complete the following exercises by filling in the blanks with the appropriate adjectives or adverbs. The solutions can be found below.

Exercise 1

1. ਇੱਕ ______ ਮੁਰਗਾ। (ਦੁੱਧਾ) 2. ਸੋਹਣੇ ਰੰਗ ਦੇ ______ ਫੁੱਲ। (ਪੀਲੇ) 3. ਦੋਸਤ ਦੇ ਸਾਥ ਮੌਜਾਂ ਕਰਨ ਦਾ ______ ਮੌਕਾ। (ਅਚਾ) 4. ਮਜ਼ੇ ਨਾਲ ਖਾਣ ਦਾ ______ ਸਮਾਂ। (ਸੁਬੇਰ) 5. ਕਿਸਾਨ ਨੇ _____ ਕੀਟਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਮਾਰਾ। (ਖਤਰਨਾਕ)

Exercise 2

1. ਮੈਂ ਤੁਹਾਡੇ ਨਾਲ ______ ਗੱਲ ਕਰਨਾ ਚਾਹੁੰਦਾ ਹਾਂ। (ਪੁਰਾਣੀ) 2. ਉਸ ਨੇ ਬੜੇ ______ ਮਹਿਨੇ ਕਾਮ ਕੀਤਾ। (ਮਜ਼ੇਦਾਰ) 3. ਕਾਲੇ ______ ਫੁੱਲ ਬਹੁਤ ਸੁੰਦਰ ਨਜ਼ਰ ਆਉਂਦੇ ਹਨ। (ਗੁਲਾਬੀ) 4. ਮੇਰੇ ਕੋਲ ______ ਕਿਤਾਬ ਹੈ। (ਲੰਬੀ) 5. ਭੈਣ ਬਹੁਤ ਮੀਠੀ ਬੋਲਦੀ ਹੈ, ਉਹ ਦਾ ______ ਹਸ਼ੀਲ ਹੋਣਾ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ। (ਜਾਦੂਈ)

Solution

Exercise 1

1. ਇੱਕ ਦੁੱਧਾ ਮੁਰਗਾ। (A white rooster) 2. ਸੋਹਣੇ ਰੰਗ ਦੇ ਪੀਲੇ ਫੁੱਲ। (Yellow flowers) 3. ਦੋਸਤ ਦੇ ਸਾਥ ਮੌਜਾਂ ਕਰਨ ਦਾ ਅਚਾ ਮੌਕਾ। (A good opportunity to have fun with friends) 4. ਮਜ਼ੇ ਨਾਲ ਖਾਣ ਦਾ ਸੁਬੇਰ ਸਮਾਂ। (A leisurely time to eat) 5. ਕਿਸਾਨ ਨੇ ਖਤਰਨਾਕ ਕੀਟਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਮਾਰਾ। (The farmer killed dangerous insects)

Exercise 2

1. ਮੈਂ ਤੁਹਾਡੇ ਨਾਲ ਪੁਰਾਣੀ ਗੱਲ ਕਰਨਾ ਚਾਹੁੰਦਾ ਹਾਂ। (I want to talk to you about old things) 2. ਉਸ ਨੇ ਬੜੇ ਮਜ਼ੇਦਾਰ ਮਹਿਨੇ ਕਾਮ ਕੀਤਾ। (He worked on exciting projects for many months) 3. ਕਾਲੇ ਗੁਲਾਬੀ ਫੁੱਲ ਬਹੁਤ ਸੁੰਦਰ ਨਜ਼ਰ ਆਉਂਦੇ ਹਨ। (Black roses look very beautiful) 4. ਮੇਰੇ ਕੋਲ ਲੰਬੀ ਕਿਤਾਬ ਹੈ। (I have a long book) 5. ਭੈਣ ਬਹੁਤ ਮੀਠੀ ਬੋਲਦੀ ਹੈ, ਉਹ ਦਾ ਜਾਦੂਈ ਹਸ਼ੀਲ ਹੋਣਾ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ। (My sister speaks very sweetly, she should have a magical laughter)

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have learned about the usage of adjectives and adverbs in Panjabi sentences. Remember that adjectives generally come after the noun they modify, while adverbs usually appear after the verb they modify. However, there are exceptions to these rules for emphasis or stylistic reasons. Keep practicing and using adjectives and adverbs in your conversations to improve your Panjabi language skills.

Table of Contents - Panjabi Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Introduction to Panjabi Script

• Gurmukhi Alphabet
• Gurmukhi Matra

  ---

Basic Words and Phrases

• Greetings and Introductions
• Numbers and Time
• Days and Months

  ---

Basic Sentence Structure

• Subject-Object-Verb Order
• Nouns and Pronouns
• Adjectives and Adverbs

  ---

Everyday Vocabulary

• Colors and Shapes
• Food and Drinks
• Clothing and Accessories
• Family and Relationships

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense
• Past Tense
• Future Tense

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Directions and Places
• Accommodation and Reservations

  ---

Questions and Negation

• Asking Questions
• Negation

  ---

Panjabi Customs and Traditions

• Festivals and Celebrations
• Food and Cuisine
• Traditional Clothing

  ---

Hobbies and Leisure Activities

• Sports and Exercise
• Arts and Entertainment
• Outdoor Activities

  ---

Prepositions and Conjunctions

• Prepositions
• Conjunctions

  ---

Panjabi Literature and Media

• Folklore and Legends
• Panjabi Literature
• Panjabi Media

  ---

Health and Emergencies

• Health and Illness
• Emergencies

  ---

Expressing Opinions and Emotions

• Likes and Dislikes
• Emotions and Feelings

Sources

• Panjabi Grammar: A Brief Grammar of Panjabi As Spoken in the ...

Other Lessons

• Plural
• Gender
• Adjectives
• Gurmukhi Alphabet
• Likes and Dislikes
• Nouns
• Give your Opinion
• Future Tense
• Pronouns

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