Language/Panjabi/Grammar/How-to-Use-Be

Panjabi Grammar - How to Use "Be"

Hi Panjabi learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn how to use the verb "be" in sentences. This is an intermediate level lesson, so it is important to have a basic understanding of the Panjabi language. By the end of this lesson, you will know how to use the verb "be" in present, past, and future tenses, as well as how to form negative and interrogative sentences. Additionally, we will include cultural information and interesting facts about Panjabi language and culture!

Introduction

The verb "be" is one of the most important verbs in the English language, and the same can be said for the Panjabi language. In Panjabi, the verb "be" is used to indicate existence or presence in a certain place at a certain time. It is also used to show qualities, descriptions or relationships within a sentence.

Let's start with the present tense.

Don't hesitate to look into these other pages after completing this lesson: Asking Questions & Conjunctions.

Present Tense

In Panjabi, we use the verb "be" to indicate existence. The present tense of the verb "be" in Panjabi is very simple.

Panjabi	Pronunciation	English
ਹੈ	hai	am, is, are

For example, let's say we want to say "I am happy" in Panjabi. We can say:

• ਮੈਂ ਖੁਸ਼ ਹਾਂ। (Main khush hai.)

Here, "khush" means happy, and "hai" means am/are/is. The pronoun "main" means "I".

Another example would be, "You are beautiful". In Panjabi it would be:

• ਤੁਸੀਂ ਸੁੰਦਰ ਹੋ। (Tusi sundar ho.)

Here, "sundar" means beautiful, and "ho" means are. The pronoun "tusi" means "you" (plural or formal).

Past Tense

In Panjabi, the past tense of the verb "be" is used to indicate existence, presence at a certain time in the past or show relationships in the past.

For example, let's take the sentence "I was happy yesterday". In Panjabi, we can say:

• ਮੈਂ ਕੱਲ ਖੁਸ਼ ਸੀ। (Main kal khush si.)

Here, "kal" means yesterday, "khush" means happy and "si" means was.

Another example would be, "She was here last night". In Panjabi it would be:

• ਉਹ ਕਲ ਰਾਤੀ ਇੱਥੇ ਸੀ। (Uh kal raati ithe si.)

Here, "kal raati" means last night, "ithe" means here and "si" means was.

Let's move on to the future tense.

Future Tense

In Panjabi, the future tense of the verb "be" is used to indicate existence, presence or show relationships in the future.

In the future tense, we use the auxiliary verb "ਹੋਵੋ" (hovo) before the main verb.

Panjabi	Pronunciation	English
ਹੋਵੋ	hovo	will be

For example, let's say "You will be happy" in Panjabi. We can say:

• ਤੁਸੀਂ ਖੁਸ਼ ਹੋਵੋਗੇ। (Tusi khush hovoge.)

Here, "khush" means happy, "hovoge" means will be. The pronoun "tusi" means "you" (plural or formal).

Another example would be, "We will be there tomorrow". In Panjabi it would be:

• ਅਸੀਂ ਕਲ ਵੇਖਣਗੇ। (Asi kal vekhange.)

Here, "vekhange" means will be seeing or be there.

Now that we have covered the different tenses for the verb "be", let's take a look at how we can use negative sentences.

Negative Sentences

To make a negative sentence in Panjabi, we use the word "ਨਹੀਂ" (nahin) before the verb "be". For example, if we want to say "I am not happy", in Panjabi we can say:

• ਮੈਂ ਖੁਸ਼ ਨਹੀਂ ਹਾਂ। (Main khush nahin haan.)

Here, "khush" means happy, "nahin" means "not" and "haan" means am/are.

Another example would be "They are not here". In Panjabi it would be:

• ਉਹਾਂ ਇੱਥੇ ਨਹੀਂ ਹਨ। (Uhaan ithe nahin han.)

Here, "nahin" means "not", "ithe" means here and "han" means are. The pronoun "uhaan" means "they".

Now, let's move on to interrogative sentences.

Interrogative Sentences

Interrogative sentences are questions, and we use question words to ask them. In Panjabi, we use the question word "ਕੀ" (ki) at the beginning of the sentence to indicate a question.

For example, if we want to ask "Are you happy?", in Panjabi we can say:

• ਤੁਸੀਂ ਖੁਸ਼ ਹੋ? (Tusi khush ho?)

Here, "khush" means happy, and "ho" means are. The pronoun "tusi" means "you" (plural or formal). The question word "ki" is not used in this sentence.

Another example would be, "Were you late yesterday?". In Panjabi it would be:

• ਕੀ ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕੱਲ ਦੇਰ ਹੋਏ? (Ki tusi kal der hoye?)

Here, "der" means late, "hoye" means were. The question word "ki" is used at the beginning of the sentence.

Dialogue

To help you see the verbs "be" in context, here is a dialogue between two people:

• Person 1: ਤੁਸੀਂ ਜਾਣਦੇ ਹੋ? (Tusi jaande ho?) - Do you know?
• Person 2: ਹਾਂ, ਮੈਂ ਸਾਨੂੰ ਬਤਾਉਂਦਾ ਹਾਂ। (Haan, main sanu batounda haan.) - Yes, I tell you.
• Person 1: ਕੀ ਤੁਸੀਂ ਵੀ ਵੇਖਣਗੇ? (Ki tusi ve vekhange?) - Will you also see?
• Person 2: ਹਾਂ, ਮੈਂ ਵੀ ਵੇਖਾਂਗਾ। (Haan, main vi vekhanga.) - Yes, I'll see too.

In the dialogue "haan" means yes, "nahin" means no and "jaande" means know.

Conclusion

In this lesson, we have covered the various uses of the verb "be" in Panjabi language. We have learned how to use it in present, past, future tenses, as well as how to form negative and interrogative sentences. Additionally, we included cultural information and interesting facts about Panjabi language and culture. To improve your Panjabi Grammar, you can also use Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

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➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

With this lesson finished, you may want to explore these additional pages: Emotions and Feelings & Negation.

Other Lessons

• Gender
• Pronouns
• Nouns
• Adjectives
• Questions
• Future Tense
• Conditional Mood
• Give your Opinion
• Negation

Sources

• Panjabi: A Comprehensive Grammar (Routledge Comprehensive ...
• Panjabi: A Comprehensive Grammar - 1st Edition - Mangat Bhardwaj