Urdu Grammar List

Some Urdu adjectives change for gender, number and case. Others use the same form with different nouns.

Urdu combines a noun or adjective with a verb, and can combine a main verb with a second verb. The whole expression determines meaning and agreement.

Direct, oblique and vocative labels explain where a noun form is used. Different roles can share the same spelling.

An intransitive construction has no direct object. A transitive construction can name someone or something directly affected by the action.

Urdu nouns have masculine or feminine grammatical gender. Their gender helps choose forms of adjectives and verbs.

Urdu distinguishes the speaker, listener and other people. Respectful forms can use plural agreement for one person.

Urdu postpositions usually follow the phrase they relate to. They can describe location, movement, possession or other relationships.

Urdu letters change shape when they join. Short vowels are often left unwritten, so listening and word context help you read.

A plural noun can change its ending or keep its singular spelling. Other words in the sentence can help show the number.

Tense places an event in time. Aspect presents it as a habit, an event in progress or a completed event.

Nastaliq and Naskh are ways of displaying Urdu script. Changing the style does not change the words or their pronunciation.

A common Urdu statement places the subject first and its verb near the end. Phrases before the verb show what, where or when.

A common direct plural changes a final ā sound to e: بیٹا becomes بیٹے and بچہ becomes بچے.

A common pattern uses ا for masculine singular direct, ی for feminine and ے for masculine plural or oblique.

The habitual pattern describes what someone usually does: ندا چائے پیتی ہے.

Forms such as سننا, پڑھنا and جانا name an action and provide the usual form listed in a dictionary.

A final ī commonly changes to the nasal plural ending یاں: چابی becomes چابیاں.

A common feminine plural adds the nasal ending یں: کتاب becomes کتابیں and رات becomes راتیں.

Words such as صاف and خوش do not change when the noun is masculine, feminine, singular or plural.

A noun such as گھر can mean one house or several houses; a number, determiner or agreement supplies the count.

The possessed noun نام is masculine, so کا and میرا use the masculine form.

In سڑک صاف ہے, the noun comes first, followed by the adjective and then ہے.

تک marks an endpoint in space or time. It follows the phrase that gives the boundary.

سے is a postposition with several common relationships, including from, with and by.

میں is a postposition that commonly marks a location or setting. It follows its noun phrase.

پر is a postposition for a surface, place or point. It follows the noun phrase.

کو commonly marks a recipient and certain specific or animate objects. Its meaning depends on the verb and context.

A sentence such as باغ میں ایک درخت ہے says that one tree exists in the garden.

Urdu normally puts a descriptive adjective before its noun: گرم دودھ and نئی کتاب.

Forms such as سنو and بیٹھو can address one familiar listener or a group. Some frequent verbs have special forms.

Forms such as سنیے, بولیے and بیٹھیے address a listener respectfully.

آج names today. کل can refer to yesterday or tomorrow.

آپ is respectful, تم is familiar, and تو is strongly dependent on the relationship and context. Their verb forms are not interchangeable.

آپ کا, تمہارا and تیرا mean your with different levels of address. Their ending still follows the possessed noun.

اب places an event at the current stage. ابھی can mean right now, still or only just, depending on context.

اس کا and ان کا can express possession without specifying the owner’s gender. The ending follows the possessed noun.

اور means and. It links items without changing the words it joins.

ایک means one. It can count an item or introduce one that has not been identified yet.

بھی means also or too. Its position shows which person, thing or action is included.

بہت can mean very or a lot. It stays unchanged before different genders.

تھوڑا, تھوڑی and تھوڑے mean a little or a few and agree with what they describe.

The progressive pattern says that an action is happening around the stated time: ندا خط لکھ رہی ہے.

لیکن means but. It links an idea to a contrasting point.

مت negates an imperative: مت بھولیے means please do not forget.

مجھے can mean مجھ کو and ہمیں can mean ہم کو. آپ کو remains the ordinary form with آپ.

میرا, میری and میرے mean my. Their ending follows the possessed noun, not the speaker.

میں means I, and ہم usually means we. The present-tense forms of “to be” are میں ہوں and ہم ہیں.

نہیں makes a statement negative. It does not change for the subject’s gender or number.

ٹھیک ہے means okay, جی ہاں politely says yes and جی نہیں politely says no.

کا, کی and کے connect a possessor to what is possessed. Their form follows the possessed noun.

کب asks when. The rest of the sentence identifies the event and its time frame.

کتنا asks how much or how many. Its ending follows the noun or the quantity understood from context.

Use مجھے ایک ٹکٹ چاہیے for I need one ticket. The person is marked with کو.

The person is marked with کو: مجھے یہ تصویر پسند ہے means I like this picture.

کون asks who. Before a postposition, forms such as کس or کن replace the direct form.

کون سا asks which. The سا part changes with the noun being selected.

کچھ means some, a little or something, depending on the phrase.

کہاں asks where. The verb and any following postposition show whether you mean a location, a destination or a starting point.

کیا can mean what. It often occupies the place where the unknown information would appear in an answer.

Sentence-initial کیا can mark a yes-or-no question. It does not mean “what” in this use.

کیسا asks what someone or something is like. Its form changes with the noun; کیسے can also ask how an action is done.

کیوں asks why. It can ask about an action, a description or a negative statement.

کے ساتھ means with or together with. The noun phrase before it is normally oblique.

کے لیے means for. It comes after a noun or pronoun and can name who benefits or what something is for.

کے پاس can describe possession or being near someone or something.

ہر means every or each and is normally followed by a singular noun.

ہمیشہ means always, اکثر means often and کبھی کبھی means sometimes.

Use ہوں with میں, ہو with تم, and ہیں with ہم or آپ. With یہ or وہ, choose ہے for one or ہیں for several; respectful reference also uses ہیں.

یا means or. It can ask someone to choose or present possible options.

یہ and وہ can point to things or refer to people. They do not have separate masculine and feminine forms.

یہاں and وہاں point to places. They do not change for gender or number.

Many masculine nouns ending in ā use an e form before a postposition. This includes familiar words written with final ا or ہ.

Past habits combine the verb’s تا, تی or تے form with تھا, تھی, تھے or تھیں. Both parts follow subject agreement.

An infinitive in نے followed by لگنا means starting to act. لگنا carries the main agreement and tense/aspect form.

Many plural nouns end in وں before a postposition. The form can differ from both the direct singular and the direct plural.

Many nouns ending in ی use یوں in the oblique plural. Compare the direct plural کرسیاں with the oblique plural کرسیوں.

In a simple perfective with an ordinary intransitive verb, the verb agrees with the subject. Do not insert نے into this pattern.

سے can mean since a time or for a duration when the sentence describes a continuing state or activity.

An infinitive followed by چاہنا expresses wanting to act. چاہتا, چاہتی and چاہتے show agreement with the person who wants it.

Urdu often combines a noun or adjective with کرنا or ہونا. The combination’s meaning and agreement must be learned as a whole.

کو can mark when an event happens, as in بدھ کو or رات کو. It is not added to every Urdu time word.

سکنا combines with a bare stem, not an infinitive. Its form agrees with the subject and can express ability or context-dependent possibility.

A کر phrase often presents an earlier action before the main action. The main verb carries tense and agreement.

The simple future marks person and number as well as gender. Compare میں آؤں گا, میں آؤں گی and ہم آئیں گے.

اس لیے can mean so or for that reason. It links a circumstance to a consequence or decision.

اپنا, اپنی and اپنے usually describe something belonging to the subject of the same clause. Their ending follows the possession.

اگر ... تو can introduce an open if-then condition. The verb forms and context show when the condition applies and how it is viewed.

تھا, تھی, تھے and تھیں describe a state or location in the past. They show gender and number, including respectful plural agreement.

جتنا and اتنا can pair two amounts or degrees. With an expressed noun, their forms follow that noun’s gender and number.

خود can mean personally or oneself. It does not change its form for the participant’s gender or number.

These forms include every member of a group of two or three. A plain number states the count without the same emphasis on the whole known group.

A verb stem plus رہا, رہی or رہے and a past copula describes an action in progress then. The subject controls agreement.

زیادہ can mean more or much, and کم can mean less, fewer or little. The noun and context determine the English wording.

سارا, ساری and سارے describe a whole period, amount or group. Unlike سب, this word changes its ending.

سب can mean all or everyone. It can stand alone or occur before a noun, and it stays سب before a postposition.

سب سے can express the most, least or an adjective such as largest. The relevant comparison group comes from the sentence or context.

سے can mean than in a comparison. The adjective still describes and agrees with the item being evaluated.

سے ... تک can describe a time range or a route. The two markers identify different ends of the same span.

These expressions order an event relative to a time or activity. Before them, an infinitive takes its oblique form.

مجھ, تجھ, اس and ان appear before postpositions. The corresponding direct pronouns cannot always be inserted unchanged.

میں نے, اس نے and انہوں نے mark different subjects in the نے construction. Do not build them by attaching نے to every ordinary subject form unchanged.

In many transitive perfectives, نے follows the subject. The verb then agrees with an eligible unmarked object, or uses default agreement.

A نے-marked subject and a کو-marked direct object cannot control ordinary perfective agreement. The verb normally uses its masculine singular form.

A direct object without کو can determine the perfective’s gender and number when the subject has نے. The doer’s gender does not choose the ending.

پہلا, دوسرا and تیسرا mean first, second and third. Their feminine and oblique forms behave like changing adjectives.

An infinitive with پڑنا and a کو-marked person can express having to act because of the situation. Here پڑنا is not literal falling.

A person marked with کو, an infinitive and چاہیے can express advice or an obligation. It is different from wanting to act.

This construction can express a plan, intention or requirement. The exact strength comes from context rather than from ہونا alone.

آنا can mean knowing a language or knowing how to do something. Its agreement follows what is known rather than the marked person.

بھوک لگنا and پیاس لگنا describe feeling hungry and thirsty. The person uses a form such as مجھے; بھوک and پیاس are feminine.

مجھے معلوم ہے and مجھے پتا ہے can mean I know. A following clause or question word identifies the information known.

کوئی can stand for someone or accompany a noun meaning some or any. Before a postposition, the usual oblique form is کسی.

کوئی and نہیں together can exclude every relevant person or item. If a postposition follows, کوئی becomes کسی.

کچھ بھی نہیں can mean nothing at all or not anything. The negative meaning depends on نہیں, not on کچھ بھی by itself.

کہ can connect a reporting or thinking expression to a full clause. That clause tells what is said, believed or known.

کہیں نہیں can mean nowhere or not anywhere. کبھی نہیں can mean never. Neither indefinite word is negative by itself.

کیونکہ means because. It connects a statement with the reason offered for it; both clauses retain their own grammar.

کے آگے and کے پیچھے mean ahead of/in front of and behind. The position is measured relative to the preceding phrase.

کے اندر locates something inside a reference place; کے باہر locates it outside. The compound phrase follows the reference noun.

کے اوپر and کے نیچے express vertical position. اوپر can also mean on top of; contact is decided by context.

جانا, کرنا, ہونا, لینا and دینا have frequent irregular perfective forms. Their irregular stems do not remove the normal agreement rules.

A habitual participle followed by آنا can describe a practice that has continued from an earlier period to the reference point.

A habitual participle with جانا can show a process unfolding further. جانا adds development or continuation here without requiring literal movement.

The تا, تی or تے form followed by رہنا expresses persistence or recurrence. The context distinguishes continuous effort from repeated occasions.

A habitual participle with ہوا can function as an adjective: it describes a person or thing by what it is doing. Both parts follow the noun.

Repeating the -تے participle can present a continued or repeated activity during which something else happens. It does not always mean that the activity reached completion.

The adverbial form -تے ہوئے gives a simultaneous activity or manner. In this use it can stay in the -ے form even when the person is feminine or singular.

The -تے form followed by ہی can mean “as soon as.” It connects the next event to the occurrence or beginning of the first action.

سا can soften a description or add a sense of resemblance. It changes to سی or سے according to the noun’s gender, number and case.

An infinitive phrase can be the activity being evaluated. ضروری, ممکن and مشکل then describe that activity as a whole.

An infinitive ending in نے followed by دینا expresses permission. The person allowed to act commonly has کو or a corresponding pronoun form.

An oblique infinitive followed by والا can describe an associated person or thing. The ending of والا follows the noun being identified.

An oblique infinitive can precede کا، کی or کے and a noun. The possessive ending follows that noun, while the infinitive keeps its -نے form.

جو can introduce extra information about a noun. That information forms a clause with its own verb and agreement.

والا after a noun or phrase can identify something through a feature, contents, location or occupation. The ending follows the thing being identified.

A perfective participle with ہوا can describe a resulting state. Its ending follows the noun being described rather than naming the person who caused the result.

A perfective plus a past copula can place an event before a past reference point. Urdu also uses these forms for completed past events where English naturally uses the simple past.

A perfective followed by a present copula reports an earlier event with relevance now. The construction still follows the verb’s case and agreement pattern.

The simple subjunctive appears in possible, desired or suggested actions. It marks person and number, while its own endings do not mark gender.

An infinitive phrase can fill the subject position: the sentence says something about an activity rather than reporting a particular person doing it.

A bare stem with اٹھنا can highlight a sudden reaction or onset. Physical standing up is not required in this use.

A bare stem with بیٹھنا can present an action as an unintended mistake or an unwise choice. This use does not require literal sitting.

جانا after a bare stem can present an action as reaching its outcome. The combination need not describe anyone going somewhere.

A bare stem followed by دینا forms a compound verb. Depending on the combination, it can emphasize completion or an effect on someone else.

A bare stem with رکھنا can describe something already done whose result is maintained. This often matters when preparing for a later step.

A bare stem plus لینا often adds a sense of completion, preparation or doing something for oneself. Its exact nuance depends on the phrase.

After a bare stem, پانا can express managing to do something or finding it possible. A completed affirmative can report a successful outcome.

After a bare stem, پڑنا can present a sudden or uncontrolled reaction. This differs from the infinitive construction for having to do something.

A bare verb stem with چکا, چکی or چکے presents an action as already complete. This construction keeps subject agreement even with an object.

ڈالنا after a bare stem can emphasize decisive, extensive or forceful action. It need not refer to throwing something.

اس سے پہلے کہ introduces a clause naming the event to be preceded. With an anticipated event, a subjunctive commonly follows.

بغیر can combine with an oblique perfective form such as سوچے or کیے to mean “without doing.” This form does not assert that the missing action actually happened.

بلکہ can correct an earlier description or add a stronger one. It commonly appears after a negated phrase when the next phrase supplies the correction.

تاکہ introduces what an action is meant to make possible. A purpose is intended; the sentence does not guarantee that it was achieved.

تو after a phrase can mean “as for” or signal contrast. This use does not need an اگر condition and has no single fixed English translation.

After a focused item, تک can mean “even.” It extends a claim to an unexpected case rather than marking a literal endpoint.

جب introduces a time clause, and تب can mark the corresponding time in the main clause. The pair means “when ... then” in many contexts.

A جب تک clause often includes a negative where natural English “until” does not. The main situation continues while the boundary event has not happened.

Relative expressions use جس for ordinary singular oblique reference and جن for plural or respectful reference before postpositions.

A relative clause beginning with جو can be paired with a main clause using وہ. The pair links the same person or thing across two clauses.

جہاں introduces the place relation; وہاں refers back to that place in the main clause. The place can be known or defined by the description.

جیسا and ویسا can connect matching kinds or qualities. Forms such as جیسی, ویسی, جیسے and ویسے depend on the noun or the manner construction.

حالانکہ means “although.” It introduces a situation that contrasts with what the reader might otherwise expect.

شاید with a subjunctive can mean “perhaps” or “might.” The speaker leaves the event uncertain rather than asserting that it happens.

صرف with ہی can strongly restrict the statement to a person, thing or phrase. The position of the focus changes what alternatives are excluded.

A negative with bare-stem پانا describes an action that was not possible or not achieved. It need not mean that the person lacks the skill permanently.

Repeated نہ can mean “neither ... nor.” It coordinates two negated items or clauses rather than presenting one of them as true.

ورنہ means “otherwise” or “or else.” It links the previous situation with an alternative consequence.

A کہ clause after چاہنا can name what someone wants another participant to do. Each clause has its own agreement.

چاہے ... یا introduces alternatives with a shared outcome. It often corresponds to “whether ... or” or “regardless of whether.”

کی جگہ after a noun phrase can mean “in place of” or “instead of.” Context distinguishes substitution from someone’s literal place or seat.

کی طرف follows a noun phrase to express direction. It can describe movement or where someone directs their attention.

کے مطابق can mean “according to” or “in accordance with.” It may attribute information to a source or show that an action follows a rule or plan.

ہو سکتا ہے کہ introduces a possible situation. The following clause has its own subject and verb.

ہی usually follows the item it focuses. It can emphasize an exact identity, place, time or restriction, with its interpretation shaped by context.

یا تو introduces one alternative and a later یا introduces another. The pair often corresponds to “either ... or.”

Many Urdu verbs have a related causative form with an added or changed vowel. The causative introduces someone who brings about the event, but its exact shape and meaning must be learned with the verb.

A habitual participle followed by ہوگا can present a likely routine. The inference concerns what usually happens rather than one action happening now.

Use an oblique infinitive with والا and a present copula for an expected or imminent event.

Use ہی with the والا construction and a past copula to place someone on the verge of an action.

A causative form with وانا often means having an action done by someone else. The arranger and the person performing the action need not be the same.

An echo word repeats a word with a changed beginning to include related things or activities.

Keep a question word inside a clause after asking, knowing, or finding out.

Add a past form of ہونا after چاہیے to place advice or an expectation in the past.

Use a genitive phrase before an infinitive to say whose action or state is being discussed.

The passive progressive keeps a perfective first participle and adds جا رہا with a copula. The construction describes an event in progress, not one already finished.

A habitual passive combines a perfective participle with جاتا، جاتی or جاتے and a copula. It presents a routine or general practice without making the doer the subject.

A perfective participle followed by گیا، گئی or گئے can report a completed passive event. The affected participant becomes central to the statement.

A perfective with ہوگا can describe a presumed completed event or something expected to be complete by a future point. It retains the perfective construction’s case and agreement.

Repeat a noun to express distribution across the members of a set.

Repeated adverbs can emphasize manner, repeated occurrence, or a gradual process.

Begin with آئیے or چلیے and use a first-person plural subjunctive for a shared action.

Use اس کی وجہ یہ ہے کہ to introduce a full explanation of a preceding situation.

Use اپنے آپ for a person referring back to themselves, or for something happening on its own.

Use a subjunctive after اگر for a possible situation whose outcome is still open.

Use the bare habitual forms to describe an imagined condition and its result.

Combine a perfective form with ہوتا to imagine that a past event had happened differently.

Use ایک دوسرے with the needed postposition for reciprocal actions such as helping or speaking to each other.

Use a noun’s vocative form when calling to the person or group it names.

Use جب تک with a negative clause when something cannot happen before a condition is met.

Use خدا کرے کہ before a subjunctive clause to wish someone well or hope for an outcome.

A progressive followed by ہوگا can describe what is probably happening or what will be happening at a future point. Context decides the time and degree of certainty.

In a causative sentence, سے can mark the person through whom the action is carried out. Keep that person distinct from the arranger and the affected item.

A person marked with سے and a negative passive-shaped verb can express inability. It often concerns what the person can manage in the circumstances.

Use -نے کی ضرورت نہیں ہے to say that someone does not need to do something.

Read what comes before چاہیے: a noun can be unwanted or unneeded, while an action can be discouraged.

Use کہ آیا to introduce whether something is the case, especially in formal reporting.

Use چاہے for a possible obstacle and پھر بھی for a result that still holds.

Place کاش before a wished-for situation or a regret about the past.

Use کر کے for a preceding action or for the way another action is done.

محسوس ہونا can present a feeling or sensation as experienced by someone marked with کو. The sensation’s noun can control the verb phrase’s agreement.

کہا جاتا ہے کہ means “it is said that.” The opening passive presents the following statement as something people say rather than as a direct personal assertion.

Place کی وجہ سے after the thing or event that explains a result.

Place کے باوجود after a noun or noun-like action that would normally suggest a different result.

کے ذریعے can identify a channel, instrument or intermediary in a passive sentence. It may correspond to “through,” “via” or “by means of.”

ہوگا can mean that something is probably or presumably so, even at the present moment. It is not restricted to future time.

When answering a negative question, repeat the action or state so the listener knows what you mean.

In certain constructions, an infinitive agrees with an unmarked object rather than staying in -نا.

Use a fixed masculine singular participle with a form of کرنا to describe repeated activity.

One woman can take respectful plural agreement, with feminine forms where the construction calls for them.

Add گا to a respectful imperative when asking someone to do something, often at a later time.

An adjective can name an understood person or thing and take the case form its role requires.

A bare infinitive can tell someone what to do, often as a reminder for later.

Use اتنا, اتنی, or اتنے before a quality or quantity and کہ before what follows from it.

Repeat a number to distribute that many items to each member of a set.

Use بجائے اس کے کہ before a clause describing the action being set aside.

A possessive relative identifies someone through a possession, while the following clause refers back to that person.

Add بھی to جو to include any person or thing fitting the following clause.

Use the paired expressions to show one change progressing alongside another.

Add بھی to a relative place or time expression for wherever or whenever.

Use this frame to state the aspect of a discussion your next point concerns.

Use جیسے ہی for as soon as, with a full clause naming the event that triggers the next step.

Repeat خواہ to present alternatives that do not change the main statement.

Use مانا کہ to accept a claim for the argument before adding a contrasting point.

Use a negative conditional question to challenge someone to offer a better description.

Use نہ جانے before something you cannot say for certain or wonder about.

Place نہ صرف before the first part and بلکہ before an additional part, often with بھی.

A possessive can stand on its own when the possessed noun is already clear.

Use an emphatic concessive clause to say that any degree or kind of participant makes no difference to the result.

Use کہیں with a negative subjunctive to voice a worry or motivate a precaution.

A کیا question can challenge a claim or emphasize an opinion instead of seeking new information.

Combine a without-doing phrase with رہ نہ سکنا to describe being unable to refrain.

Use گویا for an “as if” comparison or to restate what a situation amounts to.

Add نا after a statement to check or invite the listener’s agreement.

Use یوں لگتا ہے جیسے before a clause that explains an impression.

Use یہاں تک کہ for a result reached after development or an especially strong added example.

Many learned nouns have a plural in ات, but their spelling and usage must be learned with the word.

Some established plurals use ان, especially in formal references to groups of people.

Some established nouns use پن or گی to name a quality, state or period of life.

In a descriptive izafat phrase, a linking vowel connects a noun to a following adjective.

A noun-to-noun izafat phrase places the main item before the noun that identifies its owner or relation.

A formal noun phrase can contain several izafat links, each connecting a word to what follows.

Some borrowed nouns change inside the word when they become plural, as in لفظ and الفاظ.

اس کے باوجود کہ introduces a fact that would normally make the main result less expected.

اس کے برعکس introduces a comparison that differs in an opposing way from the preceding claim or situation.

اگرچہ presents an accepted fact, while تاہم introduces the contrasting point the writer wants to maintain.

باایں ہمہ introduces a point that still holds despite the information just given.

بشرطیکہ introduces a requirement on an offer, permission or outcome.

بصورت دیگر introduces an alternative consequence, often after a formal instruction.

بہرحال can return to the main topic or state what holds regardless of the complication just mentioned.

Established words with بے or نا can describe a lack, absence or negative quality.

تاہم introduces a contrast or qualification in formal discussion.

لہٰذا marks a result or inference that the writer draws from the preceding information.

مبادا introduces an outcome that the speaker wants to prevent, often in formal or literary wording.

In literary or established paired expressions, written و can connect two words with an o-like sound.

چونکہ introduces the reason, and اس لیے can make the following result explicit.