• Overview of Punjabi Grammar

Pronoun

Pronoun usually refers to some noun or other pronoun, in sentences. These are used to make sentences look less awkward, and thus help reduce repetition. If pronouns are used as modifiers in sentences, then their use will be termed as adjectival. They are pronouns only if used independently. Except first and second person personal pronouns and reflexive pronouns, all other pronouns can be used as adjectives including the genitive case forms of all the pronouns.

In Punjabi, we have six types of pronouns:

Personal pronouns

These are used to refer to first, second, and third person in sentences. ਮੈਂ maiṃ ‘I’ is used for the first person and ਤੂੰ tūṃ ‘you’ for the second person. For third person, demonstrative pronouns ਉਹ uh ‘that’ and ਇਹ ih ‘this’ are used. All the personal pronouns can equally be used for both the genders, except the genitive case forms.
Grammatical categories
Personal pronouns change form with number and case.
Number
Like nouns, personal pronouns also have forms for two numbers – singular and plural. Forms of the first person ਮੈਂ maiṃ ‘I’ are ਮੈਂ maiṃ ‘I’(singular) and ਅਸੀਂ asīṃ ‘we’ (plural). Forms of the second person ਤੂੰ tūṃ ‘you’ are ਤੂੰ tūṃ ‘you’ (singular) and ਤੁਸੀਂ tusīṃ ‘you’ (plural). Third person pronouns ਉਹ uh ‘that’ and ਇਹ ih ‘this’ retain the same form for both the numbers.
Case
Personal pronouns take different forms for five cases – direct, oblique, dative (ਮੈਨੂੰ mainūṃ, ਤੈਨੂੰ tainūṃ, ਉਹਨੂੰ uhnūṃ, ਇਹਨੂੰ ihnūṃ etc.), ablative (ਮੈਥੋਂ maithōṃ, ਤੈਥੋਂ taithōṃ etc.), and genitive or possessive. For direct and oblique case, the same forms are applicable for the first and second person, but for the third person ਉਸ us and ਇਸ is are used. The genitive case forms further show inflection for gender, number, and case. For example, the first person forms – ਮੇਰਾ mērā, ਮੇਰੇ mērē, ਮੇਰੀ mērī, ਮੇਰੀਆਂ mērīāṃ, ਸਾਡਾ sāḍā, ਸਾਡੇ sāḍē, ਸਾਡੀ sāḍī, ਸਾਡੀਆਂ sāḍīāṃ; the second person forms – ਤੇਰਾ tērā, ਤੇਰੇ tērē, ਤੇਰੀ tērī, ਤੇਰੀਆਂ tērīāṃ, ਤੁਹਾਡਾ tuhāḍā, ਤੁਹਾਡੇ tuhāḍē, ਤੁਹਾਡੀ tuhāḍī, ਤੁਹਾਡੀਆਂ tuhāḍīāṃ; the third person forms – ਉਹਦਾ uhdā, ਉਹਦੇ uhdē, ਉਹਦੀ uhdī, ਉਹਦੀਆਂ uhdīāṃ, ਇਹਦਾ ihdā, ਇਹਦੇ ihdē, ਇਹਦੀ ihdī, ਇਹਦੀਆਂ ihdīāṃ.

Reflexive pronouns

ਆਪ āp (some what equivalent to honorific form of English second person ‘you’) is the only member of this word class.
Grammatical categories
Reflexive pronoun changes form with number and case, but except for genitive case, its form remains same for other case values.
Number
It changes forms for two numbers – singular and plural.
Case
Reflexive pronoun can be used in four cases – direct, oblique, instrumental, and genitive. As mentioned earlier, except for genitive case, its form remains same for other case values. In genitive case, it becomes ਆਪਣਾ āpaṇā for masculine gender and ਆਪਣੀ āpṇī for feminine gender. These genitive case forms, equivalent to a combined form for first and second person, further inflect for number – singular and plural, and case – direct, oblique, e.g. ਆਪਣੇ āpaṇē, ਆਪਣਿਆਂ āpṇiāṃ etc. Vocative case is not quite common but can be used occasionally.

Demonstrative pronouns

ਉਹ uh ‘that’ and ਇਹ ih ‘this’ are the two members of this word class. Their forms are described under the personal pronoun section, above.

Indefinite pronouns

Pronouns that are used for the nouns, whose exact figure, amount, or quantity is not known, are termed as indefinite pronouns. For example, ਕੋਈ kōī, ਕੁਝ kujh, ਸਾਰੇ sārē, ਅਨੇਕ anēk, ਬਹੁਤ bahut etc.
Grammatical categories
Indefinite pronouns change forms with number and case.
Number
There are two numbers – singular and plural. Some indefinite pronouns can only be used for singular number, e.g. ਕੋਈ kōī, and some are applicable only for plural number, e.g. ਕਈ kaī, ਸਭ sabh.
Case
Indefinite pronouns are commonly used in two case forms – direct and oblique. Oblique case form of ਕੋਈ kōī is ਕਿਸੇ kisē.

Indefinite pronouns may be repeated or combined to form a compound indefinite pronoun, for example, ਕੁਝ ਕੁਝ kujh kujh ‘something or little bit’, ਕੋਈ ਵਿਰਲਾ kōī virlā ‘some distinct’, ਕੋਈ ਹੋਰ kōī hōr ‘someone else’ etc.

Relative pronouns

These pronouns join two clauses, typically an independent and a dependent, in a complex sentence. ਜੋ and ਜਿਹਡ਼ਾ jihṛā are two such pronouns. When, one of these is used in a clause then in the another clause either ਸੋ or ਉਹ uh is used. Both uses should agree in number and case. ਉਹ uh inflects like demonstrative pronouns. ਜੋ and ਸੋ , inflect for number – singular and plural, and case – direct, oblique, instrumental, and genitive. ਜਿਹਡ਼ਾ jihṛā (for masculine gender) and ਜਿਹਡ਼ੀ jihṛī (for feminine gender) inflect for number – singular and plural, and case – direct and oblique. Relative pronouns can also be used to introduce subordinate clauses in complex sentences.

Interrogative pronouns

Pronouns that are used to ask or inquire about something are known as interrogative pronouns. For example, ਕੌਣ kauṇ ‘who’, ਕੀ ‘what’, and ਕਿਹਡ਼ਾ/ਕਿਹਡ਼ੀ kihṛā/kihṛī ‘which one’. These are similar to ‘wh’ words in English i.e. what, which, who, whom etc. Normally, ਕੌਣ kauṇ ‘who’ is used for human beings. ਕੀ ‘what’ for animals, inanimate nouns etc. ਕਿਹਡ਼ਾ/ਕਿਹਡ਼ੀ kihṛā/kihṛī ‘which one’ is used to refer to one particular from a group, and thus can be used for both the animate and inanimate nouns.
Grammatical categories
Interrogative pronouns change form for number and case.
Number
These pronouns can be used for two numbers – singular and plural. ਕੀ ‘what’ is in singular form, and thus singular form of verb is used with it. It can be repeated or combined with indefinite pronoun ਕੁਝ kujh for plural form.
Case
ਕੌਣ kauṇ ‘who’ inflects for number – singular and plural, and case – direct, oblique, genitive, and instrumental. ਕੌਣ kauṇ, ਕਿਸ kis, ਕਿਨ੍ਹਾਂ kinhāṃ, and ਕਿਨ kin are some of its forms. These forms can equally be used with both the genders. ਕਿਸਦਾ kisadā ‘whose’ (for masculine gender) and ਕਿਸਦੀ kisadī ‘whose’ (for feminine gender) are its genitive case forms, which further inflect for number – singular and plural, and case – direct and oblique.
ਕੀ ‘what’ inflects for case – direct, oblique, and genitive, only. ਕੀ , ਕਾਸ kās, ਕਾਹ kāh (as in ਕਾਹ ਨੂੰ kāh nūṃ) are some of its forms. ਕੀਹਦਾ/ਕਾਹਦਾ kīhdā/kāhdā (for masculine gender) and ਕੀਹਦੀ/ਕਾਹਦੀ kīhdī/kāhdī (for feminine gender) are its genitive case forms, which further inflect for number – singular and plural, and case – direct and oblique.
ਕਿਹਡ਼ਾ kihṛā (for masculine gender) and ਕਿਹਡ਼ੀ kihṛī (for feminine gender) inflect for number – singular and plural, and case – direct and oblique. Various forms of ਕਿਹਡ਼ਾ kihṛā are ਕਿਹਡ਼ਾ kihṛā, ਕਿਹਡ਼ੇ kihṛē, ਕਿਹਡ਼ਿਆਂ kihṛiāṃ, and those of ਕਿਹਡ਼ੀ kihṛī are ਕਿਹਡ਼ੀ kihṛī, ਕਿਹਡ਼ੀਆਂ kihṛīāṃ.
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