• Overview of Punjabi Grammar

Sentence

The sentences are usually based on the clauses. The simplest form of a sentence has only one independent clause. Punjabi language’s sentences follows a SOV (Subject Object Verb) order unlike English that follows SVO order. In Punjabi sentences, the subject occurs first followed by the object and then the verb, e.g.
  1. ਮੁੰਡਾ ਸੇਬ ਖਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
    muṇḍā sēb khāndā hai.
    The boy eats apple.
In the above sentence, ਮੁੰਡਾ muṇḍā ‘boy’ is subject, ਸੇਬ sēb ‘apple’ is object, and ਖਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ khāndā hai ‘eats’ is verb. The nominal phrases act as subject and object in a clause or sentence, and the verb phrases constitute the verb part of that clause or sentence.

Based on the structure, the sentences can be classified into three categories:

Simple Sentence

A sentence that has only one clause in its structure, and that clause will be an independent clause, e.g.
  1. ਮੁੰਡਾ ਗੀਤ ਗਾ ਰਿਹਾ ਹੈ।
    muṇḍā gīt gā rihā hai.
    The boy is singing a song.
  2. ਕੁਡ਼ੀ ਹੱਸ ਰਹੀ ਹੈ।
    kuṛī hass rahī hai.
    The girl is laughing.

Compound Sentence

A sentence that is formed of two or more independent clauses joined by coordinate conjunctions ਅਤੇ/ਤੇ atē/tē ‘and’, ਜਾਂ jāṃ ‘or’ etc, e.g.
  1. ਮੀਂਹ ਪੈ ਰਿਹਾ ਸੀ ਤੇ ਲੋਕ ਭਿੱਜ ਰਹੇ ਸਨ ।
    mīṃh pai rihā sī tē lōk bhijj rahē san.
    It was raining and the people were getting drenched.
  2. ਹੁਣ ਮੈਂ ਸ਼ਹਿਰ ਜਾ ਰਿਹਾ ਹਾਂ ਫੇਰ ਤੂੰ ਚਲਾ ਜਾਈਂ ।
    huṇ maiṃ shahir jā rihā hāṃ phēr tūṃ calā jāīṃ.
    Now I am going to the city after that you may go.
Contracted Sentence
Contracted sentence is one special form of compound sentence, in which the common part of its constituents is dropped. For example, the following sentence 6:
  1. ਜਾਂ ਮੈਂ ਜਾਵਾਂਗਾ ਜਾਂ ਤੂੰ ਜਾਵੇਂਗਾ।
    jāṃ maiṃ jāvāṅgā jāṃ tūṃ jāvēṅgā.
    Either I will go or you will go.
can be contracted as sentence 7:
  1. ਜਾਂ ਮੈਂ ਜਾਵਾਂਗਾ ਜਾਂ ਤੂੰ।
    jāṃ maiṃ jāvāṅgā jāṃ tūṃ.
    Either I will go or you.
In the contracted sentence 7, the verb phrase of the second clause has been omitted.

Complex Sentence

A sentence that has one independent and one or more dependent clauses joined by subordinate conjunctions, like ਜੇ jē ‘if’, ਤਾਂ tāṃ ‘then’ etc, e.g.
  1. ਜੇ ਤੂੰ ਸਾਡੇ ਨਾਲ਼ ਜਾਣਾ ਹੈ ਤਾਂ ਆ ਜਾ ।
    jē tūṃ sāḍē nāḷ jāṇā hai tāṃ ā jā.
    If you want to go with us then come.
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