Punjabi grammar
Punjabi negation with ਨਹੀਂ
ਨਹੀਂ (nahīṅ) is Punjabi's everyday negator, placed before the verb. In fast speech it is often shortened to "ni".
I don't go
ਮੈਂ ਨਹੀਂ ਜਾਂਦਾ
maiṅ nahīṅ jāndā
ਨਹੀਂ sits directly before the verb; the helper ਹਾਂ is usually dropped in the negative.
This is not right
ਇਹ ਠੀਕ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੈ
ih ṭhīk nahīṅ hai
Negates a description/identity statement.
There is no water
ਪਾਣੀ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੈ
pāṇī nahīṅ hai
Negates existence.
No (plain answer)
ਨਹੀਂ
nahīṅ
Also the everyday word for "no."
Don't go! (command)
ਨਾ ਜਾਓ
nā jāo
ਨਾ (nā), not ਨਹੀਂ, negates commands.
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More Punjabi grammar lessons
Punjabi personal pronouns
Punjabi has two levels of "you" — ਤੂੰ (tūṅ) for intimates and ਤੁਸੀਂ (tusīṅ) for respect or plural. Unlike Hindi, there is no middle "tum" level.
Punjabi present tense verbs
Punjabi's habitual present adds -ਦਾ/-ਦੀ/-ਦੇ (-dā/-dī/-de, agreeing with gender and number) to the verb stem, followed by a form of ਹੈ (hai). Where Hindi says "kartā", Punjabi says "kardā". Conjugated here for ਕਰਨਾ (karnā, "to do").
Punjabi postpositions
Like Hindi, Punjabi places small words after the noun instead of before it — but the words themselves differ: ਨੂੰ (nūṅ) instead of "ko", ਤੋਂ (toṅ) instead of "se".
Punjabi question words
Punjabi wh-questions use a fixed set of question words placed where the answer would go; ਕੀ (kī) at the start of a sentence also turns it into a yes/no question.
Punjabi sentence structure — building a basic sentence
Punjabi follows Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order. Adjectives come before the noun, and postpositions come after it.
Punjabi numbers 1–10
The Punjabi numerals 1 through 10. Gurmukhi also has its own digits (੧ ੨ ੩ …), still seen in gurdwaras and on older signage.