Language/Panjabi/Grammar/Asking-Questions
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Asking questions is one of the most important aspects of communication in any language. In Panjabi, forming questions is relatively straightforward once you understand the basic sentence structure and question words. In this lesson, we will learn how to form questions in Panjabi and use question words like who, what, where, when, why, and how.
After mastering this lesson, these related pages might interest you: Conjunctions & Gender.
Basic Sentence Structure Recap
Before we delve into forming questions, let's quickly recap the basic sentence structure in Panjabi.
Panjabi follows the Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order, which means that the subject of a sentence comes first, followed by the object, and then the verb. Here is an example sentence:
- ਮੈਂ ਪਾਣੀ ਪੀਂਦਾ ਹਾਂ। (Main paani peenda haan.) - I drink water.
In this sentence, "ਮੈਂ" (Main) is the subject, "ਪਾਣੀ" (paani) is the object, and "ਪੀਂਦਾ" (peenda) is the verb.
Asking Yes/No Questions
Yes/No questions are questions that can be answered with a simple "yes" or "no." In Panjabi, the easiest way to form a yes/no question is by changing the intonation or tone of voice at the end of a statement. For example:
- Statement: ਮੈਂ ਪਾਣੀ ਪੀਂਦਾ ਹਾਂ। (Main paani peenda haan.) - I drink water.
- Yes/No Question: ਕੀ ਮੈਂ ਪਾਣੀ ਪੀਂਦਾ ਹਾਂ? (Ki main paani peenda haan?) - Do I drink water?
As you can see, the structure of the sentence remains the same, but the tone of voice at the end changes to indicate that it is a question. The word "ਕੀ" (Ki) is often added at the beginning of the sentence to indicate that it is a question.
Here is another example:
- Statement: ਉਹ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਬੋਲਦਾ ਹੈ। (Uh Panjabi bolda hai.) - He speaks Panjabi.
- Yes/No Question: ਕੀ ਉਹ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਬੋਲਦਾ ਹੈ? (Ki uh Panjabi bolda hai?) - Does he speak Panjabi?
It's important to note that when asking yes/no questions in Panjabi, the word order remains the same. This is different from English, where the word order in questions changes.
Using Question Words
In addition to yes/no questions, you can also form questions using question words like who, what, where, when, why, and how. In Panjabi, these question words are added to the beginning of a sentence, and the word order remains the same as in a statement.
Here are some examples:
- ਕੌਣ ਤੁਸੀਂ? (Kaun tusi?) - Who are you?
- ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕਿਹੜੇ ਤੋਂ ਹੋ? (Tusi kihde toh ho?) - Where are you from?
- ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕਿਥੋਂ ਆਉਂਦੇ ਹੋ? (Tusi kithon aunde ho?) - Where do you come from?
- ਕੀ ਤੁਸੀਂ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਬੋਲਦੇ ਹੋ? (Ki tusi Panjabi bolda ho?) - Do you speak Panjabi?
- ਕੀ ਤੁਸੀਂ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਨਹੀਂ ਬੋਲਦੇ? (Ki tusi Panjabi nahi bolda?) - Don't you speak Panjabi?
- ਕਿਵੇਂ ਤੁਸੀਂ ਹੱਥ ਧੋਣੇ ਹਨ? (Kiven tusi hath dhondhe han?) - How do you wash your hands?
- ਕਿਵੇਂ ਤੁਸੀਂ ਹੋਟਲ ਲੇਣੇ ਜਾਂਦੇ ਹੋ? (Kiven tusi hotel lene jaande ho?) - How do you go to the hotel?
As you can see, the question word is added to the beginning of the sentence, and the word order remains the same as in a statement.
Using "ਕਿਉਂ" (Kyun) to Ask Why
In addition to the basic question words, Panjabi also has a specific word for asking "why." This word is "ਕਿਉਂ" (Kyun). Here are some examples:
- ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕਿਉਂ ਆਇਆ ਹੋ? (Tusi kyun aaya ho?) - Why did you come?
- ਉਸ ਨੂੰ ਕਿਉਂ ਸਜਾ ਮਿਲੀ? (Us nu kyun saja mili?) - Why did he get punished?
- ਉਸਦਾ ਘਰ ਕਿਉਂ ਬਚਾਇਆ ਨਹੀਂ? (Usda ghar kyun bachaya nahi?) - Why didn't he save his house?
Negating Sentences
In addition to asking questions, it's also important to know how to negate sentences in Panjabi. To negate a sentence, simply add the word "ਨਹੀਂ" (nahi) after the verb.
Here are some examples:
- Positive: ਮੈਂ ਪਾਣੀ ਪੀਂਦਾ ਹਾਂ। (Main paani peenda haan.) - I drink water.
Negative: ਮੈਂ ਪਾਣੀ ਨਹੀਂ ਪੀਂਦਾ। (Main paani nahi peenda.) - I do not drink water.
- Positive: ਉਸਦਾ ਘਰ ਬਹੁਤ ਸੁੰਦਰ ਹੈ। (Usda ghar bahut sundar hai.) - His house is very beautiful.
Negative: ਉਸਦਾ ਘਰ ਕਦਮਭਜਾਵਾ ਹੈ। (Usda ghar kadmabhajava hai.) - His house is not clean.
It's important to note that when negating a sentence, the word order and structure remain the same. Only the verb is changed to its negative form by adding "ਨਹੀਂ" (nahi) after it.
Conclusion
In this lesson, we learned how to form questions in Panjabi and use question words like who, what, where, when, why, and how. We also learned how to negate sentences by adding "ਨਹੀਂ" (nahi) after the verb. With these tools, you should be able to ask and answer basic questions in Panjabi. Keep practicing and building your vocabulary, and you'll be speaking Panjabi with ease in no time!
Upon wrapping up this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Pronouns & Conditional Mood.
Other Lessons
- Nouns
- Likes and Dislikes
- Nouns and Pronouns
- 0 to A1 Course
- Gurmukhi Alphabet
- Conditional Mood
- Conjunctions
- Give your Opinion
- Emotions and Feelings
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