Language/Urdu/Grammar/Verbs-and-Tenses

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Urdu → Grammar → Verbs and Tenses

Verbs and Tenses in Urdu

Welcome to the Verbs and Tenses section of the Complete 0 to A1 Urdu Course. In this lesson, we will learn about Urdu verbs and how to use them in different tenses to express different meanings.

Introduction to Urdu Verbs

As we learned in the previous lessons, Urdu is an Indo-Aryan language with deep roots in Persian, Arabic, and Sanskrit. It is a verb-final language, which means that the verb generally comes at the end of the sentence. In Urdu, the verb is the most important part of the sentence and it carries the most meaning.

Urdu verbs can be classified into three categories:

Transitive verbs
Intransitive verbs
Reflexive verbs

Transitive Verbs

A transitive verb is a verb that requires an object to complete its meaning. In Urdu, transitive verbs are known as "mutaradif" verbs. For example, in the sentence "I am eating food," the verb "eating" is a transitive verb and "food" is the object.

In Urdu, the verb agrees with the subject in gender and number. For example, in the sentence "He eats food," the verb "eats" agrees with the third-person masculine singular subject "he."

Here is a table of some common transitive verbs in Urdu:

Urdu	Pronunciation	English
کھانا	khaana	to eat
پینا	peena	to drink
پڑھنا	parhna	to read
لکھنا	likhna	to write

Intransitive Verbs

An intransitive verb is a verb that does not take an object to complete its meaning. In Urdu, intransitive verbs are known as "lazim" verbs. For example, in the sentence "I am sleeping," the verb "sleeping" is an intransitive verb and there is no object.

Just like transitive verbs, intransitive verbs also agree with the subject in gender and number. Here is a table of some common intransitive verbs in Urdu:

Urdu	Pronunciation	English
سونا	sona	to sleep
چلنا	chalna	to walk
ہنسنا	hansna	to laugh
رونا	rona	to cry

Reflexive Verbs

A reflexive verb is a verb in which the subject and the object are the same. In Urdu, reflexive verbs are known as "intekhabi" verbs. For example, in the sentence "I am washing myself," the verb "washing" is a reflexive verb and the subject and the object are the same.

The reflexive pronoun in Urdu is "apna," which is added after the verb. Here is a table of some common reflexive verbs in Urdu:

Urdu	Pronunciation	English
نہانا	nahana	to wash oneself
جھوٹا بولنا	jhoota bolna	to lie to oneself
عکس لینا	aks lena	to take a selfie
اپنے آپ کو بہتر ہونا	apne aap ko behtar hona	to improve oneself

Verbal Tenses in Urdu

Just like in English, verbs in Urdu change according to the tense of the sentence. Urdu has three main tenses:

Present tense
Past tense
Future tense

Present Tense

The present tense is used to describe actions that are currently happening. In Urdu, the present tense is called "hazir" tense. The present tense is formed by taking the stem of the verb and adding the following endings:

For the first-person singular: "-تا ہوں"
For the second-person singular: "-تا ہے"
For the third-person singular: "-تا ہے"
For the first-person plural: "-تے ہیں"
For the second-person plural: "-تے ہو"
For the third-person plural: "-تے ہیں"

Here is a table of some common verbs in the present tense:

Urdu	Pronunciation	English
کھاتا ہوں	khaata hoon	I eat
پیتا ہے	peeta hai	He drinks
پڑھتی ہیں	parhti hain	They read
لکھتے ہو	likhte ho	You write

Past Tense

The past tense is used to describe actions that have already happened. In Urdu, the past tense is called "maazi" tense. The past tense is formed by taking the stem of the verb and adding the suffix "-ا".

Here is a table of some common verbs in the past tense:

Urdu	Pronunciation	English
کھایا	khaya	I ate
پیا	piya	He drank
پڑھا	parha	They read
لکھا	likha	You wrote

Future Tense

The future tense is used to describe actions that will happen in the future. In Urdu, the future tense is called "mustaqbil" tense. The future tense is formed by taking the stem of the verb and adding the following endings:

For the first-person singular: "-وں گا"
For the second-person singular: "-و گا"
For the third-person singular: "-گا"
For the first-person plural: "-یں گے"
For the second-person plural: "-و گے"
For the third-person plural: "-یں گے"

Here is a table of some common verbs in the future tense:

Urdu	Pronunciation	English
کھاؤں گا	khaaunga	I will eat
پیو گا	piyega	He will drink
پڑھیں گے	parhenge	They will read
لکھوں گے	likhenge	You will write

Conclusion

Congratulations, you have completed the Verbs and Tenses section of the

Sources

Videos

33 Essential Verbs in Urdu - Absolute Beginners - YouTube

How to Conjugate Urdu Verbs in Continuous Tense - YouTube

Other Lessons

Table of Contents - Urdu Course - 0 to A1

Course Presentation

Introduction to Urdu Script

Basic Vocabulary

Basic Sentence Structure

Everyday Vocabulary

Forming Questions and Negations

Travel and Transportation

Urdu Culture and Traditions

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