Words alone do not make a language. They must be placed in a sentence structure that follows specific grammar rules. There may be many components to a sentence: noun, verb, auxiliary verb, adjective, etc. Since this is an introductory lesson to sentence structure in Punjabi, we will focus on three basic components that make up a simple sentence: subject (noun or pronoun), object (noun, pronoun, or adjective), and verb.
Rule of SOV (Subject – Object – Verb)
In English, the simple sentence structure is Subject – Verb – Object (SVO). In Punjabi, the simple sentence structure follows the SOV rule: Subject – Object – Verb.
Consider the following example:
Typical word order in English: (SVO)
We are students.
(Subject) (Verb) (Object)
Typical word order in Punjabi (SOV):
ਅਸੀਂ ਵਿਦਿਆਰਥੀ ਹਾਂ।
(Subject) (Object) (Verb)
The table below shows what subject goes with which conjugation of the verb ਹੋਣਾ (hona, to be). The … represents the object that would complete the phase.
| English Equivalent | Singular | Plural | English Equivalent |
| I … am | ਮੈਂ … ਹਾਂ | ਅਸੀਂ … ਹਾਂ | We … are |
| You … are | ਤੂੰ … ਹੈਂ | ਤੁਸੀਂ … ਹੋ | You … are |
| This/that … is | ਇਹ / ਉਹ … ਹੈ | ਇਹ / ਉਹ … ਹਨ | They … are |
For example, ਮੈਂ ਜੌਹਨ ਹਾਂ means “I am John”, ਇਹ ਕਾਰਲ ਹੈਂ means “this is Karl”, and ਉਹ ਬੱਚੇ ਹਨ means “they are kids”. For negation, please note that ਨਹੀਂ (no) comes after the object and before the verb. For example, I am not sick → main bimaar nahi haan → ਮੈਂ ਬਿਮਾਰ ਨਹੀਂ ਹਾਂ।
In English, when we wish to change the number of an object, we change the ending of the word, usually by adding -s or -es. For example, one boy is singular, whereas two boys are plural. Objects in Punjabi change in the same way depending on their number and gender. Here is a chart showing how to change gender and number of an object in Punjabi using the word ਬੱਚਾ (child) as a base:
| Singular | Plural | |
| Masculine | ਬੱਚਾ (ਆ ) | ਬੱਚੇ (replace ਆ to ਏ) |
| Feminine | ਬੱਚੀ (ਈ) | ਬੱਚੀਆਂ (+ਆਂ) |
As you can see, the word ਬੱਚਾ can be used to express a child of any gender or any number of children. All you need to do is change the ending. You can use this chart with most nouns in Punjabi, though there are some exceptions.
In English, there are some words that don’t change depending on number or gender. For example, the word fish can be used to describe one fish or multiple fish. Other such words are sheep, swine, deer, and folk.
In Punjabi, we also have similar exceptions. For example, ਇਕ ਘਰ (one house) or ਦੋ ਘਰ (two houses). As you can see, the word ਘਰ is unchanged even when the number of houses change. Here are some common exceptions similar to ਘਰ.
| ਪੁੱਤਰ son | ਕਿਤਾਬ book | ਕਲਮ pen |
| ਕਾਗਜ਼ paper | ਤਸਵੀਰ picture | ਬਲਬ bulb |
There are also adjectives that, when changing from masculine to feminine, only require a bihari to be added to the end. For example:
| Masculine | Feminine | |
| Pigeon | ਕਬੂਤਰ | ਕਬੂਤਰੀ |
| Chicken | ਕੁੱਕੜ | ਕੁੱਕੜੀ |
| Son → Daughter | ਪੁੱਤਰ | ਪੁੱਤਰੀ |
| Boy → Girl | ਬੱਚਾ | ਬੱਚੀ |
| Male Cat → Female Cat | ਬਿੱਲਾ | ਬਿੱਲੀ |
Adjectives are often used as objects in sentences. For example, in the phrase “I am Punjabi”, the object is the adjective ‘Punjabi’. There are two rules that must be followed when using adjectives in a sentence:
1) Adjectives come right before the object unless a negation is present, in which case the adjective is placed right before the negation.
For example,
He is a good boy → oh changa munda hai → ਉਹ ਚੰਗਾ ਮੁੰਡਾ ਹੈ।
I am not Punjabi → main Punjabi nahi haan → ਮੈਂ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਨਹੀਂ ਹਾਂ।
2) Adjectives must agree with the number and gender of the object.
| English Equivalent | Singular | Plural | English Equivalent | |
| Masculine | I am a good boy | ਮੈਂ ਚੰਗਾ ਮੁੰਡਾ ਹਾਂ। | ਅਸੀਂ ਚੰਗੇ ਮੁੰਡੇ ਹਾੰ। | We are good boys |
| Feminine | I am a good girl. | ਮੈਂ ਚੰਗੀ ਕੁੜੀ ਹਾਂ। | ਅਸੀਂ ਚੰਗੀਆਂ ਕੁੜੀਆਂ ਹਾਂ। | |
| You are a good girl | ਤੂੰ ਚੰਗੀ ਕੁੜੀ ਹੈਂ। | ਤੁਸੀਂ ਚੰਗੀਆਂ ਕੁੜੀਆਂ ਹੋ। | You … are | |
| This/that is a good | ਇਹ / ਉਹ … ਹੈ | ਇਹ / ਉਹ … ਹਨ | They … are |
The Punjabi language has exceptions for adjectives just like any language. Some Punjabi adjectives do not end in the -a/-e sound like ਖ਼ੂਬਸੂਰਤ (beautiful) which stays the same regardless of gender/number of the object. For example, consider ਖ਼ੂਬਸੂਰਤ ਬੱਚਾ (beautiful child) & ਖ਼ੂਬਸੂਰਤ ਬੱਚੇ (beautiful children).
Finally, here are some common adjectives to help you form your first sentences:
| ਠੀਕ okay | ਖ਼ੁਸ਼ happy | ਨਰਾਜ਼ upset | ਸਾਫ਼ clean |
| ਚੰਗਾ good | ਉਦਾਸ sad | ਗਰਮ / ਤੱਤਾ hot | ਗੰਦਾ dirty |
| ਮਾੜਾ bad | ਗੁੱਸੇ angry | ਠੰਢਾ cold | ਅੱਛਾ alright/okay |
Here are some example sentences:
Sentence → S O V → S V O
ਮੈਂ ਕਨੇਡੀਅਨ ਹਾਂ। → “I Canadian am” → “I am Canadian”
ਅਸੀਂ ਮੁੰਡੇ ਹਾਂ। → “We boys are” → “We are boys”
ਤੂੰ ਖੁਸ਼ ਹੈਂ। → “You happy are” → “You are happy”
ਇਹ ਕਾਰ ਹੈ। → “This car is” → “This is a car”[1]
ਉਹ ਕਿਤਾਬ ਹੈ। → “That book is” → “That is a book”
ਤੁਸੀਂ ਵਿਦਿਆਰਥੀ ਹੋ। → “You students are” → “You are students”
ਉਹ ਕੁੜੀਆਂ ਹਨ। → “They girls are” → “They are girls”
[1] Note that the Punjabi language does not utilize articles. Whereas in English we would say “This is a car” or “This is the car”, in Punjabi we simply say “This is car.”