Sat Sri Akal! 🙏
Welcome back to our Punjabi learning journey!
So far, we’ve covered:
- Lesson 1: Greetings
- Lesson 2: Numbers 1–10
- Lesson 3: Pronouns
- Lesson 4: Common Verbs
Now, let’s learn how to ask questions — a skill that will instantly make your conversations more interactive.
🗣 1. Common Punjabi Question Words
| English | Punjabi (Gurmukhi) | Punjabi (Romanized) | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who | ਕੌਣ | kaun | kaun |
| What | ਕੀ | ki | kee |
| Where | ਕਿੱਥੇ | kithe | kit-thay |
| When | ਕਦੋਂ | kadon | kuh-don |
| Why | ਕਿਉਂ | kyon | kyo(n) |
| How | ਕਿਵੇਂ | kiven | ki-ven |
| Which | ਕਿਹੜਾ / ਕਿਹੜੀ | kehda / kehdi | keh-da / keh-dee |
| How much / many | ਕਿੰਨਾ / ਕਿੰਨੀ | kinna / kinni | kin-na / kin-nee |
💡 Tip: In Punjabi, question words usually go at the start of the sentence, just like in English.
🗣 2. Example Questions
Who
- English: Who is he?
- Punjabi: ਉਹ ਕੌਣ ਹੈ? (Uh kaun hai?)
What
- English: What is this?
- Punjabi: ਇਹ ਕੀ ਹੈ? (Eh ki hai?)
Where
- English: Where are you going?
- Punjabi: ਤੂੰ ਕਿੱਥੇ ਜਾ ਰਿਹਾ ਹੈਂ? (Tu kithe ja riha hain?) — male speaker
- Punjabi: ਤੂੰ ਕਿੱਥੇ ਜਾ ਰਹੀ ਹੈਂ? (Tu kithe ja rahi hain?) — female speaker
When
- English: When is the wedding?
- Punjabi: ਵਿਆਹ ਕਦੋਂ ਹੈ? (Viah kadon hai?)
Why
- English: Why are you late?
- Punjabi: ਤੂੰ ਦੇਰ ਕਿਉਂ ਕਰ ਰਿਹਾ ਹੈਂ? (Tu der kyon kar riha hain?) — male
- Punjabi: ਤੂੰ ਦੇਰ ਕਿਉਂ ਕਰ ਰਹੀ ਹੈਂ? (Tu der kyon kar rahi hain?) — female
How
- English: How are you?
- Punjabi: ਤੂੰ ਕਿਵੇਂ ਹੈਂ? (Tu kiven hain?)
🗝 3. Making Questions from Statements
You can turn a statement into a question simply by changing the tone and adding a question word if needed:
- Statement: ਤੂੰ ਪਾਣੀ ਪੀ ਰਿਹਾ ਹੈਂ। (Tu paani pee riha hain.) → You are drinking water.
- Question: ਤੂੰ ਕੀ ਪੀ ਰਿਹਾ ਹੈਂ? (Tu ki pee riha hain?) → What are you drinking?
✏️ Practice Exercise
- Write 5 questions you might ask a friend in Punjabi.
- Practice asking them out loud with the correct tone.
- Try answering them in Punjabi using lessons from before.
🎯 Key Takeaway
With these question words, you can now start conversations in Punjabi, not just respond. Combine them with verbs and pronouns, and you’ll be able to talk about almost anything.