Saraiki grammar, step by step
A guided tour through Saraiki grammar with glossed examples that show how each piece of a sentence fits together.
Grammar Walkthrough
Discover how the language works through examples
Saraiki is the only major South Asian language with four implosive consonants — sounds produced by drawing air inward — and they appear in the most common everyday words.
Four sounds no other language has
four implosive consonants| Letter | Sound | Example word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| ٻ | [ɓ] implosive b | ٻولی (ɓolī) | language, tongue |
| ڈ | [ɗ] implosive d | ڈینہہ (ɗīnah) | day |
| ڄ | [ʄ] implosive j | ڄڻ (ʄaṇ) | to know, to recognize |
| ڳ | [ɠ] implosive g | ڳالھ (ɠālh) | word, talk, thing, matter |
These four letters in Saraiki are pronounced differently from their equivalents in Urdu or Hindi. They are produced by a momentary inward pull of air. Can you hear the difference in the examples?
Saraiki has four implosive consonants: ٻ [ɓ] (implosive b), ڈ [ɗ] (implosive d), ڄ [ʄ] (implosive j), and ڳ [ɠ] (implosive g). These sounds are produced with a brief ingressive airstream — the glottis descends while the oral closure is released, creating a distinctive "pulled-in" quality. They appear in the most basic everyday vocabulary.
Subject–object–verb order
SOV word orderWhere does the verb appear in each sentence? What sits between the subject and the verb?
Saraiki is a strict Subject–Object–Verb language — the verb comes at the end of the sentence. This is the same as Hindi and Punjabi, the opposite of English.
The native word for speaking
آکھنا: Saraiki "speak/say"| Person | Saraiki form | Gloss |
|---|---|---|
| میں (I) | آکھاں (ākhāṃ) | 1SG |
| تُوں (you fam.) | آکھیں (ākhẽ) | 2SG |
| ہو (he/she) | آکھے (ākhē) | 3SG |
| اَسِیں (we) | آکھِیے (ākhīe) | 1PL |
| تُسِیں (you pl.) | آکھو (ākho) | 2PL |
Saraiki uses a native verb for "speak/say" that Urdu and standard Hindi do not typically use. What is it, and how does it conjugate?
آکھنا (ākkhaṇā) means "to say / speak / tell" in Saraiki. It is cognate with Punjabi آکھنا and is preferred over the Urdu/Hindi بولنا (bolnā) for everyday speaking. The root آکھ- follows the standard conjugation pattern with personal suffixes.
Verbs track gender
gender in verb agreementThe sentences "he reads" and "she reads" have the same pronoun ہو (ho). Does the verb change for gender?
In the habitual present, Saraiki verbs carry the same form for masculine and feminine subjects. In the past perfective, gender agreement becomes visible: the past participle adds -ا (-ā) for masculine and -ی (-ī) for feminine, similar to Punjabi and Hindi.
Relationship words come after
postpositionsWhere does the relationship word (in, at, from, to) appear relative to the noun?
Saraiki uses postpositions — the relationship word comes AFTER the noun. The noun usually shifts to an oblique form before the postposition. The postpositions mirror Punjabi: اَندر/وِچ (in), تے (on/at), کولوں (from), نُوں (to/for).
Three time frames
tense: present / past / future| Tense | Strategy | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present habitual | root + person suffix | آکھاں (ākhāṃ) |
| Past perfective | root + -iā/-ī (gender) | آکھیا / آکھی (ākhiā/ākhī) |
| Future | root + -s- + suffix | آکھساں (ākhsāṃ) |
Three sentences, three time frames. What signals the time in each?
Saraiki distinguishes present habitual, past perfective, and future with different verb strategies: personal suffixes on the verb root for present, a perfective participle + gender agreement for past, and a future formed with -سُ- (-s-) infix or auxiliary گا/گی.
Saying no
negation with نَاWhere does the negation word appear in a Saraiki sentence?
Saraiki negates with نَا (nā) placed before the verb — similar to Punjabi. For prohibitions (negative imperatives), نَا also precedes the verb. The emphatic form نَہِیں (nahīṃ) can also be used for stronger negation.
Asking questions
questionsHow does Saraiki form a yes/no question? Where do question words appear?
Yes/no questions use rising intonation or the particle کِیا (kiā) at the start. Information question words — کِیہ (kīh = what), کِتھے (kithē = where), کوݨ (koṇ = who) — appear in-situ, in the position the answer would occupy.
Three levels of respect
honorific pronounsThere are three different words for "you" in Saraiki, each with different verb forms. What drives the choice?
Like other South Asian languages, Saraiki has three levels of "you": تُوں (tũ — intimate), تُسِیں (tusĩ — respectful), and آپ (āp — formal). The verb agreement changes with each. تُسِیں is the safe default.
Nouns change before postpositions
oblique caseCompare the noun بندہ (person) standing alone with its form before a postposition. What changed at the end?
Nouns in Saraiki take an oblique form before postpositions. Masculine nouns ending in -ā change to -e (بندہ → بندے). Feminine nouns may also shift. The oblique signals "a postposition is coming."
The completed-action twist
ergative in transitive pastIn the habitual present, میں is the subject. In the completed transitive past, نے appears after میں, and the verb agrees differently. What changed?
Saraiki, like Punjabi and Hindi, has split ergativity in the transitive perfective: the subject takes نے (ne) and the verb agrees with the object's gender. This flip only happens in completed transitive sentences.
Is it happening right now?
progressive aspectHow does Saraiki show that an action is happening right now vs. habitually?
Progressive action is marked by the present participle (verb stem + -دا/-دی for M/F) combined with the auxiliary آ (ā) or ہاں (hāṃ). The present participle itself agrees with the subject in gender.
One word, many meanings
ڳالھ: the multipurpose wordThe word ڳالھ (ɠālh) appears in all three sentences with different meanings. What does context do here?
ڳالھ (ɠālh, with the implosive ɠ) is one of the most common words in Saraiki and illustrates how context-sensitive the language is. It means "word," "thing," "matter," "talk," "point," or "affair" depending on context. It also begins with the implosive ɠ, connecting to Step 1.
Possession and "having"
possessionThe possessive (my/your/his) changes form for gender. And "I have" uses a locative construction — no verb "have." How does it work?
Saraiki possessives are میڈا/میڈی (mīḍā/mīḍī = my, M/F), تیڈا/تیڈی (tīḍā/tīḍī = your M/F). "I have" is expressed with کول (kol = near/with): "میڈے کول" + noun + auxiliary.
The full picture
putting it togetherHow many grammar patterns from earlier steps can you identify in these sentences?
Saraiki grammar is SOV structure + four implosives (ɓ ɗ ʄ ɠ) running through the vocabulary + the three-level honorific system + ergative flip in transitive past — all working simultaneously.