QCAA Punjabi (SEE) flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Bindi vs tippi

Bindi (ਂ) marks nasalisation after most vowels and at word end; tippi (ੰ) follows short vowels a, i, u. Choosing the wrong mark changes spelling and sometimes meaning.

Retroflex vs dental stops

Gurmukhi distinguishes retroflex ਟ ਠ ਡ ਢ ਣ, made with the tongue curled back, from dental ਤ ਥ ਦ ਧ ਨ, made at the teeth. Mishearing them alters words.

Postpositions

Punjabi places postpositions such as ਨੇ, ਨੂੰ, ਤੋਂ, ਵਿੱਚ and ਉੱਤੇ after the noun they govern, unlike English prepositions. They often force the noun into the oblique case.

Addak

The addak symbol (ੱ) doubles the following consonant, as in ਪੱਕਾ. It signals gemination, which is pronounced and must be written; omitting it is a spelling error.

Halant

The halant or virama (੍) cancels the inherent vowel of a consonant, allowing consonant clusters and final consonants, as in ਸਕ੍ਰੀਨ or ਪ੍ਰਸ਼ਨ.

Thesis statement

A single sentence in an analytical text that states the main claim. Every body paragraph should support it with evidence and explicit explanation of the link.

Ergative ਨੇ construction

In perfective transitive clauses the subject takes ਨੇ and the verb agrees with the object, not the subject: ਮੁੰਡੇ ਨੇ ਕਿਤਾਬ ਪੜ੍ਹੀ.

Oblique case

A noun form used before postpositions and after some quantifiers, often changing the ending: ਘਰ to ਘਰੋਂ, ਮੁੰਡਾ to ਮੁੰਡੇ. It marks grammatical dependency.

Gurmukhi vowel carriers

Three carriers hold independent vowels: ੳ carries ਅ ਆ ਓ ਔ, ੲ carries ਇ ਈ ਏ ਐ, and ਊੜਾ carries ਊ. Dependent vowels attach to consonants as matras.

Matras

Vowel signs attached to consonants: ਾ ਿ ੀ ੁ ੂ ੇ ੈ ੋ ੌ. Their position matters, above, below, before or after the consonant, so placement errors change the word.

Verb agreement

Punjabi verbs agree in gender and number with the noun they relate to: -ਦਾ masculine singular, -ਦੀ feminine singular, -ਦੇ masculine plural. Track the noun to choose the ending.

Honorific plural

ਤੁਸੀਂ and third-person plural verb forms express respect to one person. Formal letters and polite speech use them; ਤੂੰ is intimate or rude outside close relationships.

Future tense markers

Future forms add -ਗਾ (masculine singular), -ਗੀ (feminine singular) and -ਗੇ (plural) to the verb stem, as in ਕਰਾਂਗਾ, ਕਰਾਂਗੀ, ਕਰਾਂਗੇ.

Continuous aspect

Ongoing action uses the auxiliary ਰਿਹਾ/ਰਹੀ/ਰਹੇ with the verb stem, as in ਪੜ੍ਹ ਰਿਹਾ ਹੈ. The participle agrees with the subject in gender and number.

Nukta letters

Dots under letters (ਖ਼ ਗ਼ ਜ਼ ਫ਼ ਲ਼) mark sounds borrowed from Persian and Arabic. They distinguish words in formal and literary Punjabi but are often dropped informally.

Gurmukhi numerals

Digits ੦ ੧ ੨ ੩ ੪ ੫ ੬ ੭ ੮ ੯ correspond to 0 to 9. Dates, prices and statistics in formal texts may use them instead of Western digits.

ਸਤਿ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ

The common Sikh greeting, literally affirming the Eternal. Used across Punjabi-speaking communities; the reply is the same phrase. It suits both formal and informal settings.

Langar

A free community meal served at a gurdwara to all visitors regardless of background. Sitting together on the floor expresses equality, a core value of the Sikh tradition.

Vaisakhi

A mid-April harvest festival and Sikh new year, especially significant in Punjab. It marks the founding of the Khalsa in 1699 and is celebrated with processions and bhangra.

Lohri

A winter festival celebrated in January with bonfires, songs and sweets such as rewri. It marks the end of the sowing season and is linked to the Punjabi harvest calendar.

Bhangra and gidda

Folk dances of Punjab performed to dhol drum rhythms. Bhangra is traditionally men's dance and gidda women's, both tied to harvest celebration and boliyan couplets.

Shahmukhi script

The Perso-Arabic script used for Punjabi in Pakistan, read right to left. It contrasts with Gurmukhi, used in Indian Punjab, though the spoken language is largely shared.

ਚਾਚਾ and ਤਾਇਆ

Kin terms distinguishing the father's younger brother (ਚਾਚਾ) from the father's elder brother (ਤਾਇਆ). Punjabi encodes relative age and side of family in such terms.

Register in media

News and official texts favour formal, Persianised or Sanskritised vocabulary, while conversation uses everyday words and English loans. Identify register to interpret tone.

Question words

ਕੌਣ who, ਕੀ what, ਕਿੱਥੇ where, ਕਦੋਂ when, ਕਿਉਂ why, ਕਿੰਨਾ how much. The question word predicts the type of answer expected in a listening or reading task.

Cohesive connectives

Markers such as ਪਰ but, ਕਿਉਂਕਿ because, ਇਸ ਲਈ therefore, ਫਿਰ ਵੀ even so. They signal contrast, cause, result and concession, guiding inference in written texts.

Text-type cues

Salutations (ਪਿਆਰੇ), headings (ਸੂਚਨਾ), slogans and layout reveal genre. Recognising the genre first tells you the expected structure, audience and tone.

Indirect speech

Reported speech shifts pronouns and tense and is joined by ਕਿ: ਉਸ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਉਹ ਆਵੇਗਾ. Direct speech instead quotes the original words inside inverted commas.

Persuasive structure

A position statement, three reasons with evidence, a rebuttal of the opposing view, and a call to action. Inclusive pronouns and rhetorical questions strengthen the appeal.

Imperative and optative

Imperatives command: ਕਰੋ do, ਕਰੀਏ let us do. Optatives express wishes: ਹੋਵੇ may it be. Both drive persuasion, invitations and blessings in imaginative texts.

SOV word order

Punjabi clauses order Subject, Object, Verb, with the verb last. Auxiliaries follow the main verb. English-style early verbs are a frequent writing error.

Gurdwara etiquette

Visitors remove shoes, cover the head and avoid turning their back on the Guru Granth Sahib. Offerings and the shared meal follow community norms of respect and equality.