Participial and Gerund Forms in Urdu

In Brief

Urdu can turn a verb into a description with an agreeing participle: ٹوٹی ہوئی کھڑکی means “a broken window,” while چلتی ہوئی گاڑی means “a moving car.” The infinitive in ـنا can function like a verbal noun, as in پڑھنا اچھی عادت ہے (“Reading is a good habit”); before a postposition, it normally takes the oblique ending ـنے, as in کھانے کے بعد (“after eating”).

Overview

A participle is a verb form used to describe a person or thing, or to build a larger verb phrase. Urdu participles are especially visible in combinations with ہوا / ہوئی / ہوئے. They let you describe a result—something broken, written, or opened—or an action in progress, such as a child laughing or a car moving. Because these forms behave partly like adjectives, they usually agree with the noun they describe in gender and number.

A verbal noun names an action as an activity or idea. English often uses an -ing form for this job: “reading,” “walking,” or “cooking.” Urdu commonly uses the infinitive—the dictionary form ending in ـنا—instead: پڑھنا, چلنا, کھانا پکانا. Traditional descriptions do not always use the English labels gerund and participle in exactly the same way, so the useful question is not “Which English -ing form is this?” but “Is Urdu describing a noun, naming an activity, or placing an infinitive before a postposition?”

This is a B1 topic because it brings together patterns learned earlier, especially the agreeing ـتا / ـتی / ـتے forms of the Present Habitual Tense. Once you recognise the three main patterns, long-looking expressions become much easier to read.

How It Works

1. Resulting states: perfective form + ہوا

To describe someone or something as being in the state produced by an action, Urdu often uses a perfective verb form followed by an agreeing form of ہوا. In plain terms, this pattern often answers “What has happened to it?”

Urdu form	Meaning	Agreement
ٹوٹا ہوا کپ	a broken cup	masculine singular
ٹوٹی ہوئی پلیٹ	a broken plate	feminine singular
ٹوٹے ہوئے کپ	broken cups	masculine plural/direct or masculine oblique
ٹوٹی ہوئی پلیٹیں	broken plates	feminine plural; ہوئی remains feminine

The participial phrase may come before the noun, like an adjective, or after it as the predicate (the description made about the subject):

• بند دروازہ — a closed door
• دروازہ بند ہے۔ — The door is closed.
• کھلی ہوئی کھڑکی — an open window
• کھڑکی کھلی ہوئی ہے۔ — The window is open.

Some common state words can stand without ہوا, especially بند “closed” and کھلا / کھلی / کھلے “open.” Adding ہوا often makes the resulting state more explicit: کھلا دروازہ and کھلا ہوا دروازہ can both mean “an open door.”

The exact perfective stem must be learned with the verb. Common forms include ٹوٹا from ٹوٹنا (break, intransitive), کھلا from کھلنا (open, intransitive), لکھا from لکھنا (write), کیا from کرنا (do), and سویا from سونا (sleep). Sound changes mean that simply removing ـنا is not always enough.

With a transitive verb—a verb whose action affects an object—the phrase often has a passive-like result:

• لکھی ہوئی چٹھی — a written letter
• پکا ہوا کھانا — cooked food
• کھولا ہوا ڈبہ — an opened box

This is not the same as forming a complete passive sentence in every context. At B1, treat the whole phrase as a description of the noun’s present or resulting state.

2. Ongoing or simultaneous action: ـتا ہوا

The habitual participle ending ـتا / ـتی / ـتے can combine with ہوا / ہوئی / ہوئے. When it directly describes a noun, it often presents an action as ongoing or characteristic at that moment:

Urdu form	Natural English meaning	What agrees?
ہنستا ہوا بچہ	a laughing boy/child	masculine singular
ہنستی ہوئی لڑکی	a laughing girl	feminine singular
کھیلتے ہوئے بچے	children who are playing	masculine plural
چلتی ہوئی گاڑی	a moving car	feminine singular

Both visible parts normally match the described noun: ہنست-ی ہوئ-ی لڑکی, but ہنست-ا ہو-ا لڑکا. In masculine plural forms, use ـتے ہوئے.

The same pattern can add a simultaneous action to a sentence. English often uses “while” or an -ing clause:

• وہ ہنستے ہوئے کمرے میں آیا۔ — He came into the room laughing.
• وہ ہنستی ہوئی کمرے میں آئی۔ — She came into the room laughing.

Here the participial phrase agrees with the person performing the simultaneous action. The main verb آیا / آئی agrees with that person as well.

Do not assume every English progressive verb needs ـتا ہوا. A normal finite progressive sentence uses رہا / رہی / رہے, for example بچہ کھیل رہا ہے (“The child is playing”). کھیلتا ہوا بچہ packages “playing” as a description attached to بچہ.

3. The infinitive as a verbal noun

The Urdu infinitive normally ends in ـنا:

| Infinitive | Meaning as an action | |---|---|---| | پڑھنا | to read; reading | | لکھنا | to write; writing | | چلنا | to walk/go; walking | | سونا | to sleep; sleeping | | کھانا پکانا | to cook; cooking |

As a verbal noun, the infinitive can be the subject—the activity being discussed—or part of the predicate:

• پڑھنا اچھی عادت ہے۔ — Reading is a good habit.
• صبح چلنا فائدہ مند ہے۔ — Walking in the morning is beneficial.
• میرا شوق کتابیں پڑھنا ہے۔ — My hobby is reading books.

In a general statement like these, the infinitive is normally cited in its masculine singular direct form ending in ـنا. Notice, however, that اچھی in اچھی عادت agrees with the feminine noun عادت, not with پڑھنا. English word order may tempt you to connect “good” directly with “reading,” but the Urdu phrase literally identifies reading as “a good habit.”

An infinitive can also serve as the complement of another expression:

• میں اردو پڑھنا چاہتا ہوں۔ — I want to study Urdu. (male speaker)
• میں اردو پڑھنا چاہتی ہوں۔ — I want to study Urdu. (female speaker)

Here چاہتا / چاہتی marks the speaker’s gender; پڑھنا remains the infinitive.

4. Before a postposition: ـنا becomes ـنے

A postposition is a word such as کے بعد (“after”), سے (“from/by”), or کے لیے (“for”) that follows its noun phrase. Urdu nouns take an oblique form—a special form used before a postposition. The infinitive behaves like a masculine ـا noun, so ـنا changes to ـنے:

Direct infinitive	Before a postposition	Example meaning
کھانا	کھانے کے بعد	after eating
پڑھنا	پڑھنے کے لیے	in order to read / for reading
ملنا	ملنے سے پہلے	before meeting
آنا	آنے پر	on arriving / when someone arrives

The full infinitive phrase may include an object before the infinitive:

• کھانا کھانے کے بعد — after eating the meal/food
• اردو سیکھنے کے لیے — in order to learn Urdu
• گھر جانے سے پہلے — before going home

In کھانا کھانے کے بعد, the first کھانا is the noun “food/meal” and the second کھانے is the oblique infinitive “eating.” The repeated sound is grammatical, not an error.

For a straightforward expression of purpose, infinitive + کے لیے is highly productive:

• وہ کتاب لینے کے لیے بازار گئی۔ — She went to the market to buy/get a book.
• ہم اردو سیکھنے کے لیے روز مشق کرتے ہیں۔ — We practise every day in order to learn Urdu.

Examples in Context

Urdu	English	Note
ٹوٹی ہوئی کھڑکی سے ہوا آ رہی ہے۔	Air is coming through the broken window.	Resulting state; feminine agreement
میز پر ایک کھلا ہوا خط پڑا ہے۔	An opened letter is lying on the table.	Masculine singular description
پکا ہوا کھانا فریج میں رکھ دیں۔	Put the cooked food in the fridge.	Result of cooking
بچے سوئے ہوئے ہیں۔	The children are asleep.	Perfective participle with plural agreement
باہر کھیلتے ہوئے بچے شور کر رہے ہیں۔	The children playing outside are making noise.	Ongoing action describing بچے
وہ ہنستی ہوئی گھر سے نکلی۔	She left the house laughing.	Simultaneous action; feminine agreement
سڑک پر چلتی ہوئی گاڑی اچانک رک گئی۔	The moving car suddenly stopped.	گاڑی is feminine
روز اخبار پڑھنا مفید ہے۔	Reading the newspaper every day is useful.	Infinitive as subject
پڑھنا اچھی عادت ہے۔	Reading is a good habit.	The predicate contains feminine عادت
مجھے رات کو دیر سے سونا پسند نہیں۔	I do not like sleeping late at night.	Infinitive names an activity
کھانا کھانے کے بعد چلیں۔	Let’s go after eating.	Oblique infinitive before کے بعد
گھر سے نکلنے سے پہلے دروازہ بند کریں۔	Close the door before leaving home.	Oblique infinitive before سے پہلے
وہ دوست سے ملنے کے لیے لاہور گیا۔	He went to Lahore to meet a friend.	Purpose with کے لیے
بارش رکنے پر ہم باہر گئے۔	When the rain stopped, we went outside.	Infinitive phrase with پر

Common Mistakes

Using the direct infinitive before a postposition

• Wrong: کھانا کے بعد چلیں۔ (when you mean “after eating”)
• Right: کھانے کے بعد چلیں۔
• Why: Before کے بعد, the infinitive takes the oblique ending ـنے. Without context, کھانا can also be the noun “food,” which makes the wrong phrase especially confusing.

Forgetting feminine agreement

• Wrong: ٹوٹا ہوا کھڑکی
• Right: ٹوٹی ہوئی کھڑکی
• Why: کھڑکی is feminine, so both parts of the participial expression are feminine: ٹوٹی ہوئی.

Treating every English “-ing” form alike

• Wrong strategy: translating both “Reading is useful” and “the reading child” with the same Urdu form.
• Right: پڑھنا مفید ہے for the activity, but پڑھتا ہوا بچہ for a boy/child who is reading.
• Why: English -ing covers several jobs. Urdu normally distinguishes an infinitive used as a verbal noun from a participle describing a noun.

Confusing a descriptive participle with the progressive tense

• Wrong: بچہ کھیلتا ہوا ہے as the ordinary way to say “The child is playing.”
• Right: بچہ کھیل رہا ہے۔
• Why: Use رہا / رہی / رہے for a normal progressive statement. Use کھیلتا ہوا بچہ when “playing” is attached as a description: “the child who is playing.” Contexts do exist where ہوا phrases act predicatively, but they are not a mechanical replacement for the progressive.

Matching the participle to the nearest noun instead of its actor

• Wrong: لڑکی ہنستا ہوا کمرے میں آئی۔
• Right: لڑکی ہنستی ہوئی کمرے میں آئی۔
• Why: The girl is doing the laughing, so the simultaneous-action phrase is feminine singular.

Usage Notes

Urdu frequently has a choice between a participial phrase and a relative clause (a clause using a word such as “who” or “that”). باہر کھیلتے ہوئے بچے is compact: “the children playing outside.” وہ بچے جو باہر کھیل رہے ہیں says more explicitly, “the children who are playing outside.” The relative clause is often clearer when the description is long or when there could be doubt about who performs the action.

In natural translation, do not preserve every word mechanically. بچے سوئے ہوئے ہیں is usually “The children are asleep,” not the awkward “The children are in a slept state.” Likewise, آنے پر may become “on arrival,” “when [someone] arrives,” or “when [someone] arrived,” depending on the wider sentence.

Urdu writing normally leaves short vowels unmarked, so agreement endings and familiar word shapes carry important information. Train yourself to see ہوا, ہوئی, and ہوئے as whole forms rather than relying only on transliteration. In speech, pronunciation and regional preferences vary, but the agreement patterns taught here are the standard forms expected in careful Urdu.

A bare adjective may be more idiomatic than a full participial expression for an established state: دروازہ بند ہے is the ordinary “The door is closed.” بند ہوا دروازہ is not automatically better just because English has a past participle. Learn frequent combinations as phrases rather than adding ہوا everywhere.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

At higher levels, infinitives participate in agreement patterns that go beyond the safe B1 rule “use ـنا, or ـنے before a postposition.” In necessity and obligation constructions, the infinitive may agree with the thing that must be acted on:

• مجھے کتاب پڑھنی ہے۔ — I have to read the book.
• مجھے خط لکھنا ہے۔ — I have to write the letter.
• ہمیں کئی کام کرنے ہیں۔ — We have several tasks to do.

Here پڑھنی matches feminine کتاب, لکھنا matches masculine خط, and کرنے matches masculine plural کام. The person under the obligation is commonly marked with کو, appearing here in the contracted pronouns مجھے and ہمیں. This construction deserves separate study rather than being treated as an exception to memorise casually.

Oblique infinitive phrases can also name a cause, trigger, or circumstance rather than literal purpose:

• اس کے آنے سے سب خوش ہوئے۔ — Everyone became happy because of his/her arrival.
• گھنٹی بجنے پر طلبہ باہر نکلے۔ — When the bell rang, the students went out.

The subject of the embedded action may appear with کا / کی / کے, as in اس کے آنے سے. This makes explicit whose coming is meant. Such patterns lead into the broader system of Infinitive-Based Constructions.

Participles can also be expanded with objects and adverbs: صبح سے کتاب پڑھتا ہوا لڑکا (“the boy who has been reading a book since morning”). As the phrase grows, however, a relative clause often becomes easier to process. Skilled Urdu style is not about making the longest possible participle; it is about choosing the clearest structure.

Practice Tips

1. Build agreement sets. Take one noun phrase and change its gender or number: ٹوٹا ہوا کپ, ٹوٹی ہوئی پلیٹ, ٹوٹے ہوئے کپ. Say all parts aloud so agreement becomes automatic.
2. Sort English -ing examples by function. For each sentence, ask whether it names an activity (پڑھنا), describes a noun (پڑھتا ہوا طالب علم), or forms a normal progressive sentence (پڑھ رہا ہے).
3. Practise postposition chains. Choose five infinitives and combine each with کے بعد, سے پہلے, and کے لیے: پڑھنے کے بعد, پڑھنے سے پہلے, پڑھنے کے لیے. Then add an object or destination to make a complete phrase.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Present Habitual Tense — its ـتا / ـتی / ـتے agreement pattern is the basis of forms such as چلتا ہوا and چلتی ہوئی.
• Next step: Infinitive-Based Constructions — develops infinitive subjects, cause and condition phrases, and other constructions with postpositions.