Infinitive-Based Constructions in Urdu

In Brief

The Urdu infinitive normally ends in نا, as in کرنا “to do” and آنا “to come.” It can name an activity like an English -ing form, but before most postpositions its ending changes from نا to oblique نے: آنے سے “because of/by coming,” آنے پر “on coming,” and آنے کے لیے “in order to come.” The same oblique form combines with والا to describe a person associated with an action: پڑھانے والا “one who teaches.”

Overview

An infinitive is the basic verb form usually listed in a dictionary—the form translated as “to come,” “to read,” or “to speak.” Urdu infinitives are unusually flexible. They can still refer to an action, but they can also behave like nouns: بولنا may mean “to speak,” “speaking,” or “the act of speaking,” depending on its place in the sentence. This lets Urdu package a whole event into a subject, an object, or a phrase governed by a postposition.

At B2, the important step is not simply recognizing نا. It is learning to treat the infinitive as a small event phrase. That phrase can include its own object and its own doer: علی کا وقت پر پہنچنا means “Ali’s arriving on time.” Urdu can then attach سے, پر, کے بعد, کے لیے, or another postposition to the entire event.

English often switches among “to do,” “doing,” “when someone does,” and abstract nouns such as “arrival.” Urdu frequently keeps one infinitive-based pattern instead. The mapping is therefore not word for word: اس کے آنے سے is literally close to “from his/her coming,” but natural English may require “because he/she came.”

How It Works

The direct and oblique forms

Urdu case has a direct form (the ordinary unmarked form) and an oblique form (the form used before a postposition). For a typical infinitive, the contrast is straightforward.

Function	Ending	Example	Meaning
Direct infinitive	نا	لکھنا	to write; writing
Oblique infinitive	نے	لکھنے	writing/to write, before a postposition or والا

The final change belongs to the infinitive, not to the lexical stem:

• کرنا → کرنے سے — to do → by/because of doing
• آنا → آنے پر — to come → on coming
• پڑھانا → پڑھانے والا — to teach → one who teaches
• دیکھنا → دیکھنے کے بعد — to see → after seeing

Do not confuse infinitival نے with the separate ergative postposition نے, which marks the agent in many perfective clauses. In جانے سے, نے is simply part of the oblique form جانے.

The infinitive as a noun-like subject

A subject is what the sentence is about or what performs an action. An infinitive phrase can fill that role:

سچ بولنا اچھی بات ہے۔
“Telling the truth is a good thing.”

Here سچ بولنا names an activity. Urdu normally uses the masculine singular direct infinitive in this noun-like role. A following description may instead agree with a stated noun: in اچھی بات, اچھی is feminine because بات is feminine—not because بولنا is feminine.

Longer event subjects are possible:

روز دیر سے سونا صحت کے لیے نقصان دہ ہے۔
“Going to sleep late every day is harmful to health.”

The entire phrase روز دیر سے سونا functions as one unit.

The infinitive as an object or complement

An object is the person or thing affected by an action. Urdu verbs such as پسند کرنا “to like,” شروع کرنا “to begin,” and چھوڑنا “to stop/give up” can take an infinitive phrase as their complement—the expression that completes their meaning.

• وہ تیرنا پسند کرتی ہے۔ — She likes swimming.
• ہم نے کام کرنا شروع کیا۔ — We began working.
• اس نے سگریٹ پینا چھوڑ دیا۔ — He/She gave up smoking.

With انکار کرنا “to refuse,” standard Urdu normally uses سے:

اس نے جانے سے انکار کیا۔
“He/She refused to go.”

English uses “refuse to,” but copying that structure directly misses the Urdu construction infinitive in -نے + سے + انکار کرنا.

Naming the doer of the infinitive

When the doer of the infinitive needs to be stated, Urdu commonly marks that person with a possessive form. In grammatical terms, this is a genitive construction—a form comparable to English “Ali’s” in “Ali’s arriving.”

Doer	Event phrase	Meaning
میرا	میرا آنا	my coming
علی کا	علی کا آنا	Ali’s coming
اس کا	اس کا بولنا	his/her speaking
بچوں کا	بچوں کا کھیلنا	the children’s playing

Before a postposition, the possessive linker appears as کے, while the infinitive becomes oblique:

• میرے آنے سے — because of my coming
• علی کے پہنچنے پر — when/upon Ali’s arrival
• بچوں کے کھیلنے کے لیے — for the children to play

Pronouns change accordingly: میں → میرے, تم → تمہارے, وہ/یہ → اس/اس کے, depending on the complete phrase.

Infinitive + postposition

A postposition does work similar to an English preposition, but it follows its complement. Once a postposition follows an infinitive, use the oblique -نے form.

Pattern	Core meaning	Natural English equivalents
-نے سے	source, means, cause, consequence	by doing; from doing; because someone does/did
-نے پر	event as time, trigger, or condition	on doing; when; if/once
-نے کے بعد	later than an event	after doing
-نے سے پہلے	earlier than an event	before doing
-نے کے لیے	purpose or intended participant	in order to; for doing; for someone to do
-نے کے باوجود	concession	despite doing; although someone did

The postposition supplies the relationship, so translations must follow context. سے can mark a method in محنت کرنے سے کامیابی ملتی ہے (“Success comes through working hard”), but a cause in اس کے آنے سے سب خوش ہوئے (“Everyone was happy because he/she came”).

With پر, the event often triggers what follows:

بارش ہونے پر میچ منسوخ ہو جائے گا۔
“If/when it rains, the match will be cancelled.”

This can express a condition, but it does not by itself tell you whether the event is certain. Context and the main verb determine whether English prefers “when,” “on,” or “if.”

Oblique infinitive + والا

والا can identify someone or something associated with an action. After an infinitive, use the oblique form:

verb stem + نے + والا/والی/والے

Form	Typical agreement	Example	Meaning
والا	masculine singular	پڑھانے والا آدمی	the man who teaches
والی	feminine singular	پڑھانے والی عورت	the woman who teaches
والے	masculine plural or respectful/oblique	پڑھانے والے لوگ	the people who teach

The noun may be omitted when the person is clear: پڑھانے والی آج نہیں آئیں۔ “The woman who teaches/the teacher did not come today.” Agreement remains visible on والا.

This construction is productive, but it is descriptive rather than a perfect dictionary-equivalent machine. پڑھانے والا literally means “one who teaches”; the ordinary established word for “teacher” is often استاد. Likewise, گاڑی چلانے والا can mean “the person who drives,” while ڈرائیور is the lexical profession name “driver.” Choose والا when the activity or identifying description matters.

Examples in Context

Urdu	English	Note
سچ بولنا اچھی بات ہے۔	Telling the truth is a good thing.	Infinitive phrase as subject
یہاں سگریٹ پینا منع ہے۔	Smoking is prohibited here.	Noun-like infinitive in a public rule
نئی زبان سیکھنا وقت مانگتا ہے۔	Learning a new language takes time.	A longer infinitive phrase as subject
وہ تیرنا پسند کرتی ہے۔	She likes swimming.	Infinitive complement of پسند کرنا
ہم نے کام کرنا شروع کیا۔	We started working.	Infinitive complement of شروع کرنا
اس نے جانے سے انکار کیا۔	He/She refused to go.	Fixed pattern with سے انکار کرنا
اس کے آنے سے سب خوش ہوئے۔	Everyone was happy because he/she came.	سے marks cause
روز مشق کرنے سے تلفظ بہتر ہوتا ہے۔	Pronunciation improves through daily practice.	سے marks means
گھر پہنچنے پر مجھے فون کرنا۔	Call me when you get home.	پر marks the triggering time
بارش ہونے پر راستہ بند ہو سکتا ہے۔	The road may close if it rains.	پر has a conditional reading
کھانا کھانے کے بعد ہم باہر گئے۔	After eating, we went outside.	Compound postposition کے بعد
سونے سے پہلے دروازہ بند کر دینا۔	Close the door before going to sleep.	سے پہلے “before”
اردو سیکھنے کے لیے روز سننا ضروری ہے۔	To learn Urdu, it is necessary to listen every day.	Purpose with کے لیے
دیر سے پہنچنے کے باوجود اسے اندر آنے دیا گیا۔	Despite arriving late, he/she was allowed in.	Concession with کے باوجود
بچوں کو پڑھانے والی خاتون میری بہن ہیں۔	The woman who teaches the children is my sister.	والی agrees with خاتون

Common Mistakes

Keeping نا before a postposition

• Wrong: آنا کے بعد ہم چلے گئے۔
• Right: آنے کے بعد ہم چلے گئے۔
• Why: Before کے بعد, the infinitive must be oblique: آنا → آنے.

Translating English “refuse to” word for word

• Wrong: اس نے جانا انکار کیا۔
• Right: اس نے جانے سے انکار کیا۔
• Why: Urdu uses -نے سے انکار کرنا, literally “to make a refusal from doing.”

Omitting the marker of the infinitive’s doer

• Wrong: وہ آنے سے سب خوش ہوئے۔ (intended: “Because he/she came...”)
• Right: اس کے آنے سے سب خوش ہوئے۔
• Why: When the infinitive has an explicitly different doer, mark that doer possessively: اس کے آنے سے.

Treating سے as having only one English translation

• Wrong interpretation: چلنے سے must always mean “because of walking.”
• Better: Read the relationship in context: it can mean “by walking,” “from walking,” or “because someone walked.”
• Why: Urdu postpositions cover meaning ranges that do not line up neatly with one English preposition.

Using والا as an automatic profession suffix

• Unnatural in many neutral contexts: میرا پڑھانے والا بہت اچھا ہے۔
• More natural: میرے استاد بہت اچھے ہیں۔ — “My teacher is very good.”
• Why: پڑھانے والا describes “the one who teaches,” but استاد is the established profession noun. Use the descriptive construction when it identifies or contrasts someone.

Forgetting agreement on والا

• Wrong: پڑھانے والا خاتون
• Right: پڑھانے والی خاتون
• Why: والا behaves like an adjective and agrees with the noun it describes.

Usage Notes

Infinitive phrases are common in both conversation and writing. Short signs and rules especially favor the direct infinitive: تصویر کھینچنا منع ہے “Taking photographs is prohibited.” This sounds compact and impersonal; no separate word equivalent to English “people” is needed.

English speakers should resist choosing the Urdu form from the English surface wording alone. English “before leaving” and “before he left” differ structurally, but Urdu can express both through جانے سے پہلے; if the doer must be clear, add it: اس کے جانے سے پہلے. Conversely, English “to” does not always correspond to a bare Urdu infinitive. Purpose often requires کے لیے, while refusal requires سے.

The doer may remain unstated when it is obvious or shared with the main clause: کھانا کھانے کے بعد میں سو گیا naturally implies that “I” ate and then slept. Add a possessive phrase when the doers differ or ambiguity matters: علی کے کھانا کھانے کے بعد میں سو گیا means “After Ali ate, I went to sleep.”

In respectful speech, plural-looking agreement is common for a respected singular person. That is why پڑھانے والی خاتون ... آئیں can use آئیں rather than a nonrespectful singular form.

Beyond the Basics: Clause-Like Infinitive Phrases

An Urdu infinitive phrase can carry much of the information found in a full clause: a doer, an object, adverbs, and negation. Compare the following event packages:

• علی کا آنا — Ali’s coming
• علی کا وقت پر آنا — Ali’s coming on time
• علی کا اجلاس میں وقت پر آنا — Ali’s coming to the meeting on time
• علی کا اجلاس میں وقت پر نہ آنا — Ali’s not coming to the meeting on time

The final infinitive turns all the preceding material into a noun-like event. The whole phrase can then become a subject:

علی کا اجلاس میں وقت پر نہ آنا حیرت کی بات تھی۔
“Ali’s not coming to the meeting on time was surprising.”

Or it can take a postposition:

علی کے اجلاس میں وقت پر نہ آنے سے مسئلہ ہوا۔
“A problem arose because Ali did not come to the meeting on time.”

Notice both changes: کا → کے and آنا → آنے. Learners often change only the final infinitive and overlook the possessive marker.

Event noun or finite clause?

A finite clause has a verb marked for tense or aspect, such as وہ آیا “he came.” An infinitive phrase presents the same content as an event rather than directly asserting it.

Event packaged as an infinitive	Event asserted as a clause
اس کے آنے سے سب خوش ہوئے۔ — Everyone was happy because of his/her coming.	جب وہ آیا/آئی تو سب خوش ہوئے۔ — When he/she came, everyone was happy.
بارش ہونے پر میچ رک گیا۔ — The match stopped when it rained.	جب بارش ہوئی تو میچ رک گیا۔ — When it rained, the match stopped.

The infinitive version is compact and can sound more formal or information-dense. The finite جب ... تو version explicitly presents a time relationship and often feels more narrative. Neither is universally better.

Necessity and intended action

Infinitives also appear in obligation and intention patterns such as مجھے جانا ہے “I have to go.” In these constructions, the person is commonly marked with کو (or a pronoun form such as مجھے), not as the possessive doer described above. Some infinitives can agree with a feminine object in such patterns, for example مجھے اردو سیکھنی ہے “I have to learn Urdu.” This agreement belongs to the wider system of Urdu necessity and infinitive agreement; it should not be generalized to every noun-like infinitive. The safe default for the constructions taught in this article is the masculine singular form -نا, changing to -نے before a postposition.

Two meanings of infinitive + والا

Depending on context, -نے والا may identify a habitual actor or point toward an imminent action:

• وہ بچوں کو پڑھانے والا ہے۔ — He is someone who teaches children / He is the one who will teach the children.
• ٹرین چلنے والی ہے۔ — The train is about to leave.

Context, subject type, and time expressions separate the readings. With an inanimate event subject and ہے, the “about to” meaning is especially common. This near-future use is related to, but distinct from, profession and identification.

Practice Tips

1. Transform direct forms into postpositional phrases. Take five infinitives—such as آنا, کرنا, پڑھنا, لکھنا, and سونا—and build -نے سے, -نے پر, -نے کے بعد, and -نے کے لیے phrases from each.
2. Package a complete event. Begin with علی کا آنا, then add a place, a time phrase, and نہ. Finally, place سے or پر after the event and check that کا becomes کے and آنا becomes آنے.
3. Translate for meaning, not shape. When reading, underline the whole infinitive phrase before translating. Decide whether English needs “to,” “-ing,” “when,” “because,” or “if” only after identifying the Urdu postposition and the main clause.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Participial and Gerund Forms — reviews noun-like verb forms, participles, and the basic oblique infinitive used here.