Table of Contents
Key Idea of This Chapter
In this chapter you will learn how three very common Urdu verbs behave in the simple present tense:
- کرنا karna to do
- جانا jana to go
- آنا aana to come
You will see how their basic present forms look with different subjects, and how they are used in short, everyday sentences. Detailed grammar of the present tense and the verb ہے/ہیں is handled in the parent chapter, so here we focus on these three verbs in use.
Verb 1: کرنا “to do”
Meaning and general use
کرنا (karna) means “to do”. It is used:
- On its own, for “to do” in general
- Together with other words to form many compound verbs, like:
- کام کرنا kaam karna to do work
- پڑھائی کرنا parhai karna to study
- ورزش کرنا warzish karna to exercise
- انتظار کرنا intezaar karna to wait
In this chapter, we focus on very simple, literal uses in the present tense.
Present tense patterns with کرنا
In simple present, کرنا changes to کرتا / کرتی / کرتے according to gender and number.
Consider the “do” part only. The helping verb (ہے, ہوں, ہو, ہیں, etc.) belongs to the parent chapter, so here we just show the full forms in typical sentences.
Singular forms
| English subject | Urdu subject | “do” part | Typical sentence (Urdu) | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I (male) | میں | کرتا | میں کام کرتا ہوں۔ | I (m) do work. |
| I (female) | میں | کرتی | میں کام کرتی ہوں۔ | I (f) do work. |
| You (informal, male) | تم | کرتے | تم کام کرتے ہو۔ | You (m) do work. |
| You (informal, female) | تم | کرتی/کرتی ہو is less common, usually کرتے is used for both genders in casual speech | تم کام کرتے ہو۔ | You (f) do work. |
| He | وہ | کرتا | وہ کام کرتا ہے۔ | He does work. |
| She | وہ | کرتی | وہ کام کرتی ہے۔ | She does work. |
Plural forms
| English subject | Urdu subject | “do” part | Typical sentence (Urdu) | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| We (mixed / males) | ہم | کرتے | ہم کام کرتے ہیں۔ | We do work. |
| We (all females, formal) | ہم | کرتی ہیں | ہم کام کرتی ہیں۔ | We (all women) do work. |
| You (plural, informal) | تم | کرتے | تم کام کرتے ہو۔ | You (all) do work. |
| You (formal) | آپ | کرتے | آپ کام کرتے ہیں۔ | You (formal) do work. |
| They (mixed / males) | وہ | کرتے | وہ کام کرتے ہیں۔ | They do work. |
| They (all females) | وہ | کرتی ہیں | وہ کام کرتی ہیں۔ | They (all women) do work. |
Important pattern
- Masculine singular: کرتا karta
- Feminine singular: کرتی karti
- Plural or respectful “you”: کرتے karte (for mixed / male group)
- Plural all-female: کرتی ہیں karti hain
In everyday speech, for groups, کرتے is very common even if some members are female, so do not worry too much at this level.
Simple example sentences with کرنا
Here are short, natural examples with translation.
| Urdu sentence | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| میں پڑھائی کرتا ہوں۔ (male) | main parhai karta hoon | I study. |
| میں پڑھائی کرتی ہوں۔ (female) | main parhai karti hoon | I study. |
| وہ کھانا پکاتی ہے۔ | woh khana pakaati hai | She cooks food. (literally: she does cooking food) |
| وہ ورزش کرتا ہے۔ | woh warzish karta hai | He exercises. |
| آپ کیا کرتے ہیں؟ | aap kya karte hain? | What do you do? (formal, also used to ask job) |
| تم کیا کرتے ہو؟ | tum kya karte ho? | What do you do? (informal) |
| ہم کھیلتے ہیں۔ | hum khelte hain | We play. (literally: we do playing) |
| وہ انتظار کرتے ہیں۔ | woh intezaar karte hain | They wait. |
Note that many English verbs are expressed as “noun + کرنا” in Urdu, like “do exercise”, “do study”. We limit ourselves to simple combinations here.
Verb 2: جانا “to go”
Meaning and use
جانا (jana) means “to go”. We use it:
- To say where someone goes
- To express a regular habit, such as going to school, work, mosque, or market
In the simple present tense, جانا changes to forms based on gender and number.
Present tense patterns with جانا
For learners, think of:
- Masculine singular: جاتا jata
- Feminine singular: جاتی jati
- Plural or respectful: جاتے jate (for mixed / male group).
Singular forms
| English subject | Urdu subject | “go” part | Example sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I (male) | میں | جاتا | میں اسکول جاتا ہوں۔ | I (m) go to school. |
| I (female) | میں | جاتی | میں اسکول جاتی ہوں۔ | I (f) go to school. |
| You (informal, male) | تم | جاتے | تم دفتر جاتے ہو۔ | You (m) go to the office. |
| You (informal, female) | تم | جاتی / جاتے (both heard; جاتے very common) | تم کالج جاتی ہو۔ | You (f) go to college. |
| He | وہ | جاتا | وہ مسجد جاتا ہے۔ | He goes to the mosque. |
| She | وہ | جاتی | وہ بازار جاتی ہے۔ | She goes to the market. |
Plural forms
| English subject | Urdu subject | “go” part | Example sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| We (mixed / males) | ہم | جاتے | ہم دفتر جاتے ہیں۔ | We go to the office. |
| We (all females, formal) | ہم | جاتی ہیں | ہم کالج جاتی ہیں۔ | We (all women) go to college. |
| You (plural, informal) | تم | جاتے | تم بازار جاتے ہو۔ | You (all) go to the market. |
| You (formal) | آپ | جاتے | آپ اسکول جاتے ہیں۔ | You (formal) go to school. |
| They (mixed / males) | وہ | جاتے | وہ مسجد جاتے ہیں۔ | They go to the mosque. |
| They (all females) | وہ | جاتی ہیں | وہ بازار جاتی ہیں۔ | They (all women) go to the market. |
Simple example sentences with جانا
| Urdu sentence | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| میں گھر جاتا ہوں۔ (male) | main ghar jata hoon | I go home. |
| میں گھر جاتی ہوں۔ (female) | main ghar jati hoon | I go home. |
| وہ اسکول جاتا ہے۔ | woh school jata hai | He goes to school. |
| وہ پارک جاتی ہے۔ | woh park jati hai | She goes to the park. |
| آپ کہاں جاتے ہیں؟ | aap kahan jate hain? | Where do you go? |
| تم کب جاتے ہو؟ | tum kab jate ho? | When do you go? |
| ہم روز بازار جاتے ہیں۔ | hum roz bazaar jate hain | We go to the market every day. |
| وہ اکثر گاؤں جاتے ہیں۔ | woh aksar gaon jate hain | They often go to the village. |
Note the very frequent question pattern:
- آپ کہاں جاتے ہیں؟ Where do you go?
- آپ کب جاتے ہیں؟ When do you go?
You can change the subject or place easily:
- میں کل لاہور جاتا ہوں۔ I go to Lahore tomorrow.
- ہم آج اسکول نہیں جاتے۔ We do not go to school today.
(Negatives are treated in other chapters, so we only give the feel here.)
Verb 3: آنا “to come”
Meaning and use
آنا (aana) means “to come”. You use it:
- To say someone comes to a place
- To say someone comes home, comes here, etc.
In simple present, آنا also changes with gender and number.
Present tense patterns with آنا
For this level, think:
- Masculine singular: آتا aata
- Feminine singular: آتی aati
- Plural or respectful: آتے aate (for mixed / male group).
Singular forms
| English subject | Urdu subject | “come” part | Example sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I (male) | میں | آتا | میں گھر آتا ہوں۔ | I (m) come home. |
| I (female) | میں | آتی | میں گھر آتی ہوں۔ | I (f) come home. |
| You (informal, male) | تم | آتے | تم یہاں آتے ہو۔ | You (m) come here. |
| You (informal, female) | تم | آتی / آتے | تم روز آتی ہو۔ | You (f) come every day. |
| He | وہ | آتا | وہ جلدی آتا ہے۔ | He comes early. |
| She | وہ | آتی | وہ دیر سے آتی ہے۔ | She comes late. |
Plural forms
| English subject | Urdu subject | “come” part | Example sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| We (mixed / males) | ہم | آتے | ہم شام کو آتے ہیں۔ | We come in the evening. |
| We (all females, formal) | ہم | آتی ہیں | ہم صبح آتی ہیں۔ | We (all women) come in the morning. |
| You (plural, informal) | تم | آتے | تم کب آتے ہو؟ | When do you all come? |
| You (formal) | آپ | آتے | آپ کب آتے ہیں؟ | When do you come? |
| They (mixed / males) | وہ | آتے | وہ یہاں آتے ہیں۔ | They come here. |
| They (all females) | وہ | آتی ہیں | وہ کل آتی ہیں۔ | They (all women) come tomorrow. |
Simple example sentences with آنا
| Urdu sentence | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| میں روز یہاں آتا ہوں۔ (male) | main roz yahan aata hoon | I come here every day. |
| میں روز یہاں آتی ہوں۔ (female) | main roz yahan aati hoon | I come here every day. |
| وہ گھر آتا ہے۔ | woh ghar aata hai | He comes home. |
| وہ گھر آتی ہے۔ | woh ghar aati hai | She comes home. |
| آپ کب آتے ہیں؟ | aap kab aate hain? | When do you come? |
| تم کہاں سے آتے ہو؟ | tum kahan se aate ho? | From where do you come? |
| ہم کل دوبارہ آتے ہیں۔ | hum kal dobara aate hain | We come again tomorrow. |
| وہ رات کو دیر سے آتے ہیں۔ | woh raat ko der se aate hain | They come late at night. |
Comparing کرنا, جانا, آنا in simple patterns
It is helpful to see the three verbs side by side for some pronouns. The helping verb part (ہوں, ہو, ہے, ہیں) follows patterns given in the main chapter on present tense.
“I” (male speaker)
| English | Urdu | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| I do homework. | میں ہوم ورک کرتا ہوں۔ | main homework karta hoon |
| I go to school. | میں اسکول جاتا ہوں۔ | main school jata hoon |
| I come home. | میں گھر آتا ہوں۔ | main ghar aata hoon |
“I” (female speaker)
| English | Urdu | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| I do homework. | میں ہوم ورک کرتی ہوں۔ | main homework karti hoon |
| I go to school. | میں اسکول جاتی ہوں۔ | main school jati hoon |
| I come home. | میں گھر آتی ہوں۔ | main ghar aati hoon |
“He” / “She”
| English | Urdu | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| He does work. | وہ کام کرتا ہے۔ | woh kaam karta hai |
| He goes to office. | وہ دفتر جاتا ہے۔ | woh daftar jata hai |
| He comes home. | وہ گھر آتا ہے۔ | woh ghar aata hai |
| She does work. | وہ کام کرتی ہے۔ | woh kaam karti hai |
| She goes to office. | وہ دفتر جاتی ہے۔ | woh daftar jati hai |
| She comes home. | وہ گھر آتی ہے۔ | woh ghar aati hai |
“We”
| English | Urdu | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| We do work. | ہم کام کرتے ہیں۔ | hum kaam karte hain |
| We go to school. | ہم اسکول جاتے ہیں۔ | hum school jate hain |
| We come home. | ہم گھر آتے ہیں۔ | hum ghar aate hain |
Mini practice: fill or switch the verb
Use کرتا / کرتی / کرتے, جاتا / جاتی / جاتے, or آتا / آتی / آتے in your mind to complete the meaning.
- میں اسکول ______ ہوں۔ (male)
- I go to school. → جاتا
- وہ یہاں ہر روز ______ ہے۔ (female)
- She comes here every day. → آتی
- آپ کیا ______ ہیں؟
- What do you do? → کرتے
- ہم صبح ورزش ______ ہیں۔
- We do exercise in the morning. → کرتے
- وہ رات کو دیر سے گھر ______ ہے۔ (male)
- He comes home late at night. → آتا
Try also to say these in Urdu:
- I go to the market.
- She does homework.
- We come home at 8.
- They go to school every day.
New vocabulary from this chapter
| Urdu | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| کرنا | karna | to do |
| جانا | jana | to go |
| آنا | aana | to come |
| کام | kaam | work, job |
| پڑھائی | parhai | study (noun) |
| ورزش | warzish | exercise |
| انتظار | intezaar | waiting |
| اسکول | school | school |
| کالج | college | college |
| دفتر | daftar | office |
| مسجد | masjid | mosque |
| بازار | bazaar | market |
| گاؤں | gaon | village |
| گھر | ghar | home, house |
| پارک | park | park |
| ہوم ورک | homework | homework |
| روز | roz | every day, daily |
| آج | aaj | today |
| کل | kal | yesterday / tomorrow (depends on context) |
| صبح | subah | morning |
| شام | shaam | evening |
| رات | raat | night |
| دیر | der | late, delay |
| جلدی | jaldi | early, quickly |
| کہاں | kahan | where |
| کب | kab | when |
Use these words together with کرنا, جانا, and آنا to build your own short present tense sentences.