2.1.2 Introduction to the ergative marker نے

Understanding نے in Urdu Past Tense

In this chapter you will meet the ergative marker نے ne. It appears a lot in the past tense, and it changes which noun is marked in the sentence. You will see how it works with simple, clear examples, without going deep into all past tense details, which belong to other chapters.

What is نے (ne)?

In many past tense sentences, Urdu uses نے right after the doer of the action, that is the subject of a transitive verb.

Very roughly, you can think:

• "X نے Y کو / Y کو X نے"
  = "X did something (to) Y" in the past.

Examples:

• علی نے کتاب پڑھی
  Ali ne kitaab paṛhī.
  "Ali read the book."
• میں نے پانی پیا
  maĩ ne paani piyaa.
  "I drank water."

Here, Ali and I are marked with نے because they are the doers of a completed action on an object (book, water).

Position of نے in the Sentence

The marker نے always comes immediately after the subject.

Note that نے does not move around. Other words can come after it, but never before it except the subject.

Example sentences:

• سارا نے دروازہ کھولا
  Saaraa ne darwaaza kholaa.
  "Sara opened the door."
• بچے نے کھلونا توڑا
  bachche ne khilaunaa toṛaa.
  "The child broke the toy."

In both sentences, نے directly follows the subject noun.

When do you use نے?

1. With a clear subject and a direct object

Use نے when there is:

1. A subject doing the action, and
2. A direct object receiving the action, and
3. The action is in simple past and is completed.

Pattern:

$$
\text{Subject} + \text{نے} + \text{Object} + \text{verb in past}
$$

Examples:

1. میں نے فلم دیکھی
   maĩ ne film dekhi.
   "I watched a movie."
2. اس نے گاڑی خریدی
   us ne gaṛī kharīdī.
   "He / she bought a car."
3. ہم نے خط لکھا
   ham ne khaṭ likhaa.
   "We wrote a letter."

In each case:

• Subject: میں, اس, ہم
• Marker: نے
• Object: فلم, گاڑی, خط
• Verb: in a past form like دیکھی, خریدی, لکھا

2. With different types of subjects

The subject can be:

• A personal pronoun
• A name
• A noun phrase

All of these can take نے.

Examples:

• تم نے گانا گایا
  tum ne gaanaa gaayaa.
  "You sang a song."
• احمد نے درخت لگایا
  Ahmad ne daraxt lagaayaa.
  "Ahmad planted a tree."
• میرا دوست نے مجھے فون کیا
  mera dost ne mujhe phone kiyaa.
  "My friend called me."

Here میرا دوست is a whole noun phrase, but نے still comes right after it.

Ergative Subject vs. Normal Subject

In English, the subject usually stays the same in all tenses. In Urdu, in some past tense sentences, the subject is ergative, marked by نے. This affects the grammar of the verb and the object, which you will study more deeply later.

For now, it is enough to notice a contrast:

• Present:
  میں کھانا کھاتا ہوں
  maĩ khaanaa khaataa huũ.
  "I eat food."
• Past:
  میں نے کھانا کھایا
  maĩ ne khaanaa khaayaa.
  "I ate food."

The differences:

Basic Pattern: Subject + نے + Object + Verb

Let us look at several parallel examples so you can see the pattern clearly.

You can see the repeated structure: subject + نے + object + past verb.

Try to notice that some subjects in Urdu look different in the past tense context:

• وہ (singular) often becomes اس نے in these past sentences.
• وہ (plural, polite) often becomes انہوں نے.

You will study these pronoun forms in more detail elsewhere. Here you only need to recognize that they take نے in this structure.

Short vs. Long Subjects with نے

The subject can be short or long, but نے still follows immediately after the full subject.

Short subjects

• میں نے
• تم نے
• اس نے
• ہم نے

Example:

• وہ لڑکا نے گیند پھینکی
  voh laṛkaa ne gend phenki.
  "That boy threw the ball."

Here, وہ لڑکا is the subject. نے follows the full subject phrase.

Longer noun phrases

• میرا چھوٹا بھائی نے
  mera chhoṭa bhaaii ne
  "my younger brother (did something)"
• ہماری ٹیچر نے
  hamaari teacher ne
  "our teacher (did something)"
• سامنے والے آدمی نے
  saamne vaale aadmī ne
  "the man in front (did something)"

Examples:

1. میرا چھوٹا بھائی نے دروازہ کھٹکھٹایا
   mera chhoṭa bhaaii ne darwaaza khaṭkhaṭaayaa.
   "My younger brother knocked on the door."
2. ہماری ٹیچر نے سوال پوچھا
   hamaari teacher ne sawaal poochhaa.
   "Our teacher asked a question."
3. سامنے والے آدمی نے میری مدد کی
   saamne vaale aadmī ne merī madad kī.
   "The man in front helped me."

In each case, نے directly follows the full subject phrase.

Ergative with Pronouns: Special Forms

Some pronouns change shape slightly when used with نے. At this level, simply remember the common combinations.

Example sentences:

• آپ نے کھانا بنایا
  aap ne khaanaa banaayaa.
  "You (polite) cooked the food."
• انہوں نے کتابیں بیچیں
  unhõ ne kitaabẽ bechĩ.
  "They sold the books."

Notice:

• وہ in a simple context can mean "he", "she", or "they".
• With نے, the singular often turns into اس نے, and the plural polite form into انہوں نے.

You do not need all the fine details now, just recognize the forms as "subject + نے" combinations.

Contracted or Dropped Subjects with نے

Sometimes in real speech the subject is clear from context and may be dropped, but نے cannot stand alone without some subject attached to it.

So you do not say:

• ✗ نے کتاب پڑھی
  ne kitaab paṛhī
  This is incorrect because we do not know who did the action.

But you can drop the subject when it is clear and use only the verb plus object. That is a different structure and does not show نے.

For example, if someone asks:

• کتاب کس نے پڑھی؟
  kitaab kis ne paṛhī?
  "Who read the book?"

You can answer simply:

• میں نے
  maĩ ne.
  "I did."

Here, in the answer, میں is understood from context. You say the full "میں نے" as a short answer.

Simple Question Patterns with نے

You can use نے in questions too. The position of نے does not change. Only the order or intonation may change.

Who did X?

Pattern:

$$
\text{کس نے} + \text{object} + \text{verb (past)}?
$$

Examples:

1. کس نے دروازہ بند کیا؟
   kis ne darwaaza band kiyaa?
   "Who closed the door?"
2. کس نے یہ تصویر بنائی؟
   kis ne ye tasvīr banaaī?
   "Who made this picture?"

Possible answers:

• علی نے
  Ali ne.
  "Ali did."
• میں نے
  maĩ ne.
  "I did."

Did X do Y?

Yes/no questions also keep نے after the subject.

Examples:

• کیا تم نے چائے پی؟
  kya tum ne chaay pii?
  "Did you drink tea?"
• کیا آپ نے کام ختم کیا؟
  kya aap ne kaam xatam kiyaa?
  "Did you finish the work?"
• کیا اس نے کتاب واپس کی؟
  kya us ne kitaab vaapas kī?
  "Did he / she return the book?"

The pattern is only slightly changed by adding کیا at the beginning. Position of نے stays the same.

Contrast: Sentences without نے

Some simple past sentences do not use نے. Those belong to different patterns which you will study in detail in the "Perfect tense" chapter.

Here you only need a basic feeling that:

• With many actions that have a clear object, you see نے.
• With some other past constructions, you do not.

Compare:

1. میں بیمار تھا
   maĩ bīmār thaa.
   "I was sick."
   No نے, because "be sick" is more like a state, not a direct action on an object.
2. رات کو بارش ہوئی
   raat ko baarish huī.
   "It rained at night."
   No نے, no clear subject doing something to an object.
3. علی نے کتاب پڑھی
   Ali ne kitaab paṛhī.
   "Ali read the book."
   Clear subject + object, so نے is used.
4. ہم نے بس کا انتظار کیا
   ham ne bus ka intizaar kiyaa.
   "We waited for the bus."
   There is an action of waiting, with a clear agent, so نے is used.

For now, focus on examples where the pattern with نے is obvious, and do not worry about all the exceptions and special cases.

Practice: Finding نے in Sentences

Look at these sentences and identify:

• The subject,
• The نے marker,
• The object, and
• The verb.

1. میں نے کتاب خریدی
   maĩ ne kitaab kharīdī.
   "I bought a book."
2. اس نے کھانا نہیں کھایا
   us ne khaanaa nahī̃ khaayaa.
   "He / she did not eat food."
3. آپ نے سچ بولا
   aap ne sach bolaa.
   "You (polite) spoke the truth."
4. ہم نے نیا گھر بنایا
   ham ne nyaa ghar banaayaa.
   "We built a new house."
5. انہوں نے ہمیں بلایا
   unhõ ne hamẽ bulaayaa.
   "They called us."

Answers (conceptually):

1. Subject: میں, Marker: نے, Object: کتاب, Verb: خریدی
2. Subject: اس, Marker: نے, Object: کھانا, Verb: نہیں کھایا
3. Subject: آپ, Marker: نے, Object: سچ, Verb: بولا
4. Subject: ہم, Marker: نے, Object: نیا گھر, Verb: بنایا
5. Subject: انہوں, Marker: نے, Object: ہمیں, Verb: بلایا

Try making your own 3 sentences in the same pattern:

• Subject + نے + Object + Past Verb.

For example:

• تم نے کیا بنایا؟
  tum ne kya banaayaa?
  "What did you make?"

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Summary of the Role of نے

Let us collect the main ideas of this introduction.

You will later learn how نے interacts with gender and number agreement of the verb and object, and how it fits inside the full system of past tenses. For now, you should recognize its form, its position, and its basic function: to mark the subject as the doer of a completed action on an object in the past.

Vocabulary for this Chapter

Below is a list of useful words and phrases that appeared in examples in this chapter.

Use these words to create your own simple past sentences with نے, and practice hearing and saying the pattern subject + نے + object + verb.