Table of Contents
Types of Questions in Urdu
In this chapter you will learn how to form two main types of questions in Urdu:
- Yes / No questions
- Open questions (questions with words like what, where, why, who, etc.)
You will see how word order works, how intonation changes, and how to use some common patterns in everyday speech.
Yes / No Questions
A yes / no question is a question you can answer with yes or no.
In everyday Urdu:
- Yes ≈ ہاں haan
- No ≈ نہیں nahī̃
Basic pattern with ہے and ہیں
For very simple sentences with ہے hai and ہیں hain, the word order usually stays the same as in a normal statement. The main change is:
- Question mark in writing
- Rising intonation in speaking
Compare:
| Type | Urdu sentence | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statement | یہ کتاب ہے۔ | ye kitaab hai. | This is a book. |
| Question | یہ کتاب ہے؟ | ye kitaab hai? | Is this a book? |
| Statement | وہ ڈاکٹر ہیں۔ | voh daaktar hain. | He/They is/are a doctor. |
| Question | وہ ڈاکٹر ہیں؟ | voh daaktar hain? | Is he / Are they a doctor? |
Rule: In many yes / no questions in Urdu, you keep normal statement word order and use rising intonation and a question mark to show that it is a question.
More examples:
- تم پاکستانی ہو؟
tum paakistaani ho?
Are you Pakistani? - آپ ٹیچر ہیں؟
aap teechar hain?
Are you a teacher? - یہ آپ کا بیگ ہے؟
ye aap ka bag hai?
Is this your bag?
Using کیا to form yes / no questions
The word کیا kya is a very useful question word in Urdu.
In many yes / no questions, کیا comes at the beginning of the sentence.
General pattern:
$$
\text{کیا + statement word order + ؟}
$$
For example:
| Statement (affirmative) | Question with کیا | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| تم گھر جاتے ہو۔ | کیا تم گھر جاتے ہو؟ | Do you go home? |
| وہ کھانا کھاتا ہے۔ | کیا وہ کھانا کھاتا ہے؟ | Does he eat food? |
| آپ لاہور میں رہتے ہیں۔ | کیا آپ لاہور میں رہتے ہیں؟ | Do you live in Lahore? |
| وہ سکول جاتی ہے۔ | کیا وہ سکول جاتی ہے؟ | Does she go to school? |
Pattern for yes / no questions with کیا:
- Put کیا at the start of the sentence.
- Then use normal statement word order.
- Use rising intonation when you speak.
Example:
کیا آپ استاد ہیں؟
kya aap ustaad hain?
Are you a teacher?
Answering yes / no questions
To answer, you usually use:
- ہاں haan for yes
- نہیں nahī̃ for no
You can answer with only ہاں or نہیں, or with a short full sentence.
Some useful patterns:
| Question | Short answer | Slightly longer answer |
|---|---|---|
| کیا آپ پاکستانی ہیں؟ | ہاں۔ | ہاں، میں پاکستانی ہوں۔ |
| haan. | haan, main paakistaani hoon. | |
| Yes, I am Pakistani. | ||
| کیا تم طالب علم ہو؟ | نہیں۔ | نہیں، میں طالب علم نہیں ہوں۔ |
| nahī̃. | nahī̃, main taalib-e-ilm nahī̃ hoon. | |
| No, I am not a student. | ||
| یہ آپ کا موبائل ہے؟ | ہاں، میرا ہے۔ | ہاں، یہ میرا موبائل ہے۔ |
| haan, mera hai. | haan, ye mera mobile hai. | |
| Yes, it is mine. / Yes, this is my mobile. |
More examples:
- کیا آپ تھکے ہوئے ہیں؟
kya aap thake hu_e hain?
Are you tired?
ہاں، تھوڑا۔
haan, thora.
Yes, a little. - کیا یہ آپ کی گاڑی ہے؟
kya ye aap ki gaari hai?
Is this your car?
نہیں، یہ میری نہیں ہے۔
nahī̃, ye meri nahī̃ hai.
No, this is not mine.
Yes / no questions without کیا
Sometimes yes / no questions are asked without کیا, especially in casual speech, by using:
- Question intonation
- Context
For example:
- تم جا رہے ہو؟
tum ja rahe ho?
Are you going? - آپ فارغ ہیں؟
aap faarigh hain?
Are you free? - تم خوش ہو؟
tum khush ho?
Are you happy?
In writing for beginners, adding کیا at the start is clearer, but it is important to recognize both forms when listening.
Open Questions
An open question is a question that needs more than yes or no as an answer.
For example:
- What is your name?
- Where do you live?
- Why are you late?
In Urdu, you use question words like:
- کیا kya — what
- کہاں kahaan — where
- کب kab — when
- کیوں kyon — why
There are more question words in a different chapter.
Here we focus on how yes / no questions are different from open questions in structure and use.
Position of question words
In Urdu, most question words usually come:
- At or near the beginning of the clause
- The rest follows normal statement order
Compare yes / no and open questions:
| Type | Urdu sentence | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes / no | کیا آپ لاہور میں رہتے ہیں؟ | kya aap lahor mẽ rehte hain? | Do you live in Lahore? |
| Open | آپ کہاں رہتے ہیں؟ | aap kahaan rehte hain? | Where do you live? |
| Yes / no | کیا تم کھانا کھاتے ہو؟ | kya tum khaana khaate ho? | Do you eat food? |
| Open | تم کیا کھاتے ہو؟ | tum kya khaate ho? | What do you eat? |
| Yes / no | کیا وہ سکول جاتا ہے؟ | kya voh school jaata hai? | Does he go to school? |
| Open | وہ کہاں جاتا ہے؟ | voh kahaan jaata hai? | Where does he go? |
Key idea:
- Yes / no question: often uses کیا at the start, no other question word.
- Open question: uses a question word (کیا، کب، کہاں، کیوں etc.) which replaces the information you are asking about.
Using کیا in open questions
You already saw کیا used at the start of a yes / no question.
It is also a question word meaning what in an open question.
Compare:
| Type | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Yes / no with کیا | کیا تم آ رہے ہو؟ | Are you coming? |
| Open with کیا | تم کیا کر رہے ہو؟ | What are you doing? |
More examples of open questions with کیا meaning what:
- آپ کیا کھاتے ہیں؟
aap kya khaate hain?
What do you eat? - تم کیا پڑھتے ہو؟
tum kya parhte ho?
What do you study? - وہ کیا کہتا ہے؟
voh kya kehta hai?
What does he say?
Notice the difference:
- کیا تم آ رہے ہو؟ → Are you coming? (yes / no)
- تم کیا لا رہے ہو؟ → What are you bringing? (open question)
Using کہاں in open questions (where)
The question word کہاں kahaan means where.
It usually stands before the main verb of the sentence.
Patterns:
- آپ کہاں رہتے ہیں؟
aap kahaan rehte hain?
Where do you live? - تم کہاں جاتے ہو؟
tum kahaan jaate ho?
Where do you go? - وہ کہاں کام کرتا ہے؟
voh kahaan kaam karta hai?
Where does he work?
More examples:
| Question | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| آپ کہاں سے ہیں؟ | aap kahaan se hain? | Where are you from? |
| تم کہاں پڑھتے ہو؟ | tum kahaan parhte ho? | Where do you study? |
| وہ کہاں رہتی ہے؟ | voh kahaan rehti hai? | Where does she live? |
| یہ بس کہاں جاتی ہے؟ | ye bus kahaan jaati hai? | Where does this bus go? |
Using کب in open questions (when)
The question word کب kab means when.
Examples:
- آپ کب آتے ہیں؟
aap kab aate hain?
When do you come? - تم کب جا رہے ہو؟
tum kab ja rahe ho?
When are you going? - وہ کب آتا ہے؟
voh kab aata hai?
When does he come?
More examples:
| Question | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ہم کب ملتے ہیں؟ | hum kab milte hain? | When do we meet? |
| کلاس کب شروع ہوتی ہے؟ | class kab shuru hoti hai? | When does the class start? |
| فلم کب ختم ہوتی ہے؟ | film kab khatam hoti hai? | When does the film end? |
Using کیوں in open questions (why)
The question word کیوں kyon means why.
It is very common in everyday speech.
Examples:
- تم کیوں ہنس رہے ہو؟
tum kyon hans rahe ho?
Why are you laughing? - آپ کیوں اداس ہیں؟
aap kyon udaas hain?
Why are you sad? - وہ کیوں نہیں آیا؟
voh kyon nahī̃ aaya?
Why did he not come?
More examples:
| Question | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| آپ کیوں دیر سے آئے؟ | aap kyon der se a_e? | Why did you come late? |
| تم کیوں نہیں پڑھتے؟ | tum kyon nahī̃ parhte? | Why do you not study? |
| وہ کیوں ہنستی ہے؟ | voh kyon hansti hai? | Why does she laugh? |
Contrast: Yes / No vs Open Questions
Look closely at these pairs and notice how the question changes from yes / no to open, and how the meaning changes.
Example 1: Coming
- Yes / no:
کیا تم آ رہے ہو؟
kya tum aa rahe ho?
Are you coming? - Open:
تم کب آ رہے ہو؟
tum kab aa rahe ho?
When are you coming? - Open:
تم کہاں آ رہے ہو؟
tum kahaan aa rahe ho?
Where are you coming?
Example 2: Living
- Yes / no:
کیا آپ لاہور میں رہتے ہیں؟
kya aap lahor mẽ rehte hain?
Do you live in Lahore? - Open:
آپ کہاں رہتے ہیں؟
aap kahaan rehte hain?
Where do you live?
Example 3: Eating
- Yes / no:
کیا تم کھانا کھاتے ہو؟
kya tum khaana khaate ho?
Do you eat food? - Open (what):
تم کیا کھاتے ہو؟
tum kya khaate ho?
What do you eat? - Open (when):
تم کب کھاتے ہو؟
tum kab khaate ho?
When do you eat? - Open (why):
تم کیوں نہیں کھاتے؟
tum kyon nahī̃ khaate?
Why do you not eat?
Example 4: Working
- Yes / no:
کیا وہ دفتر میں کام کرتا ہے؟
kya voh daftar mẽ kaam karta hai?
Does he work in an office? - Open (where):
وہ کہاں کام کرتا ہے؟
voh kahaan kaam karta hai?
Where does he work? - Open (what):
وہ کیا کام کرتا ہے؟
voh kya kaam karta hai?
What work does he do?
Common Everyday Question Patterns
Here are some very common patterns that mix yes / no and open questions in simple daily Urdu.
Asking about place
- آپ کہاں سے ہیں؟
aap kahaan se hain?
Where are you from? - کیا آپ یہاں کے ہیں؟
kya aap yahan ke hain?
Are you from here?
Asking about time and schedule
- کلاس کب ہے؟
class kab hai?
When is the class? - کیا آج کلاس ہے؟
kya aaj class hai?
Is there class today?
Asking about activities
- تم کیا کر رہے ہو؟
tum kya kar rahe ho?
What are you doing? - کیا تم فارغ ہو؟
kya tum faarigh ho?
Are you free?
Asking about reasons
- آپ کیوں ہنس رہے ہیں؟
aap kyon hans rahe hain?
Why are you laughing? - کیا آپ خوش ہیں؟
kya aap khush hain?
Are you happy?
Practice: Identify the Type
Look at each question and decide if it is yes / no or open.
- کیا آپ سو رہے ہیں؟
kya aap so rahe hain? - آپ کہاں رہتے ہیں؟
aap kahaan rehte hain? - تم کیوں دیر سے آئے؟
tum kyon der se a_e? - کیا تم یہاں نئے ہو؟
kya tum yahan naye ho? - یہ کیا ہے؟
ye kya hai?
Answers:
- Yes / no (can answer with yes or no)
- Open (needs a location)
- Open (needs a reason)
- Yes / no
- Open (asks what it is)
Vocabulary List for This Chapter
| Urdu | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ہاں | haan | yes |
| نہیں | nahī̃ | no |
| کیا | kya | what / (yes-no marker) |
| کہاں | kahaan | where |
| کب | kab | when |
| کیوں | kyon | why |
| سوال | sawaal | question |
| جواب | jawaab | answer |
| کلاس | class | class |
| کھانا | khaana | food, to eat (as a verb root) |
| کام | kaam | work |
| رہنا | rehna | to live, to stay |
| آنا | aana | to come |
| جانا | jaana | to go |
| پڑھنا | parhna | to study, to read |
| ہنسنا | hansna | to laugh |
| خوش | khush | happy |
| اداس | udaas | sad |
| فارغ | faarigh | free, not busy |
| دیر | der | delay, late |
This chapter has shown you how to recognize and form yes / no questions and open questions in Urdu, and how their patterns differ.