8.6 Grammar: Perfective Aspect

Instructor Video: Perfective Aspect in Urdu

Use of Perfective Markers with Different Subjects

Future markers are used based on the number, person and gender features of the agreeing subject.

Future Markers
Examples Masculine/Feminine Plural pronoun Examples Masculine/

Feminine

Singular Pronoun Person
اےیں

لکھے/لکھیں

ے/یں “We” ہم آیای

لکھا/لکھی

آ/ی “I” میں 1st
آیای

لکھا/لکھی

آ/ی “You” تو 2nd
اےی

لکھے/لکھی

ے/ی “You” (تم) (لوگ) اےی

لکھے/لکھی

ے/ی “You” تم
اےیی

لکھے/لکھیں

ے/یں “You” (آپ) (لوگ) اےیں

لکھے /لکھیں

ے/یں “You” آپ
اےیی

لکھے/لکھیں

ے/یں “They,” and plural nouns یہ/وہ آیای

لکھا/لکھی

آ/ی “S/he and Singular Noun” یہ/وہ 3rd

Irregular Verbs in Perfective Aspect

یں  ی  ے  آ  Verb
گئیں گئی گئے گیا “To go” جانا
کیں کی کئے کیا “To do” کرنا
ہوئیں ہوئی ہوئے ہوا “To be/happen” ہونا
لیں لی لئے لیا “To take” لینا 
دیں دی دیے دیا “To give” دینا 

Perfective Aspect with Intransitive Verbs

We have learned that the main verb can be classified into three categories: (a) intransitive verb, (b) transitive verb, and (c) ditransitive verb. The structure of the perfective aspect for intransitive verbs is different from the structure of transitive and ditransitive verbs.

We also learned that an intransitive verb is a verb that requires only one noun/pronoun in a complete sentence and that the noun/pronoun can be either the subject or the object of that complete sentence.

Verb agreement: The intransitive verb requires only one noun/pronoun that can act like a subject or object. The verb agrees with the subject or object, whichever is available in a sentence.

Perfective aspect with Intransitive Verbs in Three Tenses

Perfective aspect with Intransitive Verbs in Three Tenses
Remarks Future Perfect Present Perfect Past Perfect Simple Perfect
Subject-Verb Agreement: وہ “He” and آپ “You” are the subjects of these sentences. If you ask a question like “Who ran?” or “Who slept?”, what you receive as an answer is a subject.

وہ دوڑا ہوگا/ہوگی 

آپ سوئی  ہوں گی

وہ دوڑا ہے

آپ سوئی ہیں

وہ دوڑا تھا

آپ سوئی تھیں

وہ دوڑا

آپ سوئیں

Object-Verb Agreement: “Train” and “Leaves” are the objects of these sentences. If you ask a question like “What” arrived?” or “What fell?”, you will receive an object as an answer.

ٹرین پہنچی ہوگی

پتے گرے ہوں گے

ٹرین پہنچی ہے

پتے گرے ہیں

ٹرین پہنچی تھی

پتے گرے تھے

ٹرین پہنچی

پتے گرے

Activity 1

Please write two sentences in perfective aspect using the following intransitive verbs.

Sentences  Intransitive Verbs
 .١  “To go” جانا
.٢ 
 .١  “To come” آنا 
.٢ 
 .١  “To sit” بیٹھنا 
.٢ 
 .١  “To sleep” سونا 
.٢ 
 .١  “To stroll” ٹہلنا 
.٢ 
 .١  “To fall” گرنا 
.٢ 
 .١  “To run” دوڑنا 
.٢ 
 .١  “To be broken” ٹوٹنا
.٢ 
 .١  “To cry/weep” رونا
.٢ 
 .١  “To laugh” ہنسنا 
.٢ 
 .١  “To arrive” پہنچنا
.٢ 

Perfective Aspect with Transitive and Ditransitive Verbs

We have learned that a transitive verb is a verb that requires two nouns/pronouns in a complete sentence where one noun/pronoun has to be the subject and other noun/pronoun has to be the object of a complete sentence.

A ditransitive verb is a verb that requires three nouns/pronouns in a complete sentence where one noun/pronoun has to be the subject and the other noun/pronoun has to be the indirect object; yet another noun/pronoun has to be the direct object of a complete sentence.

Use of نے

When transitive and ditransitive verbs appear in the perfective aspect, the ergative case marker نے- comes with the subject of the sentence. The subject of the transitive and ditransitive verbs in the perfective aspect has to be in oblique form because of the appearance of the ergative case marker نے-.

Oblique Form of Hindi Pronouns with Ergative Case Marker نے-

Oblique Form of Pronouns with نے- Direct Pronoun Oblique Form of Pronouns with نے- Direct Pronoun
ہم نے “We” ہم میں نے “I” میں
تم نے “You” تم تو نے “You” تو
اس نے “S/he, This” یہ اپ نے “You” آپ
انہوں نے “They, These” یہ اس نے “S/he, That” وہ
کس نے “Who (singular)” کون انہوں نے “They, Those” وہ
proper noun نے proper noun کنہوں نے “Who (Plural)” کون

Note: There are a few transitive verbs that do not use the subject with نے- marking. These verbs are لانا “to bring”, بھولنا “to forget”, and بولنا “to speak”.

Verb-Agreement of Transitive and Ditransitive Verbs in the Perfective Aspect

Object-Verb Agreement

    • As the subject of transitive and ditransitive verbs in the perfective aspect has to have the ergative case marker نے- , it blocks the subject-verb agreement, so the verb agrees with the object.
    • For example:
      • میں نے کھانا کھایا “I ate food.” (Here, کھایا is agreeing with the object کھانا which is masculine singular.)
      •  صبا نے کپڑے خریدے “Saba bought clothes.” (Here, خریدے is agreeing with the object کپڑے which is masculine plural.)
      • عمران نے روٹی کھائی “Imran ate some bread.” (Here, کھایی is agreeing with the object روٹی which is feminine singular)
      •  انہوں نے سنا کو پھول دیا  “They gave Sana a flower.” (Here, دیا is agreeing with the object پھول which is masculine singular. Also note that the indirect object سنا is also marked with کو-, and hence cannot agree with the verb.)
      • پیٹر نے احمد کو کتابیں دیں  “Peter gave books to Ahmed.” (Here, دیں is agreeing with the object کتابیں which is feminine plural. Please also note that the indirect object احمد is also marked with کو- and hence cannot agree with the verb.)

Default Agreement

    • When the subject and the object both are marked by case markers نے and کو/سے respectively, the verb of a sentence does not have any noun/pronoun to agree with. In this case, the verb will always take a third person, singular masculine perfect aspect marking, which is also called default marking.
    • For example:
      • -صبا نے سنا کو مارا “Saba beat up Sana.” (Here, صبا and سنا are both feminine, but the verb مارا is in 3rd person singular masculine form because of the default agreement.)
      • -استاد نے ہم سے کہا “Teacher spoke to us.” (Here, استاد is 3rd person singular honorific and ہم is masculine plural, but the verb کہا is in 3rd person singular masculine form, because of the default agreement.)
      • -لوگوں نے چور کو پکڑا “People caught a thief.” (Here, لوگوں is 3rd person plural and چور is masculine singular, the verb پکڑا is in 3rd person singular masculine form because of the default agreement, not because of چور .)

Activity 2

Please write two sentences in perfective aspect using the following transitive and ditransitive verbs.

Sentences  Transitive Verbs
 .١  “To eat” کھانا
.٢ 
 .١  “To study/read” پڑھنا 
.٢ 
 .١  “To write” لکھنا
.٢ 
 .١  “To ask” پوچھنا
.٢ 
 .١  “To teach” پڑھانا
.٢ 
 .١  “To say” کہنا
.٢ 
 .١  “To tell” بتانا
.٢ 
 .١  “To open” کھولنا
.٢ 
 .١  “To break” توڑنا
.٢ 
 .١   “To think” سوچنا
.٢ 
 .١  “To watch/see” دیکھنا
.٢ 

Negative of Perfective Aspect

In order to change the perfective aspect sentences to negative, we use the word نہیں right before the main verb.

Examples:

“I did not go to school.” –میں اسکول نہیں گیا/گئی

“We did not eat food.” –ہم نے کھانا نہیں کھایا ہے

“Mother did not give sweets to the children.” –امی نے بچوں کو مٹھائیاں نہیں دیں

 “Teacher had taught nothing to us.” –استاد نے ہمیں کچھ نہیں پڑھایا تھا

Uses of the Perfective Aspect

Use of Simple Perfective Aspect

Unlike the habitual past tense which expresses the routine, habitual, and permanent actions in the past, the simple perfective aspect expresses one completed action. The past adverb of time can be used in a simple perfective aspect sentence.

For examples:

“Yesterday, I ran 10 kilometers.” –کل میں دس کلومیٹر دوڑی

“Last month, father bought a radio.” –پچھلے مہینے، میرے والد صاحب نے ایک ریڈیو خریدا

“Last year, she went to India.” –پچھلے سال، وہ ہندوستان گئی

Activity 3

Please write 5 Urdu sentences explaining what you did yesterday in the simple perfective aspect.

.1

.2

.3

.4

.5

Use of the Present Perfective Tense

The perfective aspect in the present tense is used to express a recently completed action, the effect of which may still be continuing. Please note that the past adverbs of time cannot be used in the present perfective tense sentences.

For examples:

“Today, I have run 10 kilometers.” –آج میں دس کلومیٹر دوڑی ہوں

“Today, my father has given me some money.” –آج میرے ابو نے مجھے کچھ پیسے دیے ہیں

“I have done yoga this morning.” –آج صبح، میں نے یوگا کیا ہے

Activity 4

Please write 5 Urdu sentences explaining what you did today in the present perfective tense.

.1

.2

.3

.4

.5

Use of the Past Perfective Tense

The perfective aspect in the past tense is used to express a distant past completed action, the effect of which may not be continuing at all. Please note that the past adverbs of time can be used in the past perfective tense sentences.

For example:

“Today, I have run 10 kilometers.” –کل میں دس کلومیٹر دوڑی تھی

“Today, my father has given me some money.”- پچھلے مہینے میرے ابو نے مجھے کچھ پیسے دیے تھے

“I have done yoga this morning.” –بچپن میں، میں نے یوگا کیا تھا

Activity 5

Please write 5 Urdu sentences explaining what did you do when you were a child (during your childhood) in the past perfective tense.

.1

.2

.3

.4

.5

Use of the Future Perfective Tense

In English, the future perfective tense is used to show a completed action by a particular time in future. In Urdu, we simply use Simple future tense to express those actions.

In Urdu, the perfective aspect in the future tense is used to express assumption that some action must have been completed by a particular time.

For example:

“The children must have fallen asleep by now.” –اب تک بچے سو گئے ہوں گے

“Father must have reached the office by 10 o’clock.” –ابو ١٠ بجے تک دفتر پہنچ گئے ہوں گے

“Mother must have cooked the food by the evening.” –امی نے شام تک کھانا پکا لیا ہوگا

Activity 6

Please write 5 Urdu sentences assuming what your friends must have done by now using the future perfective tense.

.1

.2

.3

.4

.5

Activity 7

Please read the following paragraphs and click on the verbs which are in the perfective aspect.

Activity 8

Activity 9

Please read the following sentences carefully and decide if the sentences are grammatical or ungrammatical.

 !شکریہ 

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