Understanding Continuous Tense in Urdu Grammar

Continuous tense plays a crucial role in the Urdu language, as it helps convey actions that are in process or ongoing in the present, past, or future. This article dives deep into the nuances of continuous tense in Urdu grammar, exploring its comparisons and differences in the context of Urdu language rules.

Present Continuous Tense in Urdu Grammar

In Urdu grammar, the present continuous tense conveys actions that are happening now or are in progress at the moment of speaking. The formation of sentences in the present continuous tense consists of a subject, the present participle form of the verb, and an auxiliary verb (such as “are” or “am” in English). In Urdu, the auxiliary verbs are translated as ‘کر رہا ہے’ (kar raha hai) for masculine singular, ‘کر رہی ہے’ (kar rahi hai) for feminine singular, ‘کر رہے ہیں’ (kar rahay hain) for masculine plural, and ‘کر رہیں ہیں’ (kar rahin hain) for feminine plural subjects.

Past Continuous Tense in Urdu Grammar

Past continuous tense refers to actions that were happening at a specific time in the past. The formation of these sentences is similar to present continuous, but instead of using present auxiliary verbs, past auxiliary verbs are used. In Urdu, these include ‘کر رہا تھا’ (kar raha tha) for masculine singular, ‘کر رہی تھی’ (kar rahi thi) for feminine singular, ‘کر رہے تھے’ (kar rahay thay) for masculine plural, and ‘کر رہیں تھیں’ (kar rahin thien) for feminine plural subjects.

Future Continuous Tense in Urdu Grammar

The future continuous tense in Urdu grammar is used to express actions that will be in progress at a particular time in the future. These sentences again follow a similar pattern to the present and past continuous tenses, but with future auxiliary verbs. In Urdu, examples of these verbs are ‘کر رہا ہو گا’ (kar raha ho ga) for masculine singular, ‘کر رہی ہو گی’ (kar rahi ho gi) for feminine singular, ‘کر رہے ہوں گے’ (kar rahay hon gay) for masculine plural, and ‘کر رہیں ہوں گیں’ (kar rahin hon gain) for feminine plural subjects.

Comparison of Continuous Tense in Urdu and English Grammar

Though there are differences in the specific auxiliary verbs and sentence structure, both English and Urdu languages share similar rules for forming continuous tense sentences. Some of these similarities include:

• Both languages require the use of auxiliary verbs to show the subject’s gender and plurality.
• Both languages use the verb’s present participle (the -ing form in English) to indicate an action in progress.
• The continuous tenses in both languages can be combined with perfect tenses to create more specific temporal distinctions, such as present perfect continuous, past perfect continuous, and future perfect continuous.

Conclusion

In conclusion, understanding the continuous tense in Urdu grammar is crucial for accurate communication of actions that are ongoing or in progress. By comparing the present, past, and future continuous tenses in both English and Urdu languages, learners can gain a deeper understanding of these grammatical constructs and their applications in everyday speech.