Punjabi lessons span A1 to C2 in reading, listening and writing. Learners read Gurmukhi vowel and nasal marks, distinguish masculine and feminine verb endings, and use a conditional reply to separate an offered arrangement from a confirmed one.
Two A1 lessons are given over to the script: the vowel letters, the signs that attach to a consonant, the nasal marks and Gurmukhi numerals. The rest of the early material is practical, from shop hours and lost-property announcements to orders, cancellations and messages confirming a time. At C1, an editor thanks a researcher for a photograph description while requesting permission to print the picture. A reply about a friend’s story uses familiar possessive wording and offers to read the ending together on Sunday, without promising to write it for the author.
Groups who want to read and write Punjabi in Gurmukhi itself, not in transliteration, are the closest fit, and nobody needs to know the script beforehand, since it is taught at A1.
Lessons
50
Questions
398
writing questions
154
reading questions
166
listening questions
78
Levels
A1–C2
Script
Gurmukhi
What Punjabi asks of an English speaker
Marks that change a word's sound and spelling
Gurmukhi has signs with no counterpart in English spelling. In ਅੱਖ, eye, a small mark above the first letter tells the reader to double the consonant that follows. ਤਿੰਨ, three, carries a curved nasal sign, and ਕਾਂ, crow, carries a nasal dot. The A1 lesson treats each of these as part of the word's spelling, so leaving the dot off ਕਾਂ gives a different spelling.
ਅੱਖ
eye
ਤਿੰਨ
three
ਕਾਂ
crow
A vowel sign written before its consonant
The short i sign sits to the left of the consonant it belongs to, yet it is typed after that consonant. The typing lesson shows this with ਗ and ਗਿ, and with ਗਣ, which becomes ਗਿਣ, count. The recognition lesson also introduces the carrier letters ੳ and ੲ, which organize the vowel forms, while the independent vowels are learned as complete letters.
ਗ
the g consonant
ਗਿ
the g consonant with the short i vowel sign
ਗਣ
the g consonant followed by a retroflex nasal consonant
ਗਿਣ
count
ੳ
vowel carrier letter
ੲ
vowel carrier letter
Courtesy in one added word
Several A1 phrases add ਜੀ as a mark of respect: thanks are ਸ਼ੁਕਰੀਆ ਜੀ, an apology is ਮਾਫ਼ ਕਰਨਾ ਜੀ, and an announcement says ਲਵੋ ਜੀ for please take. The early lessons address the reader with the courteous ਤੁਸੀਂ, though a C1 reply to a close friend uses the familiar singular form instead. Service requests in the transaction lesson open with ਕਿਰਪਾ ਕਰਕੇ, please.
ਜੀ
respectful particle
ਸ਼ੁਕਰੀਆ ਜੀ
thank you
ਮਾਫ਼ ਕਰਨਾ ਜੀ
please forgive me, sorry
ਲਵੋ ਜੀ
please take
ਤੁਸੀਂ
you (courteous)
ਕਿਰਪਾ ਕਰਕੇ
please
Verb and adjective endings that show gender
Punjabi verbs and many adjectives change with gender, and the lessons give both forms. A man confirming a pickup writes ਆਵਾਂਗਾ and a woman writes ਆਵਾਂਗੀ, both meaning I will come. Being free is ਵਿਹਲਾ or ਵਿਹਲੀ depending on whether the writer is a man or a woman. Colors that change form agree with the noun too, as in the lesson's order for a ਕਮੀਜ਼, shirt, which is a feminine noun.
ਆਵਾਂਗਾ
I will come (masculine)
ਆਵਾਂਗੀ
I will come (feminine)
ਵਿਹਲਾ
free, available (masculine)
ਵਿਹਲੀ
free, available (feminine)
ਕਮੀਜ਼
shirt (feminine noun)
Try two questions from the course
Both are taken unchanged from the Punjabi lessons, with the explanation learners see after answering.
A1 · Recognize Gurmukhi characters, combining forms, and numerals
What does the mark above ਅ in ਅੱਖ (eye) indicate?
B1 · Summarize factual information from straightforward texts
A1 Read and type Gurmukhi letters, vowel signs, nasal marks and numerals, read shop hours and simple notices, and write set phrases for thanks, apologies and birthday wishes.
10 skills at A1
Recognize Gurmukhi characters, combining forms, and numerals
Produce Gurmukhi characters, familiar words, and numerals
Recognize familiar words and basic phrases in short written texts
Understand basic spoken phrases when delivered slowly and clearly
Complete simple forms with personal information
Write very short simple personal messages
Understand simple written instructions supported by context
Recognize basic information in signs, notices, and schedules
Follow very simple spoken announcements
Exchange basic information in simple written interactions
A2 Read menus, timetables and service notices along with their conditions, follow spoken directions in order, and write orders, cancellations and confirmations with the right gender ending.
8 skills at A2
Understand short simple personal messages
Follow basic spoken information about everyday matters
Read simple public information and service texts
Write short everyday messages for practical purposes
Describe routine matters in simple connected writing
Handle simple written transactions
Understand simple directions and instructions
Extract key details from short factual texts
B1 Read the Punjabi camera-loan offer for Sunday to Monday as conditional on a reply before booking, and use the feminine future form when explaining a Friday collection around a tailor’s Thursday closure.
8 skills at B1
Understand the main points of clear texts on familiar matters
Understand the main points of clear standard speech on familiar matters
Write connected texts on familiar topics
Express opinions, plans, and experiences in writing
Manage routine written correspondence
Understand straightforward narratives and descriptions
Follow straightforward presentations and media on familiar topics
Summarize factual information from straightforward texts
B2 Follow a Punjabi book-fair discussion that distinguishes equal sales tables from children’s reading seats, and write a qualified agreement to shorten a poem’s title while keeping its central image.
8 skills at B2
Read articles and reports that present arguments and viewpoints
Understand extended speech and presentations with clear structure
Write clear detailed texts on a range of subjects
Write reasoned arguments supporting a point of view
Participate effectively in written discussions
Understand specialized texts in familiar fields
Identify stance, tone, and implication in spoken discourse
Synthesize information from multiple written sources
C1 Read long texts for implied meaning, take structured notes from complex spoken input, and choose between the courteous form of address and the familiar singular one, as in a reply to a close friend.
8 skills at C1
Understand long complex texts across a range of domains
Understand extended speech with implicit meaning and complex structure
Write well-structured detailed texts on complex subjects
Adapt style, register, and conventions to purpose and audience
Manage complex written interactions fluently and appropriately
Understand implicit meaning, nuance, and rhetorical effect in written texts
Take effective notes from complex spoken input
Evaluate and synthesize information from complex written sources
C2 Interpret allusions in Punjabi narratives, such as a chair that stands for succession in a family business, follow speech that moves between description and quotation, and edit a passage without losing its contrasts.
8 skills at C2
Understand virtually all forms of written language
Understand virtually all forms of spoken language
Produce polished, effective texts for demanding purposes
Compose nuanced persuasive arguments
Handle demanding written exchanges with precision and flexibility
Interpret subtle pragmatic and cultural references
Critically synthesize diverse written and spoken sources
Edit and transform texts while preserving nuance and effect
Punjabi with a group
In a Punjabi session, participants enter a room code and the whole room gets one item together: perhaps a Gurmukhi word whose nasal mark needs identifying, a bus notice where only one departure time has changed, or a confirmation that needs the feminine verb ending. The host sees the room's weak spots as a pattern, for example confusing the two nasal marks, rather than as a ranking of individuals, and Yolango picks what comes next to address it. Learners can also work through items alone between sessions.
Yolango