Time and days in Punjabi
Now, later, tomorrow, what time it opens and one moment please. Play the ten Punjabi words against the clock, with a note on how locals really use each one after every answer. All ten are written out below.
All 10 Punjabi phrases in this lesson
- ਹੁਣHUN
- Now
- ਬਾਅਦ ਵਿੱਚBAAD vich
- Later
- ਅੱਜAJ
- Today
- ਕੱਲ੍ਹKAL
- Tomorrow
- ਅੱਜ ਰਾਤAJ RAAT
- Tonight
- ਕਦੋਂ?ka-DON
- When?
- ਕਿੰਨੇ ਵਜੇ ਖੁੱਲ੍ਹਦਾ ਹੈ?KIN-ne va-JE KHUL-daa hai
- What time does it open?
- ਇੱਕ ਮਿੰਟIK MINT
- One moment, please
- ਮਿੰਟMINT
- Minutes
- ਘੰਟੇGHAN-te
- Hours
Hun (now). Direct and useful. "Hun chal" means "let's go now." Hun de hun means "right this instant" and is what a Punjabi parent says when patience runs out.
Baad vich (later, afterwards). Vich means in or within. Time in Punjab can be elastic; "baad vich" might mean in an hour or in three days depending on context. Confirm with a clock time if precision matters.
Aj (today) is one of the shortest and most useful words in Punjabi. "Aj ki hai" (what is today) is a natural way to ask the day of the week.
Kal means both tomorrow and yesterday in Punjabi, just as in Hindi. Context and tense make the meaning clear. This ambiguity surprises learners but rarely confuses locals.
Literally "one minute".