Punjabi Pronouns Explained: Main, Tusi, Tu, Asi, Oh — and When Tu Is Rude

Punjabi has six core pronouns: main (ਮੈਂ, I), asi (ਅਸੀਂ, we), tu (ਤੂੰ, you — close and informal), tusi (ਤੁਸੀਂ, you — respectful, and plural), eh (ਇਹ, this / he / she, near) and oh (ਉਹ, that / he / she / they, far). Each has a possessive (mera, my) and an object form (mainu, to me), and each makes the verb change its ending. The one rule that matters socially: use tusi with anyone older, anyone you don't know, and all in-laws; save tu for children, close friends and people who have invited it. Getting that wrong is the fastest way to sound rude. Here is the full chart.

The Punjabi Pronoun Chart

English	Subject	Possessive (m / f / pl)	Object ("to …")	With ("with …")
I	main ਮੈਂ	mera / meri / mere ਮੇਰਾ / ਮੇਰੀ / ਮੇਰੇ	mainu ਮੈਨੂੰ	mere naal ਮੇਰੇ ਨਾਲ
we	asi ਅਸੀਂ	sada / sadi / sade ਸਾਡਾ / ਸਾਡੀ / ਸਾਡੇ	sanu ਸਾਨੂੰ	sade naal ਸਾਡੇ ਨਾਲ
you (informal)	tu ਤੂੰ	tera / teri / tere ਤੇਰਾ / ਤੇਰੀ / ਤੇਰੇ	tainu ਤੈਨੂੰ	tere naal ਤੇਰੇ ਨਾਲ
you (respectful / plural)	tusi ਤੁਸੀਂ	tuhada / tuhadi / tuhade ਤੁਹਾਡਾ / ਤੁਹਾਡੀ / ਤੁਹਾਡੇ	tuhanu ਤੁਹਾਨੂੰ	tuhade naal ਤੁਹਾਡੇ ਨਾਲ
he / she / this (near)	eh ਇਹ	is da / is di / is de ਇਸ ਦਾ (spoken: ihda ਇਹਦਾ)	isnu ਇਸਨੂੰ (spoken: ihnu ਇਹਨੂੰ)	is de naal / ihde naal ਇਹਦੇ ਨਾਲ
he / she / that (far)	oh ਉਹ	us da / us di / us de ਉਸ ਦਾ (spoken: uhda ਉਹਦਾ)	usnu ਉਸਨੂੰ (spoken: uhnu ਉਹਨੂੰ)	us de naal / uhde naal ਉਹਦੇ ਨਾਲ
they / these (near)	eh ਇਹ	ihna da / di / de ਇਹਨਾਂ ਦਾ	ihna nu ਇਹਨਾਂ ਨੂੰ	ihna de naal ਇਹਨਾਂ ਦੇ ਨਾਲ
they / those (far)	oh ਉਹ	uhna da / di / de ਉਹਨਾਂ ਦਾ	uhna nu ਉਹਨਾਂ ਨੂੰ	uhna de naal ਉਹਨਾਂ ਦੇ ਨਾਲ

Possessives agree with the thing owned, not the owner: mera bhra (my brother), meri bhain (my sister), mere dost (my friends). There is no he/she distinction in the pronoun itself — oh is both — the verb ending tells you: oh aanda hai (he's coming), oh aandi hai (she's coming).

Tu vs Tusi: The Rule

Use tusi (ਤੁਸੀਂ) with	Use tu (ਤੂੰ) with
Parents and grandparents (in most families)	Younger siblings and cousins
Anyone older than you	Children
In-laws, always — every single one	Close friends your own age
Teachers, shopkeepers, strangers, colleagues	Your partner, in private, if that's your dynamic
Anyone you're meeting for the first time	God, in prayer and poetry (intimacy, not disrespect)
A group of people (it's also the plural)	People who have said "tu keh" — "call me tu"

Addressing an elder with tu is called tu-tadaak and it stings; when in doubt, tusi is never wrong. Some Punjabi families use tu with parents affectionately — follow what your family does, but default to tusi with everyone else's. And because tusi is also the plural, a respected person is spoken about in the plural too: Mummy ji aa gaye han (literally "Mum have arrived") — one person, plural verb, maximum respect.

Eh vs Oh

Eh is near — this, this person, he/she right here; oh is far — that, that person, he/she over there or not present. In practice oh is the default "he/she/they" for anyone not in the room: Oh kal aavegi — she'll come tomorrow. Before a postposition the spoken forms shrink: is nu → ihnu, us da → uhda, us naal → uhde naal.

How Verbs Agree With Each Pronoun

Using karna (to do) in the present:

Pronoun	Male speaker / subject	Female speaker / subject	Meaning
main	karda haan ਕਰਦਾ ਹਾਂ	kardi haan ਕਰਦੀ ਹਾਂ	I do
asi	karde haan ਕਰਦੇ ਹਾਂ	kardiyan haan ਕਰਦੀਆਂ ਹਾਂ	we do
tu	karda hain ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈਂ	kardi hain ਕਰਦੀ ਹੈਂ	you do (informal)
tusi	karde ho ਕਰਦੇ ਹੋ	kardiyan ho ਕਰਦੀਆਂ ਹੋ	you do (respectful / plural)
eh / oh (one person)	karda hai ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ	kardi hai ਕਰਦੀ ਹੈ	he / she does
eh / oh (several, or one respected person)	karde han ਕਰਦੇ ਹਨ	kardiyan han ਕਰਦੀਆਂ ਹਨ	they do

The full conjugation patterns, including past and future, are in 50 essential Punjabi verbs.

Mainu, Tuhanu and the "To Me" Forms

Punjabi expresses a lot through the object forms — feelings, needs, knowledge and likes all happen to you:

Punjabi	Gurmukhi	Literal	Meaning
Mainu bhukh lagi hai	ਮੈਨੂੰ ਭੁੱਖ ਲੱਗੀ ਹੈ	To me hunger has struck	I'm hungry
Mainu pata hai	ਮੈਨੂੰ ਪਤਾ ਹੈ	To me it is known	I know
Mainu eh pasand hai	ਮੈਨੂੰ ਇਹ ਪਸੰਦ ਹੈ	To me this is liked	I like this
Tuhanu ki chaahida hai?	ਤੁਹਾਨੂੰ ਕੀ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ?	To you what is needed?	What do you need?
Sanu der ho gayi	ਸਾਨੂੰ ਦੇਰ ਹੋ ਗਈ	To us lateness happened	We're late
Uhnu bukhaar hai	ਉਹਨੂੰ ਬੁਖ਼ਾਰ ਹੈ	To him/her fever is	He / she has a fever
Tainu yaad hai?	ਤੈਨੂੰ ਯਾਦ ਹੈ?	To you memory is?	Do you remember?

More of these in emotions and feelings in Punjabi.

Apna: Your Own

Apna / apni / apne (ਆਪਣਾ) means "one's own" and replaces mera, tera, tuhada, us da whenever the owner is the subject of the sentence: Main apna kamm karda haan (I do my own work), Oh apne ghar gayi (she went to her own home), Apna khayal rakhna (take care of yourself). Apne as a noun means "our people" — apne log, family and community.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is "you" in Punjabi?

Tusi (ਤੁਸੀਂ) is the respectful and plural "you" — use it with elders, strangers and in-laws. Tu (ਤੂੰ) is the close, informal "you" for children and close friends.

What is the difference between tu and tusi?

Tu is intimate and informal; tusi is respectful and also the plural. Using tu with someone older or unfamiliar is considered rude (tu-tadaak); tusi is never wrong.

How do you say "I" in Punjabi?

Main (ਮੈਂ). "My" is mera / meri / mere, "to me" is mainu, and "with me" is mere naal.

How do you say he and she in Punjabi?

Both are oh (ਉਹ) — or eh (ਇਹ) for someone right here. The verb ending shows the gender: oh aanda hai (he comes), oh aandi hai (she comes).

Get Tusi and Tu Right From Day One

Respect is built into Punjabi grammar — the app teaches it the way families do. Alfaazo teaches everyday Punjabi with native audio, the Gurmukhi script and bite-sized lessons you can finish in five minutes a day. Free on iOS and Android.