Third Person: Yeh and Woh
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'Yeh' for things nearby and 'Woh' for things further away to identify people and objects.
- Yeh (یہ) means 'this' or 'these' for items close to you.
- Woh (وہ) means 'that' or 'those' for items further away.
- Both pronouns are gender-neutral and can refer to people or objects.
Basic Demonstrative Structure
| Pronoun | Noun | Verb (Singular) | Verb (Plural) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Yeh
|
Kitab
|
hai
|
hain
|
|
Woh
|
Ghar
|
hai
|
hain
|
|
Yeh
|
Dost
|
hai
|
hain
|
|
Woh
|
Larka
|
hai
|
hain
|
|
Yeh
|
Seb
|
hai
|
hain
|
|
Woh
|
Gari
|
hai
|
hain
|
Oblique Forms (When followed by postpositions)
| Direct | Oblique |
|---|---|
|
Yeh
|
Is
|
|
Woh
|
Us
|
Meanings
Yeh and Woh are demonstrative pronouns used to point out objects or people based on their physical or conceptual distance from the speaker.
Proximal (Near)
Refers to something close to the speaker.
“Yeh mera dost hai.”
“Yeh seb hai.”
Distal (Far)
Refers to something distant from the speaker.
“Woh meri gari hai.”
“Woh wahan hai.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Yeh/Woh + Noun + hai
|
Yeh seb hai.
|
|
Negative
|
Yeh/Woh + Noun + nahi hai
|
Yeh seb nahi hai.
|
|
Question
|
Kya + Yeh/Woh + Noun + hai?
|
Kya yeh seb hai?
|
|
Plural
|
Yeh/Woh + Noun + hain
|
Yeh seb hain.
|
|
Oblique
|
Is/Us + Postposition
|
Is kitab mein.
|
|
Personal
|
Yeh/Woh + Verb
|
Woh jata hai.
|
Espectro de formalidade
Yeh mere dost hain. (Introduction)
Yeh mera dost hai. (Introduction)
Yeh mera yaar hai. (Introduction)
Yeh mera buddy hai. (Introduction)
The Distance Rule
Near
- Yeh This/These
Far
- Woh That/Those
Exemplos por nível
Yeh mera ghar hai.
This is my house.
Woh kursi hai.
That is a chair.
Yeh seb hai.
This is an apple.
Woh larka hai.
That is a boy.
Yeh kitabein hain.
These are books.
Kya woh tumhara dost hai?
Is that your friend?
Yeh mera pen nahi hai.
This is not my pen.
Woh sab dost hain.
Those are all friends.
Woh kal aayega.
He will come tomorrow.
Yeh baat samajh nahi aayi.
This matter was not understood.
Usne yeh kaha.
He said this.
Yeh log kahan ja rahe hain?
Where are these people going?
Is kitab mein kya hai?
What is in this book?
Us ghar ka rang lal hai.
The color of that house is red.
Yeh wahi jagah hai.
This is the same place.
Woh log jo wahan khare hain.
Those people who are standing there.
Yeh kehna mushkil hai.
It is difficult to say this.
Woh jo kal hua tha.
That which happened yesterday.
Inhon ne yeh faisla kiya.
They decided this.
Woh kahan aur yeh kahan.
The difference between that and this.
Yeh to hona hi tha.
This was bound to happen.
Woh shakhs jise hum jante hain.
That person whom we know.
In sab baton ka matlab.
The meaning of all these things.
Woh jo door khara hai.
He who is standing far away.
Fácil de confundir
Learners often see 'Ye' in informal texting.
Similar to Yeh/Ye, 'Vo' is a common informal variant.
Learners use 'Is' as a subject.
Erros comuns
Yeh larka hain
Yeh larka hai
Woh mera kitab
Yeh/Woh meri kitab
Yeh door hai
Woh door hai
Yeh hai kitab
Yeh kitab hai
Yeh sab hai
Yeh sab hain
Is kitab hai
Yeh kitab hai
Woh nahi hain kitab
Woh kitab nahi hai
Yeh usne kiya
Usne yeh kiya
Woh log aayenge
Woh log aayenge
Yeh mera hai
Yeh mera hai
Yeh sab kuch
Yeh sab kuch
Woh jo main dekha
Woh jo maine dekha
Yeh baat hai ki
Yeh baat hai ki
Padrões de frases
Yeh ___ hai.
Woh ___ hai.
Kya yeh ___ hai?
Yeh ___ nahi hai.
Real World Usage
Yeh kitne ka hai?
Yeh dekho!
Yeh mera dost hai.
Woh kya hai?
Yeh mera order nahi hai.
Yeh meri file hai.
Focus on the Verb
Don't use Oblique forms as subjects
Use 'Yeh' for people
Honorifics
Smart Tips
Always check if you need 'hain' instead of 'hai'.
Use 'Yeh' for people near you.
Use 'Woh' for anything not in your immediate reach.
Always start with 'Kya'.
Pronúncia
Yeh
Pronounced like 'yeh' in 'yes'.
Woh
Pronounced like 'woh' in 'woe'.
Statement
Yeh mera ghar hai ↘
Falling intonation for facts.
Question
Kya yeh ghar hai ↗
Rising intonation for questions.
Memorize
Mnemônico
Yeh is near, Woh is far away.
Associação visual
Imagine holding an apple close to your face (Yeh) and pointing at a star in the sky (Woh).
Rhyme
Yeh is near, Woh is far, use them both to point where you are.
Story
Ali is in his room. He touches his book and says 'Yeh kitab hai'. He looks out the window at a car and says 'Woh gari hai'. He feels confident about his Urdu.
Word Web
Desafio
Point to 5 things in your room and say 'Yeh [object] hai' for each.
Notas culturais
Often used with honorifics for elders.
Similar usage, often influenced by Hindi.
Used in poetry to denote distance.
Derived from Indo-Aryan demonstrative roots.
Iniciadores de conversa
Yeh kya hai?
Woh kaun hai?
Yeh tumhari kitab hai?
Woh jagah kaisi hai?
Temas para diário
Erros comuns
Test Yourself
___ mera ghar hai.
Yeh kitabein ___.
Find and fix the mistake:
Woh larka hain.
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
That is a car.
Answer starts with: Woh...
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
___ (far away) mera school hai.
Kya ___ seb hai?
Score: /8
Exercicios praticos
8 exercises___ mera ghar hai.
Yeh kitabein ___.
Find and fix the mistake:
Woh larka hain.
hai / mera / Yeh / dost
That is a car.
Yeh = ?
___ (far away) mera school hai.
Kya ___ seb hai?
Score: /8
Perguntas frequentes (8)
Yes, it is very common for introductions.
No, it is gender-neutral.
Use 'hain' for plural nouns.
Yeh is the subject, Is is the oblique form.
Yes, it is the standard third-person pronoun.
Yes, they are standard Urdu.
It is a common informal spelling.
Add 'Kya' to the start of the sentence.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
este/ese/aquel
Urdu lacks the 'middle' distance pronoun.
ceci/cela
Urdu is gender-neutral.
dieser/jener
Urdu uses postpositions instead of case endings.
kore/sore/are
Urdu is binary.
hatha/thalika
Arabic demonstratives change for gender.
zhe/na
Chinese is simpler in verb agreement.
