With: se in place of the instrument
The instrument of an action takes se: roti chaaku se kaato — cut the flatbread with the knife, literally "flatbread, knife-with, cut". The key opens with se, the name is written with se, the floor is washed with se. For example: “روٹی چاقو سے کاٹو” — Cut the flatbread with the knife. A rule from the Urdu course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The instrument of an action takes se: roti chaaku se kaato — cut the flatbread with the knife, literally "flatbread, knife-with, cut". The key opens with se, the name is written with se, the floor is washed with se.
There is no separate instrumental form: the noun stands as it is, and se after it does all the grammar. Where English spreads "with a knife", Urdu says "knife-with" in two words.
Two neighbours of se are worth telling apart: par rides for transport. Woh cycle par aaya, he came by bicycle. ki wajah se names the cause — baarish ki wajah se, because of the rain. The instrument, the vehicle and the cause — three se’s, one tail.
Table
| with | phrase | literally | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| چاقو — the knife | چاقو سے کاٹو | knife-with cut | cut with the knife |
| چابی — the key | چابی سے کھولو | key-with open | open with the key |
| پنسل — the pencil | پنسل سے لکھو | pencil-with write | write with the pencil |
| ہاتھ — the hands | ہاتھ سے بناؤ | hands-with make | make by hand |
| پانی — the water | پانی سے دھوو | water-with wash | wash with water |
| بس — the bus | بس پر جاؤ | bus-on go | go by bus |
| وقت — the time | وقت پر | time-on | on time |
| بارش — the rain | بارش کی وجہ سے | rain of cause | because of the rain |
By example
- روٹی چاقو سے کاٹوroti chaqu se katoCut the flatbread with the knife
- دروازہ چابی سے کھولوdarwaza chabi se kholoOpen the door with the key
- وہ سائیکل پر آیاwo saikl per ayaHe came by bicycle
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
How to say with a knife in urdu?
There is no separate instrumental form: the noun stands as it is, and se after it does all the grammar. Where English spreads "with a knife", Urdu says "knife-with" in two words.
Urdu instrumental case?
There is no separate instrumental form: the noun stands as it is, and se after it does all the grammar. Where English spreads "with a knife", Urdu says "knife-with" in two words.
Se after noun meaning urdu?
There is no separate instrumental form: the noun stands as it is, and se after it does all the grammar. Where English spreads "with a knife", Urdu says "knife-with" in two words.
How to say cut with a knife in urdu?
There is no separate instrumental form: the noun stands as it is, and se after it does all the grammar. Where English spreads "with a knife", Urdu says "knife-with" in two words.
What does it look like in a Urdu example sentence?
“روٹی چاقو سے کاٹو” (roti chaqu se kato) — Cut the flatbread with the knife. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.