ਮੈਂ
maĩ/mɛ̃ː/Gurmukhi
The English pronoun 'I' is translated into Punjabi as ਮੈਂ (maĩ).
Meaning: personal pronoun (pron)
How do you pronounce it?
The word is romanized as maĩ and pronounced /mɛ̃ː/.
Did you know?
- In many Punjabi-speaking households, the pronoun ਮੈਂ is often replaced in polite speech by referring to oneself in the third person or using a title to show humility.
- In certain Punjabi poetic traditions, the use of the first-person pronoun ਮੈਂ can be deliberately obscured to create a sense of universal or divine identity rather than a specific individual.
- While ਮੈਂ is the standard pronoun, Punjabi speakers often omit it entirely in a sentence if the context makes the subject clear.
Examples in context
- ਮੈਂ ਆਪਣੀ ਘੜੀ ਦੀ ਮੁਰੰਮਤ ਕਰਵਾਈ।I had my watch mended.Tatoeba #13224738 by randeepxsingh, translation #251041 by shekitten
- ਮੈਂ ਉਹਨੂੰ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਹੀ ਮੁਆਫ਼ ਕਰ ਚੁੱਕਾ/ਚੁੱਕੀ ਹਾਂ।I have forgiven him already.Tatoeba #13224771 by randeepxsingh, translation #1345874 by Eldad
- ਮੈਂ ਬੇਹੋਸ਼ ਹੋ ਗਿਆ.I fainted.Tatoeba #6830452 by aboi, translation #20364 by CK
- 13 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Aman and Kiran are discussing what to eat for dinner.
- ਅਮਨ Amanਮੈਂ ਬਹੁਤ ਭੁੱਖਾ ਹਾਂ।Main bahut bhukkha han.I am very hungry.
- ਕਿਰਨ Kiranਤੁਸੀਂ ਕੀ ਖਾਣਾ ਚਾਹੋਗੇ?Tusi ki khana chahoge?What would you like to eat?
- ਅਮਨ Amanਮੈਂ ਪਨੀਰ ਖਾਣਾ ਚਾਹੁੰਦਾ ਹਾਂ।Main paneer khana chaunda han.I want to eat paneer.
- ਕਿਰਨ Kiranਠੀਕ ਹੈ, ਚਲੋ ਚਲਦੇ ਹਾਂ।Thik hai, chalo chalde han.Okay, let's go.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I” translations and entries ਮੈਂ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
