Appendix:Urdu verbal derivation

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Urdu has a productive verbal derivation process that is applied to both inherited and borrowed verbs. It is characterised by the use of certain suffixes as well as vowel gradation (ablaut).

Intransitive

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Intransitive verbal derivations usually treat the subject as the lexical-semantic patient or theme of the verb, i.e. they are passive forms of the verb they are derived from; the subject is the one upon whom the verb acts.

These generally take the full grade of their internal vowel. In case where the stem ends in a vowel, a -l- is inserted between the stem and ending for the passivized form.

Examples
Vowel change Original New
ā→a جاگنا (jāgnā, to awaken) جگنا (jagnā, to wake up) (less agentive)
ī→i چِیرنا (cīrnā, to split, rend) چِرنا (cirnā, to be split)
ū→u چُوسنا (cūsnā, to suck) چُسنا (cusnā, to be sucked)
e→i چھیڑنا (cheṛnā, to tease, annoy) چِھڑنا (chiṛnā, to be teased, annoyed)
ai→i
o→u گھولنا (gholnā, to melt, cause to melt) گُھلنا (ghulnā, to be melted, to melt by itself)
دھونا (dhonā, to wash) دُھلنا (dhulnā, to be washed)
au→u

Transitive

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These take either the lengthened grade or the suffix ـانا (-ānā).

Causative

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These take either the suffix ـانا (-ānā) on the intransitive form or their stems are augmented by وا ().

Second causative

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Their stems are augmented by وا (). Not every verb has one. Their meaning is of the form "to cause x to make y do something (to z)". The y is an animate, agentive instrument.