Learn these five first: Sat Sri Akal (ਸਤਿ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ) for hello and goodbye, Tuhada naam ki hai? (ਤੁਹਾਡਾ ਨਾਮ ਕੀ ਹੈ?) for "What is your name?", Dhanvaad (ਧੰਨਵਾਦ) for "thank you", Kinne da hai? (ਕਿੰਨੇ ਦਾ ਹੈ?) for "How much is it?" and Mainu samajh nahi aayi (ਮੈਨੂੰ ਸਮਝ ਨਹੀਂ ਆਈ) for "I did not understand."
I grew up speaking Panjabi, then let English take over, and when I set out to get my confidence back as an adult, the thing that unstuck me was not a textbook. It was a short list of phrases I could lean on every day. When a friend tells me they want to start, I give them these five first: a greeting, a way in, a thank you, a survival line for the market, and an escape hatch for when you are lost. That is a whole conversation right there. Here they are.
1. Sat Sri Akal (ਸਤਿ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ)
The standard Panjabi greeting, used for both hello and goodbye. Pronounced sat sree akaal. Use it any time of day, with anyone.
2. Tuhada naam ki hai? (ਤੁਹਾਡਾ ਨਾਮ ਕੀ ਹੈ?)
"What is your name?" Pronounced tuhaada naam kee hai. Pair it with Mera naam ___ hai ("My name is ___") and you can already introduce yourself.
3. Dhanvaad (ਧੰਨਵਾਦ)
"Thank you." Pronounced dhan-vaad. Simple, polite, and endlessly useful.
4. Kinne da hai? (ਕਿੰਨੇ ਦਾ ਹੈ?)
"How much is it?" Pronounced kinne da hai. The phrase that makes a market or shop suddenly navigable.
5. Mainu samajh nahi aayi (ਮੈਨੂੰ ਸਮਝ ਨਹੀਂ ਆਈ)
"I did not understand." Pronounced mainu samajh nahi aayi. The most helpful thing a beginner can say, it invites people to slow down and help.
How do you make these phrases stick?
Pick two of these and say them out loud today. Repetition in real moments beats memorising long lists, every time for me. If you were planning to drill them on Duolingo, Punjabi is not on Duolingo for English speakers. When you want structured, bite-sized practice, the Panjabi Go app turns phrases like these into short daily lessons, with native-quality audio and pronunciation feedback so you can hear when you are close.
