ਸੁਣੋ

What does suno mean in Punjabi?

Suno (ਸੁਣੋ) means 'listen' or 'hear' in Punjabi. It is the polite way of asking someone to listen, used with elders, strangers, or a group, and it comes from the verb sunna, 'to hear' or 'to listen'. You will hear it in everyday requests such as 'meri gall suno', listen to what I say, and 'eh gana suno', listen to this song.

Where does suno come from?

Suno comes from the verb sunna (ਸੁਣਨਾ), 'to hear' or 'to listen'. Wiktionary traces sunna to Old Punjabi suṇi, Prakrit suṇaï, and Sanskrit śṛṇoti, 'he hears', from the ancient root *ḱlew-, 'to hear'. The stem is suṇ, and suno is the stem with the polite ending o added. Sunna also has a transitive partner, sunāuṇā, 'to make someone hear', which is how Punjabi says 'to tell' or 'to narrate'.

How is suno used in everyday speech?

Suno is the word Punjabis reach for when they want someone's full attention. 'Meri gall suno' means listen to what I say, 'dhyaan naal suno' means listen carefully, and 'suno ji' adds ji to make the request softer still. It works at home, in class, and at the gurdwara, where an announcement often begins with a call to listen. It is also the word for listening to music, stories and the radio: 'eh gana suno' means listen to this song.

Suno, sun and sunio: which form should you use?

Punjabi changes the ending to show respect. With tu, the familiar 'you' for a close friend or a child, the command is the bare stem: sun, listen. With tusi, the polite 'you' for elders and strangers, and for any group, it is suno. A still softer form is the jussive sunio, which sounds like a gentle request, 'please listen'. To ask someone not to listen, put na after the verb: 'na suno', do not listen.