Nouns of Agency

The meaning of this verbal form in Urdu is similar to that of verbal nouns ending in -er in English (writer, reader, helper, dancer, etc). It is formed by adding the suffix وال vaal- and the ending ا -aa to the oblique form of the infinitive:

پڑھنا

paRhnaa 'to read'

پڑھنےوالا

paRhnevaalaa 'a reader'

دینا

denaa 'to give'

دینےوالا

denevaalaa 'one who gives something, a giver'

Nouns of agency that end in والا vaalaa are masculine nouns. They are declined like nouns of the first declension. They have feminine counterparts that end in والی vaalii, such as پڑھنےوالی paRhnevaalii 'female reader' and دینےوالی denevaalii 'a female giver'. These feminine nouns are declined like nouns of the third declension. See Number, Case, and Types of Declension.

The form of the noun of agency that ends in والا vaalaa can also be used as an adjective and as a future participle. When used as an adjective, it expresses the fact that the noun being modified regularly performs the specified action, and that performing that action is a permanent quality of that noun:

کپڑے دھونےوالی مشین

kapRe dhonevaalii mashiin

'a machine washing clothes (i.e. a washing machine)'

اردو سیکھنےوالا آدمی

urduu siikhnevaalaa aadmii

'a man studying Urdu'

When used as a future participle, the above-mentioned form denotes the intention or readiness to perform an action in future. It may be rendered into English by constructions such as to be going to do something:

وہ آنےوالا ھے

vah aanevaalaa hai

'He is going to come'

میں اپنا گھر بیچنےوالا ھوں

maiN apnaa ghar becnevaalaa huuN

'I am going to sell my house'