Ingilizikurdi

M.L.
Chyet / Em hn Kurmanc dibin
STANDARD KURDISH ORTHOGRAPHY TABLE

h 1990 Michael L. Chyet, updated 1998, 1999
Roman (Hawar)
A
a
B
b
C
c
D
d
[]
[]
E
e
E
e
(E') (e')
F
f
G
g
H
h
H
h
(H) (h)
I
i
J
j
K
k
K
k
L
l
M
m
N
n
O
o
P
p
P
p
Q
q
R
r
R
rr
S
s
[/S] [/s]
T
t
T
t
[/T] [/t]
U
u
V
v
Cyrillic
h
h
K
K
k
k
Arabic
M.L. Chyet / Em hn Kurmanc dibin

W
X
Y
Z
w
x
x
y
z
W
X
w
x
Pronunciation Guide
Vowels
a as in father
Dara ga kiras
mal nav Zana
e as a in cat, but shorter ders dest ez Ferhad Leyla ser xwendekar

as ay in day
er
kitb nr
Xec
i as first i in divine, but shorter
kiras kitb mezin
as i in machineBengn
en
min
p rn til
o pronunciation varies from region to region:

may be /o/ o in bone; // oo in boot
Cano
mamosta Memo
Zeyno
u wi as in twig, but shorter
guh
gund
tu
tune
pronunciation varies from region to region:

may be // oo in boot; // i in machine; /y/ ~ // German in
khl
hn
nams
pik
pirtk
Consonants
c as j in jack
Cano Xec
as ch in chat
bir av
e as Arabic
h as Arabic
H [ayn] + e
`[h]
j as s in measurej
q as Arabic
[qf]
Mio p pik
en [variant of en]
Eyan eret
hik Mih
dirj
deqe qedandin qelew
r trilled as in Spanish bir ders kiras ser

rr, rr double trill as in Spanish perro
qik quloz
xwendekar
rre terr
erebe

s always unvoiced, as s in soon
sivik ders
as in show
rn
hik il
x as German ch in machen
(x) as Arabic
[ghayn]
pisk
Xec xwendekar
aa Merebzemn
y only used as a consonant: tilya-enya-or as the second part of a diphthong (ay, ey, oy):
Zeyno
, k, p, and t occur both aspirated and non-aspirated. In written Kurdish, only
Kurdish materials from the former Soviet Armenia maintain this distinction, by
adding an apostrophe after the aspirated variant of each pair, yielding:
[non-aspirated] - [aspirated]; k [non-aspirated] - k [aspirated];
p [non-aspirated] - p [aspirated]; t [non-aspirated] - t [aspirated].
This distinction will be indicated in the vocabularies only.
All other consonants as in Engli
Dersa Pn [1]
{Pikkert 1.12; 2.1, 2.2, 2.3}
FOLKLORE:
Ji gotinn pyan [proverb]: Nav gund namsa gund e.
DIALOGUE:
I.
Zeyno:
Lezgn:
Z:
L:
Z:
L:
Z:
L:
Z:
L:
Z:
L:
Z:
L:
Z:
II.
Dara:
rn:
D:
:
D:
:
D:
:
D:
:
D:
:
D:
:
D:
:
D:
:
Tu k y?
Ez Lezgn im. Tu k y?
Ez Zeyno me.
Ew k ye? Nav w i ye?
Ew -- mamostay min e. Nav w Zana ye.
Ev k ye?
Ev hevala w ye. Nav w Dlan e. Ev i ye?
Ev kitba min e.
Tu xwendekar ?
Er, ez xwendekar im.
Dersdar te k ye?
Dersdara
a min Leyla ye. Tu j xwendekar ?
Nexr, ez dersdar im. Ez mamosta me. Bengn k
ye?
Bengn heval min e. Tu dersdara min ?
Nexr. Ez dersdara Bengn im -- ez mamostaya
w me.
Ev i ye?
Ev dest te ye!
L ev i ye?
Ev j tilya dest te ye.
Ew k ye?
Ew hevala min e. Nav w Eyan e.
Eyan k ye?
Eyan mamostaya min e.
Ew i ye?
Ew kitba heval min e. Nav w Bengn e.
L ev i ye?
Ew? Ew gay w ye!
Ev i ye?
Ev kiras e.
Kiras te ye?
Er, kiras min e.
Ev enya min e?
Nexr, ew tilya te ye --- Ev enya te ye!
DIALOGUE (translation):
I.
Zeyno:
Who are you?
Lezgn:
I am Lezgn. Who are you?
Z:
I am Zeyno.
L:
Who is he? What is his name?
Z:
He is my teacher. His name is Zana.
L:
Who is this?
Z:
This is his friend (f.). Her name is Dlan. What
L:
This is my book.
Z:
Are you a student?
L:
Yes, I am a student.
Z:
Who is your teacher?
L:
My teacher (f.) is Leyla. Are you a student too?
Z:
No, I am a teacher. I am an instructor. Who is
Bengn?
L:
Bengn is my friend. Are you my teacher?
Z:
No. I am Bengn's teacher -- I am his instructor.
II.
Dara:
rn:
D:
:
D:
:
D:
:
D:
:
D:
:
D:
:
D:
:
D:
:
VOCABULARY:
i?
ders, f.
dersdar, m.&f.
dest, m.
e
en, f.
is this?
What is this?
This is your hand!
But what is this?
This is the finger of (on) your hand.
Who is e?
e is my friend. Her name is Eyan.
Who is Eyan?
Eyan is my teacher.
What is that?
That is the book of my friend. His name is Bengn.
But what is this?
That? That is his ox!
What is this?
This is a irt.
Is it your irt?
Yes, it is my irt.
Is this my forehead?
No, that is your finger --- This is your forehead!
what
lesson
teacher
hand
is
forehead
k?
who
mal, f.
house
mamosta, m.&f. teacher
me
[I] am
min
my, of me
m
feminine
6

er
ev
ew
ez
ga, m.
gotina pyan, f.
gund, m.
heval, m.&f.
hn
im
in
j
kiras, m.
kitb , f.
1
yes
this
that; he, e, it
I
ox, bull
proverb
village
friend
you (pl.)
[I] am
[they] are
[you] are
also, too
irt
book
nams, f.
honor
nav, m.
name
nexr
no
nr
masculine
p, f. [also: b] finger
ser, m.
head
te
your, of you
til, f.
finger
tu
you (sing.)
w
her, of her
w
his, of him
xwendekar, m.&f.
student
ye
is
y
[you] are
GRAMMAR:
a. Ez im = I am
Ez Lezgn im.
im
Ez Bengn im.
im
I am Lezgn.
I am Bengn.
Ez Dlan im.
im
Ez Eyan im.
im
I am Dlan.
I am Eyan.
If the name ends in a vowel, instead of im we say me:

Ez Simko me.
me
Ez Zana me.
me
Ez k me?
me
I am Simko.
Ez Xec me.
me
I am Zana.
Ez Leyla me.
me
Who am I? [literally: I who am?]
I am Khej.
I am Leyla.
Remember: Ez Lezgn im ; Ez Simko me

b. Tu = You (singular [sing.]) are
Tu Bengn ?
Are you Bengn? Tu Dlan ?
Are you Dlan?
If the name ends in a vowel, instead of we say y:

Tu k y?
y = Who are you?
Tu Simko y?
Are you Simko?
y
c. Ew e = He/e/It is
Tu Xec y?
y
Are you Khej?
Ew Ferhad e = HE is Ferhad (or, It is Ferhad)

Ew rn e = SHE is irin (or, It is irin)
1Note
that the k- in kitb and in k is aspirated, while the k- in kiras in non-aspirated.

If the name ends in a vowel, instead of e we say ye:
Ew k ye?
Who is he/she/it?
ye
Ew Cano ye
He/it is Jano
Ew Zeyno ye e/it is Zeyno
d. Ev i ye?
What is this?
Ew i ye?
What is that?
Remember: ev = this ; ew = he/e/it and that

e. Tu k y?
Nav te i ye?
Ez : Min
Tu : Te
My
Nav min Dara ye.
My name is Dara.
Your Nav te i ye?
What is your name?
Nav te Bengn e.
Your name is Bengn.
Nav te Memo ye.
Your name is Memo.
Ew : W
His
Nav w i ye?
What is his name?
(masculine [m.])
Nav w Memo ye.
His name is Memo.
W
Her
Nav w i ye?
What is her name?
(feminine [f.]) Nav w Zn e.
Her name is Zn.
f. Kurmanji nouns have gender. A noun is either masculine or feminine.
One way of telling a noun's gender is the ending it takes before pronouns like
min, te, w, w. This ending is called ezafe:
-[y] (nr = masc. [m.])
nav
min [my name]
dest
te [your hand]
kiras
w [his irt]
gay
y w [her ox]
-[y]a (m = fem. [f.])

mala
a min [my house]
kitba
a te [your book]
tilya
ya w/pya
ya w [his finger]
enya
ya w [her forehead]
g. Some nouns can be of either gender, depending on the sex of the person.
For example, heval = friend. If the friend is a man or boy (Memo, Bengn), heval
will be masculine. If the friend is a woman or girl (Xec, Zeyno), heval will be
feminine.
heval [friend]
heval
min my friend (m.)
hevala
a min my friend (f.)
xwendekar [student]
xwendekar
te your student (m.) xwendekara
a te your student (f.)
dersdar [teacher/instructor]
8

mamosta [teacher/instructor]
dersdar
min
my instructor (m.)
dersdara
a min
my instructor (f.)
mamostay
y te your teacher (m.) mamostaya
ya te your teacher (f.)
Ez k me?
Who am I?
Ez dersdar im = Ez mamosta me
I am a teacher.
Ez dersdar
te me = Ez mamostay
y te me I am your teacher (m.).
Tu k y?
Who are you?
Xwendekar
Memo, tu xwendekar
min .
Zeyno, tu xwendekara
a min .
Memo, you are my student (m.).

Zeyno, you are my student (f.).
Hn k ne?
Who are you (plural [pl.])?
Hn in
You [pl.] are
Hn xwendekarn
n min in You [pl.] are my students.
EXERCISES:
I. Translate:1) What is this? It is my book. 2) What is that? It is her head (ser
[m.]). 3) Who is this? He is my friend. His name is Dara. 4) Who is that? e is my
student. Her name is Zeyno. 5) Who are you? I am your friend [f.]. 6) What is the
name of your [sing.] village? The name of my village is Axirmat. 7) What is that?
It is the ox of my teacher [m.]. 8) What is her name? Her name is Leyla. e is my
friend. 9) What is the honor of the village? The name [=reputation] of the village
is the honor of the village. 10) What is that? That is your irt.
II. Make up ten sentences using the vocabulary and structures from this lesson.
For example: What is this? This is ; What is that? That is; What is
my/your/his/her name? My, etc. name is; Who is he/e? He, etc. is my, etc.
III. Fill in the blanks with the correct forms: <im/me ; /y ; e/ye>
1) Ez heval te ____. 2) Nav w Zeyno ____. 3) Nav gund min Gozelder ____. 4)
Nav gund w Soybilax ____. 5) Leyla k ____? Ew hevala min ____. 6) Tu dersdar
w ____. 7) Cano heval mamostay te ____? 8) Ez rn ____. Nav hevala min
Xec ____. 9) Ez Zeyno ____. Ez Dlan ____. 10) Ew Memo ____. Ew Eyan ____. 11)
Ev kitba min ____. Ew kitba te ____. 12) Tu Zn ____? Tu Memo ____? 13) Ez
Bengn ____. Nav min Bengn ____. 14) Ez Xec ____. Nav min Xec ____. Nav min
Xec ____. 15) Ew i ____? Ew gay min ____.
KURDI PERSONAL NAMES

9

Male:
Bengn
Cano
Dara
Ferhad
Lezgn
Memo
Zana
Female:
Dlan
Eyan
Leyla
rn
Xec
Zeyno
Zn
10
Dersa Didua [2]

{Pikkert 1.3; 2.4}
FOLKLORE:
Mamik, f. [riddle]: Qz pr e, d cahil e. Ev i ye? [pemb]
S bira ne: hers bira j zikrre in.
[dstan]
DIALOGUE:
I.
Dara:
Miho:
D:
M:
D:
M:
D:
M:
D:
M:
D:
M:
D:
M:
D:
awan ? Ba ?
Ez ba im. Tu awan ?
Ez j ba im.
Hn k ne?
Em xwendekar in. Tu k y?
Nav min Miho ye. Ez mamosta me. Ez mamostay we me.
Ez Dara me. Ev j heval min Rbaz e. Em xwendekarn
te ne.
Ev du ke k ne?
Ew -- xkn min in. Navn wan Zn Xec ne.
Herdu xkn te j xwendekar in?
Nexr, Zn xwendekar e, l Xec xwendekar nne .
Xec xwendekar nne?!
Nexr, ew hj pik e! Mamosta, end xwendekarn te
hene?
Gelek xwendekarn min hene!
Gelek hevaln me j hene!
2
Northern version:
II.
Leyla:
Ferhad, end birayn te hene?
Ferhad:
S birayn min hene.
L:
Navn wan i ne?
F:
Navn wan Bkes, Rdr Brhan in.
L:
end xkn te hene?
F:
ar xkn min hene.
L:
Navn wan i ne?
F:
Navn wan j ev in: Eyan, rn, Dilxwaz Dilvn.
Em ar kurr in ar ke in: Em ar bira ne ar xk
in.
L:
Xk birayn te hem xwendekar in?
F:
Hem xkn min xwendekar in, birayn min Rdr
Brhan j xwendekar in. L Bkes hj pik e!
L:
Hem xkn te mezin in?
F:
Nexr, Eyan rn mezin in, l Dilxwaz Dilvn
2awa
3or:
y? is also possible.
l Xec ne xwendekar e.
11

pik in.
L:
Du xkn te mezin in, didu j pik in!
F:
Er! Du birayn min j mezin in, didu j pik in!
III.
Abzer:
Meryem:
A:
M:
A:
M:
A:
M:
A:
M:
A:
M:
A:
Ev i ye?
Ev -- kitba min e.
Ew i ne?
Ew -- kitbn biray min in.
end kitbn w hene?
Pnc kitbn w hene -- hem pik in.
end avn te hene?
Du avn min hene.
end guhn bav te hene?
Du guhn w hene.
Herdu destn dya min pik in. Herdu pyn bav min
mezin in.
Tilyn dest min end in?
Tilyn dest te pnc in.
Southern version:
II.
Leyla:
Ferhad, te end bira hene?
Ferhad:
Min s bira hene.
L:
Navt wan i ne?
F:
Navt wan Bkes, Rdr Brhan in.
L:
Te end xk hene?
F:
Min ar xk hene.
L:
Navt wan i ne?
F:
Navt wan j eve ne: Eyan, rn, Dilxwaz Dilvn.
Em ar kurr n ar ki n: Em ar bira yne ar
xk n.
L:
Xk birayt te hem xwendekar in?
F:
Hem xkt min xwendekar in, birayt min Rdr
Brhan j xwendekar in. Bes Bkes hj pik e!
L:
Hem xkt te mezin in?
F:
Nexr, Eyan rn mezin in, bes Dilxwaz Dilvn
pik in.
L:
Du xkt te mezin in, du j pik in!
F:
Er! Du birayt min j mezin in, du j pik in!
4
III.
Abzer: Eve i ye?

Meryem: Eve -- kitba min e.
A:
Ew i ne?
4In
southern dialects, eve is used as a pronoun (without a noun), and ev-e with a noun: Eve i
ye? = What is this; Ev kitbe
e kitba min e = This book is my book.
12

M:
A:
M:
A:
M:
A:
M:
A:
Ew -- kitbt biray min in.

W end kitb hene?
W pnc kitb hene -- hem pik in.
Te end av hene?
Min du av hene.
Bab te end guh hene?
W du guh hene.
Herdu destt dayka min pik in. Herdu pyt bab min
mezin in.
Tilyt dest min end in?
Tilyt dest te pnc in.
M:
A:
Please note that dialogues II and III are provided in separate Northern and
Southern dialect versions. We recommend that all students familiarize
themselves with both varieties, and for the purposes of actively speaking Kurdi
choose the one that is best suited to their needs.
VOCABULARY: [*Southern dialect forms will be designated as S: ]
ba
good
in
(we, you,
they) are
bav, m. [S: bab] father
n
(we) are
bes [S]
but
ke, f. [S: ki]
girl, daughter
bira, m.
brother
kurr, m.
boy, son
cahil [also: cihl]
young; ignorant
law, m.
boy, son
av, m.
eye
l
but
awa[n]?
how?
ling, m.
leg
end?
how many?
mamik, f.
riddle
dest, m.
hand
me
our
d, f. (dya-) [also: dayk]mother
mezin
big, large
dstan, f.
tripod (one of three stones on which a pot is placed over
the fire);
em
we
ev [pl.]
ew [pl.]
gelek
guh, m.
hem
hene
herdu
hers
heye
hj [also: h]
5Colloquially,
ne [1]
(we, you, they)
are
these
ne [2]
not
they; those
pemb, m.
cotton
much, many; very p, m. (py-)
foot
ear
pik [also: bik]
little, small
all
pr
old (of
people)
there are
qz, f.
girl, daughter
both
wan
their
all three
we [also: hewe, hingo] your [pl.]
there is
xk , f.
sister
still, yet
-yne
(we) are
5
such forms as xweh, xuh, xayng, xweyng, xang may also be encountered.
13

hn [also: hng]
NUMBERS:
yek [S: k]
didu - du
sis - s
you [pl.]
zikrre
one, 1
two, 2
three, 3
ar
pnc
black-bellied;
hostile, jealous
four, 4
five, 5
In southern dialects, du (2) and s (3) are used throughout. In northern dialects,
du (2) and s (3) are used before a noun, but when counting, or without a noun,
didu and sis are used. E.g.:
S kitb = three books; but
end kitb? Sis = How many books? Three.
GRAMMAR:
a. Em in = We are
Em xwendekar in.
Em heval in.
Em dersdar in.
If the name ends in a vowel, instead of in we say ne:
Em mamosta ne.
ne
Em bira ne.
ne
Em k ne?
ne = Who are we? [literally: We who are?]
Remember: Em dersdar in ; Em mamosta ne
In southern dialects (Behdinan in Iraqi Kurdistan, and Hekkari across the
border in Turkey), there is a special form for the first person plural (=WE form) of
the verb:
Em n before a consonant, e.g.:
Em xwendekar n ; Em heval n ; Em dersdar n
and Em yne before a vowel, e.g.:
Em mamosta yne ; Em bira yne;
yne Em k yne?
yne
Remember: Southern dialects: Em dersdar n ; Em mamosta yne
b. Hn in = You (plural [pl.]) are
Hn xwendekar in?
Hn heval in?
6

Hn k ne?
ne = Who are you?
6Hn
has a variant hon. In Behdinan, one often encounters the form hng.
14

Hn mamosta ne?
ne
Hn bira ne?
ne
c. Ew in = They/Those are
Ew dest in = They/Those are hands
Ew av in = They/Those are eyes
Ew xwendekar in = They/Those are students
Ew k ne?
ne = Who are they/those?
Ew bira ne
Ew mamosta ne
d. To sum up: in northern dialects, plural verbs have the same ending in all three
persons (we, you, they): in after a consonant, and ne after a vowel. However, in
southern dialects, the first person plural (=WE) has a special form: n after a
consonant, and yne after a vowel.
7
Em k ne? Em heval in. [Southern: Em k yne? Em heval n.]

Ew i ne? Ew xwendekar in.
e. Plural possessives:
Em : Me
Our
Hn : We Your [pl.]
8
Ew : Wan Their
Bav me Dara ye. [=Our father is Dara]

Mamostay we k ye?[=Who is your
teacher?]
Xka wan k ye? [=Who is their sister?]
f. Plural ezafeh:
Whereas in the singular, the gender of a noun can be told by the ezafeh ending ( is masculine; -a is feminine), there is no such distinction in the plural. The plural
ezafeh is -n in all northern dialects and in Hekkari, and -t (or -d) in Behdinan:
Hn k ne? Hn xwendekarn
n min in. [S: Hn xwendekart
t min in.]
Ev i ne? Ev dest in -- Ev destn
n min in [S: Eve destt
t min in.]
Ev av in -- Ev avn
n te ne
[S: Eve avt
t te ne.]
Ev guh in -- Ev guhn
n w ne
[S: Eve guht
t w ne.]
Ev p ne -- Ev pyn
n (pyn
n) w ne [S: Eve pyt
t w ne.]
Ev ling in -- Ev lingn
n me ne
[S: Eve lingt
t me ne.]
g. Negatives:
There are two ways to make the verb to be (he is, they are) negative: either the
negative particle ne is placed before the predicate, or the verb form (e.g., e) is
7This
distinction is standard in Sorani (Central) Kurdish dialects.

some southern dialects, the form is hewe; in Behdinani dialects which have hng instead of
hn, the corresponding oblique form is hingo: Mamostay hewe/hingo k ye? Remember:
Southern dialects: hn : [he]we & hng : hingo
8In
15

replaced with nne . Both are correct, but some regions seem to prefer one over
the other. E.g.:
9
Ew heval min e = He is my friend ;

Ew ne heval min e = Ew heval min nne = He is not my friend.
Plural:
Ew hevaln me ne = They are our friends ;
Ew ne hevaln me ne = Ew hevaln me nnin = They are not our friends.
Remember: nne / ne e [= is not]
Ev dest min e?
Ne, ev ne dest te ye, ev guh te ye!
Ne, ev dest te nne,
nne ev av te ye!
h. There is/are
The way to say there is in Kurdish is heye; the plural there are is hene. The
negative of this (particularly in northern dialects) is tune (=there isn't), with
plural tunin (=there aren't). E.g.:
i heye, i tune? [=What's new, lit. 'What is there, what isn't there']
In southern dialects, the forms nne and nnin are more common.
There is no separate verb to have in Kurdish. The idea of having is expressed with
heye (infinitive: hebn). In Kurdi, instead of saying "I have two hands" one says
"To me there are two hands" [southern] or "There are my two hands" [northern].
Although the southern and northern variants are similar, they are different enough
that we will explain each one separately, beginning with the northern
construction.
In the north, the ezafeh-plus-pronoun construction is used, e.g.:
du avn
n min
= my two eyes [+ hene = there are]
Du avn min hene
= I have two eyes.
yek ser
min
= my one head [+ heye = there is]
Yek ser
min heye
= I have one head.
end destn
n te hene? Du destn
n min hene.
end xkn
n te hene?
end birayn
n te hene?
In the south, a construction consisting of possessive pronoun plus the simple
form of the noun is used, e.g.:
10
9Some
10or,
prefer to put a space between nn and the verb to be: nn e and nn in.
oblique pronoun
16

min = my (or, to me) + du av = two eyes [+ hene = there are]
Min du av hene = I have two eyes
Te end dest hene? Min du dest hene .
Te end xk hene?
Te end bira hene?
11
EXERCISES:
I. Translate:1) These are my hands. 2) Those are not your [sing.] ears, they are
my ears. 3) What are these? These are his irts. 4) Who are they? They are our
friends. 5) They are not your students. 6) We are his teachers. 7) How many eyes
do I have? You have two eyes. 8) Their village is large. It has many houses [Say
this in two ways!]. 9) Are your sisters little? Are their ears big? No, they are not
big, they are small. 10) How many names do you have? How many names does
your father have? He has many names.
II. Make up ten sentences on the following pattern: Is this your ear? No, it is not
my ear, it is my eye.
III. Turn your sentences from exercise II. into the plural (or into the singular), e.g.:
Is this your ear? --> Are these your ears?
IV. Fill in blanks with correct forms: <in/ne ; n/-yne>
1) Herdu xkn min mezin __. 2) Ev s kurr birayn w __. 3) Destn te pik __.
4) Herdu birayn te hevaln min __. 5) Birayn we xwendekarn me __. 6) Navn
wan i __? 7) Ev kirasn min __ yan kirasn te __? 8) Ev ling p __; Ev p ling
__. 9) S bira __: hers bira j zikrre __; 10) Guhn herdu mamostayn me pik
__.
V. Make the sentences in exercise IV. negative, giving two ways of saying each
one. [Skip sentences 6 and 7]
VI. ow the gender of the following nouns, by using them in an ezafeh phrase.
E.g.: guh (= ear) is masculine, as in guh
min; ders (=lesson) is feminine, as in
dersa
a w.
1) kurr; 2) xk; 3) bira; 4) av; 5) dest; 6) ling; 7) mal; 8) til; 9) kiras; 10) d; 11)
bav [bab]; 12) kitb; 13) heval; 14) mamosta; 15) xwendekar; 16) mamik; 17) zik;
18) pemb; 19) dstan; 20) gund.
11or,
Min du dest yt heyn. This construction is too complex for beginners. For fuller treatment
of it, see: "Demonstrative Izafe" in: D.N. MacKenzie. Kurdish Dialect Studies - I (Oxford : Oxford
University Press, 1961 [reprinted 1981 by London School of Oriental and African Studies]), 266, p.
162-163 .
17
KURDISH PERSONAL NAMES

Male:
Abzer
Bkes
Brhan
Miho
Rbaz
Rdr
Female:
Brvan
Dilvn
Dilxwaz
Meryem
Naln
Nesrn
18
Dersa Sisya [3]

{Pikkert 2.8, 2.9}
FOLKLORE:
Ji gotinn pyan: Diz diz ye, i hkek, i gamek.
DIALOGUE:
I.
Miho:
Roj ba! Ez mamostay we me. Nav min Miho ye.

Navn we i ne?
Rbaz:
Nav min Rbaz e.
Dara:
Ez j Dara me. Rbaz heval min e.
Brvan:
Nav min Brvan e.
Gelawj:
ez Gelawj im. Brvan hevala min e.
Miho:
Dara, end xk birayn te hene?
Dara:
Birayek min heye. Nav w Bahr ye. Du xkn
min j hene. Navn wan Xec Zn in.
Miho:
tu, Gelawj?
Gelawj:
Xkeke min heye. Nav w Mehabad e.
Miho:
Birayn te tunin?
Gelawj:
Bel, birayek min heye: nav w Sebr ye.
Brvan:
Mamosta, xkeke te j heye, ku nav w Gulistan
e, ne wisa?
Miho:
Bel! Gulistan xka min e. Hevaleke w j
heye, ku nav w Brvan e.
Brvan:
Ez im, mamosta! Xka te Gulistan hevala min e!
Miho:
Bi rast?! Dinya end pik e!
II.
Gulistan:
Brvan:
Gulistan:
Brvan:
e.
Gulistan:
Brvan:
Gulistan:
Brvan:
Gulistan:
Brvan:
Brvan! Piska te heye?

Er! Piskeke min heye, kikek min j!
Bi rast? Piska te awa ye? Mezin e yan pik e?
Piska min mezin qelew e. Ew bi xwe sp ye
gelek pr e j. avek w hen e, yek kesk
Ew tim bir ye!
Nav w i ye?
Nav w Dcle ye. Nav kik min j Devrre e.
Dev w bi rast rre e?
Er! Ew hem rre e! L avn w zer in.
Ba e, Devrre -- kikek qelew e?
Nexr! Piska min Dcle qelew pr e, l kik
min Devrre zef pik e.
19
Southern version:
I.
Miho:
Roj ba, xwendekart min! Ez mamostay we me.
Nav min Miho ye. Navt we i ne?
Rbaz:
Nav min Rbaz e.
Dara:
Ez j Dara me. Rbaz heval min e.
Brvan:
Nav min Brvan e.
Gelawj:
ez Gelawj im. Brvan hevala min e.
Miho:
Dara, te end xk bira hene?
Dara:
Min birayek heye . Nav w Bahr ye. Min du
xk j hene . Navt wan Xec Zn in.
Miho:
tu, Gelawj?
Gelawj:
Min xkek heye. Nav w Mehabad e.
Miho:
Te bira nnin?
Gelawj:
Bel, min birayek heye: nav w Sebr ye.
Brvan:
Mamosta, te xkek j heye, ku nav w Gulistan
e, ne wisa?
Miho:
Bel! Gulistan xka min e. W hevalek j heye,
ku nav w Brvan e.
Brvan:
Ez im, mamosta! Xka te Gulistan hevala min e!
Miho:
Bi rast?! Dinya end pik e!
12
13
II.
Gulistan:
Brvan:
Gulistan:
Brvan! Te kitik heye ?

Er! Min kitikek heye, seyek j!
Bi rast? Kitka te ya awan e? Ya mezin e? Ya
pik e ?
Kitka min ya mezin qelew e. Ew bi xwe ya sp ye
gelek ya pr e j. avek w y n e,
yek y kesk e. Ew her her ya birs ye!
Nav w i ye?
Nav w Dcle ye. Nav sey min j Devrre e.
Dev w bi rast y rre e?
Er! Ew hem y rre e! L avt w t zer in.
Ba e, Devrre -- seyek qelew e?
Nexr! Kitka min Dcle ya qelew pr e, l sey
min Devrre y zirav cihl e.
14
15
Brvan:
Gulistan:
Brvan:
Gulistan:
Brvan:
Gulistan:
Brvan:
12or,
Min birayek y hey. This construction is too complex for beginners.

Min du xk j yt heyn.
14or, Te kitikek ya hey.
15In Behdinani, all predicate adjectives are preceded by what D.N. MacKenzie calls demonstrative
ezafeh. In other words, all adjectives are marked for gender and number by an ezafeh marker
preceding the adjective: y for masculine singular; ya for feminine singular; t (for yt) for plural of
both genders. The prevalence of this gender marking is one of the distinctive characteristics of
Behdinani speech. Whereas in the north, 'Are you well?' is simply Tu ba ?, in Behdinan it is Tu y
ba ? to a male, and Tu ya ba ? to a female.
13or,
20
VOCABULARY:
ba
bel
bi rast
bir [S: birs]
bi xwe
bor
dev, m.
dinya, f.
dirj
diz, m.&f.
diz, f.
gam, m.&f.
gelek
her her [S]
hen [S: n]
hk, f.
hik
ji
kesk
kevn
kitik, f. [S]
ku
*
NUMBERS:
e
heft
het
good
yes
really
hungry
oneself
grey
mouth
world
long, tall
thief
theft
buffalo
very
always
blue
egg
dry
from, of
green
old (of things)
cat
that, which
(relative pronoun)
kurt
kik, m.
ne wisa?
n
pisk, f.
qelew
rre
rroj, f.
Roj ba!
se, m. [S]
sor
sp
il*
terr*
tr
tim
t [S: thn]
xirab
yan [also: an]
zef
zer
ziwa*
six, 6
seven, 7
eight, 8
neh
deh
ort
dog
isn't that so?
new
cat
fat
black
day
Hello
dog
red
white
wet
wet
full, sated
always
thirsty
bad
or
thin, lean
yellow
dry
nine, 9
ten, 10
GRAMMAR:
a. In Kurmanji, all nouns are definite unless they are specifically made indefinite.
A noun is made indefinite by adding -ek to it. For example, dest = 'the hand' or
'hand', while destek
ek = 'a hand' or 'one hand'. Nouns that end in a vowel add -yek,
e.g. tilyek
yek = 'a finger' or 'one hand'. Note that the indefinite suffix never receives
the stress (e.g., d
stek, never *dest
k). Here are some examples of nouns with
the indefinite article:
of animate things and parts of living beings, e.g., earth, hair, lips,
whereas ik is dry of inanimate things, e.g., trees and plants. Likewise, il is wet of
*
Note: Ziwa is dry
living things, and te is wet of inanimate things. Remember: ziwa / il for living things; ik / te
for inanimate things.
21
-ek [indefinite article = a/an (or one)]

(nr = masc. [m.])
(m = fem. [f.])
dest-ek
-ek [=a/one hand]
mal-ek
-ek [=a/one house]
nav-ek
-ek [=a/one name]
en-yek
-yek [=a/one forehead]
kiras-ek
-ek [=a/one irt]
til-yek
-yek [=a/one finger]
ser-ek
-ek [=a/one head]
p-yek
-yek [=a/one finger]
av-ek
-ek [=an/one eye]
kitb-ek
-ek [=a/one book]
guh-ek
-ek [=an/one ear]
pirtk-ek
-ek [=a/one book]
heval-ek
-ek [=a/one friend]
xwendekar-ek
-ek [=a/one student]
dersdar-ek
-ek [=a/one teacher]
mamosta-yek
-yek [=a/one teacher]
b. Whereas the simple form of the indefinite article does not change for gender,
when an indefinite noun is followed by a modifier such as a possessive pronoun
(min, te, w, w, etc.) or an adjective, the indefinite article (-ek) must have an
ezafeh ending.
16
-ek + ezafeh
(-ek- = masc. [m.])
dest-ek-
- min
(-ek-e = fem. [f.])

mal-ek-e
-e min
[a hand of mine/one of my hands]
[a house of mine/one of my]
nav-ek-
- te
kiras-ek-
- w
av-ek-
- w
heval-ek-
- me
dersdar-ek-
- wan
til-yek-e
-e te
p-yek-e
-e w
kitb-ek-e
-e me
heval-ek-e
-e we
mamoste-yek-e
-e wan
In Behdinan, the indefinite article -ek takes the same ezafeh endings as the
definite form of the noun: - for masc. (hence -ek), and -a for fem. (hence
-eka). E.g.:
dest-ek-
- min
nav-ek-
- te
av-ek-
- w
mal-ek-a
-a min
til-yek-a
-a te
kitb-ek-a
-a me
16Although
one will also come across the indefinite article + modifier without ezafeh, this is most
probably due to foreign (Turkish and Persian) influence. Because grammatical gender does not
exist in Turkish or Persian (or Armenian, for that matter), whereas Kurmanji does have gender,
there seems to be a tendency -- which needs to be resisted -- to simplify constructions that require
a knowledge of gender. For the purposes of this course, omitting the ezafeh ending on an indefinite
noun + modifier will be considered a grammatical error.
22

c. The indefinite article -ek can mean one as well as a/an. Consider the following
sentences:
end xkn te hene?
Xkeke min heye.
How many sisters do you have?
I have one sister.
Xkeke te heye?
Do you have a sister?
end birayn wan hene?
Birayek wan heye.
How many brothers do they have? They have one brother.
Birayek w tune?
Doesn't e have a brother?
The same sentences in the southern dialects will look like this:
Te end xk hene?
Min xkek heye .
How many sisters do you have?
I have one sister.
Te xkek heye?
Do you have a sister?
Wan end bira hene?
Wan birayek heye.
How many brothers do they have? They have one brother.
W birayek nne?
Doesn't e have a brother?
17
Consequently, there are two ways to express 'one' + noun. For example, 'one
sister' can be: yek xk or xkek. The difference between them is a matter of
emphasis. Yek xk means 'one sister', as opposed to 'two sisters', whereas
xkek means 'one sister', as opposed to 'one brother'. So, unless you want to
stress the word 'one', use the indefinite form of the noun when speaking of one
thing or one person.
d. Note again that some nouns may be masculine or feminine, depending on
whether the person in question is male or female. The gender is reflected in the
indefinite form of the noun as well.
Hevalek min heye, ku nav w Bahr ye.
Hevaleke
e min heye, ku nav w Gulistan e.
e. Another way of rendering 'one of her fingers', 'one of our irts', etc., is to say 'a
finger of her fingers', 'a irt of our irts', etc. E.g.:
Tilyek ji tilyn w
Kirasek ji kirasn me
Malek ji maln wan
Kikek ji kikn we
17or,
Min xkek ya hey. This construction is too complex for beginners.
23

Piskek ji piskn w
f. When a noun is modified by an adjective, the adjective will follow the noun, and
be connected to it by ezafeh. This holds true for both definite and indefinite
nouns . E.g.:
18
mala pik
the small house
kitbeke sor [S: kitbeka sor]
a red book
kurr bir
the hungry boy
gundek mezin [S: gundek mezin]
a large village
avn rre [S: avt rre]
black eyes
Here are some simple rrengdr = adjectives that you will need. As much as
possible, they have been arranged in groups of opposites:
mezin [big]
n [new]
ba/xwe/qenc [good]
dirj [long, tall]
qelew[fat]
il/terr[wet]
bir [S: birs] [hungry]
birt [S: thn] [thirsty]
pik [small]
kevn [old]
xirab [bad]
kurt [ort]
zirav [thin]
hik/ziwa [dry]
tr [full, sated]
tr [full, sated]
Colors:
sp [white] rre [black]
sor [red] hen [S: n] [blue]
kesk [green]
bor [grey] zer [yellow]
g. In a phrase such as 'one of my dogs is big and one [of my dogs] is small', it is
not necessary to repeat the entire noun phrase [one of my dogs - kikek
min/seyek min]. Instead, in the second part,
yek can be used. Hence, one can say:
Kikek min mezin e, yek pik e.
Kirasek min kevn e, yek n ye.One of my SHirts is old, and one is new.
EXERCISES:
I. Translate: 1) This is a white irt. 2) He has a green eye and a blue one [=One of
his eyes is green and one blue]. 3) I have two houses: one of my houses is grey
and one is green. 4) e has two legs: one of her legs is long, and one of them is
ort. 5) We have three brothers: one of our brothers is old and two of them are
young. 6) They have four books: one of their books is new and big, and three of
them are old and small. 7) You (s.) have two friends: one of your friends is tall and
18See
note 16 above.
24

thin, and one is ort and fat. 8) You (pl.) have two teachers: one of your teachers
is very good, and one is very bad. 9) He has many irts: one of his irts is wet, and
two of them are dry. 10) My father has two sons: one of them is always hungry,
and one is a good student.
II. a) Fill in the blank with the correct ezafeh form (m. or f.); b) then change each
noun to the indefinite form; c) then translate both.
E.g.: ders_ min: a) dersa min; b) derseke min; c) my lesson; a lesson of mine.
1) kitb_ min. 2) kiras_ w. 3) dest_ bav me. 4) til_ hevala we. 5) kurr_ w. 6)
heval_ te. 7) diz_ gund we. 8) hk_ me. 9) mamosta_ wan. 10) pisk_ xka min.
III. Make sentences combining the indefinite forms from exercise II. with
adjectives, and translate. E.g. derseke min: Derseke min dirj e = One of my
lessons is long.
IV. Make up ten sentences using the numbers 1-10.
Male:
Bahr
Ramazan
Sebr
Female:
Gelawj
Gulistan
Mehabad
25
Dersa ara [4]

{Pikkert 3.3}
FOLKLORE:
Ji gotinn pyan:
1. r kalan xwe nabirre.
2. Filan gund deh mal in, dwazdeh rrsp ne.
3. Ew dibje, l napje.
DIALOGUE:
I.
Miho: Roj ba, xwendekarn min! Hn awan in, ba in?
Rbaz/Dara/Gelawj/Brvan:
Sax b, bij, mamosta Miho! Em
ba in.
Miho: Hn i dikin?
Gelawj:
Em dixwnin. Em dersa xwe dixwnin.
Miho: Gelek ba e! Hn dersa xwe fm dikin?
Rbaz:
Er, mamosta Miho! Em dersa xwe ba fm dikin!
Miho: Ez kurrek n dibnim. Ew k ye? Nav w i ye?
Dara: Nav w Bkes e, mamosta. Ew biray min e.
Miho: Ew i dike? Bkes, tu i dik?
Dara: Ew nan dixwe, mamosta!
Bkes:
Ez nan dixwim, mamosta!
Miho: Bkes, tu ima nan dixw?
Bkes:
Ez nan dixwim, ji ber ku ez bir me!
Miho: Ez fm dikim ku tu bir y, l em niha nan naxwin.
Hj z ye! Niha em dersa xwe dixwnin.
Bkes:
Ba e, mamosta. Ez d nan naxwim.
Miho: Sipas, Bkes! Tu kurrek ba ! Niha ew i dike?
Dara: Ew digr, mamosta!
II.
Gelawj:
Mamosta, bav te hj sax e?
Miho: Er, bav min sax e! Ew rrspy gund me ye.
Dara: Bav te i dike?
Miho: Bav min gelek hiz ji mamik gotinn pyan
dike. Ew gelek mamikn kevn dibje. Hn j
hiz ji wan dikin?
Rbaz:
Mamosta, em mamikn kevn nizanin. Tu end
mamikn bav xwe nabj?
Miho: Hn mamikeke bav min dixwazin! Ba e. Yek ji
wan wisa ye: "Dixwe, dixwe, tr naxwe." i
ye?
Brvan:
Ez dizanim, mamosta! Ga ye, ne wisa?
Miho: Nexr! Ga nne! K dizane i ye?
26

Dara: Em nizanin, mamosta. i ye?
Miho: A e! A! Hn fm dikin? A dixwe dixwe, l tr
naxwe.
VOCABULARY:
a, m.
mill
ji ber ku
because
Bij!
Live long! (greeting)
kalan, m.
eath (of a sword)
end
some
k? [obl. of k?]
whom?
ima?
why?
li ku?
where?
dibjim
I say
n- [+ pres. ind.] not
dibirrim
I cut
nan, m.
bread
dibnim
I see; I find
nan dixwim
I have a [meal, I eat
didim [S: didem]
I give
digrim
I take, catch; I close
niha
now
digrm
I cry
nizanim
I don't
know
dikim [S: dikem]
I do
pirtk, f.[=kitb]
book
dipjim
I bake, cook
diom
I wash
rrsp, m. village elder
dixwazim
I want; I ask for
sax
alive, healthy
dixwim [S: dixom]
I eat
Sax b!
Be well!(greeting)
dixwnim
I read, I study
sipas!
Thank you!
dizanim
I know
r, m.
sword
d
no longer, no more
tr dixwim
I eat my fill
fm dikim
I understand
wisa
so, such
filan
so and so, such and such
zarok, m.&f.
child
got, m.
meat
z
early; fast
hiz dikim ji
I like, I love
27
NUMBERS:
yanzdeh
eleven, 11
dwazdeh [also: donzdeh]twelve, 12
szdeh
thirteen, 13
ardeh
panzdeh
19
fourteen, 14
fifteen, 15
GRAMMAR:
a. We are ready to start learning how to conjugate simple verbs (fl, f. or lker, f.
). In the present tense , practically all verb forms consist of three parts: a prefix
(di-); a verb stem (e.g., -bn- = 'see'); and a personal ending (-im, -, -e, -in). The
stress falls on the verb stem, occasionally on the personal ending, but never on
the di- prefix (e.g., dib
nim, or dibnm, but never *dbnim). Consider the
following example for the verb 'to see':
20
'to see'
Ez
Tu
Ew
di-bn-im
im 'I see'
di
di-bn-
'you (s.) see'

di
di-bn-e
e 'he/e/it sees' Ew
di
22
Em
di-bn-in
in 'we see'
di
Hn di-bn-in
in 'you (pl.) see'
di
di-bn-in
in
'they see'
di
21
This pattern can be applied to practically every verb in the language. So, for
example:
Ez
di-xwaz-im
im
di
'I want or ask for'
Tu
di-xw-
di
'you (s.) eat'
Ew
di-gr-e
e
di
'he/e takes or closes'
Em
di-bj-in
in
di
23
24
25
'we say'
Hn di-d-in
in
di
26
'you (pl.) give'
Ew
27
'they do'
di-k-in
di in
19In
western regions such as Dersim [Tunceli], Adiyaman, and Bingl the forms deha yek, deha
didu, deha sis, etc. are more common.
20Present indicative active, to be more precise.
21[S: di-bn-n
n]
di
22[S: di-bn-t
t/di
di-bn-tin
tin/di
di-bn-it
it/di
di-bn-itin
itin]
di
23[S: di-xo-y
y]
di
24[S: di-gr-t
t/di
di-gr-tin
tin/di
di-gr-it
it/di
di-gr-itin
itin]
di
25[S: di-bj-n
n]
di
26[S: di-de-n
n]
di
27[S: di-ke-n
n]
di
28
A few verbs have a long vowel throughout the personal endings, such as Ez
digrm = I cry. The full conjugation of this verb in the present tense is like this:
Ez
Tu
Ew
di-gr-m
m
'I cry'
di
di-gr
'you (s.) cry'
di
di-gr
'he/e/it cries'
di
28
Em
Hn
Ew
di-gr-n
n 'we cry'
di
di-gr-n
n 'you (pl.) cry'
di
di-gr-n
n 'they cry'
di
Note that Tu digr could theoretically mean either 'You take or close' or 'You cry',
and in southern dialects, Em digrn could mean either 'We take or close' or 'We
cry'. Context will usually make the meaning clear.
Here is another common verb with a stem in a different vowel: di-o- = 'to wash':
Ez
Tu
Ew
di-o-m
m
di
di-o-y
y
di
di-o
di
30
'I wa'
'you (s.) wa'
'he/e/it waes'
Em
Hn
Ew
di-o-n
n 'we wa'
di
di-o-n
n 'you (pl.) wa'
di
di-o-n
n 'they wa'
di
29
b. Remember the set of pronouns that we use to express possession (min for
'my', te for 'your' (s.), w for 'his' or 'its', w for 'her' or 'its', me for 'our', we for
'your' (pl.), and wan for 'their')? Those are called oblique pronouns (or object
pronouns), and they are also used to express the direct object of transitive verbs
in the present tense.
In this case, min = me (as in 'He sees me'); te = you (s.) (as in 'e knows you');
w = him or it (as in 'You like him', 'You like it'); w = her (as in 'I ask her'); me =
us (as in 'They hear us'); we = you (pl.) (as in 'We see you'); wan = them (as in
'You hear them'). When serving as direct object, these objects come before the
verb. Consider the following examples.
Ez
Tu
Ew
w
min
w
di-bn-im 'I see him'

Em wan di-bn-in
'we see them'
di-bn-
'you see me'
Hn me di-bn-in
'you see us'
di-bn-e
's/he sees her'Ew te di-bn-in
'they see you'
Note that all masculine nouns will be referred to with w, and all feminine nouns
will be referred to with w. Hence, depending on the context, Ew w dibne
could mean either 's/he sees her' or 's/he sees it' -- in referring to a feminine
noun, such as kitb or mal. Likewise, Ez w dibnim could mean either 'I see
him' or 'I see it' -- if it refers to a masculine noun, such as kiras or dest.
c. To form the negative of the present indicative, we must replace the affirmative
prefix di- with the negative prefix na-. Note that this prefix always receives the
stress (e.g., n
bnim, n
xwaze). Here is the full negative conjugation of the
28[S:
di-gr-t
t/di
di-gr-tin
tin]
di
di-o-yn
yn]
di
30[S: di-o-t
t/di
di-o-tin
tin]
di
29[S:
29

present indicative of dibnim
'I see':
Ez na-bn-im
im
'I don't see'
Em na-bn-in
in 'we don't see'
na
na
Tu na-bn-
'you (s.) don't see' Hn na-bn-in
in 'you (pl.) see'
na
na
Ew na-bn-e
e
'he/e/it
doesn't
see'
Ew
na-bn-in
in 'they don't see'
na
na
31
32
In the second person (i.e., tu and hn), this form is often used in making polite
commands, or in inviting people to do something. E.g.:
Tu dery min nagr?
Won't you close my door? or, Please close my door!
Tu nav xwe nabj?
Won't you say your name? or, Please tell [us] your name!
Tu nan naxw?
Won't you have something to eat? or, Please have something to eat!
Note also that the verb dizanim = 'I know' is slightly irregular. It is one of two
verbs that forms the negative of the present indicative with ni- rather than with
na-. Here is the complete conjugation of the negative present indicative:
Ez
ni-zanim
'I don't know'
ni
Em ni-zanin
'we don't know'
ni
Tu
ni-zan
'you (s.) don't know'
ni
Hn ni-zanin
'you (pl.) know'
ni
Ew ni-zane
'he/e/it doesn't know'
ni
Ew ni-zanin
'they don't know'
ni
33
34
d. A word about word order! Kurdi is an SOV [Subject - Object - Verb] language.
In other words, the normal word order in a Kurdi sentence is:
Subject
1
(Direct) Object
2
e.g.,
Ez
I
te
you (thee)
Brhan
dest xwe
Verb
3
see
dibnim
=
I see you.
dio
31[S:
na-bn-n
n]
na
na-bn-t
t/na
na-bn-tin
tin/na
na-bn-it
it/na
na-bn-itin
itin]
na
33[S: ni-zan-n
n]
ni
34[S: ni-zan-t
t/ni
ni-zan-tin
tin/ni
ni-zan-it
it/ni
ni-zan-itin
itin]
ni
32[S:
30

Burhan
his hand
washes = Burhan waes his hand.
Xwendekar
dersa dirj
dixwnin
(The) students the long lesson
read/study = The students study
the long lesson.
Question words (interrogatives) take the place in the sentence that their
grammatical function requires. E.g.,
Ew
They
i
what
Bav te
li ku
Your father (at) where
Tu
You
dixwazin?
want? = What do they want?
is?
ye?
= Where is your father?
k
whom
dibn?
see? = Whom do you see?
Most verbal complements are placed before the verb, similarly to the direct
object. E.g.,
Kik
Dogs
ji got
from meat
Bav min
li mal
My father at home
hiz dikin
derive pleasure = Dogs like meat.
e
is
= My father is at home.
e. Xwe. When the subject and the object refer to one and the same person, a
special pronoun will be used instead of min, te, w, w, etc. That special pronoun
is xwe. So, for example, if in Engli we say I wa my hands, where I and my both
refer to the same person, in Kurdi we will say Ez destn xwe diom instead of:
*Ez destn min diom. Note that xwe is used for all persons and numbers. Here
are some more examples:
Tu xka xwe dibn?
'Do you see your sister?'instead of:
*Tu xka te dibn?
Em dersa xwe fm nakin
'We don't understand our lesson.' instead of:
*Em dersa me fm nakin.
Hn kitbn xwe dixwnin
'You read your books.' instead of:
*Hn kitbn we dixwnin
Therefore, we must distinguish between: Ew destn xwe dio = 'He washes his
(i.e., his own) hands' and Ew destn w dio = 'He washes his (i.e., someone
31

else's) hands'.
EXERCISES:
I. Translate: 1) What do you want? I want my book. 2) Why is he waing his
hands? He is waing them because they are red. 3) My sister waes her hands. My
sister is waing her (=Dilvn's) hands. 4) What are they doing? They are eating
(=having a meal). 5) Whose book is this? (=This is the book of whom?). Memo
knows, but he won't (=doesn't) say. 6) Who does not understand his/her lesson?
All the girls understand it, but the boys are not reading it. 7) Why are you (pl.)
closing your books? Ferhad says that you are all studying your lesson. 8) The
eleven students are reading fifteen big books. 9) The thirteen young boys do not
understand the riddle of the old village elder. 10) Why is Bkes crying? He is
crying because he can't catch (=doesn't catch) my cat.
II. In the following sentences, replace the underlined words (direct objects) with
the correct object pronoun, then translate both. E.g., Bkes piska te nabne -->
Bkes w nabne. Bkes doesn't see your cat-->Bkes doesn't see it.
1) Gulistan destn xwe nao. 2) K nan min dixwe? 3) r kalan xwe nabirre. 4)
Em xwendekarn bir dibnin. 5) Xwendekar dersa xwe naxwnin? 6) Hn mamika
rrspy me fm dikin? 7) Mamosta deh pirtkn kevn digre. 8) Mamosta pirtka
kevn digre. 9) Em mamikn rrspy we nizanin. 10) Ew xwendekara xwe nabne.
III. Fill in the blanks with xwe or with another object pronoun, as appropriate.
1) Bkes destn _____ nao. Ez destn _____ (=destn Bkes) diom. 2) Bav te s
kitbn _____ nagre. Tu kitbn _____ (=kitbn bav te) digr. 3) Dilxwaz xka
_____ nabne. Abzer xka _____ (=xka Dilxwaz) dibne. 4) Rsp mamikn
_____ dizane. Zarok mamikn _____ (=mamikn rrsp) nizanin. 5) Ev szdeh kurr
dersn _____ naxwnin, l ew panzdeh ke dersn _____ dixwnin. 6) Ew kurr
hkn _____ naxwe. Ez hkn _____ (hkn kurr) dixwim! 7) Dara kiras _____
nao. Dya w kiras _____ dio. 8) Biray min ji mamostay _____ hiz dike, l
xka min ji mamostay _____ (mamostay biray min) hiz nake. 9) Xka min ji
dersdara _____ hiz dike, l ew ji dersdar biray _____ hiz nake. 10) Em hiz ji
gund _____ dikin, l ew s kurr hiz ji gund _____ (=our village) nakin.
IV. a) Take three verbs from this lesson, and conjugate them fully in the present
tense, both affirmative and negative forms. b) Make three sentences with each
verb. Be sure to use both affirmative and negative forms!
32
Dersa Pnca [5]

{Pikkert 1.9, 1.13, 1.14, 1.15, 1.16}
FOLKLORE:
Mamik: Li kvir dixim, nak; li av dixim, dik [pel cixar]
DIALOGUE:
I.
Brvan:
Dara, tu end kitban dixwn?
Dara: Ez s kitban dixwnim.
Brvan:
Tu s kitban dixwn!?
Dara: Er! Hers kitb j ba in! Bav min j gelek kitban
dixwne. Tu kitban naxwn?
Brvan:
Nexr, ez kitban naxwnim.
Dara: ima tu naxwn? Ez fm nakim.
Brvan:
Ez naxwnim ji ber ku avn min ba nabnin.
Dara: Tu w yay nabn?
Brvan:
Bel, Dara, ez w yay dibnim!
Dara: Tu tilyn dest min nabn?
Brvan:
Bel, Dara, ez tilyn dest te j dibnim!
Dara: Tu end tilyan dibn?
Brvan:
Ez pnc tilyan dibnim.
Dara: avn te ba dibnin, ez dibjim!
Brvan:
Ez wan titan ba dibnim, l ez titn pik ba
nabnim.
Dara: Niha ez fm dikim ima tu naxwn!
II.
Rbaz:
Gulistan:
Rbaz:
Gulistan:
Rbaz:
Gulistan:
Rbaz:
Gulistan:
Rbaz:
Gulistan:
dik,
Rbaz:
Gulistan:
Rbaz:
Gulistan, tu w xwendekara n nabn?

Bel, ez w dibnim. ima tu dipirs?
Ji ber ku ez nizanim nav w i ye.
Ez j nizanim nav w i ye.
Tu ji mamosta Miho napirs, nav w i ye?
ima tu bi xwe j napirs?
Ji ber ku ez fed dikim.
[dikene.]
Gulistan, ima tu diken?
Niha ez fm dikim! Tu ji w xwendekara n hiz
ne wisa?
Nexr!!! Ez hj j hiz nakim...
Tu HJ j hiz nak!? Ez bawer nakim!
Tu i dibj?
*****
Gulistan:
Roj ba mamosta!
33

Miho:
Roj ba Gulistan! awan ?
Gulistan:
Sax b, bij. Tu j ba ?
Miho: Sipas. Gulistan, tu w der nagr?
Gulistan:
Ser ava, mamosta. [Ew dr digre.] Mamosta
Miho, dibjin ku xwendekareke n heye. Tu
nav w nizan?
Miho: Ez bawer dikim ku nav w Ziyawer e. Tu w kurr
avrre j dibn?
Gulistan:
Er mamosta, ez w dibnim. Ew k ye?
Miho: Ew j xwendekarek n ye. Ez dibjim, ku Ziyawer
xka w ye.
Gulistan:
Mamosta Miho, tu nav w nizan?
Miho: Nexr, ez nav w hj nizanim.
*****
Gulistan:
Rbaz! Mamosta Miho bawer dike ku nav w

Ziyawer e.
Rbaz:
Ziyawer. Navek xwe e, ne wisa?!
Gulistan:
Bel. titek din j heye!
Rbaz:
i ye?
Gulistan:
Birayek w j heye. Em nizanin nav w i ye, l
ew avrre e.
Rbaz:
[dikene.]
Gulistan:
Tu ima diken?
Rbaz:
Ji ber ku tu ji w xwendekar avrre hiz dik!
Gulistan:
Nexr!! Ez nav w j nizanim!
Rbaz:
L tu awa dibj ku ez ji xka w hiz dikim, tu
ba dizan ku ez nav w j nizanim!?
Gulistan:
Xebera te ye!
VOCABULARY:
av, f.
water
li dixim
I hit
bawer dikim
I believe
nan, nn, v nan, m.
bread
cixare, f.
cigarette
niha [S: noke]
now
avrre
black-eyed
pel, m./f.
leaf, sheet of paper
ya, y, v yay, m. mountain
ser ava
gladly
der, dr, v der,m.door
sipas!
Thank you!
din [S: d]
other, another
tit, m.
thing
34

dikenim
I laugh
titek [m.]
something
dipirsim [+ ji]
I ask (someone)
van, pl. obl.
these
dik
it breaks (vi.)
v,f.obl.; v,m.obl.this
wan, pl. obl.
those
fed dikim
I am shy, ashamed
w,f.obl.; w,m.obl.that
j [=ji w/w]
from him/her/it
xebera te ye!
You're right!
kevir, kvir, v kevir, m. rock, stone
xwe
pleasant, nice
35
NUMBERS:
anzdeh
hivdeh
hijdeh
sixteen, 16
seventeen, 17
eighteen, 18
nozdeh
bst
nineteen, 19
twenty, 20
GRAMMAR:
a. We have seen that pronouns have a special form when they are the object of a
present tense verb or of a preposition (e.g., min vs. ez, or in Engli me vs. I). This
special form is called the oblique case. In Kurdi, this is also true of nouns. The
gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) of a Kurdi noun
determine the ending that a noun will have in the oblique case.
I. Let us start with feminine nouns. These are nouns that take an -a in the singular
ezafeh form, e.g. kitba
a min, xka
a te, etc. The corresponding oblique case
form ends in - (-y after a vowel). Hence, for kitb the oblique case is kitb
,
and for til it is tily
y. This - ould not be confused with the masculine singular
ezafeh form! The oblique case has many uses, but for right now we will focus on
one of its most common uses: to express the direct object of a transitive verb in
the present tense. Note that in the feminine singular ev and ew become v and
w respectively in the oblique case. Hence, the oblique case of ev kitb [this
book] is v kitb; likewise, ew til [that finger] becomes w tily in the
oblique case. Here are some examples of the oblique case in use. Again, note the
word order!:
36
Em
w pisk
digrin.
We catch that cat.
Ew
ders
dixwnin. They study the lesson.
35In
Behdnan, kevir is used only for large rocks. For small stones, ber, m. is used. In Turkey
[except Hekkari and environs], kevir does duty for both.
36In the past tenses of transitive verbs, this is not true. More on this in a later chapter!
35

Tu dev v pirtk
digr.
You close this book .
Ez
dibnim.
I see the student (f.).
xwendekar
37
Note also that feminine indefinite nouns also take the ending - in the oblique
case (-ek-
): kitb-ek-, til-yek-. Here are the same sentences, but with
indefinite direct objects:
Em
piskek
digrin.
Ew
dersek
dixwnin. They study a lesson.
Tu dev pirtkek
Ez
digr.
xwendekarek
dibnim.
We catch a cat.
You close a book.

I see a student (f.).
It is important to note that when a noun is used as an object at the same time that
it has an ezafeh (e.g., 'my book' = kitba min in 'He reads my book' = Ew
kitba min dixwne), the ezafeh takes precedence over the oblique case.
Hence, while one says Ew kitb dixwne for 'He reads the book', with kitb =
'the book' as the direct object in the oblique case, if we change kitb to kitba
min = 'my book', the sentence will read Ew kitba min dixwne = 'He reads my
book'. With this in mind, let us take the same sample sentences again, this time
with direct objects that have ezafeh + modifier:
Em
piska te
Ew
dersa dirj dixwnin. They study the long lesson.
Tu dev pirtka n
Ez
digrin.
digr.
xwendekareke n dibnim.
We catch your cat.
You close the new book.

I see a new student (f.).
One last point. Suppose we have the sentence Ew v kitb dixwne = 'He
reads this book'. What will happen to the demonstrative v if we add a modifier to
kitb? In other words, how do we say 'He reads this new book' or 'He reads this
book of mine'? In the direct case (or nominative case), 'this new book' would be
ev kitba n, and 'this book of mine' would be ev kitba min. However, when
functioning as an object, 'this book' would change from ev kitb to v kitb.
But what happens when there is a modifier? Here is the answer: while ev will
change to v, thereby owing that kitb is in the oblique case, kitba n will
remain kitba n. Consequently, when ev kitba n is used as an object, it will
become v kitba n. Consider the following examples:
37Literally:
"You close the mouth of this book". Without the word dev [=mouth; front part], the
sentence might mean "You take this book".
36
but:
Em
Em
v pisk
v piska
a te
digrin.
digrin.
We catch this cat.

We catch this cat of yours.
but:
Ew
Ew
w ders
dixwnin. They study that lesson.
w dersa
a dirj dixwnin. They study that long lesson.
but:
Tu dev v pirtk
digr.
You close this book.
Tu dev v pirtka
a n digr. You close this new book.
but:
Ez
Ez
w xwendekar dibnim. I see that student (f.).

w xwendekara
a n dibnim.I see that new student (f.).
II. Plural nouns. Whereas in the direct or nominative case, all nouns are identical in
the singular and plural (e.g., kitb can mean either '[the] book' or '[the] books'),
in the oblique case, all nouns end in -an (sometimes ortened to -a, particularly in
southern dialects). Hence, the oblique plural of kitb is kitban
an (or kitba
a in the
south), and for heval -- regardless of gender -- it is hevalan
an (or hevala
a). Here are
some sample sentences with plural oblique forms:
Hn kean
an dibnin.
You (pl.) see the girls.
Em hkan
an dixwin.
We eat [the] eggs.
Ez s kitban
an dixwnim.
I read [the] three books.
The oblique plural forms of ev and ew are van (these) and wan (those)
respectively. Let us add them to the above sentences:
Hn van kean
an dibnin.
You (pl.) see these girls.
Em wan hkan
an dixwin.
We eat those eggs.
Ez van s kitban
an dixwnim.
I read these three books.
Once again, if an object has modifiers, the ezafeh will take precedence over the
oblique case. Observe the following:
Hn ken
n bir dibnin.
Em hkn
n te dixwin.
38
You (pl.) see the hungry girls.

We eat your eggs.
Ez s kitbn
n n dixwnim. I read the three new books.
38These
three sentences in Behdinani would look like this:

Hn [or hng] kit
t birs dibnin; Em hkt
t te dixoyn; Ez s kitbt
t n dixwnim.
37
However, as mentioned above, if an object has both a demonstrative (these,

those) and another modifier, the demonstrative will ow the oblique case, while
the noun will take the ezafeh form followed by the modifier. For example:
but:
Hn van kean
an dibnin.
Hn van ken
n bir dibnin.
You (pl.) see these girls.

You (pl.) see these hungry girls.
but:
Em wan hkan
an dixwin.
Em wan hkn
n te dixwin.
We eat those eggs.

We eat those eggs of yours.
but:
Ez van s kitban
an dixwnim.
I read these three books.
Ez van s kitbn
n n dixwnim.I read these three new books.
III. We have left masculine singular nouns for last, because they are a little bit
more complicated. In all Kurmanji dialects, whether northern or southern, in
conjunction with the demonstratives, masculine singular nouns take - (-y before
final vowels) in the oblique case. The demonstratives ev and ew have the
masculine singular oblique forms v and w respectively. Hence, 'this hand' (ev
dest ) and 'that brother' (ew bira) have the oblique forms v dest and w biray
y.
Consider the following sample sentences:
39
Ew v tit dixwaze.
e wants this thing.
Em w kik digrin.
We catch that dog.
Tu ima v nan dixw?

Ez w iyay
y dibnim.
Why do you eat this bread?

I see that mountain.
As with feminine nouns, note that masculine indefinite nouns also take the same
oblique case ending as their definite counterparts: - in (-ek-): dest-ek-, birayek-. Let's look at our sample sentences for more examples:
Ew titek dixwaze.
e wants something.
Em kikek digrin.
We catch a dog.
Tu ima nanek dixw?
Why are you eating a [loaf of]

bread?
Ez iyayek dibnim.
I see a mountain.
By now it ould come as no surprise that when a masculine noun is an object at

39ev
deste
e in some dialects -- including, among others, Behdinan.
38

the same time that it has an ezafeh (e.g., 'my brother' = biray min in 'e sees
my brother' = Ew biray min dibne), the ezafeh will take precedence over the
oblique case. Our sample sentences will demonstrate this:
Ew tit te dixwaze.
She wants your thing.
Em kik bir digrin.
We catch the hungry dog.
Tu ima nan min dixw?
Why do you eat my bread?
Ez iyay mezin dibnim.
I see the large mountain.
Once again, if the object has a demonstrative as well as another modifier, the
demonstrative (ev or ew) will go into the oblique case (v or w), while the noun
will take the ezafeh + modifier.
Examples are:
but:
Ew v tit dixwaze.
Ew v tit
te dixwaze.
She wants this thing.

She wants this thing of yours.
but:
Em w kik digrin.
Em w kik
bir digrin.
We catch that dog.

We catch that hungry dog.
but:
Tu ima v nan dixw?

Why do you eat this bread?
Tu ima v nan
min dixw? Why do you eat this bread of mine?
but:
Ez w iyay
y dibnim.
I see that mountain.
Ez w iyay
y mezin dibnim. I see that large mountain.
So far, the masculine singular has not differed from the feminine singular or from
the plural. Here comes the hard part: simple masculine singular nouns in the
oblique case are treated differently in the northern dialects than they are in the
south. In the south, i.e., in Behdinan and in Hekkari, the pattern is simple: all
masculine singular nouns get - (or -y before a vowel ) in the oblique case, e.g.
av, biray
y, nan. However, in the north, the situation is a bit more complex:
when accompanied by a demonstrative (v or w), masculine oblique nouns take
the ending - (e.g., v av, w biray
y, v nan). But, simple nouns (without a
demonstrative) do not take the ending -. Instead, many (but not all) of them
change the last -e- or -a- in the word to -
-, e.g. av -->
v; biray --> bir
;
nan --> n
n. The technical term for such stem-changing vowels is ablaut.
Masculine nouns that do not have an -a- or an -e-, such as gund (village), remain
unchanged in the simple oblique case (although with the demonstrative it
becomes v/w gund). Three principle parts of masculine nouns ould be
40
40
In Behdinan, often just -y before a vowel, e.g. biray

y, iyay
y.
39

memorized: direct case, simple oblique case, and oblique case with
demonstrative.
The following is a list of the three principle parts of the masculine nouns we have
had thus far which manifest ablaut:
a
bira
av
dest
dev
ga
heval
kiras
nan
bir
v
dst
dv
g
hevl
kirs
v
v
v
v
v
v
v
a
biray
av
dest
dev
gay
heval
v kiras
nn
v nan
At the end of this chapter, you will find a chart summarizing the declensions for
masculine singular, feminine singular, and plural nouns. Please study it carefully,
and refer to it whenever you need it.
EXERCISES:
I. Translate: 1) Ez te nabnim. 2) Tu titek naxwaz. 3) Ew nagr. 4) Em piskan
nagrin. 5) Hn dr nagrin. 6) Ew ders naxwnin. 7) Ew dersa pn naxwne, ew
dersa didua dixwne. 8) Tu dest min dibn. 9) Hn kitban dibnin. 10) Em hkan
dixwin. 11) Ew titan dibnin. 12) Ew titek dixwaze. 13) Tu pirtk digr. 14)
Mamosta dr digre. 15) Dara iy dibne?
II. Change the affirmative sentences in exercise I to negative, and change the
negative sentences to affirmative. Then translate.
III. Where possible, add demonstratives (ev and ew) to the sentences in exercise
one. Then translate. (e.g., Ez xwendekar dibnim --> Ez w xwendekar dibnim).
IV. Where possible, add modifiers (min, te, etc. or adjectives) to the sentences in
exercise one. Then translate. (e.g., Ez xwendekar dibnim --> Ez xwendekara
n/xwendekara te dibnim).
V. Where possible, add demonstratives and modifiers to the sentences in exercise
one. Then translate. (e.g., Ez xwendekar dibnim --> Ez w xwendekara n
dibnim).
VI. Where possible, add numbers (1-20) and any combination you choose (from
exercises II, III, IV, and V) to the sentences in exercise one. Then translate.
Declension of Nouns
40
Direct
Ezafeh
Oblique
Masc.
-
(--) [S: -]
v -
Fem.
-a
-
Pl.
-t/-d/-n
-a[n]
Direct
Ezafeh
av
av te
jin
jina te
Oblique
v
v av
jin
av : jin
avn te : jinn
te
ava[n] :
jina[n]
Direct
Ezafeh
bira
biray te
te)
bir
v biray
Oblique
(bir
til
tilya te
tily
bira : til
birayn te :
tilyn te
biraya[n]
(bira[n]) :
tilya[n]
Declension of Indefinite Nouns
Direct
Ezafeh
Oblique
Masc.
-ek
-ek
-ek
Fem.
-ek
-eke
-ek
Pl.
-in
-ine
-ina
Dir
av-ek
jin-ek
Ezaf
avek te
jineke te
Obl
avek
jinek
*av-in :
*jin-in
avine te :
jinine te
avina :
jinina
Dir
bira-[ye]k
til-yek
Ezaf
birak/
birayek te
birak/
birayek
tilyeke te
Obl
tilyek
41
*bira-yin :
*til-yin
birayine te :
tilyine te
birayina :
tilyina
Dersa ea [6]
{Pikkert 3.1; 3.7}
FOLKLORE:
Mamik: Vedikim nae, girdidim die. Ew i ye? [arix]
another version:
Titek heye, ku gir didim, die; ku divekim, disekine. [arox]
DIALOGUE:
I.
[Kesek li dr dixe.]
Helme:
Bextiyar, hinek li dr dixin. Rabe, dr veke
bibne, k ye!
Bextiyar:
Ba e. Ser ava. [Bextiyar dr vedike.] Roj
ba, Mamosta Miho! Bi xr hat! Kerem ke! Kerem ke!
Miho: Nav xr da b! awan , Bextiyar? Ba ?
Bextiyar:
Ser ser min! Kerem ke, rrne! Ser pyan nesekine!
Tu i vedixw? ay? Qawe?
Miho: Ez gelek hiz ji ay dikim!
Bextiyar:
Ser ava. Helme, mvanek me heye! Tu bo me
ay nak?
Helme:
[Ji mezela din t.] Mvan me k ye? [Mvn
dibne.] Ah! Mamosta Miho! Gelek bi xr hat!
awan ? Ba ?
Miho: Nav xr da b! Sax b, bij. Ez ba im.
Tu j ba ?
Helme:
Ser ser min! ay niha t! [derdikeve.]
*****
Helme:
[ay tne.] ay hazir e! Kerem ke!
Miho: Keremdar b! [ay vedixwe.] Hmm! Helme
Xan, aya te gelek xwe e! Germ e, rin e!
Dest te sax be!
Helme:
No can be! [derdikeve.]
II.
Bextiyar:
Eh, Mamosta. Tu nabj, xwendingeh awan e?

Xwendekarn te awan in?
Miho: Xwendekarn min ba in!
Bextiyar:
end xwendekarn te hene?
Miho: Bst pnc xwendekarn min hene.
Bextiyar:
Ba e, end kurr end ke in?
Miho: Deh kurr panzdeh ke in.
Bextiyar:
hem xwendekarn te her rroj tn dersn xwe
dixwnin?
42

Miho: Er! Her rroj tn.
Bextiyar:
[Dibne ku Miho ayeke din dixwaze.] Helme!
ayeke din bo Mamosta Miho dagre bne!
Helme:
[Ji mezela din] Ser ava! ay niha t!
Bextiyar:
Hem xwendekarn te z tn?
Miho: Xwendekareke min heye ku tim dereng t. L hem
xwendekarn din z tn.
Bextiyar:
Ew xwendekara te ku tim dereng t -- k ye?
Nav w i ye?
Miho: Nav w Perwn e.
Bextiyar:
Perwn! L nav kea min j Perwn e! Tu nabj ku
kea min Perwn tim dereng t xwendingeh!?
Miho: Bel Bextiyar! Ez wisa dibjim!
VOCABULARY:
bo, prep.
arix/arox, f.
ay, f. [S: a]
dikim
for
peasant oe
tea
I make, fix, repair,
prepare (e.g., a meal)
dadigrim
I fill up (vt.)
derdikevim + ji
I leave, exit, go out of
derdixim
I cause to leave,
I throw/take/bring out
dereng
late
dest te sax be
greeting said to anyone
who does stg. for you,
diim
I go
diherrim
I go
disekinim
I stand, I stop
germ
warm, hot
girdidim
I tie, bind
hinek [pl.]
someone, somebody,
some people
hazir
ready
Kerem ke!
greeting said to a guest
when offering or inviting
Keremdar b!
response to Kerem ke.
mezel, f.
room, chamber
mvan, mvn, v mvan, m.&f. guest
Nav xr da b!
response to Bi xr hat.
No can be!
Bon appetit!
qawe, f.
coffee
rradibim
I get up, rise
rradizm
I lie down, go to sleep
rrdinim
I sit
43
e.g.
serves you tea

ser pyan
ser ser min
standing, on one's feet

expression denoting that
[lit.'on my head']
sweet
I come
I bring [towards the
rin
tm
tnim
one is pleased to see someone
(neg. naynim/nanim; imperative
vedikim
vedixwim
wisa
Xan
xwendingeh, f.
I open
I drink
so, thus; such
respectful title after
school
NUMBERS:
bst yek
bst pnc
s [also: sih, sh]
twenty one, 21
twenty five, 25
thirty, 30
bne)
speaker]
names
il
pnc
st
forty, 40
fifty, 50
sixty, 60
GRAMMAR:
a. Compound verbs. Some verbs have prefixes. Let us begin by giving an Engli
parallel: we have in Engli the verb to stand, and the verb to understand.
The
under
verb understand is conjugated the same way as the verb to stand, e.g. both
have the same past tense form: stood, understood.
Under- is a prefix. In Engli,
under
we also have verbs that change meaning when accompanied by a separate word
or particle, e.g. to stand up,
up to stand for,
for to stand still.
still The meanings of Kurdi
verbs can be modified in a similar faion with the addition of prefixes. In most
dialects, the prefixes precede the present stem marker di- (e.g., ve-di
di-kim = 'I
open'). For the purposes of this course, we will use this structure. However, it is
important to note that in some dialects, the di- comes first (e.g., di-ve-kim
= 'I
di
open').
Common prefixes (or preverbs) include: da-, der-, hil-, j-, l-, p-, rra-, t-,
ve-, wer-. Less common ones are: - and rr-.
I. Here is the present tense affirmative of some common verbs: rr-di-nim = 'I
sit'; ve-di-kim = 'I open'; and rra-di-bim = 'I get up'.
'to sit'
Ez
rr-di
di-nim
Em rr-di
di-nin
Tu
rr-di
di-n
Hn rr-di
di-nin
Ew rr-di
di-ne
Ew rr-di
di-nin
41[S:
41
'I sit'
'we sit'
'you (s.) sit'
'you (pl.) sit'
'he/e/it sits'
'they sit'
Ez di--nim;
Tu di--n;
Ew di--nt(in);
Em di--nn;
Hn di--nin;
Ew di--nin]
di
di
di
di
di
di
44

'to open'
Ez
ve-di
di-kim 'I open'
Em ve-di
di-kin
'we open'
Tu
ve-di
di-k
'you (s.) open
Hn ve-di
di-kin 'you (pl.) open'
Ew ve-di
di-ke
'he/e/it opens'
Ew ve-di
di-kin
'they open'
42
'to get up, rise'

Ez
rra-di
di-bim
Em rra-di
di-bin
Tu
rra-di
di-b
Hn rra-di
di-bin
Ew rra-di
di-be
Ew rra-di
di-bin
43
'
'I get up'

'we get up'
'you (s.) get up'
'you (pl.) get up'
'he/e/it gets up'
'they get up'
II. The negative of the present indicative of compound verbs is formed the same
way as it is with simple verbs, i.e. by replacing di- with an accented (stressed)
n-. Here is the negative present indicative of rr-di-nim:
'not to sit'
Ez
rr-n
n-nim
'I don't sit'
Em rr-n
n-nin 'we don't sit'
Tu
rr-n
n-n
'you (s.) don't sit'
Hn rr-n
n-nin
'you (pl.) don't sit'
Ew rr-n
n-ne 'he/e/it doesn't sit'
Ew rr-n
n-nin 'they don't sit'
44
Other compound verbs include:

-di
di-kim
I make, fix, repair, prepare (e.g., a meal)
da-di
di-grim
I fill up (vt.)
der-di
di-kevim + ji
I leave, exit, go out of
der-di
di-xim
I cause to leave, I throw/take/bring out
gir-di
di-dim
I tie, bind
rra-di
di-zm
I lie down, go to sleep
ve-di
di-xwim
I drink
b. Imperatives. When we want to give someone a command, we use the
imperative form of the verb, e.g. 'Close the door!' or 'Come here!'. Imperatives are
always addressed to the second person (you): 'Close the door' means 'Hey you,
close the door!'.
42[S:
Ez di-ve-kem;
Tu di-ve-key;
Ew di-ve-ket(in);
Em di-ve-keyn;
Hn di-ve-ken;
Ew di-vedi
di
di
di
di
di
ken]
43[S: Ez di-a-bim;
Tu di-a-b;
Ew di-a-bt(in);
Em di-a-bn;
Hn di-a-bin;
Ew di-a-bin]
di
di
di
di
di
di
44[S: Ez n--nim;
Tu n--n;
Ew n--nt(in);
Em n--nn;
Hn n--nin;
Ew n-n
n
n
n
n
n
nin]
45
I. In English, the imperative is very easy to form: it is the simple form of the
present tense and infinitive. However, in Kurdish, the situation is slightly more
complex. To form a simple imperative in Kurdish, the di- of the present tense
must be replaced with bi-, and the personal ending will change, depending on
whether one or more people are being commanded to do something. The ending
for the singular will be -e (- or no ending after a vowel), and for the plural, -in (n after a vowel). The 'formula', then, is:
45
singular:
plural:
bi-X
X-e (bi-A
A)
bi-X
X-in (bi-A
A-n),
where X = verb stem ending in a consonant, and A = verb stem ending in a vowel.
So, for example, from di-k-im = 'I do', we will get bi-k-e (s.) and bi-k-in (pl.) =
'Do!' Here are some more examples:
Singular
bi-bn
bn-e
bi-xw
xw-e
bi-gr
gr-e
bi-o
o
bi-xwaz
xwaz-e
Plural
bi-bn
bn-in
bi-xw
xw-in
bi-gr
gr-in
bi-o
o-n
bi-xwaz
xwaz-in
English
See!
Eat!
Take! Close!
Wa!
Want!
46
II. The negative imperative (e.g. 'Don't close the door!', 'Don't go!') is formed by
replacing the bi- prefix of the affirmative imperative with an accented (stressed)
n-, or with an accented m- . Hence, 'Don't do!' would be n-k-e/m
m-k-e (s.)
n
and n-k-in/m
m-k-in (pl.).
n
47
**Note that whereas the negative of the simple present tense is n

- [with an ],
the negative of the imperative is n
- [with an ]**
Here are the negative imperatives of the verbs listed above:
Singular
Plural
English
n-bn-e
m-bn-e
n-bn-in
m-bn-in
Don't see!
n
m
n
m
n-xw-e
m-xw-e
n-xw-in
m-xw-in
Don't eat!
n
m
n
m
n-gr-e
m-gr-e
n-gr-in
m-gr-in
Don't take!
n
m
n
m
Don't close!
n-o
m-o
n-o-n
m-o-n
Don't wash!
n
m
n
m
n-xwaz-e
m-xwaz-e
n-xwaz-in
m-xwaz-in
Don't want!
n
m
n
m
45In
some regions, such as Mardin in Turkey, there is no ending (-e) for the imperative singular.
Hence, instead of bi-k-e they say bi-k. The singular imperatives of the other verbs shown here in
Mardin dialect are: bi-bn; bi-xu; bi-gir; bi-o; bi-xwaz.
46or, Ask for! Request!
47Negative imperatives with me- have a cognate in Persian as well.
46
III. Compound verbs. The imperative of compound verbs in the negative follows
the same principle outlined above, simply inserting an accented (stressed) -nbetween the preverb and the stem, e.g. -n
n-k-e (s.) & -n
n-k-in (pl.) = 'Don't
make!'. In the affirmative, however, the -bi- is generally dropped. Hence, instead
of -bi
bi-k-e and -bi
bi-k-in, one generally finds -k-e and -k-in. Here are
some more examples:
neg.
neg.
neg.
neg.
Singular
ve-xw-e
ve-n
n-xw-e
ve-m
m-xw-e
rr-n-e
rr-n
n-n-e
rr-m
m-n-e
da-gr-e
da-n
n-gr-e
da-m
m-gr-e
rra-b-e
rra-n
n-b-e
rra-m
m-b-e
Plural
ve-xw-in
ve-n
n-xw-in
ve-m
m-xw-in
rr-n-in
rr-n
n-n-in
Don't
rr-m
m-n-in
da-gr-in
da-n
n-gr-in
da-m
m-gr-in
rra-b-in
rra-n
n-b-in
Don't
rra-m
m-b-in
Engli
Drink!
Don't drink!
Sit!
sit!
Fill!
Don't fill!
Get up!
get up!
In some instances, the affirmative imperative can optionally take the -bi-, e.g.:
neg.
neg.
kerem [bi-]k-e
kerem n-k-e
n
kerem m-k-e
m
guh [bi-]d-e
guh n-d-e
n
guh m-d-e
m
kerem [bi-]k-in ~Please!

kerem n-k-in
~Please don't!
n
kerem m-k-in
m
guh [bi-]d-in
Listen!
guh n-d-in
Don't listen!
n
guh m-d-in
m
IV. Irregular imperatives. Some very common verbs form irregular imperatives.
herr-e
herr-in
n-herr-e/n
n--e n-herr-in/n
n--in
Don't
n
n
m-herr-e/m
m--e
m-herr-in/m
m--in
m
m
wer-e
wer-in
n-wer-e/n
n-y
n-wer-in/n
n-yn
n
n
m-wer-e/m
m-y
m-wer-in/m
m-yn
m
m
bj-e
bj-in
n-bj-e
n-bj-in
n
n
m-bj-e
m-bj-in
m
m
Go!
go!
Come!
Don't come!
Say! Tell!
Don't say!
Don't tell!
c. Irregular verbs: to go and to come. These extremely common verbs ow

certainly irregularities which need to be explained.
I. to go. The verb 'to go' has two alternative stems for the present tense, 1) one
47

based on the imperative (herr-) -- extremely common in the north, and 2) one
based on the past tense (-) -- the norm in the south. Both form their negatives
regularly. Here is their conjugation:
1.
Ez
Em
Tu
Hn
Ew
Ew
di-herr
herr-im
di-herr
herr-in
di-herr
herr-
di-herr
herr-in
di-herr
herr-e
di-herr
herr-in
'I go'
'we go'
'you (s.) go'
'you (pl.) go'
'he/e/it goes'
'they go'
negative:
Ez n-herr-im,
etc.
n
2.
Ez
Em
Tu
Hn
Ew
Ew
di-
-im
di-
-in
di-
-
di-
-in
di-
-e
di-
-in
'I go'
'we go'
'you (s.) go'
'you (pl.) go'
'he/e/it goes'
'they go'
negative:
Ez n--im,
etc.
n
II. to come. The original forms of this verb are still preserved in the southern
dialects (dihm). However, in the north a ortened form has arisen (tm), with a
negative that needs a bit of attention. We will list the northern form first:
1.
Ez
Em
Tu
Hn
Ew
Ew
t-m
t
t-n
t
t-y
t
t-n
t
t[-t]
t
t-n
t
'I come'
'we come'
'you (s.) come'
'you (pl.) come'
'he/e/it comes'
'they come'
note negative: Ez n-y-m,

etc.
n
2.
Ez
Em
Tu
Hn
Ew
di-h
h-m
'I come'
di-h
h-yn
'we come'
di-h
h-y
'you (s.) come'
di-h
h-n
'you (pl.) come'
di-h
h-t[in] 'he/e/it comes'
48

Ew
di-h
h-n
'they come'
negative:
Ez n-h-m,
etc.
n
d. Hev. There is a good deal of variety in the ways to say 'each other' or 'one
another' in Kurdi. Some regions prefer hev, or hev du or hev din, while
others (largely in the south) prefer yek du (k du). So, for example:
Em ji hev [
du]
du hiz nakin
We don't like one another
Note the use of hev, etc. in the following, where the Engli does not require it:
Brvan Gulistan hevaln
n hev in
Brvan and Gulistan are friends [literally, 'friends of each other'].
Dara Bkes birayn
yn hev in
Dara and Bkes are brothers [literally, 'brothers of each other'].
EXERCISES:
I. Translate: 1) Do you (s.) like this boy? Yes, I like him, we are friends [of one
another]; 2) Stand up (pl.)! Don't sit down!; 3) I don't know what you want. Say
what you want; 4) Our dogs are coming. Open (s.) the door!; 5) Our mother
likes both tea and coffee; 6) We are bringing eggs and white bread; 7) Why are
you (pl.) leaving [from] your house? Don't leave your house!; 8) Our friend (f.) is
making tea for her guest; 9) We like both our cats. Do you (s.) like our cats?
Don't you (pl.) like our cats?; 10) They are taking their dog out of their friend's
(m.) house. I am taking my dog out of my daughter's school.
II. a. Change these polite commands into simple imperatives. b. Then make them
into negative imperatives. E.g., a. Tu destn xwe naoy? --> Destn xwe bio! -->
b. Destn xwe neo!
1) Tu v dersa xwe naxwn? 2) Hn ay bo v mvana xwe nakin nanin? 3)
Hn v piska min naon? 4) Tu nav xwe nabj? 5) Hn v dery kevn nagrin? 6)
Hn aroxn xwe girnadin? 7) Hn nayn, hn mvan me nabnin? 8) Tu naherr,
tu xka xwe ji w xwendingeha w nan? 9) Tu ji wan xwendekarn n napirs,
navn wan i ne? 10) Hn kerem nakin, hn rrnanin? 11) Tu v qaweya germ
rin venaxw? 12) Tu rranab, tu dr bo dya xwe venak?
III. Choose three simple verbs and three compounds verbs. Conjugate each one
in the affirmative present indicative; negative present indicative; affirmative
imperative; negative imperative.
IV. Write out and say the following numbers in Kurdi: 34; 65; 28; 16; 18; 57; 39;
46; 52; 43.
49

KURDI PERSONAL NAMES
Male:
Bextiyar
Female:
Helme
Perwn
50
Dersa Hefta [7]

{Pikkert 1.11; 2.6}
FOLKLORE:
Ji gotinn pyan: Deyn Sibat li Adar ye
READING:
Hevalek min heye, nav w
Swreg naj. Ew li stanbol dij.
dixwne. Bahr xwendekarek zef
ku Bahr naxwne, li strann Kurd
Bahr ye. Bahr xelq Swreg ye, l ew ro li

Bahr xwendekar e, li zanngeha stanbol
ba e; ew her rroj pirr pirtkan dixwne. Gava
guhdar dike, ji ber ku kfa w ji strann Kurd rra
t. Bahr pirr, pirr ji strann ivn hiz dike. ivan stranbjek Kurd ye: ew
Karag ye. Karag Ereteke mezin e, nzk Wranehr, di herma Rehay
da. Bahr ivan hev nas dikin, ji ber ku Karag nzk Swreg ne j.
Bahr bjin e, l jina ivn heye; nav w Gulistan e. Gulistan xelq
Wranehr ye. Kurrek wan heye, nav w Serxwebn e. ivan, Gulistan
Serxwebn li Tirky najn, ew li Swd dijn. Herdu avn Serxwebn rre in,
mna avn bav w. Gulistan j dibje ku avn w hen in. Kfa te ji avn
hen rra t?
Kfa xka min ji avn hen rra nay: kfa w ji avn rre rra t. Gava ku
ez herdu avn xwe di neynik da dibnim, ez dibjim ku Herdu avn min rre
nnin! Tu ima dibj ku ez avrre im?! Gava ku tu herdu guhn xwe di neynik
da dibn, tu i dibj? Kfa te ji guhn te rra t? Guhn te dirj in, yan j kurt in?
Destn te j: tu destn xwe awa dibn? Kfa te ji wan rra t yan ne? Destn te
bik in, yan j mezin in?
Em lingn xwe awa dibnin? Lingn me dirj in yan kurt in? Bi pir in yan
b pir in? Lingn van kean b pir in, l lingn wan kurran zef bi pir in.
Destn w kurr gelek mezin in! Tu w nas dik? Er, ez w nas dikim. ima tu
dipirs? Ji ber ku kfa min ji destn mezin rra t. Destn bav min j mezin in!
Hn ji piska min hiz dikin? Kfa we ji piskan rra t? Piska min pirr bi aqil e.
Nav w Re ye, ji ber ku rreng w rre e. Kfa w ji soln mvanan rra zef t.
Ew bi soln wan dileyze. Piska heval min j, ku nav w Dcle ye, bi qelemn
mvanan dileyze. Kerem kin, bi piskn me rra bileyzin!
VOCABULARY:
Adar, f.
March (the month)
51

ango
that means, i.e.
b
without
bjin
unmarried (man)
b pir
hairless
bi
with, by means of; in (a language)
bi aqil
intelligent, smart
bi pir
hairy
bi rra
with, together with
bo
for
deyn, m.
debt
digel [S]
with, together with
dijm
I live
dileyzim (bi)
I play (with something)
Eret, f.
tribe
gava ku
when
guhdar dikim, vt. [+li] I listen (to)
herm, f.
region, province, district
ro
today
ji
from
ji rra
to, for
jin, f.
woman, wife
kfa min ji X rra [S: bi X] t I like
mr, m.
man
mna
like, similar to
nas dikim [S: dinyasim] I know (a person), recognize
nexwe
sick, ill
neynik, f. mirror
nzk
near to, close to
pirr [=gelek]
very; much
pir, f.
body hair
qelem, f.
pen
rreng, m.
color
rrpel, f. page (of a book)
Sibat, f.
February
sol, f.
shoe
stran, f.
song
stranbj, m.&f. singer
Swd, f.
Sweden
ivan, ivn, v ivan, m. shepherd
Tirkye, f. Turkey
xelq
from,native of
zanngeh, f.
university
zef [=gelek]
very; much
NUMBERS:
Heft
seventy, 70
not
52
ninety, 90

het
eighty, 80
sed
one hundred, 100
GRAMMAR:
a. The oblique case has several functions in Kurdi. So far, we have covered the
use of it as direct object, e.g.
Ez te dibnim
'I see you'
Ez kitb dixwnim
'I read the book'
Ew dr vedike
'He opens the door'
Em wan piskan digrin 'We catch those cats'
The oblique case is also used as the second part of a possessive (or genitive or
ezafeh) construction. In English, we have such constructions as 'the hair of the
girl' (or, 'the girl's hair) or 'the hands of the teacher' (or, 'the teacher's hands').
The italicized part of these phrases is the second part of the possessive
construction. We already know how to do this in Kurdish with pronouns: kitba
min = 'my book', or 'the book of me'. If we were to substitute the pronoun min =
'my' with a noun, that noun will always be in the oblique case, e.g.
kitba ke=
ke 'the book of the girl' (or, 'the girl's book)
In this construction, the first part of the possessive (or genitive or ezafeh)
construction takes the ezafeh ending (kitb-a
kitb-a ke; dest- v kurr; av-n
kean); the second part takes the oblique case (kitba ke-;
ke- dest v kurr-;
kurr-
avn ke-an).
ke-an
Here are some sentences with this construction:
Nav ke Gulbahar e
The girl's name is Gulbahar.
Bav xwendekar mamosta ye The student's (f.) father is a teacher.
Birayn jin nexwe in
The woman's brothers are ill.
Guhn piskan dirj in
The cats' ears are long.
Rpeln kitb pirr in
The pages of the book are many.
b. Another use of the oblique case is as the object of prepositions. Engli
prepositions include: in, on, to, with, for, beside, through, and many more
besides. Kurdi prepositions include: b = 'without', bo = 'for', ji = 'from', li = 'in,
at', mna = 'like, similar to', and nzk = 'near'.
Nouns and pronouns governed by prepositions are in the oblique case, e.g.:
ji wan
li stanbol-
nzk Wranehr-
from them
in Istanbul
near Viranehir
It should also be noted that the four prepositions bi (with, by means of), di
(inside), ji (from), li (in, at) can combine with the third person singular pronouns
w (him) and w (her). The following transformations are then as follows:
53
bi + w/w p
di + w/w t
ji + w/w j
li + w/w l
with him/her/it
inside him/her/it
from him/her/it
in or at him/her/it
For example,
Ez j hiz dikim
Em l dijn
I love him/her
We live in it.
c. Ambipositions. In addition to prepositions, Kurdi also has constructions that

consist of a preposition coupled with a postposition, for example di da = 'in,
inside'. This is sort of like a sandwich (a circumfix or ambiposition), in that di
precedes the noun, and da follows it, e.g. di xwendingeh-
da = 'in school'.
Other examples of such 'sandwiches' are bi rra = '[together] with' and ji ...
rra = 'to': bi min rra = 'with me'; ji te rra = 'to you'. Traditionally, students of
Kurmanji are taught that there are three postpositions: da [or de] indicating
position, rra [or rre] indicating motion towards or across, and ve indicating
togetherness. These meanings are only meant to be a general guide, but it ould
be noted that these postpositions can radically change the meaning of the
accompanying preposition, e.g.:
48
49
50
ji wan
ji wan rra
from them
to or for them
Note that the contractions mentioned above also apply to ambipositions, e.g.
ji + w/w + rra j rra for him/her/it
di + w/w + da t da in him/her/it
It ould be noted that in southern dialects (both Hekkari and Behdinan), the
simplest way to say 'with' is digel, equivalent to bi rra in the north: digel min
= bi min rra = with me. Also, in Behdinan bo is used instead of ji rra for 'to'
or 'for'.
d. I like, you like, etc. We have already learned the expression hiz dikim ji ,
which really means 'I love'. If I want to say that I like something, rather than love
it, another very common expression is used: Kfa min ji rra t. In southern
dialects, they replace the sandwich ji rra with the simple preposition bi , and
say Kfa min bi tt. Here are a few examples of how this is used:
51
48Variant:
di de
e
bi e
e
50Variant: ji e
e
51For this expression only -- NOT in general!
49Variant:
54

Kfa w ji hkan rra [S: bi hkan] nay
Kfa te ji piskan rra [S: bi kitikan] tt?
Kfa min ji v kitb rra t
He doesn't like eggs.

Do you like cats?
I like this book.
With the contractions mentioned above, we obtain the following:

Kfa min j rra t [S: Kfa min p tt] I like it.
e. What do you think of this? In Kurdish, instead of asking someone what s/he
thinks of something, one asks how s/he sees it: Tu awa dibn? For example:
Tu destn xwe awa dibn? = What do you think of your hands? In other
words, when asking someone his/her opinion about something, this construction
can be used.
f. Where are you from? The way to ask someone where s/he is from in Kurdish
is different from its English equivalent. One asks 'You are the people of what
place?' = Tu xelq ku der y? Xelq, m. is a noun meaning 'people'. The
answer is: 'I am the people of [X]' = Ez xelq [X] me. The place is in the
oblique case, as it is the second part of an ezafeh (genitive or possessive)
construction. E.g., Ez xelq Rehay me = I am from Urfa; Ew xelq Dihok ye
= S/he is from Dihok. Note that xelq is used for both genders and both numbers:
Bav min xelq Dihok ye; Dya min xelq Wranehr ye [never *xelqa
a
Wranehr ye]; Herdu xwendekarn te xelq Swd ne [never *xelqn
n
Swd ne].
g. to know. As in many other languages, Kurdish has two different words for 'to
know'. Ez dizanim is used for facts, e.g. 'I know that he is a teacher' = Ez
dizanim ku ew mamosta ye. Note that this is often used with ku. Remember:
Ez dizanim ku This is the equivalent of German wissen, French savoir,
Spanish saber, Turki bilmek, and Persian dnestan.
However, when one knows or is acquainted with a person, a different verb is used:
Ez nas dikim [S: Ez dinyasim ]. This can also mean 'to recognize'. Hence, this is
much the same as German kennen, French connatre, Spanish conocer, Turkish
tanmak, and Persian enkhtan.
Note the following distinction:
52
Ez w ke nas dikim, l ez nav w nizanim

I know that girl, but I don't know her name.
EXERCISES:
I. Translate: 1) What are the cats doing? They are playing with the guests' oes.
2) The dogs are playing with the guest's (f.) books. 3) Do you like children? I like
the epherd's children. 4) What do you think of that girl's eyes? They are green
52In
Hekkari, they say Ez dinaysim, and near Akre they say Ez dinasim.
55

and very big. 5) Does ivan live in Istanbul? No, he doesn't live in Istanbul, he
lives in Sweden with his {careful!} wife. 6) Are you sitting in the boy's room? No, I
am not sitting in the boy's room, I am sitting in his sister's room. 7) Why are you
reading that old book? Because I like the book's name! 8) Do you know that man?
I know him, but I don't know his name. 9) He knows that our teacher's friend lives
in that big house. 10) They don't know that our friends' teacher knows the
epherd. 11) Don't you know where ivan is from? He is from Urfa, isn't he? 12)
My mother is from Sweden.
II. Translate into English: 1) Nav xwendekar Zn e. Nav biray w j Ehmed e.
2) Bav w hevala me li Swreg dij. 3) Em nav w stranbj nizanin. Em w hj
nas nakin. 4) Bahr, tu nizan ku dya v keik dersdar e? 5) Biray rrspy gund
me nexwe e. 6) Hem xwendekarn me xelq Tirky ne. 7) Tu nizan ew stranbj
xelq ku der ye? Nexr, ez w nas nakim. 8) Dery w mezel venekin! Di w
mezel da neleyzin! 9) Em nizanin ima tu tim dixwn, ji ber ku kfa te bi dersan
nay. 10) Kik Gulistan kirasn biray w dixwe. Kfa w bi kirasan tt.
III. Answer these questions in the negative, then give the affirmative answer in
parentheses: e.g.: Nav te Ramazan e? [nexr; Dara] --> Nexr, nav min
Ramazan nne; nav min Dara ye.
1) Tu mr v jin nas dik? [nexr; w jin bi xwe]; 2) Ew nav w zanngeh
dizane? [nexr; ez]; 3) Kfa we bi/ji gotinn pyan rra t? [nexr; bi mamikan];
4) Xka w ivan xwendekar e? [nexr; stranbj]; 5) Bav wan zarokan li Tirky
dij? [nexr; li Swd]; 6) ro rrspyn w gund tn? [nexr; li mala ivn rrdinin];
7) Jina Sebr xelq Swreg ye? [nexr; xelq Efrn]; 8) Mvan Lezgn ay
vedixwe? [nexr; qaw]; 9) Ferhad Brhan birayn hev in? [nexr; hevaln hev];
10) Bkes destn xwe dio? [nexr; destn Xec].
IV. Translate the following prepositional phrases into Kurdi; then change the noun
into the corresponding pronoun (plus contraction when appropriate), e.g. with the
girl --> bi ke rra --> p rra: 1) with my father; 2) inside the school; 3) to the
friends; 4) from the friends; 5) near the house; 6) in Istanbul; 7) with (=by means
of) a pen; 8) without a name; 9) for my sister; 10) in the book.
V. Write out and say the following numbers in Kurdi: 73; 38; 61; 88; 46; 94; 97;
49; 76; 55; 82.
Male:
Serxwebn
ivan
KURDISH PLACE NAMES
Dihok
Reha [=Urfa]
Efrn
Swreg [=Siverek]
Karag [tribe] Wranehir
56
Dersa Heta [8]

{Pikkert 6}
FOLKLORE:
Ji gotinn pyan: il herav nikarin rrtek bilnin.
READING:
Rojek xwendekarn Mamosta Miho dibjin ku, ro em naxwazin herrin cem
Mamosta Miho. Em dixwazin ku ew b mala me! Ew dibjin, Bila ro Mamosta
Miho b mala me! Xwendekarek t cem Mamosta Miho j rra dibje ku,
Mamosta, div ku tu ro by cem me, em naxwazin herrine xwendingeh. Eger
tu hazir nn by mala me, tu ji me hiz nak!
Mamosta Miho ji xwendekarn xwe rra dibje ku, Ez naxwazim ku hn bjin
ku ez ji we hiz nakim. Ez dikarim bm cem we, l div (=lazim e) hn ay mst
bidine min; ku hn ay mst nedin, ez hazir nnim bme mala we! Xwendekar
dibjin ku, Bila! Bila Mamosta Miho b cem me, bila ew piska xwe j bne! Em
ay didine mamost, em r didine piska w. Mamosta Miho dibje ku, Gelek
sipas dikim, l div ku hn r nedine piska min: piska min hiz nake r vexwe, ku
ew r vexwe, ew nexwe dikeve. Xwendekar dibjin ku, W gav, piska xwe
neyne: tu bi ten were, bila pisk li mal bimne!
VOCABULARY:
bajar, bajr, v bajar, m.[S: bajr]
b aqil
bila [or, bira] [+ subj.]
bi ten
cem
da [ku] [+ subj.]
datnim
dibihzim
dibim
city
stupid
let (something be); okay
alone; only
at/over someone's house
in order to/that
I put, place
(neg. danaynim/dananim;imperative dayne)
difroim
[di]karim [+ subj.]
I hear
1) [S: dibem] I take [away from the
speaker]; 2) [S: dibim]I become, get
I sell
I can, am able
dikirrim
dimnim
dipeyivim
I buy, purchase
I stay, remain
I speak, talk
(neg. nkarim)
57

dilnim
dim [+ subj.] (neg. nm)
dinim
div[t] (neg. nv[t])
diyar, f.
eger
gerek
her tit
hingiv, m. [S: hingivn]
herav, m. [= diz]
ji bo[na] ku [+ subjunctive]
ji rra
ku [+ subjunctive]
lazim e
mase (v mas), f.
mast, mst, v mast, m.
min divt
nexwe dikevim
nnim
nn
pirsyar, f.
qayl
rraz
rrojek
rrt
ekir, kir, v ekir, m.
r, m.
w gav
NUMBERS:
dusid
ssid
arsid
pncsid
esid
I undress, strip; I rob

I can, am able [S}
I send
it is necessary, must
gift, present
if
everything
honey
thief
in order to/that
to
if
table
yoghurt
I want [S]
I get sick, fall ill
I am not
you (s.) are not
question
willing
willing
one day
naked
sugar
milk
then, in that case
200
300
400
500
600
heftsid
hetsid
nehsid
hezar
700
800
900
1,000
GRAMMAR:
a. Subjunctive. In Engli, when we express a fact -- as opposed to a wi -- we
say "All your wies are coming true", or "It is". These may be contrasted with such
constructions as "May all your wies come true" or "Let it be". In Kurdi, these
latter notions are expressed with the Subjunctive Mood. First we will discuss
how the Subjunctive is formed; after that, we will learn how to use it.
I. Formation: The Subjunctive Mood is formed in much the same way as the
58

Imperative mood. In the affirmative, the di- prefix of the Indicative Mood is
replaced with bi-. In the negative, n- is replaced by n-. Here is an example:
53
NOTICE:
Subjunctive Affirmative
em bi-bn-in
in
bi
hn bi-bn-in
in
bi
ew bi-bn-in
in
bi
ez
tu
ew
bi-bn-im
im
bi
bi-bn-
bi
bi-bn-e
e
bi
ez
tu
ew
Subjunctive Negative
n-bn-im
im
em n-bn-in
in
n
n
n-bn-
hn n-bn-in
in
n
n
n-bn-e
e
ew n-bn-in
in
n
n
55
Ez nabnim
na
Ez nebnim
ne
54
I don't see/find
(that) I may not see/find
With compound verbs, bi- is optional. Hence: Ez ve-kim or Ez ve-bi-kim (in

either case, the negative is Ez ve-n
n-kim).
IRREGULAR:
Ez im (to be):
Ez bim, tu b, ew be, em/hn/ew bin
Ez dibjim (to say):
Ez [bi]bjim, tu [bi]bj, ew [bi]bje, em/hn/ew [bi]bjin.
Note that the bi- prefix is optional.
Ez diherrim/diim (to go):
Ez herrim, tu herr, ew herre, em/hn/ew herrin
[or: Ez biim, tu bi, ew bie, ]
Note that with the stem herr-, the bi- prefix is absent.
Ez tm (to come):
Ez bm/werim, tu by/wer, ew b/were, em/hn/ew bn/werin.
Note that with the stem wer-, the bi- prefix is absent. In Behdinani, the preferred
56
53One
could even say that the Imperative is derived from the Subjunctive.
bi-bn-n
n
bi
55S: bi-bn-t
t(in
in)
bi
56S: ew bt, em bn
54S:
59

form is dihm, with a regularly formed subjunctive bihm.
heye, hene (there is/are): hebe , hebin.
57
II. Usage.
1) After auxiliary verbs:
Ez dixwazim = 'to want' + subj.:
e.g.: Ez dixwazim bibnim = I want to see [lit. 'I want that I see']
Note that in this construction that whereas in Engli the infinitive remains
unchanged regardless of the subject of the verb 'to want', in Kurdish the
subjunctive takes the same person as the modal auxiliary
dixwazim:
Tu dixwaz bibn
You want to see [lit. 'You want that you see']
Em dixwazin bibnin We want to see [lit. 'We want that we see']
The subjunctive may be in a different person, in a construction such as the
following:
Ez dixwazim [ku] tu bibn I want you to see
In Behdinan, dixwazim means only 'I request', 'I ask for'. For 'I want, you want,
he-e wants' they use min divt, te divt, w-w divt, etc. instead (see divt
below). Note also that the negative is formed with n-: Min nvt = Ez
naxwazim:
e.g.:
Min divt bibnim
I want to see
Min divt [ku] tu bibn
I want you to see
Ez [di]karim = 'can, to be able' + subj.:
e.g.:
Ez [di]karim herrim
I can go
57S:
hebt
60

NEGATIVE:
Ez n-karim,
tu n-kar,
ew n-kare,
em/hn/ew n-karin
n
n
n
n
e.g.:
Em nikarin te bibihzin
We cannot hear you
In southern dialects, rather than dikarim, the most common way to say 'I can' is
Ez dim.
The negative is formed with n-: Ez nem = Ez nikarim:
e.g.: Ez dim biim
I can go
Em neyn te bibihzn
We cannot hear you
Ez [di]zanim = 'to know how to' + subj.:
e.g.: Ez [di]zanim bileyzim I know how to play
NEGATIVE:
Ez n-zanim,
tu n-zan,
ew n-zane,
em/hn/ew n-zanin
n
n
n
n
e.g.: Hn nizanin bi Kurmanc bipeyivin?
Don't you know how to speak [in] Kurdish?
Note that for both dikarim and dizanim the di- prefix is optional.
div[t] (NEGATIVE: nv[t])
= gerek = lazim e:
n
all three mean 'must, have to'
e.g.: Div [ku] bixw
You must eat (It is necessary that you eat)
With a negative subjunctive, it means '[you] must not', e.g.:
Div [ku] nxw
n
You must not eat (It is necessary that you not eat)
Lazim e [ku] dr ven
nk
You must not open the door
As mentioned above, with oblique pronouns, divt expresses 'to want' in southern
61

dialects (Min divt = Ez dixwazim).
2) After conjunctions.
bila/bira = 'let ':
e.g.: Bila herrin Let them go
58
da ku/ji bo[na] ku = 'in order to/that':

e.g., Em diherrine bajr ji bona ku nn bikirrin
We are going to town in order to buy bread
eger/heke/ku = 'if'
e.g., Eger pirsyareke wan hebe, bila niha bjin
If they have a question, let them say so now
Ku hn wisa nekin, ez hazir nnim bm
If you don't do so, I'm not willing to come
3) After certain adjectives.
hazir = 'ready' or 'willing'
rraz/qayl = 'willing'
e.g.,Ez hazir im bixwnim
Ew qayl nne b
I am ready to study
He's not willing to come
b. Word Order: Indirect Object. The indirect object can be expressed in two
alternative ways (which is also true of Engli!):
1) With the ambiposition/circumfix/sandwich ji rra/rre placed before the
verb. E.g.,
Dya min ji min rra diyaryek
dine
My mother to me
a gift
sends
My mother sends me a gift, or: My mother sends a gift to me.
Dersdar
ji xwendekaran rra
rokan
dixwne
The teacher
to the students stories
reads
The teacher reads the students the stories, or: The teacher reads the stories to
the students.
58This
is known as the jussive in traditional grammar books. Note that in English, 'let' is an
imperative rather than a conjunction.
62
2) With the oblique case placed after the verb. We will call this the dative
construction. E.g.,
Dya min
got
dide
My mother (the) meat gives to me
Dersdar
The teacher
kitban
the books
min
dide
xwendekaran
gives to the students
This latter construction is also used to express motion to which (generally with a
verb of motion). Note that this construction is often preceded by the preposition
-e suffixed to the preceding verb . E.g.,
Em
We
diherrin-e
e
are going-to
bajr
Mvan
tn-e
e
The guests are coming-to
Ez
I
kitba xwe
my book
the city
mala me
our house
didim-e
e
am giving-to
te
you
Note that in the third person, before this "preposition" the verb often takes the
ending -it-. E.g., Ew van kitban tne = 'He brings these books', but: Ew van
kitban tnit
ite bav xwe = 'He brings these books to his father'.
Question words (interrogatives) take the place in the sentence that their
grammatical function requires. E.g.,
Em
We
diherrin-e
e
are going-to
}
Mvan
tn-e
e
The guests are coming-to
ku?
ku der?
where?
c. dibim #1 & #2. There are two verbs with the present tense dibim. One is a
transitive verb meaning 'to take or carry [away from the speaker]' . This
corresponds to tnim = 'to bring [toward the speaker]'. E.g.:
59
V nan bibe bav xwe!

Take this bread to your father!
Ez van kitban dibime xwendingeh I take these books to school.
59The
infinitive of this verb is birin.
63
Note that dibim #1 often has both a direct object before the verb and an
indirect object after the verb.
In southern dialects -- both Hekkari and Behdinan -- the form of dibim #1 is
dibem (dibey - dibet[in] - dibeyn - diben).
The second verb with dibim in the present tense is the verb to become. This
verb patterns with the dative construction. For example, to say 'I am becoming a
teacher' we would say 'Ez dibim[e] mamosta', with mamosta following the
verb. If we were to say 'Ez mamosta dibim' (or 'Ez mamost
dibim'), it would
mean 'I am taking the teacher (somewhere)'.
60
61
The most important point to remember here is that word order is essential in
distinguiing dibim #1 (=to take) from dibim #2 (=to become).
d. Oblique case. Another use of the oblique case is to express time. For
example, rrojek = 'one day'. During the day, in the daytime is rroj; at night is
ev. In the summer is havn; in the winter is zivistan.
EXERCISES:
I. Translate: 1) I want to go to Bitlis [Bidls, f.]. Don't you want to come too?; 2)
They dont want to go to Van [Wan, f.]. We don't want them to come; 3) They dont
want us to go to Mehabad. But we must go; 4) You (s.) cannot eat my bread, but
you must drink your tea; 5) e must come to my house, but e does not want to;
6) Let him sit beside [li ber] the table, and read his lesson; 7) The cats want to
drink their milk. I dont want them to drink the milk; 8) I want her not to read
those books. I dont want her to read that red book; 9) They do not know how to
say their (own) names. I am not ready to say that [ku] they are stupid; 10) We are
ready to go to the town of Urmiye in order to buy honey, sugar and yoghurt.
II. Give the present subjunctive, affirmative & negative, of the following verbs:
dibnim
dikim
dixwim
didim
rradibim
dibihzim vedixwim tnim
dibim
difroim
III. Translate the following into Engli. 1) Biray min dixwaze bibe mamosta. 2)
Xka min dixwaze mamostay xwe bibite mal. 3) Tu nabihz, hevala te i
dibjite te? 4) Hn van kitbn xwe yn kevn nafroine me? 5) ima ew naxwaze
bjite min [or, ji min rra bje] ew i dikirre gava ku ew diite bajr? 6) Ew s
zarrok mast dya xwe tnine mamostayn xwe li xwendingeh. 7) Gava ku ew
mst dixwe, ew tim nexwe dikeve. 8) Hevaln min diherrine bajr da ku ew ji min
rra mst bikirrin bnin. 9) Divt ku biray te mast dya xwe bibite bajr. 10) Ji
bona ku tu bib xwendekarek ba, ez dixwazim te bibime zanngeh.
60Hence,
in southern dialects the two verbs are distinct: dibem = 'to take' and dibim = 'to
become'.
61The infinitive of this verb is bn. This is actually the verb 'to be'.
64
IV. Make up ten sentences using subjunctives and indirect objects.

KURDISH PLACE NAMES
Bidls
rmiye
Mehabad
Wan
65
Dersa Neha [9]

{Pikkert 7}
FOLKLORE:
Ji gotinn pyan: Zik tij birinc be, w tij xencer be.
DIALOGUE:
I.
Gulistan:
Ez dixwazim titek ji te bipirsim.
Brvan:
Kerem ke, bipirse! Nav[t] bitirs, bipirse. Ango,
div netirs bipirs!
Gulistan: Ba e: Heftya t tu y i bik?
Brvan:
Heftya t ez herrime mala xwe.
Gulistan: Heta keng tu y li w der bimn?
Brvan:
Ez pnc rrojan li w der bimnim. Tu ima dipirs?
Gulistan: imk heftya t ez naxwazim li vir bi ten bimnim.
Ez
dixwazim bi te rra bm, l ez ditirsim ku tu y bj
Nexr! Tu
nikar bi min rra by! Lazim e ku
tu li v
bajar bimn.
Brvan:
Ez nikarim tutit bibjim b ku zin ji d bav
xwe bixwazim. Tu li vir bimne, ez herrim ji wan
bipirsim bm. [Brvan derdikeve, telefon d bav
xwe dike, t].
Gulistan: Ew i dibjin?
Brvan:
Ew dibjin Ser seran ser avan! Heftya t em
pevrra [=bi hev rra] herrine mala d bav min! Tu
y
mvana me b!
II.
Miho:
Rbaz:
Miho:
Meha t ez hesp xwe bifroim.

Bi end tu y w bifro?
Ez w bi hezar banqnotan bifroim. Gelo tu dixwaz
w bikirr? Tu ji hespan hiz dik?
Rbaz:
Ez gelek ji hespan hiz dikim, l sala t bav min d
leka xwe bifroe gamek bikirre.
Miho:
Ew li ku der gamek bibne ku bikirre? Kfa min
ji gaman rra nay: ez ji wan ditirsim.
66

Rbaz:
Tu ima ji wan ditirs?
Miho:
imk ez her ditirsim ku ew p li min bikin min
bikujin!
VOCABULARY:
banqnot, f.[also: panqnot](Turkish) lira
b ku [+ subjunctive]
without ...-ing
bi end?
for how much?
lek, f. [=mange]
cow
imk [=ji ber ku]
because
d bav, pl.
parents
dikujim
to kill
ditirsim [+ji]
to fear [someone], be afraid of [someone]
gelek
very
gelo ?
interrogative particle
hesp, m./f.
horse
heyv, f.
moon; month [S]
heft, f.
week
heftya t
next week
heta
until
zin (dixwazim)
(to ask for) permission
keng?
when?
kfxwe
happy
li vir
here
li w der = li wir
there
mange , f. [=lek]cow
meh, f. [S: heyv] month
meha t
next month
nvrro, f.
noon
pa
after
pevrra [S: pkve] together
p li dikim to cru, stomp on
p rra [=bi w/w rra]with him/her
sal, f.
year
sala t
next year
ser seran ser avan! welcome!
67

sib[eh] [S: subah]
tomorrow
telefon dikim
to call on the phone, ring up
tij
full
tucar
never
tutit
nothing
xencer, f.
dagger
zik, m.
tomach
NUMBERS:
du hezar
s hezar
ar hezar
pnc hezar
e hezar
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
heft hezar
het hezar
neh hezar
deh hezar
mlyon
7,000
8,000
9,000
10,000
1,000,000
GRAMMAR:
a. Future tense. The future tense (e.g., 'I will see') is formed as follows:
I. Affirmative: 'future marker' d [variants: w or -] + present subjunctive.
Personal pronouns combine with the future marker, as follows:
Affirmative
ez
bi-bn-im
em bi-bn-in
tu [y
y]
bi-bn-
hn bi-bn-in
ew
bi-bn-e
ew bi-bn-in
I will see
we will see
you (s.) will see
you (pl.) will see
s/he will see
they will see
In Behdinan, the Future Affirmative is formed slightly differently. The particle d

is followed by the naked present stem without any prefix, e.g.:
ez d
bn-im
em d bn-n
tu d
bn-
hn d bn-in
ew d bn-t[in]
ew d bn-in
I will see
we will see
you (s.) will see
you (pl.) will see
s/he will see
they will see
68
II. Negative: identical with present indicative:

Negative
ez
na-bn-im
na
em na-bn-in
na
tu
na-bn-
na
hn na-bn-in
na
ew
na-bn-e
na
ew na-bn-in
na
I won't see
we won't see
you (s.) won't see
you (pl.) won't see
s/he won't see
they won't see
Therefore,
Ez nabnim = I don't see; I don't find; I won't see; I won't find.
In some regions, forms such as Ez nebnim exist, but many people consider this
to be unacceptable usage. There is no single answer regarding the correctness of
such forms. Because they do in fact exist, we are mentioning them, albeit only in
passing.
III. Note the future tense of the following verbs:
to know:
Ez bizanibim, tu y bizanib, etc. (in Behdinan: Ez d zanim)
negative: Ez nizanim, tu nizan, etc.
to be able:
Ez bikaribim, tu y bikarib, etc. (in Behdinan: Ez d m)
negative: Ez nikarim, tu nikar, etc.
to be:
Ez bim, tu y b, etc.
negative: Ez nabim, tu nab, etc.
to go:
Ez herrim, tu y herr, etc.
[also: Ez biim, tu y bi, etc.] (in Behdinan: Ez d im)
negative: Ez naherrim, tu naherr, etc.
[also: Ez naim, tu na, etc.]
to say:
Ez [bi]bjim, tu y [bi]bj, etc. (in Behdinan: Ez d bjim)
69

negative: Ez nabjim, tu nabj, etc.
there is:
D hebe, d hebin (in Behdinan: D hebt)
negative: Nabe, nabin
Strictly speaking, these are only irregular in the way that they form the
subjunctive.
b. Double negatives. In Kurdi, it is correct to use double negatives, e.g.:
Ez nikarim
tutit bjim
ni
I can't say anything [lit. 'I can't say nothing']
Ew tucar naxwaze
herre
na
He doesn't ever want to go [lit. 'He never doesn't want to go']
c. Nouns that end in -e
e. There is some variety in the inflection of nouns that
end in -e. Let us take the noun qawe (f.) = 'coffee' as an example. There are two
inflections that are possible: 1) ezafeh and 2) the oblique case. The ezafeh of
qawe can be either qaweya
ya- or qawa
a-. Likewise, the oblique case can be either
qawey
y or qaw
. So also mase (f.) = 'table' and mange (f.) = 'cow'
d. Interrogative particle. In Engli, when we want to change a statement into a
question, we often need to change the verb. For example, if we wi to change the
sentence "He wants to see my father" into a question, we must add the auxiliary
verb do, yielding "Does he want to see my father?". In Kurdi, there are several
possible ways to change a statement into a question. The simplest way is simply
to change the intonation: "Ew dixwaze bav min bibne" --> "Ew dixwa
aze
bav min bibne?" with rising intonation on -xwaz- in dixwaze and -bn- in
bibne. A second way is to start the sentence with gelo. This can transform any
(yes-no) statement into a question, e.g., Gelo ew dixwaze bav min bibne?
e. For how much? When you tell how much you paid for something -- or intend
to charge for it -- in Kurdi you use the preposition bi: e.g., Bi end tuy w
bifro? = How much will you sell it for? Ez w bi hezar banqnotan bifroim
= I will sell it for 1,000 liras.
EXERCISES:
I. Translation: 1) He asks us what we are doing. He will ask us what we will do; 2)
Cats are afraid of dogs. When will dogs be afraid of cats?; 3) I cannot come study
with (birra) you today, but (l) I will come to your house tomorrow; 4) Next
week my sister will go to Diyarbakir with her husband in order to buy bread, milk,
and new irts; 5) When will your parents sell their horse? They will take him to Van
next month in order to sell him; 6) For (bi) how much will your friends sell the
cow? They will sell her for 1200 liras; 7) Do you [pl.] want to stay in this city? We
70

will be very happy if you [will] stay; 8) Are her children afraid of their [own]
horses? When will they sell them?; 9) I must ask my brother if he will go to Zakho
(Zaxo, f.) next year. I want to go with him; 10) How many thieves will strip a
naked woman? I dont know: you must ask your teacher.
II. Translate into English:
1) Ew du diz d bav te bikujin; 2) Ez hingiv got bikirrim; 3) Tu y hezar yek
pirsyaran ji min bipirs; 4) Hn van s piskan bifroin; 5) Em wan il kikan
bidine mamostayn xwe; 6) Ew xwendekara n d van pnc kitban bixwne; 7)
Ew li v bajar bimnin; 8) Pa nvrro dya min d telefon min bike; 9) Zarokn me
d bi zarokn we rra bileyzin; 10) Pa nvrro ez gelek bir bim.
III. Make the sentences in Exercise II. into questions.
IV. Change the sentences in Exercise II. into the negative.
V. Write out and say the following numbers in Kurdi: 173; 238; 1,261; 8,847;
46,000; 494; 3,972; 493; 7,654; 5,508; 625.
KURDISH PLACE NAMES
Dyarbekr [Amed]
Zaxo
71

Pronunciation drills
ev
ew
v
w
van
wan
vn
viyan
xwe
xw
bixwe
bixwne
k
ke
keys
ks kes
kirin
kirrn
karn
digrim
digrm
digerrim
kurr
kr
kor
guh
g
got
din
dn
dn
deyn
iv
v
ev
r
r
err
ir
te
t
terr
tr
ji
j
j
be
b
ba
dibe
dibje
div
davje
dev
dv
dew
dw
ew dev
ev dew
wan devan
ew dew
ev dev
van devn wan
ew dev w
ev dew w
ew dev we
ev dew we
ke
keik
keek
keikek
nv
nivn
nivistin
nivsn
binive!
binivse!
nvik
w divt
we divt
nav we
nav w
nav v ke nav w kurr
nav v xwendekar
nav w ke nav v kurr
nav w xwendekar
72
Dersa Deha [10]

{Pikkert 9.4}
FOLKLORE:
Ji gotinn pyan :
62
Ji guran birtir e, ji maran taztir e.

Hungrier than wolves, more naked than snakes (said of very poor people)
Xew - ji hesin girantir e, ji kir rintir e.
Sleep -- its heavier than iron, sweeter than sugar.
am ekir e - l welat rintir e.
Damascus is sugar, but home is sweeter.
Tjikn maran ji maran pstir in.
The snakes young are dirtier than the snakes.
Mamik:
Hilindir milindir, kurr ji bav bilindtir.
Hilindir milindir, the son is taller than the father.
[kurr = d; bav = agir]
DIALOGUE:
I.
Miho: Xwendekarno! ro ez ji we bixwazim ku hn
behsa xk birayn xwe bikin. Brvan!
end xk birayn te hene?
Brvan:
Du xk s birayn min hene.
Miho: Tu ji hemiyan mezintir ?
Brvan:
Nexr, biray min Lezgn ji min mezintir e. Du
birayn min yn din herdu xkn min ji min
piktir in.
Miho: Ba e, Rbazo! Biray te Bkes ji te piktir e,
ne wisa?
Rbaz:
Bel, Seyday Miho. Ez ar salan j mezintir im.
Miho: Tu xk birayn te yn din tunin, Rbazo?
Rbaz:
Bel! Xkeke min j heye. Ew ji min gelek
mezintir
e. Nav mr w Xemgn e. S zarokn wan
hene.
Miho: Tu ji zarokn xka xwe mezintir ? Ango, hem
xwarzyn te ji te piktir in?
Rbaz:
Ez pnc salan ji mezintirn xwarzy xwe mezintir
im.
62See
also Lescot #90-94, p. 202; #165, p. 212; #272, p. 225
73

Miho: Bi gotineke din, tu pnc salan ji nuxury xka
xwe mezintir .
Rbaz:
Er, rrast e.
II.
Miho: Ferhado! Mala te ji xwendingeh dr e yan nzk e?

Ferhad:
Mala min du klometreyan ji xwendingeh dr e.
Miho: tu, Gelawj, mala te drtir e yan nzktir e?
Gelawj:
Mala min nzktir e, Mamosta. Mala min kmtir ji
klometreyek ji vir dr e.
Brvan:
Seyda! Mala Gelawj ji hemiyan nzktir e!
Miho: Bi rrast? Ba e, drtirn mal --- mala k ye?
Brvan:
Seyda, ez dibjim ku mala xms ji hemiyan
drtir e.
Miho: Mala w end dr e?
Gelawj:
Mala w ne li v bajar ye! Ew li gundek dij!
VOCABULARY:
agir, gir, v agir, m.
fire
baran, f.
rain
behsa dikim [S: behs]I discuss, talk about
btir
more
bi gotineke din
in other words
bilind
high, tall
tir
better
demsal, f.
season (of the year)
dibare
it rains, it falls (of rain or snow)
dinya, f.
world
d, m.
smoke
dr [+ ji]
far [from]
gel [+ oblique case plural]
plural vocative particle: O [people]!
giran
heavy; expensive
gund, m.
villager, peasant
gur, m. [S: gurg]
wolf
here/her
most, -est
hesin, m. [S: asin]
iron (mineral)
j [=ji w/w]
from him/her; than he/her
km
little, few
kitbxane, f.
library
kjan?
which?
klometre, f.
kilometer
l
feminine vocative particle
lo
masculine vocative particle
mar, m.
snake
mirk, f.
chicken
nzk
near, close
nv
half
74

nuxur, m.&f.
oldest child
pitir
more [S]
ps
dirty
rrast
right
sar
cold
seyda, m. [=mamosta]
teacher
am, f.
Damascus
taz [=rrt]
naked
tjik, m. [also: jik]
cub, whelp, young (of animal)
-tir
more, -er
tu [S: u]
no, none
welat, welt, v welat, m. country, homeland
xew, f.
sleep
xwarz, m.&f.
nephew, niece [child of one's sister]
SEASONS:
bihar, f.
bihar
havn, f.
havn
spring
in the spring
summer
in the summer
payz, f.
payz
zivistan, f.
zivistan
63
fall, autumn
in the fall
winter
in the winter
GRAMMAR:
a. The comparative degree of adjectives.
Add -tir to the positive (simple) degree. E.g.,
dirj long
xwe
xirab bad;
kevn
km
dirjtir
tir
longer
pleasant
xwetir
tir
more pleasant
ruined
xirabtir
tir
worse
old (things)
kevntir
tir
older
little, few
kmtir
tir
less, fewer
A few common adjectives have irregular forms:

tir
tir
better (also: batir
tir, qenctir
tir)
btir
tir, pitir
tir more (also: pirrtir
tir, zeftir
tir)
meztir
tir
bigger (also: mezintir
tir)
Than is expressed by the preposition ji, e.g.,
ji min bilindtir
tir
63The
higher/taller than me
children of one's brother are called biraz.
75

ji kir rintir
tir
sweeter than sugar
b. The superlative degree. Several different constructions are used.

I.
ji hemyan + comparative adjective [-tir] (than all) (more [X])
ji hemyan tir
=
the best (of all)
ji hemyan pstir
=
the dirtiest
II.
li
+
1
Li
Diyarbekir
noun
+
simple adjective
2
3
Kurdistan
Dyarbekir mezin e.
is the greatest/largest place in all of Kurdistan
III.
here/her +
here mezin
her xwe
IV.
simple adjective + -tirn [under Persian & Sorani influence]

mezintirn
tirn
the largest
64
simple adjective
the largest
the nicest
Note that this precedes the noun it modifies:

Dyarbekr mezintirn
tirn bajar Kurdistan ye.
Diyarbakir is the largest city in Kurdistan.
Did you notice that in the last sentence the Kurdish says literally "the largest city
of Kurdistan"? In English we can say "the best little boy in the world", "the
prettiest garden in the city", etc.; we also say "the shortest month of the year",
"the greatest day of my life", etc. In Kurdish, this is expressed with an ezafeh
construction, e.g.:
Xwetirn rroja
a payz
or
Roja
a payz
ya ji hemyan xwetir
the loveliest day in/of the fall
Dirjtirn rroja
a sal
or
the longest day of the year
Roja
a sal
ya her dirj
c. Secondary ezafeh. We know how to say "my book" (kitba min) and "the
new book" (kitba n), but how can we say "my new book"? As with most things
in Kurdi, there are two ways to render this! The simplest way is with
independent ezafeh markers: y for masculine singular, ya for feminine singular,
64see
Pikkert 9.4, p. 36
76

and yn [S: yt] for plural. Hence, "my new book" would be kitba min ya n.
Likewise, "his old irt" would be kiras w y kevn. Notice also that in the last
section, one way of saying "the longest day of the year" was rroja sal ya her
dirj. The rule is that when you have two modifiers for the same noun, one is
attached to the noun by ezafeh and the second follows with an independent
ezafeh marker . In other words, if we want to add a modifier to a noun which is
already modified (by a noun, adjective, or pronoun), we must use secondary
ezafeh.
65
66
The second way to render such constructions is like this: kitba mine
e n. Instead
of the independent ezafeh markers, the endings - (masculine singular and all
plural nouns) and -e (feminine singular) are added at the end of the first ezafeh
construction. E.g.:
qelema mine
e dirj = qelema min ya dirj = my long pen
dest tey
y rrast = dest te y rrast = your right hand
kitbn wy
y n = kitbn w yn n = her new books
qelema mine
e dirje
e n = qelema min ya dirj ya n = my long, new pen
kitbn wy
y ny
y mezin = kitbn w yn n yn mezin = her big,
new books
d. Vocative. When you address a person or call him or her by name, in many
dialects of Kurdi a special form of the name is used: the vocative case. To form
this case, add -o to masculine singular nouns, - to feminine singular nouns, and
-no to plural nouns. In addition, the particles lo (masculine singular), l (feminine
singular) and gel (+ oblique plural [-an]) may be added as well, e.g.:
lo Bkeso
o! O Bkes!
l Brvan
!
O Brvan!
gundno
no!
gel gundyan
yan!
}O villagers!
e. Oblique case. In Lesson 8 we mentioned that the oblique case is used to

express time. For example, rrojek = 'one day'. In the dialogue of this chapter,
we have seen more extended examples of the oblique case, to express
measurement:
Ez ar salan j mezintir im = I am four years older than him.
[I am older than him by four years]
65Another
way to put this might be as follows: when you have two modifiers for the same noun,
one is attached to the noun by primary ezafeh and the second follows with a secondary ezafeh
marker.
66This is a paraphrase of Pikkert #2.10, p. 16.
77

Ez pnc salan ji mezintirn xwarzy xwe mezintir im = I am five years older
than my oldest nephew.
[I am older than my oldest nephew by five years]
Mala min du klometreyan ji xwendingeh dr e = My house is two
kilometers [far] from the school.
[My house is far from the school by two kilometers]
EXERCISES:
I. Translate: 1) My dog is smarter than your nephew; 2) Which is the coldest
season? Winter is the coldest; 3) Let your brother eat [bread, i.e., a meal]. He is
hungrier than you; 4) Are you your father's eldest child? In other words, are you
the biggest son of your parents or not?; 5) Is your niece fatter than your sister?
No, my niece is thin -- my sister is much fatter than her!; 6) Do you see those two
men? They are father and son. The father is much orter than his son; 7) In the
winter, there is no city colder than Erzurum [a city colder than Erzurum there is
not]; 8) They say that Seattle is the wettest city in the world; every day it rains!;
9) What will you do in the summer? I will play with my nieces and nephews; 10)
My eldest child will come see me in the fall.
II. Say each of these sentences in more than one way: 1) The newest book in the
library; 2) The thirstiest student in the school; 3) My father's fattest sister; 4) The
wettest day of the year; 5) The bluest eyes in this world; 6) The coldest room in
the house; 7) Your brother's oldest irt; 8) Our chicken's whitest egg; 9) The worst
school in the city; 10) The hottest month of the year; 11) Your old book; 12) Their
red chicken; 13) My new friend; 14) Our smart, new teacher; 15) Their large,
pleasant city.
III. Translate: 1) Hevlr mezintirn bajar Kurdistana 'raq ye? Nexr, Kerkk ji
Hevlr mezintir e; 2) Dihok ji Zaxoy mezintir e, Zaxo ji Amdy mezintir e; 3)
Silman ji Hevlr piktir e; 4) Kjan bajar xwetir e: Silman yan Kerkk?; 5)
Hevlr ji Mehabad kevntir e, ne wisa?; 6) rintirn kea xwendingeha me -- xka
te ye!; 7) Mezintirn bajar Kurdistana Tirky kjan bajar e? Dyarbekr e, yan bi
gotineke din, Amed ji hemyan mezintir e; 8) Germtirn demsal kjan e? Havn ji
hemyan germtir e; 9) Xwetirn demsal kjan e? Bihar ji hemyan xwetir e; 10)
Havn, bajarek ji Mrdn hiktir tune.
IV. Make up five sentences using comparative and superlative forms of
adjectives, and five sentences using secondary ezafeh.
Male:
xms
KURDISH PLACE NAMES
78

Amd
Erzirom
Hevlr
Kerkk
Mrdn
Silman
79
Dersa Yanzdeha [11]

{Pikkert 4.1, 4.2, 4.6}
FOLKLORE:
Ji gotinn pyan:
Roj rre b, tu j rretir be.
If the day is [lit. 'was'] black, you be blacker than it.
Rnit li germa, rrab li serma.
He sat around when it was warm, he got up when it got cold.
Ber baran rrevm, bin zpik ketim.
I ran from the rain, I landed under the hail.
[ber = ji ber = from in front of]
DIALOGUE:
I.
Brvan:
Heftya y, ez m d bav xwe bibnim.
Ferhad:
Tu end rrojan li wir may?
Brvan:
Ez pnc rrojan li wir mam.
Ferhad:
tu keng zivirr v bajar? Dih yan pr?
Brvan:
Dih em zivirrn.
Ferhad:
Em?! Tu bi ten ney mal?
Brvan:
Nexr, hevala min Gulistan bi min rra b -- em
pevrra ne serdan.
Ferhad:
awa derbaz b? Ba b?
Brvan:
Er! Gelek xwe derbaz b! Kfa Gulistan ji
bajar min rra hat. Em di w bajar da gelek
gerryan.
Ferhad:
Gulistan ima bi te rra hat? Ew ima li vir nema, yan
j ew ima ne d bav xwe bibne?
Brvan:
Ew bi min rra hat ji ber ku mala d bav w gelek
dr e. tir b ku ew bi min rra hat, da ku heftyek
li vir bi ten nemne.
Ferhad:
Xebera te ye!
II.
Rbaz:
Seyday Miho, tu keng hat v bajar?
Miho: Ez prar hatime v bajar -- ango ber du salan.
Tu li kuder mezin by?
Miho: Ez li gundek li bakura Diyarbekr mezin bm.
Rbaz:
Gund te mezin e yan pik e?
Miho: W dem gund me mezin b, l niha gelek
80
Rbaz:

pik e. Herkes rrev, bajr .
Rbaz:
Ma kes li gund we nemaye, mamosta Miho?
Miho: Bi rrast ez nizanim -- ji mj ve ye ez neme gund
xwe.
Rbaz:
D bav te j ji gund derketin, yan li wir man?
Miho: Dya min li gund ma, l bav min rrab, bajr.
Rbaz:
Bav te ima ji gund derket? Ew ima bajr?
Miho: Bav min ye bajr da ku li kar bigerre.
Rbaz:
Li gund kar tune?
Miho: Di wext xwe da kar heb, l d nema. Niha herkes
mecbr e ji gund derkeve herre bajr.
67
VOCABULARY:
ber
before (of time); ago
dem, f.
time
derbaz bn (derbaz dibe), vi. to pass
dih [also: duh]
yesterday
erd, f.
earth, floor, ground
d nema
it's all gone, there is no more
firrn (difirrim), vi.
to fly
gerryan (digerrim), vi.
to roam, wander
herkes
everyone, everybody
heftya y
last week
ji mj ve
for/since a long time
kar, m.
work, labor
ketin (dikevim), vi.
to fall
l gerryan (li digerrim), vi.to look for, search, seek
ma
signals a question
mecbr [+ subjunctive]
forced, required (to do stg.)
meha y
last month
par
last year
pr
two days ago, day before yesterday
(par na) prar
two years ago, year before last
rrevn (dirrevim), vi.
to flee, escape, run away
serdan, f.
visit
serma, f.
cold weather, the cold
sv, f.
apple
w dem = di wext xwe da
formerly, once, in the past
zivirrn (dizivirrim), vi.
to return, go or come back
zpik, f.
hail [form of precipitation]
DIRECTIONS:
bakur, f.
rrojhilat, f.
67or,
north
east
bar, f.
rrojava, f.
ye
ye bajr.
81
south
west

Rojhilata Navn
Middle East
GRAMMAR:
a. Past Tense of Intransitive Verbs [vi.] With this lesson, we will be
introducing the past stem of the verb system. This is formed by removing the
final -[i]n from the infinitive, which we will also be introducing at this time. In
English, the infinitive is the basic form of the verb preceded by the preposition 'to',
e.g.: 'to eat', 'to be', 'to go', 'to see', etc. Up till now we have been referring to
verbs by the first person singular of the present tense, e.g., dikirrim = 'I buy';
dikim = 'I do'; dixwazim = 'I want'. From now on, we will refer to verbs by their
infinitive forms (kirrn = 'to buy'; kirin = 'to do'; xwestin = 'to want'). Whereas
in Engli it is necessary to learn three principal parts of every verb (e.g., see saw - seen; go - went - gone; walk - walked - walked, etc.), in Kurdish verbs only
have two principal parts: present stem (e.g., dikirrim) and infinitive (e.g., kirrn).
If we know these two forms and whether the verb is transitive or intransitive, it
is possible to conjugate verbs fully. At the end of this chapter, we have included a
table showing the infinitives of all the verbs introduced thus far as well as whether
they are transitive (vt.) or intransitive (vi.).
This information will enable you to form the past tense. Note that infinitives with
consonant stems end in -in (e.g., hatin
in = 'to come', xwestin
in = 'to want', dtin
in =
'to see'), and those with vowel stems end in -n (e.g., n
n = 'to go', bn
n = 'to be',
girn
n = 'to cry', dan
n = 'to give'). For this lesson, you need only concern yourself
with verbs marked as vi. [intransitive].
I. The endings for the past tense of intransitive verbs are the same as those for
the present tense, except that the third person singular receives no ending (-).
To form this tense, take the infinitive of the verb, and remove the final -[i]n. E.g.,
hatin
in --> hat; n
n --> . The endings are added to this past tense stem. The
negative is formed by prefixing n- to the affirmative form. Notice that ne- is
identical with the negative particle for the Present Subjunctive.
Paradigm:
I.
hatin = 'to come'
Affirmative
Ez
hatim
im
'I came'
Em hatin
in
'we came'
Tu
hat
'you (s.) came'
Hn hatin
in 'you (pl.) came'
Ew hat
's/he came'
Ew hatin
in 'they came'
68
68S:
em hatn
n
82
Negative
Ez
nhatim
im
'I didn't come'
n
Em nhatin
in
'we didn't come'
n
Tu
nhat
'you (s.) didn't come'

n
Hn nhatin
in 'you (pl.) didn't come'
n
Ew nhat
's/he didn't come'
n
Ew nhatin
in
'they didn't come'
n
II.
n = 'to go'
Affirmative
Ez
m
m
'I went'
Em n
n 'we went'
Tu
y
y
'you (s.) went'
Hn n
n
'you (pl.) went'
Ew
's/he went'
Ew n
n
'they went'
69
Negative
Ez
nm
n m
Em nn
n n
Tu
ny
n y
Hn nn
n n
Ew n
n
Ew nn
n n
'I didn't go'

'we didn't go'
'you (s.) didn't go'
'you (pl.) didn't go'
's/he didn't go'
'they didn't go'
It must be stressed that in this chapter we are dealing only with intransitive verbs
-- verbs that do not take a direct object. In the next chapters we will introduce
the past tense of transitive verbs (verbs that take a direct object). This
distinction is basic to the Kurdi verb system. To illustrate the difference between
transitive and intransitive verbs in Engli, consider the following: We can say 'e
closes the door', or 'e sees the boy', or 'e reads a book'. In all three cases, we
can ask 'What (or whom) does e close or see or read?':
What does she close? answer: the door
Whom does she see? answer: the boy
What does she read? answer: a book
This tells us that 'to close', 'to see' and 'to read' are transitive verbs: they require
direct objects. However, if we say 'She goes to the city', or 'She laughs', or 'She
lives in Paris', it would make no sense to ask
69S:
em yn
yn
83

*What does she go?
*What does she laugh?
*What does she live?
This is because the verbs 'to go', 'to laugh' and 'to live' are intransitive . To test
whether verb X is transitive or intransitive, ask the question 'What does s/he X?'.
If the question makes grammatical sense and seems answerable, the verb is
probably transitive. However, if the question seems not to make sense
grammatically, the verb is more than likely intransitive.
The following verbs are intransitive:
70
bn (-im/dibim)
n (diim/diherrim)
derketin (derdikevim)
firrn (difirrim)
girn (dig[i]rm)
hatin (tm)
hebn (heye, hene)
jn (dijm)
kenn (dikenim)
ketin (dikevim)
l gerryan (l digerrim)
man (dimnim)
peyivn (dipeyivim)
rrabn (rradibim)
rrazan (rradizm)
rrevn (dirrevim)
rrnitin (rrdinim)
sekinn (disekinim)
tirsn (ditirsim)
zivirrn (dizivirrim)
'to be; to become'

'to go'
'to leave, go out'
'to fly'
'to cry'
'to come'
'to exist, there is/are'
'to live' ( to die)
'to laugh'
'to fall'
'to seek, look for, search for'
'to remain, stay'
'to speak, talk'
'to get up, rise'
'to go to sleep, lie down'
'to flee, escape, run away'
'to sit'
'to stand, stop'
'to fear, be afraid of'
'to return, go or come back'
*
70One
can think of examples in which these verbs could be made transitive in English (although
not in Kurdish), e.g., 'to go an extra mile', or 'to live a long life', or 'to laugh up a storm'.
* Negative tune (pl. tunene), past tense tuneb (pl. tunebn).
84

EXERCISES:
I. Translate: 1) We stayed; We did not stay; 2) They fell; They have not fallen for a
long time; 3) You (sing.) flew; You didn't fly; 4) He laughed; He did not laugh; 5) I
lived; I didnt live; 6) You (pl.) were; You were not; 7) Who fell? No one fell; 8)
What was there? There were two cats; 9) Did the child cry? No, he has not cried
for a long time -- he laughed; 10) When did the guests come? They did not come
yesterday; 11) What did you look for in Diyarbekir?; 12) I looked for work to the
south of [li bara] that city.
II. Translate the following sentences into Kurmanji.
1) I will come to your house next month; 2) My friend (f.) will go to Van next year;
3) His irt will fall on the floor ('erd); 4) We will be afraid of your dogs tomorrow;
5) Your (pl.) sister is a student in this school; 6) You (pl.) have apples, and we have
eggs; 7) Your sister is laughing; 8) The boys come out of the school; 9) The
chicken will fly to Mardin tomorrow; 10) Why is Bkes crying?
III. Put the sentences in Exercise II. into the negative.
IV. Put the sentences in Exercise II. into the past (negative) -- making all
necessary changes (e.g., tomorrow-->yesterday).
V. Put the sentences in Exercise II. into the past (affirmative).
VI. Make up ten questions using intransitive past tense verbs, and answer them.
Another proverb:
Geryam dora din, xilas nebm ji mirin (Z-1440)
Infinitives of verbs introduced up to lesson 11:
Present Tense
dikim
dadigrim
datnim
derdikevim
derdixim
dibare
dibjim
dibihzim
dibim I
dibim II [S: dibem]
dibirrim
dibnim
diim
didim [S: didem]
Meaning
Infinitive
Transitivity
I make, fix
kir-in
vt.
I fill up
dagirt-in
vt.
I put, place
dan-n [S: dana-n]
vt.
I leave, exit
derket-in
vi.
I cause to leave
derxist-in
vt.
it rains, falls
bar-n
vi.
I say, tell
got-in
vt.
I hear
bihst-in
vt.
I become
b-n
vi.
I take, carry [away]bir-in
vt.
I cut
birr-n
vt.
I see; I find
dt-in
vt.
I go
-n
vi.
I give
da-n
vt.
85

difroim
digrim
digrm
diherrim
dijm
[di]karim
dikenim
dikim [S: dikem]
dikirrim
dikujim
dileyzim
dimnim
din[y]asim
dipeyivim
dipjim
dipirsim
disekinim
dilnim
dim
dinim
dik
diom
ditirsim
div[t]
dixwazim
dixwim [S: dixom]
dixwnim
dizanim
fed dikim
fm dikim
girdidim
heye
-im
l digerrim
nas dikim
rradibim
rradizm
rrdinim
tm
tnim
vedikim
vedixwim
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
sell
firot-in
take, catch; I close girt-in
cry
gir-n
go
-n
live
j[ya]-n
can, am able kar-n
vt.
laugh
ken-n
do
kir-invt.
buy, purchase kirr-n
vt.
kill
kut-in
play
leyst-in
remain, stay
ma-n vi.
know [S}
n[y]as-n
speak, talk
peyiv-n
I bake, cook
pat-in
I ask
pirs-n
I stand, stop
sekin-n
I strip, rob
land-in
I can, am able
iya-n
I send
and-in
it breaks
kest-in
I wa
t-in
I fear, am afraid tirs-n
vi.
must, it is necessaryviya-n
I want; I ask for
xwest-in
I eat
xwar-in
I read, I study
xwend-in
I know
zan-n
I am aamed
fed kir-in
I understand
fm kir-in
I tie
girda-n
there is
heb-n
I am
b-n
I seek, look for
l gerrya-n
I know
nas kir-in
I get up, rise
rrab-n
I go to sleep
rraza-n
I sit
rrnit-in
I come
hat-in
I bring
an-n [S: na-n]
I open
vekir-in
I drink
vexwar-in
86
vt.
vt.
vi.
vi.
vi.
vi.
vt.
vt.
vt.
vi.
vt.
vt.
vi.
vt.
vi.
vt.
vi.
vt.
vt.
vt.
vt.
vt.
vt.
vt.
vt.
vt.
vi.
vi.
vi.
vt.
vi.
vi.
vi.
vi.
vt.
vt.
vt.
Dersa Donzdeha [12]

{Pikkert 4.3,4.4,4.6}
FOLKLORE:
Ji gotinn pyan:
Me hing got, me tu j nesot.
We said [it] then, [but] we didn't burn anything of it
Mirk av li bet kir, qna xwe irrand
The chicken imitated the bustard, and tore its own backside
71
Xanima min, min tu li jr j dt, li jor j dt

My lady, I have seen you from below, I have seen you from above
72
Eger ez dtim, ez im; eger nedtim, diz im.

If they saw me, it's me; if they didn't see me, it is a thief
[lit., 'I am a thief']
READING:
Bav min ez birime bajr
Wext ku ez bik bm, bav min ez birim bajr. Bajar gelek mezin b, ji
gund me mezintir b. Li gund hesp zef in, l li bajr min tu hesp nedtin. Min
kerek did dtin. Gava em gihtin bajr, ez gelek tirsm. Min tutit fm nekir,
min tukes nas nekir.
Min ji bav xwe pirs, ku, Bavo, te ima ez anm v der, v bajar? Te ima
ez anm v bajar mezin? Bav min got, Lawo, tu mezin by lazim e ku tu
bibn dinya iqas mezin e. Min fm kir, gotina bav xwe rrast dt. Min dsa j
pirs: Bavo, w gav, te ima birayn min yn bik j neann? Got, Lawo, ew
h bik in, ji te biktir in, bila li mal, li cem dya xwe bimnin. Wext ku wek te
mezin dibin, ez wana j bnim bajr. Ez kenm min ji xwe rra got, Ez iqas
bextewar im ku bav min merivek wisa ye!
Hinek pa, min titek dt, ku kfa min gelek j rra hat. Ez bir bm min
ji bav xwe rra got, Bavo, ez bir me. Em keng nan bixwin? Bav min titek
negot, w dest min girt ez birim cihek, ku jrra dibjin xwaringeh. Em li ber
masek rrnitin, merivek hat ji me pirs: Hn dixwazin i bixwin? Min fm
nekir, min nezan ev meriv k b i ji me xwest. Di gund me da titek wisa
tune. Bav min ken, ji mriv rra got, Du dew du dneran ji me rra bne.
Pnc deqe nda, ew zivirr xwarina me dan ser mas. Min zan, dew i ye -- li
gund me j dew pirr e. L min nezan dner i ye. Nan e, di nava nn da got
71Lescot
72Lescot
#40, p. 194.
#226, p. 220.
87

heye. Ev got j got berxan e. Min di emr xwe da titek wisa nexwarib -zef kfa min j rra hat. Ez dikarim bjim ku min hiz ji dner kir. Ji w rroj
were, xwarina min ya here hizkir, ev dner e.
*
VOCABULARY:
berx[ik], f.
bet, f.
bextewar
cih, m. [also: c]
av kirin, vt. [li]
iqas?
iqas bextewar im
irrandin (diirrnim), vt.
dew, dw, v dew, m.
lamb
type of duck, bustard

glad; lucky, fortunate
place; bed
to copy s.o., imitate
how much?; how
how lucky I am
to tear, rip
drink made of yoghurt and water
[Turkish ayran]
di nava da
inside of, within, in the middle of
dsa[n]
again
dner [Turkish]
gyros, awermah, lamb cooked on a
rotating spit
'emir, m. (emr min)
life(time); age
gihtin (-gih[j]-), vi. to reach, arrive at
gotin (-bj-), vt.
to say
gotin, f.
(one's) words, what one says
hinek
a little, a little bit
hinek pa
a little bit later
hing
then, at that time
hizkir
belovd, favorite
jr
below
ji were
ever since [T -den beri]
jor
above
ker, m.&f.
donkey
kerek did
a donkey or two
li cem
at the house of, over s.o.'s house
meriv, mriv, v meriv, m.
man, person
pa
after(wards)
pencere, f.(pencera-; pencer)
window
qn, f.
rear end, backside
rrast dtin
to consider [something] right or
correct
sotin (disojim), vt.
to burn (vt.)
nda
after(wards), later
tu [S: u]
no, none
tukes
nobody, no one
wek
like, as
*This
is past perfect. See lesson 13.
88

wext (ku)
w gav
xwarin, f.
xwaringeh, f.
when (conj.)
then, in that case
food
restaurant
DAYS OF THE WEEK:

em, f. [S: emb]
Yekem, f.[S: kemb] Sunday
Duem, f. [S: Duemb] Monday
Sem, f. [S: Semb] Tuesday
arem, f. [S: aremb] Wednesday
Pncem, f. [S: Pncemb]
n, f. [S: (H)eyn]
rroja ~
rroja Duem
Saturday
Thursday
Friday
on ~
on Monday
GRAMMAR:
a. Past tense of transitive verbs [vt.]. Transitive verbs (vt.), i.e., verbs that
take a direct object, behave differently in the past tenses from intransitive verbs
(vi.). The type of construction which occurs in the past tense of transitive verbs in
Kurdi is called an ergative construction.
73
Historically, the past tense of a transitive verb in an ergative construction is

turned into a passive construction. E.g., 'I opened the door' becomes 'The door
was opened by me'. The logical direct object (the door) becomes the
grammatical subject, and the logical subject (I) becomes the grammatical agent
(by me). Therefore, instead of saying I (you, he, e, etc.) did something, in
Kurdi one is actually saying something was done by me (you, him, her, etc.)'.
b. Formation:
1) As with intransitive verbs (vi.), the past stem is formed by removing the final [i]n from the infinitive, e.g.,
kir-in
girt-in
vekir-in
-->
-->
-->
kir
girt
vekir
xwar-in
dt-in
an-n --> an
-->
-->
xwar
dt
2) The logical subject goes into the oblique case, while the verb takes no
73For
the comparative linguists among our readers, the distinction which German, French, Italian,
Dutch, and Danish maintain between transitive and intransitive verbs in the past tense is
comparable to the distinction made in Kurdish. E.g., German 'ich habe gesehen' vs. 'ich bin
gegangen'; French 'j'ai vu' vs. 'je suis all'; Italian 'ho visto/veduto' vs. 'sono andato', etc. For an
interesting discussion of this, drawing parallels with the ergative in Iranian languages, see: mile
Benveniste. Problmes de linguistique gnrale (Paris : Gallimard, 1966), esply chap. XV "La
construction passive du parfait transitif", vol. 1, pp. 176-186.
89

personal ending. (The personal ending of the verb is determined by the person
and number of the logical direct object -- see d. below). E.g.,
Ez dikim
I do
---->
Min kir
I did (by me was done)
Tu dik
You do
---->
Te kir
You did
(by you was done)
Ew dike
S/he does
---->
W/w kir
He/e did
(by him/her was done)
Em dikin
We do
---->
Me kir
We did
(by us was done)
Hn dikin ---->
You do
We kir
You did
(by you was done)
Ew dikin
They do
Wan kir
They did
(by them was done)
---->
74
c. As with intransitive verbs, the negative of the past tense is formed by prefixing
stressed n- to the verb, e.g.,
min n-kir,
te n-kir,
w n-kir,
w n-kir
n
n
n
n
min ve-n
n-xwar, te ve-n
n-xwar, w ve-n
n-xwar, w ve-n
n-xwar
d. If the logical direct object is plural, the verb must agree with it in number.
*Note that it is irrelevant whether the logical subject is singular or plural. E.g.,
1) Present tense:
I open the door.
Ez dr vedikim.
I open the doors

s.
Ez deryan
yan vedikim.
Past tense:
I opened the door.
Min der vekir.
I opened the doors

s.
Min der vekirin
in.
historically
By me the door was opened.
By me the doors
s were opened.
74In
the north, forms such as wan kirin

in, wan gotin
in, etc. are very common, due to influence from
foreign languages and/or internal transformation. In this course, such forms will be considered
incorrect, unless they are agreeing with a plural direct object. For an in depth study of this curious
phenomenon, see: Margreet Dorleijn. The Decay of Ergativity in Kurmanci : Language Internal or
Contact Induced? (Tilburg : Tilburg University Press, 1996), 183 p.
90

Present tense:
You dont see the girl.
Tu keik
nabn.
You dont see the girls

s.
Tu keikan
an nabn.
Past tense:
You didnt see the girl.
Te keik nedt.
You didnt see the girls

s.
Te keik nedtin
in.
historically
By you the girl was not seen.
By you the girls

s were not seen.
2) With a noun as the logical subject:

Present tense:
The epherd finds the wolf.
ivan gur dibne.
The epherd finds the wolves

ves.
ivan guran
an dibne.
Past tense:
The epherd found the wolf.
iv
n gur dt.
The epherd found the wolves

ves.
iv
n gur dtin
in.
historically
By the epherd the wolf was found.
By the epherd the wolves
s were found.
3) With a plural subject:
Present tense:
The epherds
s find the wolf.
ivan gur dibnin
in.
The epherds
s find the wolves.
ivan guran dibnin
in.
Past tense:
The epherds
s found the wolf. The epherds
s found the wolves.
ivanan
an gur dt.
ivanan
an gur dtin.
e. Let us look once again at a pair of sentences from above:
ivn gur dt
The shepherd found the wolf (By the shepherd the wolf was found)
and
ivn gur dtin
The shepherd found the wolves (By the shepherd the wolves were found)
In these paired sentences, the number of the verb is determined by the logical
91

direct object. As Pikkert states in 4.3, in an ergative past tense, the verb will
agree with the object in number and person. Since all nouns are by definition
third person, there is no question of person when the logical direct object is a
noun (gur in the above sentences). But what if the logical direct object is a
pronoun ? Suppose we want to say The epherd found me (you, us, etc.)?
Let us begin by taking a look at the past tense endings for intransitive verbs,
using the verb hatin as an example:
Ez hatim
im
Em hatin
in
Tu hat
Hn hatin
in
Ew hat
Ew hatin
in
Transitive verbs can take these same endings, however, the meaning will be
passive rather than active. Observe:
Ez dtim
im
Em dtin
in
Tu dt
Hn dtin
in
Ew dt
Ew dtin
in
Ez dtim does not mean *I saw/found, but rather I was seen/found (passive);
another way of seeing this is to translate it as [someone] saw/found me. Hence,
the full paradigm of the transitive verb dtin and the two possible translations for
each form are as follows:
Ez dtim
im
Tu dt
I was seen
You (s.) were seen
or
or
[X] saw me
[X] saw you (s.)
S/he was seen
or
Em dtin
in
We were seen
or
[X] saw us
Hn dtin
in
You (pl.) were seen
or
[X] saw you (pl.)
Ew dtin
in
They were seen
Ew dt
[X] saw him/her
or
[X] saw them
Now back to our earlier question: How does one say The shepherd found me (you,
us, etc.)? If we convert the sentence to its corresponding passive in English, we
come one step closer to the answer:
By the shepherd I was seen
ivn ez dtim
im
By the epherd you were seen
The shepherd saw me

The epherd saw you
92

ivn tu dt
Another example of this construction can be found in the reading passage at the
beginning of this chapter:
Bav min
ez birim[e]
bajr
By my father I was taken to
town
My father took me to town [or, to the city]
f. Here is another way of looking at the formation of the past tense of transitive
verbs:
1. singular
2. singular
3. singular
1direct case
Ez
Tu
Ew
2oblique case
min
te
w (masc.)
w (fem.)
I (me)
you
he (him)
e (her)
1. plural
2. plural
3. plural
Em
Hn
Ew
me
we
wan
we (us)
you
they (them)
indef. sing. f.
def. sing. f.
def. pl.
def. pl.
svek
Ke
Sv
kitb
svek
ke
svan
kitban
an apple
[the] girl
[the] apples
[the] books
Each clause with a transitive verb can have only one from column 1 and only one
from column 2.
In the present tense, the logical subject will be in the direct case (column 1), and
the direct object will be in the oblique case (column 2), e.g.:
Ez
(1)
I-dir.
I see you.
te
(2)
you-obl.
dibnim
see
so also with nouns rather than pronouns:

ivan
min
(1)
(2)
Shepherd-dir.
me-obl.
The shepherd sees me.
dibne
sees
93

Ke
kitban
dixwne
(1)
(2)
Girl-dir.
books-obl. reads
The girl reads the books.
For transitive verbs, in the past tense the logical subject will be in the oblique
case (column 2), and the direct object will be in the direct case (column 1), e.g.:
Min
tu
(2)
(1)
I-obl.
you-dir.
I saw you.
dt
saw-2nd pers. sing.
[Ez (1) --> min (2); te (2) --> tu (1) ; {ez}dibnim --> {tu} dt]
ivn
(2)
Shepherd-obl.
The epherd saw
ez
(1)
me-dir.
me.
dtim
saw-1st pers. sing.
[ivan (1) --> ivn(2); min (2) -> ez (1); {ivan}dibne --> {ez}dtim]
Ke
(2)
Girl-obl.
The girl read the
kitb xwendin
(1)
books-dir. read-3rd pers. pl.
books.
[Ke (1)--> Ke (2); kitban (2) --> kitb (1); {ke}dixwne --> {kitb} xwendin]
In both past and non-past tenses, the verb agrees with whatever is in the direct
case. In the present tense , the logical subject is in the direct case, and the verb
agrees with it in person and number:
75
Ew
svek
(1)
(2)
She-dir.
an-apple-obl.
She eats an apple.
dixwe
e
Ew
svek
(1)
(2)
They-dir.
an-apple-obl.
They eat an apple.
dixwin
in
Ew
du svan
(1)
(2)
She-dir.
2-apples-obl.
She eats two apples.
dixwe
e
75i.e.,
[Ew dixwe]
eats-3rd pers. sing.
[Ew dixwin]
eat-3rd pers. pl.

[Ew dixwe]
eats-3rd pers. sing.
in all non-past tenses of the transitive verb, and in all tenses of the intransitive verb.
94

Ew
du svan
(1)
(2)
They-dir.
2-apples-obl.
They eat two apples.
dixwin
in
Em
te
(1)
(2)
We-dir.
you-sing.-obl.
We know you (s.).
nas dikin
in
[Ew dixwin]
eat-3rd pers. pl.
[Em nas dikin]
know-1st pers. pl.
In the past tense of the transitive verb, the logical direct object is in the direct
case, and the verb agrees with it in person and number:
W
svek
ek
(2)
(1)
She-obl.
an-apple-dir.
She ate an apple.
xwar
Wan
svek
ek
(2)
(1)
They-obl.
an-apple-dir.
They ate an apple.
xwar
W
du sv
(2)
(1)
She-obl.
2-apples-dir.
She ate two apples.
xwarin
in
Wan
du sv
(2)
(1)
They-obl.
2-apples-dir.
They ate two apples.
xwarin
in
Me
tu
(2)
(1)
We-obl.
you-sing.-dir.
We knew you (s.).
nas kir
[svek xwar]
ate-3rd pers. sing.
[svek xwar]
ate-3rd pers. sing.
[du sv xwarin]
ate-3rd pers. pl.
[du sv xwarin]
ate-3rd pers. pl.
[tu nas kir]
knew-2nd pers. sing.
EXERCISES:
I. Translate:
1)
I give; I dont give; I gave; I didnt give.
2)
You (s.) see; You dont see; You saw; You didnt see.
3)
She comes; She doesnt come; She came; She didnt come.
4)
He reads; He doesnt read; He read; He didnt read.
5)
We drink; We dont drink; We drank; We didnt drink.
95

6)
7)
8)
You (pl.) open; You dont open; You opened;

You didnt open.
They catch; They dont catch; They caught; They didnt catch.
The epherd saw us on Wednesday. The epherds did not see us on
Thursday.
9)
Did they catch you (s.)? No, they did not catch me.
10) When did you (pl.) return home? We returned home on Sunday.
11) Our mother waed us. Did your (s.) mother wa you?
12) The student (f.) took her to school. The students did not take
them to
school.
13) You (s.) have not seen us for a long time.
14) Who brought you (pl.) home on Thursday? My friends brought me
home.
15) They heard us yesterday. We heard them two days ago.
II. Translate, giving the four forms (singular and plural direct
object, present
and past tense):
1)
She reads (read) the book(s).
2)
The dogs catch (caught) the cat(s).
3)
The boy opens (opened) the door(s).
4)
The teacher does not (did not) read the lesson(s) on Tuesday.
5)
The student waes (waed) his hand(s).
6)
The woman does not (did not) sell her cow(s) on Saturday.
7)
My sisters eat (ate) the bread(s).
8)
You (pl.) do not (did not) close the window(s).
9)
We bring (brought) the yoghurt home on Monday.
10) Your (s./pl.) mothers loves (loved) you (s./pl.).
11) They dont (didnt) tell me anything [=They dont say a thing to me].
12) Do (did) the fathers take the children to school today (yesterday)?
III. Translate into English:
1) Te em dtin, nedtin? Me tu dt, nedt?; Roja n min hn
negirtin. Roja
Pncem we ez negirtim;
2)
W destn xwe netin;
3)
Roja arem me dya xwe bire Wan. We d bav xwe birine Srt?;
4)
Wan ez nas kirim, l rroj ba negote min;
5)
Ji mj ve min tu nedt;
6)
Wext ku tu y Rehay rroja emy, te i kirr?
7)
Min s kirasn n kirrn;
8)
Yn ku ez anm, d min dsa bibin.
IV. Make up ten sentences using verbs in the past tense, both transitive and
intransitive.
KURDISH PLACE NAMES
Srt
96
Dersa Szdeha [13]

{Pikkert 4.5, 4.7, 5.3}
FOLKLORE:
Ji gotinn pyan:
Mra mr dikutin, Cibo r ditin
Men were killing men, Jibo was waing intestines.
Kelb bin sya 'erebda rrnitib, ew tir sya boika w ye
The dog sat under the ade of the wagon, he thoughT it was the ade of his own
tail.
READING:
Merivek gundyek kutib dirrev. Gundyan dabye pey merivkuj ku
bigrin. W dt di rr da end rwyn din ber bi w ve tn. Tirs ku w bigrin, xwe
zzka avte zevya nskan ya li dev rr, baqek nsk in rrev. Gundyn ku
dabye pey w -- gaz rwyan kir, ku w bigrin. Rwyn ku ji pber dihatin, mrik
girt. Wan pirs, ima gund wisa bi pey w ketin. Mrik got: "Ez di rr da dihatim,
min ji zevya wan baqek nsk in, niha dixwazin min bigrin, bikujin." Rwyan ew
berda gundyn ku dab d -- girtin, wan got: "erm e, erm, ji ber baqek nsk
hn mr bikujin, i ye?" Gundyan ku ew yek bihst 'ecbmay man, wan got: "K
zane -- zane, k nizane -- baq nskan e."
76
VOCABULARY:
avtin (davjim), vt.
to throw
xwe avtin, vt.
to jump, leap
bala xwe dan, vt.
to realize, see
baq, m.
handful
ber bi [ ve]
towards
berdan (berdidim), vt. to let go, release
ber ku
before (conjunction + verb)
bilr, f.
flute (Turki kaval)
br, f.
memory
ji br kirin, vt.
to forget
boik, f.
tail
carina
sometimes
Cibo
man's name
76Adapted
from: Ordikhane Dzhalil & Dzhalile Dzhalil. Mesele Met'elok K'urda bi Ziman K'urd
Rs = Kurdskie Poslovitsy i Pogovorki na Kurdskom i Russkom IAzykakh (Moskva : Glavnaia
redaktsiia vostochno literatury, 1972), anecdote #18, p. 385. The punchline "K zane -- zane, k
nizane -- baq nskan e" is a well known Kurdish proverb.
97

cnar, m.&f. [also: cran] neighbor
inn (diinim), vt.
to pick (fruits)
dan pey/d, vt. = ketin pey
to follow, chase, pursue
dev, dv, v dev, m.
mouth; edge
dev rr
the side/edge of the road
d = pey
after
'ecbmay man, vi.
to be amazed, ocked, stunned, surprised
'erebe, f. ('ereba-; 'ereb)cart, wagon
gaz kirin, vt.
to call
gelek caran
often, usually
gihandin (digihnim), vt.
to cause to arrive, to bring someone to
hergav
always
her heft
every week
her rroj
every day
hitin (dihlim), vt.[hlan (S)]to leave, let
heta
until
ji ber
because of, for the sake of
jin ann, vt.
to get married (of a man)
kelb, m. = kik
dog
ketin pey, vi.
to follow, chase, pursue
lxistin [li dix(n)e],vt.to play (an instrument)
mal , m.
property
merivkuj, m.
murderer
mrik, m.
man, fellow, chap
mr kirin, vt.
to be married off (of a woman)
nazik
delicate, gentle
nsk, f.
lentil(s)
pal, f.
slope, side (of mountain)
pey = d
after
p hesn (p dihesim), vi.to find out, become aware of
pber
opposite, facing
pirrcar
often, usually
pit ku
after (conjunction + verb)
qesr, f.
castle
rrw, m.&f.
traveller, here: people on the road
seat, f.
hour; clock
s, f.
shade
sk, f.
market
erm, f.
shame, disgrace
teslm kirin
to deliver, hand over (to someone)
[(ji) oblique case] + tirit seems to [s.o.], [s.o.]
thinks (that stg. is so)
[ji] min tir
it seems to me.
77
77Notice
property.
the gender difference between these two homonyms: mal, f. = house, home; mal, m. =
98

r/r, m.
wek = ku
xort, m.
zef caran
zev, f.
zzka
intestine(s)
that (conj.)
young man
often, usually
field
quickly, fast, in a fla
MONTHS:
Kanna Pan, f.
Sibat, f.
Adar, f.
Nsan, f.
Gulan, f.
Hezran, f.
January
February
March
April
May
June
Trmeh, f.
Tebax, f.
lon, f.
irya Pn, f.
irya Pan, f.
Kanna Pn,
July
August
September
October
November
f.
December
GRAMMAR:
a. Past Continuous Tense. The past continuous tense (Pikkerts Progressive
Past Tense) is used for events which occurred repeatedly or habitually in the past.
This is rendered in Engli by such constructions as: I was going, I used to go, I
would go
78
In Kurdish, there is a past continuous tense, formed by prefixing the present

indicative tense marker di- to the past tense. This holds true for both transitive
and intransitive verbs. E.g.,
Ez dim
I used to go, I was going, I would go
di
Min dixwar
I used to eat, I was eating, I would eat
di
Tu dihat
You used to come, you were coming, you would come
di
Te vedi
dikir You used to open, you were opening, you would open
Ew diken
He used to laugh, he was laughing, he would laugh
di
W digot
He used to say, he was saying, he would say
di
The negative is formed by prefixing a stressed n- to the prefix di-. Note that
unlike the present tense, in which the negative particle replaces the di-, in the
past continuous tense, these two prefixes stand side by side. E.g.,
Present:
Ez diim
Ez dixwim
di
di
Ez nim
Ez nxwim
n
n
Past continuous:
Ez dim
Min dixwar
di
di
Ez ndi
dim
Min ndi
dixwar
78In
Turkish, both gidiyordum and giderdim correspond to this.
99
This tense is often signalled by adverbs indicating habitual activity, e.g., every
day (her rroj), every week (her heft), sometimes (carina), always (her [
her]/hergav/tim [ tim]), never (tucar), often or usually (gelek
caran/pirrcar/zef caran).
b. Relative clauses. In Engli, typical sentences with relative clauses include the
following:
a) The man who was my friend is now a senator.
b) The book which you are reading is fabulous.
c) ... that live in the house that Jack built.
Relative clauses are often signalled, then, by such markers as who, which, and
that, although these markers could be omitted in examples b) and c) above.
Particularly from a Kurdi perspective, but in other languages as well, we may
view relative clauses as equivalent to adjectives in that both modify their nouns.
The difference is that while an adjective is a single word, a relative clause is a
whole phrase.
A noun is connected to its modifying relative clause by an ezafeh construction. In
this way also, adjectives and relative clauses behave similarly. E.g.,
Kea
a bedew
xka min e.
The beautiful girl
is my sister.
Kea
a (ku) tu dibn xka min e.
The girl (whom) you see
is my sister.
Em diherrine
bajar
mezin.
We are going to
the big city.
Em diherrine
bajar
(ku) tu tda dij.
We are going to
the city (which) you live in.
[lit., '(which) you live in it']
Therefore, relative clauses are constructed according to the following formula:
noun + ezafeh
(+
A
+-/-a/-n
ku)
(B)
phrase
C
Because the ku is optional, sometimes a noun in its ezafeh form will be
100

encountered without any apparent modifier (i.e. adjective). In such situations,
one is undoubtedly in the presence of a relative clause. E.g.,
Rya
a tu li ser
The road (which) you are on
Mr
tu nas dik
The man (whom) you know
The following sentences contain embedded relative clauses. Try them on for size!:
1) Ew firr cem kevir li pala y b.
[pal, f. = slope, side (of mountain)]
He flew and went to the rock which was on the side (or foot) of the mountain.
2) Gelo nabe, wek em ev qza nazik bigihnine ew xort tu dibj? [wek
= ku; gihandin (digihnim), vt. = to cause to arrive, to bring someone to; xort,
m. = young man; nazik = delicate, gentle]
Why don't we bring this delicate girl to that young man you are talking about?
3) Ez v qesr mal t de timam teslm te bikim.
[qesr, f. = castle; mal, m. = property; teslm kirin = to hand over to someone]
I will hand over to you this palace and all the property [that is] in it.
c. To express such things as "he who", "the one who...", two constructions are
possible:
1) the interrogative pronoun k may be used, e.g.:
K zane -- zane, k nizane -- baq niskan e
He who knows knows, he who does not know [thinks] it's a handful of lentils
2) the independent ezafeh markers: y for masculine singular, ya for feminine
singular, and yn [S: yt] for plural + ku are used. E.g.,
Yn ku ez anme d min dsa bibin
Those who brought me will take me back
79
d. Past Perfect Tense. The past perfect (or pluperfect) tense is used when
speaking of two past events, one of which is further back in time than the other,
e.g. He had already left when I arrived. The formula for constructing this tense
in Engli is: past tense of auxiliary verb have + past participle.
In Kurdish, the construction is similar, in that it also consists of an auxiliary verb
(bn) plus a special participle. The participle is formed by removing the -n from
the infinitive, e.g.
79see
Lesson Ten, c. Secondary ezafeh.
101
girti-n
-n
da-n
ken-n
vekiri-n
--->
--->
--->
--->
--->
girtidakenvekiri-
The auxiliary verb bn is attached (suffixed) to this participle. Hence, the past
perfect of girtin is girtib.
As with other past tenses, the distinction between transitive and intransitive verbs
is preserved in this tense also. What follow are paradigms for the past perfect
tense with the transitive verb girtin and the intransitive verb hatin.
vt.
min girtib
b
te girtib
b
w/w girtib
b
me girtib
b
we girtib
b
wan girtib
b
I had taken/caught
you (s.) had taken/caught
he/e had taken/caught
we had taken/caught
you (pl.) had taken/caught
they had taken/caught
vi.
ez hatibm
bm
tu hatiby
by
ew hatib
b
em hatibn
bn
hn hatibn
bn
ew hatibn
bn
I had come
you (s.) had come
he/e had come
we had come
you (pl.) had come
they had come
80
The negative is formed by prefixing accented n- to the participle, e.g.

Ez nhatibm
bm = I had not come.
In Northern Kurmanji, for the verbs zann (to know) and karn (to be able), the
past perfect is most often used to express the simple past tense, e.g.:
Dibjin sultan Sulman pxember bi zimann k ivka gika zanib
They say that Sultan Suleyman the Prophet knew the languages of all the birds.
EXERCISES:
80With
a plural direct object, the form will be min girtibn

n.
102

I. Translate into Kurdi: 1) When I was a boy, I would go to school every day; 2)
When you were a student, you never studied your lessons; 3) We used to live in a
big house; 4) The epherd used to play; 5) Our father used to bring small
chickens home from the market; 6) The boy who ate the apples is our neighbor;
7) I used to study in the room in which you are sitting; 8) My father brought the
chickens which you (pl.) were eating from the market; 9) My father had gone to
the city before it rained; 10) I had not seen my brother before he died; 11) He had
seen me in the winter, in the month of February; 12) e had [already] read the
lesson, when you asked her; 13) I didnt know that you were (=are) from Malatya;
14) You had [already] seen the house we lived in [it].
II. Translate into Engli: 1) Mamoste nan xwarib ber ku mvan bigihine mala w;
2) Pit ku tu bi rr ket, min bala xwe da ku te kitba xwe li cem min hitib; 3)
Ber ku ew p bihesin, em gihtibn y; 4) Ehmed Xan ji Kurdan rra gotib:
Hon (=hn), ber her tit, Kurd in.; 5) Min dixwest titek ji te bipirsim; 6) Bav
min nedihit ku ez pit seat nehan ji mal derkevim; 7) Dih biray min hat me
bibne. Ji meha Tebax were -- ango ji havna y -- ew nehatib mal me ew
nedtib; 8) Gelo te ji br kir ku wan titek ji te xwestib?; 9) Li mehn bihar
havn -- ango ji Adar heta Tebax -- em dine mala wan ew dihatine mala
me; 10) Bav Meyroy du hesp kirrbn gava ku Meyroy ji bav xwe xwest ku
jrra hespek bikirre.
III. Give the past continuous tense of the following verbs in the person and
number indicated in parentheses; indicate whether the verb is transitive (vt.) or
intransitive (vi.). E.g., dtin (ez) --> min didt, vt.
1) gotin (tu); 2) bihstin (em); 3) girn (hn); 4) derketin (ew, pl.); 5) vexwarin (ez);
6) xwestin (ew, sing. f.); 7) inn (em); 8) berdan (ew, sing. m.); 9) pirsn (tu); 10)
tirsn (hn); 11) hitin (em); 12) zivirrn (ew, pl.).
IV. Give the negative of the past continuous tense for the verbs in Exercise III.
V. Give the past perfect tense of the verbs in Exercise III.
VI. Give the negative of the past perfect tense for the verbs in Exercise V.
VII. Make up ten sentences using verbs in the past continuous and past perfect
tenses. Make sure to include negative verbs and plural direct objects!
Male:
Cibo
Female:
Meyro
KURDISH PLACE NAMES
Meletye
103
Dersa ardeha [14]

{Pikkert 10.8 ff.}
FOLKLORE:
Ji gotinn pyan: Bar min nane, serbar dine.
READING:
Rovyek xapnok heb. Ew bir b, dil w di mirk kewan. Da ku ew
mirk kewan bixapne, w deholek kire sty xwe li ber kuna xwe sekin, li
dehola xwe xist digot, "Xebereke mezin! Lstika mikan di v kun da! Rabin!
Rabin! V delveya zengn rengn winda nekin! Werin! Werin! Derbazbna mirk
kewan bela e." Bi v away rov dixwest mirk kewan bigihne kuna xwe b
ku wan bitirsne.
Kewek mirkek hatin. Rov ew sekinandin. Wan bang rov bihst, ji hev
ra got, "Were, em derbaz w dewat bibin, ji ber ku b pere ye."
Gava ku derbaz bn, rov got, "De werin, werin, ez we bixwim. Hn ketin
dava min." Bi v gotin, rov dil kew mirk ewitand.
Kew mirk dest bi girn kir got, "Ap rov, dev ji me berde! Cann me
bihle!"
Rov got, De, ro xem nake, tat va min heye, ez sibeh we bixwim,"
rov kevirek dan ber kuna xwe . Kew mirk got, 'Em dersek bielimnine
w rovy xirab!' Wan bi nikiln xwe kevir wergerrand, derketin revn.
81
VOCABULARY:
awa, m.
way, manner, faion
bi v away
in this way
bang, m.
call, cry
bar, br, v bar, m.
load, burden
bela
free of charge
be, f.
part, section
b pere
free of charge
bi kurtay
shortly, briefly
can, m.
soul, spirit, life
arek, f.
quarter, fourth
dan (didim), vt. + infinitive
to have someone do something
dav, f.
trap
dehol, f.
(snare) drum
delve, f.
opportunity, chance
deqe, f.
minute (60 seconds)
derbaz bn (derbaz dibe), vi.
here: to enter
dest p [bi ] kirin (dikim), vt. to begin, start (doing stg.)
dev j [ji ] berdan (berdidim), vt. to let go of, cease and desist
81adapted
from: Stig Wikander. Antolojya Tekstn Kurd (Stockholm : Orfeus, 1996)
104

dewat, f.
(wedding) celebration
dibistan, f.
elementary school
dil, m.
heart
dil w die ...
He feels like (eating something)
drok, f.
history
dotin (didoim), vt.
to milk (cows, eep, etc.)
'elimandin (di'elimnim), vt. to teach, accustom
'elimn (di'elimim), vi. + dative construction to learn, get used to
andin (dnim), vt.
to hurt, cause pain
n (de), vi. [also: an], to hurt (vi.),
smart
[]xistin (txim/dixim/dixnim), vt. to drop, insert; to take off
(clothes)
firrandin (difirrnim), vt.
to cause to fly (off)
firavn, f.
lunch, midday meal
flm, f.
film, movie
gihandin (digihnim), vt.
to convey, bring, cause to reach
guneh, m.
pity; guilt
hitin (dihlim), vt.
here: to save from death
ji hol rrabn (rradibe), vi. to cease to exist, disappear
ji hol rrakirin (rradike), vt. to get rid of, do away with
kew, m.
partridge
km
minus, less (-)
kun, f.
hole, opening (to an animal's lair)
lstik, f.
game
ma
interrogative particle signaling a negative
82
answer
mik, m.
mouse (pl. mice)
m, f. [also: mih]
female eep, ewe
name, f.
letter, epistle
nr, f.
hunting
nikil, m.
beak, bill (of bird)
nivsn (dinivsim), vt.
to write
pada, pad, v paday, m.
king
rasthat, f.
event, occurrence
rrengn
colorful
rrikandin (rrdiikne), vt. to pluck, pull out (feathers)
sekinandin (disekinnim), vt. to stop (vt.), cause to stop, put a
serbar, m.
that which is on top of the load;
here: rider
sibeh
tomorrow
st, m.
neck
kire sty xwe
he hung it from (put it around) his
neck
ewitandin (diewitnim), vt. to burn (vt.) [set on fire, consume]
82See
Lesson 8, b.2.
105
stop to

ewitn (diewitim), vi.
to burn (vi.) [be on fire]
v, f.
dinner, evening meal
tat, f. [S: tt]
breakfast
temae kirin (~ dikim), vt. [+ li]
to watch, look at (a movie)
tirsandin (ditirsnim), vt.
to frighten, scare
vegerr, f.
return[ing], coming/going back
wergerrandin (werdigerrnim),vt. to overturn, knock over
winda kirin (dikim), vt.
to lose; to miss (an opportunity)
xapandin (dixapne), vt.
to deceive, fool
xapnok, m./adj.
cheater, deceptive
xeber, f.
news; words
zengn
rich
zivirrandin (dizivirrnim), vt.to return (vt.), give back
TIMES OF THE DAY: {all are feminine}
spde = sehar
early morning
rroj
day; sun
ber nvrro
forenoon, mid morning
var [S: (h)var]
evening
nvrro
noon
ev
night
pit nvrro
afternoon
nveev
midnight
GRAMMAR:
a. The Causative Verb. A causative verb is one which causes something to
happen, or causes someone to do or become something. As such, causatives are
by definition transitive, as they always take a direct object . They can often be
paired off with a corresponding intransitive verb. The follow are English
examples:
to rise
to raise (to cause to rise)
to sit to seat (to cause to sit)
to lie to lay (to cause to lie)
to go to take (to cause to go)
to come
to bring (to cause to come)
to die to kill (to cause to die)
to learn
to teach (to cause to learn)
83
In English, other causatives are formed from adjectives, e.g.

83This
is equivalent to Turkish ettirgen verbs (e.g., yapmak - yap-tr-mak).
106

thick
large
sad
to thicken
to enlarge
to sadden
In Kurdish, causatives are always transitive, and generally end in -andin in the
infintive, with a present stem in -n- . The -andin is generally added to the
present stem of the corresponding simple verb, as will be seen in the following
examples of verb pairs:
84
tirsn
'to fear'
tirs-andin
'to frighten'
gihan/gihtin
'to reach, arrive'
gih-andin
'to convey, bring, cause to reach'
'elimn
'to learn, get used to'
'elim-andin 'to teach, accustom'

sekinn
'to stop (vi.), stand'
sekin-andin 'to stop (vt.), cause to stop

zivirrn
'to return (vi.), go back'
zivirr-andin 'to return (vt.), give back'

n
'to hurt (vi.)'
-andin
'to hurt (vt.), cause pain'
ewitn
'to burn (vi.)' [be on fire]
ewit-andin 'to burn (vt.)' [set on fire, consume]
Some very common verbs have causatives formed from different roots:
n
'to go'
hatin
'to come'
ketin 'to fall, enter'
84-n-
birin 'to take (away from speaker)'

ann [S: nan] 'to bring (towards speaker)'
[]xistin 'to drop, insert'
in some dialects.
107

bn 'to be, become'
man 'to remain, stay'
kirin 'to make, do'

hitin [S: hlan] 'to let, leave'
b. A second degree of causativity also exists . This is used when one has a third
party do something for one. In English, we express this by combining the verb to
have with another verb, e.g.:
85
to
to
to
to
have
have
have
have
someone cut ones hair

someone fire the employee
someone removed by force
dinner brought to the room
In Kurdish, this is expressed by combining the verb dan with the infinitive (either
direct or oblique case) of a second verb . Here are some examples:
dan sekinandin[]
'to have someone stopped'
dan zann[]
'to have it made known, i.e., to announce'
dan rrikandin[]
'to have [birds] plucked'
86
This construction may involve three individuals: 1) the subject [person giving the
command]; 2) the intermediary [person charged with carrying out the subject's
command]; and 3) the recipient(s) [person(s) or thing(s) upon whom the
intermediary carries out the subject's command].
The intermediary (#2 above) can be identified by the preposition bi preceding it.
E.g.,
Pad
bi cela
sern dizan
dan birrn
ivan
bi biray xwe
myan
dide dotin
the king
the executioner
heads of the thieves caused to be cut off
1 subject
2 intermediary
3 recipient
The king had the executioner behead the thieves.
the epherd his brother

the ewes (eep)
1 subject
2 intermediary
3 recipient
The epherd has his brother milk the ewes.
causes to milk
Note also that the verb dan must agree in number and person with the recipient,
85
Turkish yap-tr-t-mak.
10.12.
86Pikkert
108

which is the logical direct object. In the first sentence above, if the king had the
executioner behead only one thief, the sentence would look like this:
Pad
bi cela
ser
diz
the king
the executioner
head of the thief
1 subject
2 intermediary
3 recipient
The king had the executioner behead the thief.
da birrn
caused to be cut off
c. Telling time. To ask what time it is, one says "Seat end e?"
The four quarters of the hour are expressed as follows, using the hour of 5:00-6:00
as an example:
87
5:00
5:15
5:30
5:45
Seat
Seat
Seat
Seat
pnc e.
pnc arekek e.
pnc nv e.
e km arekek e.
The following terms are essential to know in telling time:

arek
nv
km
=
=
=
quarter, fourth
half
minus, less (-)
The other fractions of the hour are expressed as follows:

5:05
5:10
5:20
5:25
Seat
Seat
Seat
Seat
pnc
pnc
pnc
pnc
pnc e.
deh e.
bst e.
bst--pnc e.
Notice that between half past the hour (5:30) and the next hour (6:00), one
figures the minutes remaining to the next hour, using km. (5:45 is Seat e
km arekek). So also:
5:35
5:40
5:50
5:55
Seat
Seat
Seat
Seat
e
e
e
e
km
km
km
km
bst--pnc e. [6:00 minus 25]

bst e.
[6:00 minus 20]
deh e.
[6:00 minus 10]
pnc e.
[6:00 minus 5]
d. Whereas Seat pnc e means "It is 5:00", to express at what time something
happens, the following construction is used:
87Other
possibilities are: i n e? and i heyam e?
109
Seat di pnc da or Seat di pncan da = "at 5:00".
88
Consider the following distinctions:

Seat ar arekek e
Seat di ar arekek
da
It is 4:15
at 4:15
Heft km arekek
Seat di heft km arekek
da
6:45
at 6:45
Neh nv
Seat di neh nv
da
9:30
at 9:30
Yanzdeh km deh
Seat di yanzdeh km dehan
an or deh
da
10:50
at 10:50
e. Other important time expressions include:

T neha[n] or neh = It is coming up on 9:00; It is almost 9:00
A.M. is spd/sihar [in the morning] or ber nvrro [before noon]
P.M. is pit nvrro [after noon] or var [in the evening] or ev [at night]
e spd yan e var? = 6:00 A.M. or 6:00 P.M.?
Yanzdeh nv ber nvrro yan ev? = 11:30 A.M. or P.M.?
EXERCISES:
I. Translate: 1) Ma ne guneh e, ku ji bona jina xwe tu me gikan bid rrikandin?;
2) Tu dikar bi kurtay xwe bid nas kirin?; 3) Wext ku sib ji nr vegerre, em
w bidne sekinandin; 4) W j rra da zann ku sibeh naherre dibistan; W j rra
got ku sibeh neherre [neite] dibistan; 5) ro mamost ji me rra da zann ku
sibeh seat di het nv da em li flmek temae bikin; 6) Ez ji te rra roja
vegerra xwe bidim zann; 7) Ew drok bi kurr xwe dide xwendin; 8) Droka
dinya ji me re dide zann ku heta niha, gelek zimann dinya ji hol rabn; 9) Her
spd seat di ean da bav min bi xk birayn min m lek didan dotin;
10) Ber nvrro dya min bi Birsk ar nameyn dirj dan nivsn.
II. Write out the following time expressions: E.g., 8:00 = seat het e. a) 4:30; b)
12:20; c) 7:15; d) 7:45; e) 1:45; f) 3:35; g) 11:05; h) 10:55; i) 9:25; j) 9:35; k)
2:10; l) 1:50.
III. Change the time expressions in Exercise II so that they tell at what time. E.g.,
8:00 = seat het --> seat di hetan or het da.
88In
northern dialects, all numbers except one (and 21, 31, 41, etc.) are treated as plurals, and
receive the plural oblique ending -an. In southern dialects (including Hekkari), on the other hand,
all numbers are treated as feminine singulars, and receive the feminine oblique ending -.
110

IV. Make up ten sentences using causatives, e.g.: .
Male:
Birsk
sib
Female:
Gelawj
111
Dersa Panzdeha [15]

{Pikkert}
FOLKLORE:
Ji gotinn pyan:
Bende ji bende t nas kirin
A slave is recognized by another slave.
Mr bi tena t kutin
A man is (=can be) killed by reproach.
Her lek t dotin, l her gil nay gotin
Every cow can be milked, but not every word can be said.
LECTURE:
Wek t zann, li welatn demokratk, serok ji aly gel ve t hilbijartin. Pit
hilbijartin, dengn dengderan tn hejmartin, end rojn patir, encamn
hilbijartin tn ragihandin. Encamn hilbijartin bi giringtirn neyn w roj tn
zann, di hem rojnameyan da di destgehn ragihandin yn din da -- wek
radyo televzyon -- tn belav kirin. Gelek caran middeta heftyek di
bernameyn radyo televzyon da, behs titek din ji bil hilbijartinan nate
kirin. Rpeln pn yn rojname kovaran bi wneyn serok n-hilbijart ve
tne xemilandin. Pit end rojan gelek kes dibjin, "d bes e! Gelo titek din tune
ku em behs bikin? Gelo li radyo televzyon ji bil hilbijartin, behs byern din
nate kirin? B guman li dinyay byern din hene ku hjay behs-kirin bin!"
hd hd destgehn ragihandin dev ji behs-kirina hilbijartin berdidin, titn
din peyda dikin ku behs bikin.
VOCABULARY:
behs kirin vt.
to discuss, talk about
belav kirin vt. to distribute, spread; to
bende m.
slave; human being
bername f.
program
b guman
sans doute
112
broadcast

bguneh
innocent
bi sedan [precedes its noun]
hundreds of
bi ve
with
bi zann vt. to consider, regard
byer f.
event, occurrence
civn (dicivim) vi.
to gather; (f.) gathering
civn f.
gathering
ciwan
young; (S) beautiful
ciwan f.
(ones) youth
ap kirin vt.
to print
rrok f.
story, tale
daw f.
end
demokratk
democratic
deng m.
voice; vote
dengder m.&f.
voter
destgeh f.
apparatus, organization
destgehn ragihandin
the media
dev ji berdan vt.
to let go of, quit doing stg.
di d rra
after
di nav da
inside, within, in
encam f.
result
fast
fascist
gel m.
the people, the folk
gil m.
words, speech, talk; complaint
giring
important
girt
arrested, imprisoned; (m.)
prisoner
hatin ser hukm
to come to power (government)
hejmartin (dihejmrim) vt.
to count; to regard, consider
hjay
worth (doing, discussing),
worthy of
hilbijartin (hildibijrim)
vt.to elect; to choose, select
hilbijartin f.
election
hilweandin (hildiwenim) vt.
to wreck, ruin, destroy
hin
some (+ plural noun)
hikmet f.
government
113

ji bil
ji dr ve
ker m.
kovar f.
metre f.
middet f.
period (of time)
middeta heftyek
nan dan vt.
ne pl.
n-hilbijart
radyo f.
ragihandin (radigihnim) vt.
rejm f.
rojname f.
newspaper
rrpel f.
page (of a book)
serok m.
err, rr, v err m.
or kirin vt.
televzyon f.
ten m.
welat, welt, v welat m.
wne f.
xemilandin (dixemilnim) vt.
zarrot f.
childhood
except for, besides

from afar
herd, large flock
magazine, journal, periodical
meter
for (the period of) a week
to ow
news
newly-elected
radio
to announce, report, communicate
regime
president
war
to speak
television
reproach, reproof
country, state
picture, image
to adorn, decorate
GRAMMAR:
a. The Passive Voice. Whereas in the active voice, it is generally the subject
that is the focus of attention, in the passive voice it is the direct object -- the
recipient of the action -- that is emphasized. As a general rule, only transitive
verbs can be made passive. For the purposes of those studying Kurdish, this
means that only those verbs which form an ergative past tense can be made
passive. Whereas the ergative itself is historically a type of passive construction,
it is not perceived as such today. There exists another, explicitly passive
construction formed with a helping (auxiliary) verb (i.e., in a periphrastic
construction), which can be used in all tenses, unlike the ergative, which in
Kurdish is limited to the past tenses. It should be noted, however, that the passive
114

is relatively little used in Kurmanji; although it seems to be more common in
journalistic language.
In English, the sentence
The boy
closes the door
1
2
3
can be made passive by making the logical direct object (the door) into the
subject of the passive verb, and the logical subject (the boy) into the agent: the
verb will change from closes to is closed. The resulting construction yields:
The door
is closed
by the boy
3
2
1
In English, then, the passive verb is formed by using the auxiliary verb to be (or,
colloquially, to get) plus the past participle of the transitive verb. In Kurdi,
passives are formed using the auxiliary verb hatin (to come) [in all tenses] plus
the infinitive (in the direct or oblique case). Consider the following:
hatin kutin()
Ew hat kutin()
Tuy by kutin()
Bi sedan girt tn kutin()
to be killed
He was killed
You will be killed
Hundreds of prisoners are killed
The agent of the passive verb (by the boy) is expressed with ji aly ve, or
less commonly with bi dest, e.g.:
Serok ji aly gel ve t hilbijartin
The president is elected by the people.
Soro ji aly hikmet ve hat girtin
Soro was imprisoned by the government.
Axay me bi dest Mo hat birndar kirin
Our agha was wounded by Mio.
b. Indefinite plural. There is an indefinite plural form which is more common in
some regions than in others . It consists of the morpheme -in added to the end of
89
89This
form is particularly common in the region of Mardin, Kurdistan of Turkey.
115

the direct case of the noun, and has the following oblique case and ezafeh forms:
direct:
oblique:
ezafeh:
-in
rok-in
-ina
rok-ina
car-ina
-ine
heval-ine min
rok-ine dirj
stories, some stories

[I listen to] some stories
sometimes
some friends of mine
(some) long stories
These forms can be found in the chart at the end of Lesson Five.
The form -in comes from the independent word hin = some, which can be used
independently as well, and precedes the noun it modifies:
hin rok = rok-in
hin meriv = meriv-in
=
=
some stories
some people
EXERCISES:
I. Translate into Engli: 1) Serek birr nay kirrn; 2) Xwn bi xwn nay tin,
xwn bi av tte tin; 3) Di saln min n zarot ciwany de, di nav mala me da
bi Zazak Kurmanc dihat orkirin; 4) Di sala 1960'an (hezar--nehsid--stan)
da hatim girtin. Di d du salan re hatim berdan; 5) Di d 1972'an re -- wek t
zann -- ez tim girt mam; 6) Gelek mirovn bguneh; zarrok, jin, kal pr hatine
kutin, xanyn gundyan hatine hilweandin zeviyn wan hatine ewitandin; 7)
Di dawya civn da flma Yilmaz Gney, Ker hate nan dan; 8) awa t zann,
di sala 1971- (hezar--nehsid--heft--yek) da rejma fast hate ser hukm; 9)
Bi sedan metre ji dr ve deng muzka kurd dihate bihstin; 10) Rpeln w
kovar bi rrok wneyn rrengn hatine xemilandin.
II. Translate into Kurdi: 1) The people elect the president; 2) The students read
the newspapers; 3) The father killed his daughter; 4) My nephew prints that
magazine in Istanbul; 5) The newly-elected president announces the end of the
war; 6) The media report (on) that important event; 7) Hundreds of students will
buy the book and read it; 8) They hear the sounds of this war even (j) in the
farthest villages; 9) The Kurdi people will never forget the name (of) Ehmed
116

Xan [Ahmed-i Khani]; 10) Will the newly-elected president fool the people of this
country?; 11) The newspapers often frighten everyone; 12) The students lost
hundreds of colorful magazines; 13) The new government will not release the
prisoners; 14) This is the first time in history that a president milks hundreds of
cows.
III. Convert the sentences in Exercise II. into the passive voice. (The direct object
becomes the subject; the subject becomes the agent, e.g., He sees the boy -->
The boy is seen by him).
IV. Give the indefinite plural forms (direct case, oblique case, & ezafeh) of the
following nouns: 1) xwendekar; 2) dersdar; 3) mal; 4) pirtk; 5) dest; 6) ling; 7)
av; 8) kik; 9) pisk; 10) xk.
More proverbs exhibiting the passive voice:
Kiras merya t guhastin, xeyset merya nay guhastin (Z-1233)
Kinc tne pne kirin, gil nayne pne kirin (Z-1246)
117
Dersa anzdeha [16]

{Pikkert }
FOLKLORE:
Te hn kir -- ji br neke, te ji br kir -- hn neke.
What you've taught don't forget, what you've forgotten, don't teach.
Y dirreve j gaz xwed dike, y dide pey j gaz xwed dike.
Both the one being chased and the chaser call on God.
Zilamek got: "Ez ji kk xwe hn mrany bm."
A man said: "I learned what is it to be a man from my dog."
READING:
T bra min, gava ku ez pik bm, bapr min gaz min kirib gotib, "Lawo,
hindik ma ku ez terk v dinya bikim, ber ku ez derbaz cennet (bihit) bim,
end gotinn min ji te ra hene. Ser min bi te bilind e -- paeroja te ronah ye. Ez
dizanim ku rojek ji rojan tu y bib zanayek mezin. Ji niha ve xwe hn gelek titan
bike: end ji te b, hn zimann biyan be, kitban bixwne. Kitb pirtk her
tit nan me didin, alkarya me dikin ku em v dinya tir fm bikin. Ji bona
v yek, ez dixwazim v pirtk pk te bikim." w pirtkek da min. Wan rojan
ez fr zimann biyan nebbm, kitba ku bapr min pk min kirib bi
zimanek din b. Dsan min zanb ku ew pirtka han diyaryeke hja ye. Min
dixwest sipasya bapr xwe bikim, l ber ku ez bikaribim bersiva w bidim, bapr
min avn xwe li dinya girtin, ber dilovanya Xwed.
Niha ez mezin im, end ez behs bapr xwe bikim, tr nake. Ez
gelek brya w dikim. Min gelek j hiz dikir. Min bi a w kir, min xwe hn gelek
zimanan kir, rojek ji rojan ez bibim mamosta.
VOCABULARY:
ft- (filan tit)
fk- (filan kes)
alkar, f.
alkarya [fk-] kirin, vt.
bapr, m.
bersiv, f.
bersiva [fk-] dan, vt.
bes
bedar [ft-] bn, vi.
something, anything
someone, anyone
help, aid, assistance
to help, assist
grandfather
answer, response
to answer s.o.
enough, sufficient
to participate in
118

brya [fk-] kirin, vt.
bi a [w] kirin, vt.
to miss s.o., long for s.o.

to do as [he] said, to follow
[his] advice
bi-dehan [pre-posed modifier]
tens of; [loosely: dozens of]
bi-hezaran [pre-posed modifier] thousands of
bihit, f.
paradise, heaven
bilind
high, tall
bi-mlyonan [pre-posed modifier] millions of
bi-sedan [pre-posed modifier]
hundreds of
biyan
foreign
br, f.
memory
hatin bra [fk-], vi.
to remember, recall
ji br kirin, vt.
to forget
cennet, f.
paradise, heaven
avn xwe li dinya girtin, vt.
to close one's eyes on the world
n ber dilovanya xwed, vi.
to die, pass away
derbaz bn, vi.
to pass, cross over
derbaz [ft-] bn, vi.
to pass into; to enter
derbaz kirin, vt.
to pass (time) [vt.]
[fk-] derbaz [ft-] kirin, vt.
to let s.o. pass
dilovan, f.
mercy, compassion
diyar, f.
gift, present
k [S]
first
fr [ft-] bn, vi. [S]
to learn
[fk-] fr [ft-] kirin, vt. [S] to teach
xwe fr [ft-] kirin, vt. [S] to learn, study stg.
gaz [fk-] kirin, vt.
to call, summon s.o.
hja
precious, valuable
hn [ft-] bn, vi.
to learn; to get used to
[fk-] hn [ft-] kirin, vt.
to teach; to accustom to
xwe hn [ft-] kirin, vt.
to learn, study stg.
sal
this year
ji bona v yek
therefore, for this reason
ji niha ve
(starting) from now
mran, f.
manliness, bravery
miqat [fk-] bn, vi.
to take care of s.o.
navnetewey
international
[ft-] nan [fk-] dan, vt.
to ow s.o. stg.
paeroj, f.
future
peyiv, f.
word
pn
first
[ft-] pk [fk-] kirin, vt.
to present stg. to s.o.
piikdar [ft-] bn, vi. [S]
to participate in
rojek ji rojan
some day, one day (in the future)
ronah, f.
(source of) light, brightness
salvegerr, f.
anniversary
119

serbilind
sipasya [fk-] kirin, vt.
terk [ft-] kirin, vt.
tr[] kirin, vt.
tixb, m.
xwed, m.
yekem[n]
zana, adj & m.
zilam, zilm, v zilam, m.
proud [lit., 'with head high']

to thank s.o.
to leave (behind)
to be enough, satiate
border, limit, frontier
god
first
learnd, well-educated;
[m.] scholar
man
EXPRESSIONS:
end gotinn min ji te ra hene I have some things to tell you
end ji te b [or t]
As much as you can
[lit.'how much it comes from you']
han: ev pirtka han
this here: this book here
Miqat xwe be!
Take care of yourself!
Ser min bi te bilind e
I am proud of you
T bra min
I remember
Tra min dike
It is enough for me
LANGUAGES:
inglz
English
elman
German
ereb
Arabic
faris
Persian (Farsi)
spanyol
Spanish
firens
French
rs
Russian
tirk
Turkish
Swedish
polon
Polish
90
swd
GRAMMAR:
a. Generic ezafeh. In addition to the ezafeh endings that have been introduced
thus far (- masc. sing.; -a fem. sing.; -n [S: -t] pl.), there is also a generic
ezafeh ending in -, which does not change for gender or number. It is used in
conjunction with adjectives that need a complement, e.g.:
bes enough:
Tu bes- me y
You are enough for us.
dr far:
Ew dr- me ye
He is far from us.
nzk
near:
Em nzk- te ne
We are near you.
bedar participating:
90The
form firensiz can also be heard, from the Turkish form fransz.
120

Ez bedar- civn dibim
I'm participating in the meeting.
The last example above exemplifies a special class of verbs which consist of a
noun or adjective + verb, most often bn = 'to be' and kirin = 'to make, do'.
Such verbs employ the generic ezafeh to express the object or recipient of the
action.
For example, hn bn means 'to learn' or 'to get used to': Ez hn dibim means 'I
learn' or 'I get used to'. If we wish to add an object to this phrase, e.g. 'I learn
Kurdish' or 'I am getting used to my new life', we must do so by adding a generic
ezafeh (-) to hn, yielding Ez hn- Kurd dibim and Ez hn- jiyana xwe ya
n dibim. (The title of this book is 'Em hn Kurmanc dibin' = We are learning
Kurdi).
91
92
The following is a list of common verbal phrases which require the generic ezafeh:
ft- (filan tit)
something, anything;
fk- (filan kes)
someone, anyone}
hn ft- bn
to learn stg.; to get used or accustomed to
stg.
fr ft- bn
to learn stg.
bedar ft- bn
to participate in stg.
piikdar ft- bn
to participate in stg. [S]
miqat fk- bn
to take care of s.o.
telefon fk- kirin
to call s.o. up (on the phone)
gaz fk- kirin
to call, summon s.o.
derbaz ft- bn
to enter, pass over into
terk/terka ft- kirin
to leave off doing stg., quit doing
stg. (e.g., smoking)
nzk ft- bn
to be close to, to approach
dr ft- bn
to be far from
Note that such verbs may take two objects. For example,
hn (fr) ft- kirin
Ew hn (fr) Kurd dike
'to teach stg.' For example,

'[S]he teaches Kurdish'.
If we wish to say '[S]he teaches me Kurdish', one must make the verb kirin take
an additional direct object, yielding:
Ew min hn (fr) Kurd dike.
91Cf.
MacKenzie Kurdish Dialect Studies (London : Oxford University Press, 1961-62), vol. 1, 264
(d), p.161.
92Note that in speech one often hears such forms as: Ez Kurd hn dibim instead of Ez hn Kurd
dibim. For the purposes of this course, we will avoid this type of construction.
121

So also:
fk- suwar ft- kirin = to have s.o. mount [a horse, donkey]
e.g.,
Ez te suwar v ker bikim
'I will have you ride this donkey',
'I will put you on the back of this donkey'.
ft-/fk- derbaz ft- kirin = to let s.o. pass, cross, enter
e.g., Wan em derbaz tixb navnetewey kirin
'They let us pass across the international border'.
With the following verbs, there are also two objects. However, the order is
reversed here: the direct object (stg.) is the object of the main verb, and the
indirect object (s.o.) is the object of the noun + generic ezafeh:
ft- nan fk- dan = to ow s.o. stg.
e.g., Ez van kitban nan te bidim
'I will ow these books to you'
ft- pk fk- kirin = to present stg. to s.o.
e.g., Em v bernam pk we dikin
'We present this program to you'
b. There are other verbs that consist of a noun + verb (often kirin, bn or man)
which form their objects using a regular ezafeh construction, for example :
alkarya fk- kirin to help, assist
brya fk- kirin
to miss, long for s.o.
bersiva ft-/fk- dan to answer, respond to
e.g., Ez yeko yeko bersiva pirsyarn te bidim
'I will answer your questions one by one'.
li hvya/benda fk- bn/man/sekinn
avnihrya fk- kirin
behsa (behs) ft- kirin
to
qala ft- kirin
to
tra ft- kirin
to
spasya fk- kirin
to
to wait for s.o.

to wait for s.o.
discuss, talk about stg.
discuss, talk about stg.
be enough for, satisfy
thank s.o.
c. Ordinal numbers. There are several possible inventories of ordinal numbers.

The traditional northern Kurmanji system is to use the plural oblique case of the
numbers, with a special word for 'first':
122
pn (pin)
first, 1st
diduya[n]
second, 2nd
sisya[n]
third, 3rd
ara[n]
fourth, 4th
pnca[n]
fifth, 5th
ea[n]
sixth, 6th
hefta[n]
seventh, 7th
heta[n]
eighth, 8th
neha[n]
ninth, 9th
deha[n]
tenth, 10th
yanzdeha[n]
eleventh, 11th
diwazdeha[n] <also: donzdeha[n]> twelfth, 12th
szdeha[n]
thirteenth, 13th
etc.
bsta[n]
sya[n]/siha[n]
ila[n]
pncya[n]
sta[n]
etc.
twentieth, 20th
thirtieth, 30th
fortieth, 40th
fiftieth, 50th
sixtieth, 60th
seda[n]
hundredth, 100th
In southern Kurmanji, the numbers are in the feminine singular oblique case:
k
duw
sy
ar
pnc
e
heft
het
neh
deh
yanzdeh
diwazdeh
szdeh
etc.
bst
sih
il
pncy
first, 1st
second, 2nd
third, 3rd
fourth, 4th
fifth, 5th
sixth, 6th
seventh, 7th
eighth, 8th
ninth, 9th
tenth, 10th
eleventh, 11th
twelfth, 12th
thirteenth, 13th
twentieth, 20th
thirtieth, 30th
fortieth, 40th
fiftieth, 50th
123

st
etc.
sixtieth, 60th
sed
hundredth, 100th
A third system, borrowed from Sorani, suffixes -em or -emn to the cardinal
number. Note that this type of ordinal number may precede or follow the noun it
modifies: dersa duwem or duwemn ders = 'second lesson'.
yekem[n]
first, 1st
duwem[n]
second, 2nd
syem[n]
third, 3rd
arem[n]
fourth, 4th
pncem[n]
fifth, 5th
eem[n]
sixth, 6th
heftem[n]
seventh, 7th
hetem[n]
eighth, 8th
nehem[n]
ninth, 9th
dehem[n]
tenth, 10th
yanzdehem[n]
eleventh, 11th
diwanzdehem[n]
twelfth, 12th
szdehem[n]
thirteenth, 13th
etc.
bstem[n]
sihem[n]
ilem[n]
pncyem[n]
stem[n]
etc.
sedem[n]
twentieth, 20th
thirtieth, 30th
fortieth, 40th
fiftieth, 50th
sixtieth, 60th
hundredth, 100th
d. Preposed modifiers. This last group of ordinal numbers is one of several

categories of modifiers that precede the noun they modify. In all such cases, there
is no ezafeh connecting the modifier to its noun -- a situation markedly different
from modifiers that follow their nouns, always linked by an ezafeh construction.
Many of these preposed modifiers have to do with quantity or counting (nos. 1.,
2., 3., 6. [end],
8., 9. below):
1. cardinal numbers: du kitb, s meh, ar jin
2. ordinal numbers (optional): Duwem[n] err Chan = 'World War Two'
(note: err Duwem/Diduya[n]/Duw y Chan is also possible)
3. bi-dehan = tens of (or dozens of), bi-sedan = hundreds of, bi-hezaran =
124

thousands of, bi-mlyonan = millions of: bi-dehan xwendekar = 'dozens of
students'
4. superlatives of adjectives in -tirn: dirjtirn roja sal = 'the longest day of
the year'
5. demonstratives: ev = this & these (oblique: v [m.] - v [f.] - van [pl.]) and ew
= that & those (oblique: w [m.] - w [f.] - wan [pl.])
6. question words: kjan = which (di kjan bajar da = 'in which city?' -- note:
with masculine singular nouns in the oblique case, kjan behaves like the
demonstratives
ev and ew: one cannot say *di kjan bajr da, just as one must say
di v bajar da and not *di v bajr da); end = how many; i = what, which
7. xwe (xo): Xo mirov e = He's a nice person.
93
8. Words meaning 'some': end, hin(ek): end gotin = 'some words', hinek kes
= 'some people'
9. gelek - ze'f - pirr [much, many, lots of]: gelek kitb = 'many books', pirr
tit = 'lots of things'; km [few]: km jin = 'few women'; hem - gik - her [all,
each]: hem zarok = 'all the children', her rroj = 'every day'.
EXERCISES:
I. Translate into Kurdi: 1) I want to help you (pl.); 2) Without your help, we cannot
teach our children Kurdi; 3) If the voters don't participate in the election, no one
will be elected; 4) If you don't take care of yourself, who will take care of you?; 5)
e did not answer her grandfather; 6) They want to present some books to their
teacher; 7) The [village] elder summoned all the young men of the village; 8)
Which stories do you want to ow us?; 9) Every night I telephone my friend and
speak with him for an hour; 10) What is the longest word in (of) the Kurdi
language?; 11) Thousands of children crossed the international border yesterday,
and hundreds of women will cross it tomorrow; 12) We miss the stories and riddles
of our grandfather, who passed away last year.
II. Translate each of the following phrases in three (3) different ways: 1) the first
lesson; 2) in the fourteenth year; 3) the twentieth day; 4) after the third war; 5)
the hundredth book; 6) the eleventh president; 7) the sixty-fourth anniversary; 8)
the twenty-ninth student; 9) the happiest child; 10) before the second word.
III. Translate into Engli: 1) sal em hn zimanek bin; 2) Gik xwendekarn min
zanayn mezin in, ku xwe fr her tit dikin; 3) Ez end caran ji te dipirsim, l tu
93This
construction is borrowed from Turkish, although the word xwe itself is originally of Iranian
origin: Persian khsh sa - passed into Turkish as ho.
125

bersiva min nad; 4) ro se'at di nehan da li televzyon pk bernameyeke n
dikin; 5) Bapr min her digote min: "Ser min bi te bilind e; xwe hn hem
zimann dinya bike, da ku paeroja te ronah be"; 6) end ji min b, ez miqat
xk birayn xwe dikim; 7) Gelo tu y bedar aremn civna dersdaran b?
Nexr, ez bedar civnn wisa nabim; 8) Ev cara aran e ku ez tme serdana
mala bav xwe; 9) Were bi me ra ayek vexwe! Ev se'atek e ku em li hvya te
disekinin!; 10) sal hetemn sal e ku ew bedar w civn dibe.
IV. Transform the following sentences: change bn into kirin, adding a second
object: in the new sentence, the subject will always be in the first person plural
(we/us), e.g.: Ew hn ingilz dibe = 'e learns Engli' --> Em w hn ingilz dikin =
'We teach her Engli':
1) Hn hn v ziman dibin; 2) Tu suwar w trn dib; 3) Ew derbaz v welat b;
4) Ew keik d fr swd be; 5) Ev s kurr derbaz xwendingeh nebn; 6) Xka
te hn polon nabe -- ew hn rs dibe; 7) Tu fr ereb neby?; 8) Hn suwar
trimbla me bin; 9) Heval te hn spanyol dibe; 10) Hem xwendekar fr tirk
bbn, niha fr kurd dibin.
126
Dersa Hivdeha [17]

FOLKLORE:
mamik:
Gulek derketye ji qudret,
A flower has come out from God,
Hin din kr me t,
Some of it is of use to us in this
world,
Hin axret.
Some in the next.
Ew iye?
What is it?
94
Odeke t-mt
il feqr tda rrnit.
Ew iye?
A waed-maed room
Forty paupers have sat down in it.
What is it?
95
Ro betil
ev xemil.
Ew i ye?
96
Idle during the day

Dressed up at night.
What is it?
LECTURE:
Dapra min ji min ra got ku Ey li dewat xortek nas kiriye, dilketiy da,
ku wan civan daye hev. Pit ku dewat xilas bye, Eye ye mal, bi ev ew
xort hatiye bin pencera w, bang l kiriye. W j buxika xwe daye hev bi w
xort ra revye. Dotira roj d bav w daye pey wan li mala w xort ew zeft
kirine. Gund ketine navbera wan. D bav xort j hatine, pit re wan andiye
dv melayek, w j fesla wan kiriye ew li hev anne.
Pit hing i qewimye? i qewimye dayka min j hew dizane. Xwed zane
keik xort pevre zewicne gehtine mirada xwe.
Min ev serphat ji we ra gotin, ku hn feyd j werbigrin.
VOCABULARY:
94Answer:
pemb = cotton.
dev didan = mouth and teeth.
96Answer: ira = lamp.
95Answer:
127

axret, f.
the next world, hereafter
betil
idle
buxik, f.
parcel, pack (for traveling)
civan, m. [also: jivan]
rendez-vous
ira, f.
lamp
didan, didn, v didan, m. [also: diran]tooth {pl. teeth}
fesla [fk-] kirin, vt.
to settle a feud
feyde (feyd), f.
benefit, use
hew
negative particle;
scarcely, hardly
kr
useful; necessary
li hev ann, vt.
to reconcile
qudret, f.
[heavenly] power
serphat, pl.
story; adventure, experience
andin[e] dv [andin, vt.]
to send for, send after
xemil
adorned, dressed up
zeft kirin, vt.
to catch (redhanded), seize
EXPRESSIONS:
buxika xwe dane hev
civan dane hev
Kr me t
to pack up one's things

to make a date, rendez-vous
It is of use to us
GRAMMAR:
a. Past participle. The past participle is both adjective and verb at one and the
same time. In Engli, the third principle part of the verb is the past participle (eat
- ate - eaten; go - went - gone; talk - talked - talked). In Kurmanji, the past
participle is formed from the infinitive, by removing the final -in (-n if the stem
ends in a vowel) and adding - (-y before a vowel stem), e.g.:
girt-in
hat-in
b-n
da-n
--->
--->
--->
--->
girt- 'taken; captured'

hat- '[having] come'
b-y 'been'
da-y 'given'
{Particularly in southern dialects, there is a plural form in -n (girt-n; hat-n; byn; da-yn), for when the referent of the past participle is plural in number, i.e.,
to agree grammatically with a plural subject for vi., and with a plural direct object
for vt. More on this in the section on relative clauses.}
Some common adjectives are in fact past participles:
girt
'closed, ut'
vekir
'open'
bor / y
'past, last (week, month)'
dilket
'beloved'
kest
'broken'
128

xeyalkest
dilkest
'disillusioned'
'broken-hearted', 'heartbroken'
Past participles may also be nouns (substantives):

girt (m.&f.)
=
'prisoner'
destgirt/dergist (m.&f.)=
'fianc(e)'
b. Past participles in relative clauses. Particularly in southern Kurmanji
dialects, the past tense verb in a relative clause is in the past participial form. In
addition, the following conjunctions signal the relative clause:
ku
'that, which'
ber[ya] ku
'before'
pit ku
'after'
gava ku/dem ku/wext ku
'when'
heta ku
'until'
Here are some examples of this usage:
[KDS-II]
Behrem Fris zad xo xar kete ser enka xo. (742.) Wext ketye ser enka
xo bera xo da, eve kafirek ttin, il k destt pve
Bahram Fris ate his food and leant back on his elbow. (742.) When he leant back
on his elbow he noticed a monster coming, with forty-one hands
Rab, hesp xo li axr derxist, suwar b, . Wext y bira w Ehmed eleb
dvrra kire hewar
He got up, took his horse out of the stable, mounted it and went. When he went
his brother Ahmed Chelebi outed after him.
Em rrabyn, me bo xo agir di w dirkve helkir, em rrnitne xar li w dirk
gelek, heta me bo xo ayek kir, me zad xo xar
We got up, we made a fire for ourselves there and we sat there a long time until
we had made ourselves some tea and eaten our food.
Di dwana da dem suhbet tn kirin liser wan roja, delvek buha peyda dibet [sic]
ji bo wan kesa ewn ew rok bi ser wan hatn bjin, bi rengek dramatk.
In the diwans, when those days are discussed, a golden opportunity arises for
those people to whom those stories happened to tell [it] in a dramatic way
from: Metn 3:6 (1992), 32.
129
Ew ezim y bira te ez kutm

I am he whom your brother killed.
from: KDS II Gulli #757, 350
c. Perfect tense. The perfect tense is used to express an action that began in
the past and continues into the present. It often corresponds to the Engli Present
Perfect tense, e.g., 'I have seen, you have gone, e has left', etc. The distinction
between transitive (vt.) and intransitive (vi.) verbs applies to this tense.
E.g.
97
Ez hatime
Min dtiye
I have come
I have seen
Tu ye
Te xwariye
You have gone

You have eaten
It can sometimes be used to express the adverb 'already' (German 'schon'; French
'dj'), e.g.:
Min xwariye
Te ew pirtk xwendiye?
W jin mr kiriye
I've (already) eaten.

Have you (already) read that book?
That woman is (already) married,
has (already) gotten married.
This is one of the tenses whose formation and usage differs markedly between the
north and the south. In all cases, the negative is formed with the accented prefix
ne-.
Both northern and southern forms are given below:
Northern:
vi.
Ez hatime
I have come
Tu hatiye*
You have come
Ew hatiye*
He/e has come
{*Also may be written hatye}
vt.
Em hatine
Hn hatine
Ew hatine
We have come
You have come
They have come
Min kiriye** I have done

Me kiriye
We have done
Te kiriye
You have done
We kiriye
You have done
97Or
Present Perfect tense. The intricacies of this tense and its usage are far more complex, and
bear an in depth study. In some cases this tense is used for reporting hearsay (i.e., telling about
something one has heard second hand), as opposed to something which one has witnessed -- for
which the simple past (or past perfect in some cases) is used. It can also be used in speaking of an
imagined scenario, and in folktales. There is a certain resemblance between the use of this tense
and the mili past tense of Turkish, used for reporting hearsay. The extent of this resemblance has
yet to be examined in detail.
130

W/W kiriye He/e has done
{**Also may be written kirye}
Wan kiriye
They have done
Southern:
vi. Ez hatme
I have come
Em hatne
We have come
Tu hatiye
You have come Hn hatne
You have come
Ew hatiye
He/e has come Ew hatne
They have come
{hatye}
or
Ez y/ya hatm I have come
Em yt hatn We have come
Tu y/ya hat You have come
Hn yt hatn You have come
Ew y/ya hat He/e has come
Ew yt hatn They have come
vt. Min kiriye
I have done
Me kiriye
We have done
Te kiriye
You have done
We kiriye
You have done
W/W kiriye He/e has done
Wan kiriye
They have done
{kirye}
or
Min y/ya kir I have done
Me y/ya kir We have done
Te y/ya kir You have done
We y/ya kir You have done
W/W y/ya kir He/e has done Wan y/ya kir They have done
The secondary ezafeh marker (y/ya/yt) agrees in gender and number with its
referent (the subject for vi., the direct object for vt.).
The southern forms indicates that the present perfect tense is based on the past
participle, (hat + me, kir + ye), whereas this connection is less obvious in the
north.
d. Subjunctive of Perfect tense. The formation of the subjunctive is as follows:
remove the -n from the infinitive (e.g., girti- [girti-n]; hati- [hati-n]; da- [da-n];
- [-n]); add -be [singular] & -bin [plural] for transitive verbs, and -bim, -b,
-be, -bin for intransitive verbs (i.e., the present subjunctive of the auxiliary verb
bn). E.g.:
vt. Min kiri-be [-bin]
Te kiri-be [-bin]
W/W kiri-be [-bin]
98
Min da-be98 [-bin]

Te da-be [-bin]
W/W da-be [-bin]
Me kiri-be [-bin]
We kiri-be [-bin]
Wan kiri-be [-bin]
Me da-be [-bin]
We da-be [-bin]
Wan da-be [-bin]
98Southern:
kiri-bit[in]/kiri-bt[in]; da-bit[in]/da-bt[in]; hati-bit[in]/hati-bt[in]; bit[in]/-bt[in].
131

vi. Ez hati-bim
Tu hati-b
Ew hati-be98
Ez -bim
Tu -b
Ew -be98
Em hati-bin
Hn hati-bin
Ew hati-bin
Em -bin99
Hn -bin
Ew -bin
Examples of usage:
99Southern:
99
hati-bn; -bn.
132
Dersa Hijdehan [18]

FOLKLORE:
Ji gotinn pyan:
Bext kesiva wek hebya, cot wan ol nedima.
If the poor had any luck, their plow would not remain in the wilderness.
Heke hem ka hijr xar bana, i xudan nediman.
If all the chicks ate the figs, there would be none left for their owner.
Heker gurg ji baran tirsaba, da bo xo kurkek ket.
If the wolf feared the rain, he would make himself a fur coat.
Eger gur tirsa w ji baran hebana, w serkumek ji xwe re bikirana (L
-#294, p. 228; see also Dz-#600, p. 137)
Gur qewata xwe bizanbya, w dinya xirab kira (Dz-#583, p. 135)
If the wolf knew his strength, he would destroy the world.
READING:
Kurik tnagihje ku diya w ji bo i wisa digr. Herweha heta demeke kurt j
her li hsrn diya xwe temae dike bdeng dimne. Diya w j di nava giriy
xwe de dilorne :
--Ax!.. Bvankes sax bya! dibje. --Ax ku ku aniha bvankes sermiyan
mala min sax bya!.. Ax ku ew aniha ne li pita goristan ramed bya!.. Ax!
Li ser van lavelavn diya xwe ikeke sar li lawik dibe tirsek l radibe. Tirsa
dnbna diya w dikeve dil w. Bi dev lvn ziwa vedigere ser diya xwe dibje:
--Ji bona Xwed, dako! Ma nuha bav min sax bya w i bikira!?..
Bawer bike ku bav min j di dewsa min da bya, w j fena min ar bizin
bikirana ber karmendn qamr. Qamr vatiniyeke karmendan e, rdareke
dewlet ye. Ma ji te wetr ku bav min bizineke km bida wan? Ez dizanim ez
dizanim ku w j ar bizin bidana wan. Ma w wek din i bikira? Dako! Ez bi
gor!.. Bi nav Xwed ku bav min j ro li vir bya, em dsa ji wan ar ser
bizinn xwe bibana. car tu ima ewqas dil xwe teng dik, daka min!
[adapted from: Hesen Met. Qamr in: Ard ji kurterokn gelr (Stockholm:
Weann Welat, 1990), p. 114-117.]
VOCABULARY:
Bxret
bira = bila [+ subj.]
lacking initiative; carefree

let (it be)
133

c-nivn pl.
beds, bedding, mattresses
are f. (ara)
remedy, cure; solution
dest p kirin (dest bi .. dike) to begin
pce (=T epeyce)
quite a bit
gz kirin vt.
to sweep
hildan vt. (hil*dide)
to pick up, lift
htin/hitin vt. (dihle) to leave, let
p nedib
did not succeed, did not work out
qas
as much as
qe (qet)
at all
sib ebeqda
at the crack of dawn
sivetira din [sibetira din]
on the next day
dna xwe dan vt.
to see, take a look
uxul m.
work, labor; uxul emel = do.
nda: ji w nda
from then on, after that
tem [=tenbh] dan vt.
to instruct, give directions
wek usane
in that case, if that is so
xebat f.
work, labor
xebitn vi. (dixebite)
to work
GRAMMAR:
a. The Past Subjunctive (Pikkert, 6.8)
Formation
As it is a past tense, the Past Subjunctive a) preserves the distinction between
transitive and intransitive verbs; b) is formed differently in the north than in the
south (Hekkari and Behdinan). In both cases the -(i)n of the infinitive is removed,
e.g.
girt-in
-n
-->
-->
girt
In the north, the stem is preceded by the subjunctive prefix bi- (b- before vowels)
and followed by the following personal suffixes, corresponding to the subject for
intransitive, and to the logical direct object for transitive verbs:
Ez bi-X-ama
Tu
bi-X-ay
Ew
bi-X-a
Em
Hn
Ew
bi-X-ana
bi-X-ana
bi-X-ana
In the south, there is no bi- prefix: instead, the stem is followed by the following
personal suffixes, with the usual distinctions for transitive and intransitive verbs:
Ez
-bam
Em
-bayn
134

Tu
Ew
-bay
-ba
Hn
Ew
-ban
-ban
The following are examples of an intransitive and a transitive verb

conjugated in the Past Subjunctive:
hatin (vi.):
northern:
Ez bihatama
Tu bihatay
Ew bihata
Em bihatana
Hn bihatana
Ew bihatana
southern:
Ez
hatibam
Tu
hatibay
Ew
hatiba
Em hatibayn
Hn hatiban
Ew hatiban
girtin (vt.):
northern:
Min bigirta
Te bigirta
W/w bigirta
Me bigirta
We bigirta
Wan bigirta
southern:
Min girtiba
Te girtiba
W/w girtiba
Me girtiba
We girtiba
Wan girtiba
as logical direct object:

northern:
Ez bigirtama
Tu bigirtay
Ew bigirta
Em bigirtana
Hn bigirtana
Ew bigirtana
southern:
Ez
girtibam
Tu
girtibay
Ew
girtiba
Em
Hn
Ew
girtibayn
girtiban
girtiban
Usage
The Past Subjunctive is used primarily in conditional sentences, to express unreal
or contrafactual conditions. It often corresponds to English constructions like If I
135

were or If I had been . The Turki past conditional (gelseydi, yapsayd,
etc.) corresponds to this tense.
Examples of usage:
Wek tu bedew bya[y], te ez kora nedistandim
If you were beautiful, you would not have married a blind man like me.
Min ew z bixara, ew ev emel nean ser min
If I had eaten him early on, he would not have done this to me [=Turkish: bu ii
bama getirmezdi]
There are two Past Conditional tenses, one in use in the northern dialects, the
other in the south. In the north, this tense is formed using the future tense marker
w/d/- plus the Past Subjunctive. Hence, although Min bikira means [If] I had
done [it] (=Turkish yapsaydm), Min- bikira means I would have done [it]
(=Turkis yapacaktm, yapardm).
In Behdinan, this tense is formed using the independent morpheme DA plus the
naked present tense stem (without bi- or di- prefix). Hence, Southern Ez da kem =
Northern Min- bikira = I would have done [it].
Note that the negative of this southern form is expressed with the imperfect
tense: Ez da im = I would have gone, but Ez nedi^um = I would not have gone.
Here are some examples of both northern and southern versions of this tense:
N: Te y bidta = S: Tu da bn
You would have seen/found [it]
N: Ew biya = S: Ew da t
He would have gone
N: Me y bigirta = S: Em da girn
We would have closed/captured [it]
N: Hn bihatana = S: Hn da hn
You (pl.) would have come
N: Wan bixwenda = S: Ew da xwnin
They would have read/studied
Examples of usage:
Ev, ko zilamek diz bya, w sleh me bidizya, w erefa me bikenanda
136
If this man were a thief, he would steal (or, have stolen) our weapons, he would
tarnish [lit. break] our honor.
Tey bigota
Almost [lit. You would say, you would have said]
Mem ewqas bxem bxyal b, qet tey bigota, ew tenye ba=da
Mem was so unconcerned and uninterested, it was almost as if he was alone in
the garden
[lit. You would have said he is alone in the garden]
The Past Subjunctive is also used after modal auxiliaries that require the
subjunctive (e.g., lazim, gerek, div[t]), specifically with reference to the past
tense.
Examples of usage:
Lazim b ko we bi a Beyrim bikira
You were supposed to obey Beyrim
[lit. it was necessary that you did according to that (f.) of Beyrim]
Divya duh bama [divya = past tense of divt]
I should have gone yesterday
Vira zinarn usa mezin hebn, ku weke panzdeh-bst soyara dikarib xwe pi
wana vearta [soyar = suwar/siyar = horseman, rider, knight]
Here there were boulders so large that 15-20 horsemen could have hidden behind
them.
137

Pronunciation drills
terr
tr
kr
ker
bn
bin
k
ke
kirin kirrn karn
digrim
digrm
kurr
kr
guh
g
din
dn
iv
v
r
r
ji
j
tr
kerr
tirr
digerrim
kor
dn
ev
err
j
Q-K
ked
qed
qab
kap
kr
qr
pak
paqij
kar
qar
beq
Beko
noqav
nok
qo
ko
qirrke qelemek
kul
qul
138

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M.L.

Chyet / Em hn Kurmanc dibin

STANDARD KURDISH ORTHOGRAPHY TABLE

M.L. Chyet / Em hn Kurmanc dibin

M.L. Chyet / Em hn Kurmanc dibin

mal nav Zana

e as a in cat, but shorter ders dest ez Ferhad Leyla ser xwendekar

i as first i in divine, but shorter

kiras kitb mezin

o pronunciation varies from region to region:

pronunciation varies from region to region:

r trilled as in Spanish bir ders kiras ser

M.L. Chyet / Em hn Kurmanc dibin

M.L. Chyet / Em hn Kurmanc dibin

M.L. Chyet / Em hn Kurmanc dibin

M.L. Chyet / Em hn Kurmanc dibin

If the name ends in a vowel, instead of im we say me:

Remember: Ez Lezgn im ; Ez Simko me

Are you Bengn? Tu Dlan ?

Are you Dlan?

If the name ends in a vowel, instead of we say y:

Are you Khej?

Ew Ferhad e = HE is Ferhad (or, It is Ferhad)

that the k- in kitb and in k is aspirated, while the k- in kiras in non-aspirated.

M.L. Chyet / Em hn Kurmanc dibin

Remember: ev = this ; ew = he/e/it and that

-[y]a (m = fem. [f.])

M.L. Chyet / Em hn Kurmanc dibin

Memo, you are my student (m.).

KURDI PERSONAL NAMES

M.L. Chyet / Em hn Kurmanc dibin

M.L. Chyet / Em hn Kurmanc dibin

Dersa Didua [2]

M.L. Chyet / Em hn Kurmanc dibin

Abzer: Eve i ye?

M.L. Chyet / Em hn Kurmanc dibin

Ew -- kitbt biray min in.

(we, you, they)

M.L. Chyet / Em hn Kurmanc dibin

If the name ends in a vowel, instead of in we say ne:

M.L. Chyet / Em hn Kurmanc dibin

Em k ne? Em heval in. [Southern: Em k yne? Em heval n.]

Bav me Dara ye. [=Our father is Dara]

distinction is standard in Sorani (Central) Kurdish dialects.

M.L. Chyet / Em hn Kurmanc dibin

Ew heval min e = He is my friend ;

M.L. Chyet / Em hn Kurmanc dibin

M.L. Chyet / Em hn Kurmanc dibin

KURDISH PERSONAL NAMES

M.L. Chyet / Em hn Kurmanc dibin

Dersa Sisya [3]

Roj ba! Ez mamostay we me. Nav min Miho ye.

Brvan! Piska te heye?

M.L. Chyet / Em hn Kurmanc dibin

Brvan! Te kitik heye ?

Min birayek y hey. This construction is too complex for beginners.

M.L. Chyet / Em hn Kurmanc dibin

Note: Ziwa is dry

M.L. Chyet / Em hn Kurmanc dibin

-ek [indefinite article = a/an (or one)]

(-ek-e = fem. [f.])

[a hand of mine/one of my hands]

[a house of mine/one of my]