20. Preverbs and compound verbs
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ئەم پەڕەیە ئێستا بە ئینگلیزییە.
Preverbs
A preverb is a short element before the verb that changes its meaning: ra- up, hil- up, ve- open, back, der- out, da- down, wer- towards, lê-, pê-, tê-, çê-:
| verb | parts | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| rabûn | ra + bûn | to get up |
| hilgirtin | hil + girtin | to pick up, to lift |
| vekirin | ve + kirin | to open |
| derketin | der + ketin | to go out |
| vexwarin | ve + xwarin | to drink |
| çêkirin | çê + kirin | to make, to repair |
Rules:
- The present prefix comes after the preverb: radibim I get up, hildigirim, vedikim.
- The subjunctive and imperative drop bi-: rabim “that I get up”, rabe! “get up!”, veke! “open!”
- Transitivity comes from the base verb, so past tenses follow it: ez rabûm (intransitive), min derî vekir (transitive, ergative).
rabûn (ڕابوون) "to get up, to stand up": present stem b, past stem bû, intransitive, preverb ra
| person | pronoun | Present | Subjunctive | Simple past | Imperative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | ez | radibim ڕادبم | rabim ڕابم | rabûm ڕابووم | · |
| 2sg | tu | radibî ڕادبی | rabî ڕابی | rabûyî ڕابوویی | rabe ڕابە |
| 3sg | ew | radibe ڕادبە | rabe ڕابە | rabû ڕابوو | · |
| 1pl | em | radibin ڕادبن | rabin ڕابن | rabûn ڕابوون | · |
| 2pl | hûn | radibin ڕادبن | rabin ڕابن | rabûn ڕابوون | rabin ڕابن |
| 3pl | ew | radibin ڕادبن | rabin ڕابن | rabûn ڕابوون | · |
vekirin (ڤەکرن) "to open": present stem k, past stem kir, transitive, preverb ve
| person | agent (oblique) | object (direct) | Present | Subjunctive | Simple past | Imperative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | min | ez | vedikim ڤەدکم | vekim ڤەکم | vekirim ڤەکرم | · |
| 2sg | te | tu | vedikî ڤەدکی | vekî ڤەکی | vekirî ڤەکری | veke ڤەکە |
| 3sg | wî / wê | ew | vedike ڤەدکە | veke ڤەکە | vekir ڤەکر | · |
| 1pl | me | em | vedikin ڤەدکن | vekin ڤەکن | vekirin ڤەکرن | · |
| 2pl | we | hûn | vedikin ڤەدکن | vekin ڤەکن | vekirin ڤەکرن | vekin ڤەکن |
| 3pl | wan | ew | vedikin ڤەدکن | vekin ڤەکن | vekirin ڤەکرن | · |
Past tenses of a transitive verb are ergative: the agent is oblique and the verb agrees with the object (the object column), e.g. min tu dîtî "I saw you".
derketin (دەرکەتن) "to go out, to come out": present stem kev, past stem ket, intransitive, preverb der
| person | pronoun | Present | Simple past |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | ez | derdikevim دەردکەڤم | derketim دەرکەتم |
| 2sg | tu | derdikevî دەردکەڤی | derketî دەرکەتی |
| 3sg | ew | derdikeve دەردکەڤە | derket دەرکەت |
| 1pl | em | derdikevin دەردکەڤن | derketin دەرکەتن |
| 2pl | hûn | derdikevin دەردکەڤن | derketin دەرکەتن |
| 3pl | ew | derdikevin دەردکەڤن | derketin دەرکەتن |
hilgirtin (هلگرتن) "to pick up, to lift": present stem gir, past stem girt, transitive, preverb hil
| person | agent (oblique) | object (direct) | Present | Simple past |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | min | ez | hildigirim هلدگرم | hilgirtim هلگرتم |
| 2sg | te | tu | hildigirî هلدگری | hilgirtî هلگرتی |
| 3sg | wî / wê | ew | hildigire هلدگرە | hilgirt هلگرت |
| 1pl | me | em | hildigirin هلدگرن | hilgirtin هلگرتن |
| 2pl | we | hûn | hildigirin هلدگرن | hilgirtin هلگرتن |
| 3pl | wan | ew | hildigirin هلدگرن | hilgirtin هلگرتن |
Past tenses of a transitive verb are ergative: the agent is oblique and the verb agrees with the object (the object column), e.g. min tu dîtî "I saw you".
Compound verbs
Very many verbs are noun or adjective + light verb (usually kirin, bûn, dan, anîn), written as separate words:
| verb | literally | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| dest pê kirin | hand at do | to begin |
| bi kar anîn | with work bring | to use |
| alîkarî kirin | help do | to help |
| telefon kirin | phone do | to phone |
| nas kirin | known do | to know (a person) |
| bawer kirin | belief do | to believe |
Only the light verb is conjugated; the other part stays in front of it: ez dest pê dikim “I begin”, min dest pê kir “I began”, ez wî nas dikim “I know him”.
| # | Kurdish | Arabic script | IPA | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ez sibê zû radibim. | ئەز سبێ زوو ڕادبم. | /ɛz sɪbeː zuː raːdɪbɯm/ | I get up early in the morning. |
| 2 | Derî veke! | دەری ڤەکە! | /dɛɾiː vɛkɛ/ | Open the door! |
| 3 | Min pirtûk hilgirt. | من پرتووک هلگرت. | /mɪn pɪɾtuːk hɪlɡɯɾt/ | I picked up the book. |
| 4 | Ders dest pê kir. | دەرس دەست پێ کر. | /dɛɾs dɛst peː kɪɾ/ | The lesson began. |
| 5 | Ez komputerê bi kar tînim. | ئەز کۆمپوتەرێ ب کار تینم. | /ɛz koːmpʊtɛɾeː bɪ kaːɾ tiːnɯm/ | I use the computer. |
| 6 | Ez te nas dikim. | ئەز تە ناس دکم. | /ɛz tɛ naːs dɪkɯm/ | I know you. |
Summary
- Preverb + di-: radibim; subjunctive and imperative without bi-: rabe, veke.
- Compound verbs: noun + light verb written apart; only the light verb is conjugated.
- Transitivity (and so ergativity) comes from the light verb.