Kurmanji cheat sheet
ئەم پەڕەیە ئێستا بە ئینگلیزییە.
Everything on one page. Lesson numbers in brackets.
Pronouns and copula [6]
| person | direct | oblique | copula (after C / V) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | ez | min | im / me |
| 2sg | tu | te | î / yî |
| 3sg | ew, ev | wî / wê, vî / vê | e / ye |
| 1pl | em | me | in / ne |
| 2pl | hûn | we | in / ne |
| 3pl | ew, ev | wan, van | in / ne |
Noun endings [7 to 9]
| feminine | masculine | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| direct (the) | · | · | · |
| oblique | -ê | -î (optional) | -an |
| ezafe | -a | -ê | -ên |
| indefinite direct | -ek | -ek | hin … |
| indefinite oblique | -ekê | -ekî | |
| indefinite ezafe | -eke | -ekî | |
| vocative | -ê | -o | -ino |
After a vowel: y is inserted (çiyayê, xaniyê).
Oblique is used: after prepositions · for present-tense objects · for owners after ezafe · for past transitive agents.
Verb forms [10 to 21]
kirin (کرن) "to do, to make": present stem k, past stem kir, transitive
| person | agent (oblique) | object (direct) | Present | Subjunctive | Simple past | Past progressive | Present perfect | Past perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | min | ez | dikim دکم | bikim بکم | kirim کرم | dikirim دکرم | kirime کرمە | kiribûm کربووم |
| 2sg | te | tu | dikî دکی | bikî بکی | kirî کری | dikirî دکری | kiriyî کریی | kiribûyî کربوویی |
| 3sg | wî / wê | ew | dike دکە | bike بکە | kir کر | dikir دکر | kiriye کریە | kiribû کربوو |
| 1pl | me | em | dikin دکن | bikin بکن | kirin کرن | dikirin دکرن | kirine کرنە | kiribûn کربوون |
| 2pl | we | hûn | dikin دکن | bikin بکن | kirin کرن | dikirin دکرن | kirine کرنە | kiribûn کربوون |
| 3pl | wan | ew | dikin دکن | bikin بکن | kirin کرن | dikirin دکرن | kirine کرنە | kiribûn کربوون |
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".
hatin (هاتن) "to come": present stem ê, past stem hat, intransitive
| person | pronoun | Present | Subjunctive | Simple past | Past progressive | Present perfect | Past perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | ez | têm تێم | bêm بێم | hatim هاتم | dihatim دهاتم | hatime هاتمە | hatibûm هاتبووم |
| 2sg | tu | têyî تێیی | bêyî بێیی | hatî هاتی | dihatî دهاتی | hatiyî هاتیی | hatibûyî هاتبوویی |
| 3sg | ew | tê تێ | bê بێ | hat هات | dihat دهات | hatiye هاتیە | hatibû هاتبوو |
| 1pl | em | tên تێن | bên بێن | hatin هاتن | dihatin دهاتن | hatine هاتنە | hatibûn هاتبوون |
| 2pl | hûn | tên تێن | bên بێن | hatin هاتن | dihatin دهاتن | hatine هاتنە | hatibûn هاتبوون |
| 3pl | ew | tên تێن | bên بێن | hatin هاتن | dihatin دهاتن | hatine هاتنە | hatibûn هاتبوون |
| form | recipe | kirin | hatin |
|---|---|---|---|
| present | di- + pres. stem + im î e in | dikim | têm |
| negative | na- (ni- for zanîn, karîn) | nakim | nayêm |
| subjunctive | bi- + pres. stem | bikim | bêm |
| future | dê / ê + subjunctive | ez ê bikim | ez ê bêm |
| imperative | bi- + stem + e / in | bike, bikin | were, werin |
| prohibitive | ne- + stem + e / in | neke | neyê |
| simple past | past stem + im î · in | kir | hatim |
| past progressive | di- + past stem | dikir | dihatim |
| present perfect | past stem + ime iyî iye ine | kiriye | hatime |
| past perfect | past stem + ibû + ending | kiribû | hatibûm |
| passive | hatin + infinitive | tê kirin, hat kirin |
Ergativity [14, 22]
| agent | object | verb agrees with | |
|---|---|---|---|
| present-stem tenses | direct | oblique | agent |
| past, transitive | oblique | direct | object |
| past, intransitive | direct | · | subject |
Prepositions [16]
li at · ji from · bi with, by · ji bo for · di…de in · ji…re for, to · bi…re with · ji…ve since · jê, pê, lê, tê (with 3sg)
Word building [17]
-tir -er · -tirîn -est · -î -ish, language · -tî, -ahî -ness · -van, -kar, -ger -er (person) · -dar having · -stan, -geh, -xane place · -ane -ly · -ik little