11. My, your, his: the personal clitics
🟡 ناوەند · وانەی ١١ لە ٢٣
ئەم پەڕەیە ئێستا بە ئینگلیزییە.
Six small endings that do a lot
Sorani has a second set of personal markers, the clitics (also called set 2). They attach to the end of a word or phrase:
| person | clitic | Latin | as possessive |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | -م | -(i)m | my |
| 2sg | -ت | -(i)t | your |
| 3sg | -ی | -î / -y | his, her, its |
| 1pl | -مان | -man | our |
| 2pl | -تان | -tan | your (pl) |
| 3pl | -یان | -yan | their |
They are the most important endings in Sorani. Here they mean my, your, …; in lesson 14 the same clitics mark who did it in the past tense, and in lesson 22 they mark objects.
On a noun
Attach the clitic either to the bare noun or, for a specific thing (my book = the one we know about), to the definite noun:
کتێب "book"
| person | pronoun | my/your… + noun | the noun + clitic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | من | کتێبم kitêbim | کتێبەکەم kitêbekem |
| 2sg | تۆ | کتێبت kitêbit | کتێبەکەت kitêbeket |
| 3sg | ئەو | کتێبی kitêbî | کتێبەکەی kitêbekey |
| 1pl | ئێمە | کتێبمان kitêbman | کتێبەکەمان kitêbekeman |
| 2pl | ئێوە | کتێبتان kitêbtan | کتێبەکەتان kitêbeketan |
| 3pl | ئەوان | کتێبیان kitêbyan | کتێبەکەیان kitêbekeyan |
دەرگا "door"
| person | pronoun | my/your… + noun | the noun + clitic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | من | دەرگام dergam | دەرگاکەم dergakem |
| 2sg | تۆ | دەرگات dergat | دەرگاکەت dergaket |
| 3sg | ئەو | دەرگای dergay | دەرگاکەی dergakey |
| 1pl | ئێمە | دەرگامان dergaman | دەرگاکەمان dergakeman |
| 2pl | ئێوە | دەرگاتان dergatan | دەرگاکەتان dergaketan |
| 3pl | ئەوان | دەرگایان dergayan | دەرگاکەیان dergakeyan |
For the plural, attach to the definite plural: کتێبەکانم my books, ماڵەکانیان their houses.
At the end of the phrase
The clitic goes at the end of the whole noun phrase, after any adjective:
| phrase | meaning |
|---|---|
| کتێبە نوێیەکەم | my new book |
| ماڵە گەورەکەیان | their big house |
| باوکی هاوڕێکەم | my friend’s father (the father of my friend) |
For emphasis, use the ezafe and a pronoun instead: کتێبی من MY book (not yours).
To have
To have is expressed as X-of-mine exists: the clitic on the possessed thing + هەیە (negative نییە):
| # | Kurdish | Latin | IPA | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | کتێبێکم هەیە. | kitêbêkim heye. | /k(ɯ)teːbeːk(ɯ)m hæjæ/ | I have a book. |
| 2 | ئۆتۆمبێلت هەیە؟ | otombêlt heye? | /ʔoːtoːmbeːlt hæjæ/ | Do you have a car? |
| 3 | براکەی دوو کچی هەیە. | birakey dû kiçî heye. | /b(ɯ)ɾaːkæj duː k(ɯ)tʃiː hæjæ/ | His brother has two daughters. |
| 4 | پارەمان نییە. | pareman nîye. | /paːɾæmaːn niːjæ/ | We don't have money. |
| 5 | کاتتان هەیە؟ | kattan heye? | /kaːttaːn hæjæ/ | Do you (pl) have time? |
With prepositions
After لە and بە, and for in, into, the clitic attaches to a special form: لە → لێ, بە → پێ, and تێ into, in it. With a clitic they are one word (پێم وت, لێی دا); without one they stand alone (پارەم پێ نەما, not پێنەما):
| form | meaning |
|---|---|
| لێم | from me |
| لێی | from him / her |
| پێت | to / with you |
| پێیان | to / with them |
پێم بڵێ Tell me (lit. to-me say).
Practice
- my house (specific) and our house.
- their books.
- I don’t have a car.
Answers
- ماڵەکەم, ماڵەکەمان
- کتێبەکانیان
- ئۆتۆمبێلم نییە.
Summary
- Clitics م ت ی مان تان یان = my, your, his/her, our, your, their.
- They go at the end of the noun phrase: کتێبە نوێیەکەم.
- To have = clitic on the thing + هەیە.