11. This, that and question words
🟡 Navîn · Dersa 11 ji 23
Ev rûpel niha bi îngilîzî ye.
Demonstratives
This is ev, that is ew. Like pronouns, they have direct and oblique forms, and in the oblique the noun takes its oblique ending too:
| direct | oblique feminine | oblique masculine | oblique plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| this | ev jin | vê jinê | vî mirovî | van jinan |
| that | ew jin | wê jinê | wî mirovî | wan jinan |
| # | Kurdish | Arabic script | IPA | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ev pirtûk nû ye. | ئەڤ پرتووک نوو یە. | /ɛv pɪɾtuːk nuː jɛ/ | This book is new. |
| 2 | Ew mirov mamoste ye. | ئەو مرۆڤ مامۆستە یە. | /ɛw mɪɾoːv maːmoːstɛ jɛ/ | That man is a teacher. |
| 3 | Ez vê pirtûkê dixwînim. | ئەز ڤێ پرتووکێ دخوینم. | /ɛz veː pɪɾtuːkeː dɪxʷiːnɯm/ | I am reading this book. |
| 4 | Ez wî mirovî nas dikim. | ئەز وی مرۆڤی ناس دکم. | /ɛz wiː mɪɾoːviː naːs dɪkɯm/ | I know that man. |
| 5 | Van rojan pir germ e. | ڤان ڕۆژان پر گەرم ئە. | /vaːn roːʒaːn pɪɾ ɡɛɾm ɛ/ | These days it is very hot. |
The masculine oblique ending -î, often dropped elsewhere, is normal after vî / wî: vî bajarî “this city”.
Alone, ev and ew mean this one, that one, and also he / she / it / they: Ev çi ye? “What is this?”
Question words
| word | meaning |
|---|---|
| kî | who |
| çi | what |
| kîjan | which |
| çawa | how |
| çima | why |
| kengî | when |
| li ku / ku derê | where |
| ji ku | from where |
| çend | how many, how much |
| ma | yes/no question particle |
The question word stands where the answer would be, usually before the verb:
| # | Kurdish | Arabic script | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ev kî ye? | ئەڤ کی یە؟ | Who is this? |
| 2 | Navê te çi ye? | ناڤێ تە چ یە؟ | What is your name? |
| 3 | Tu li ku dijî? | تو ل کو دژی؟ | Where do you live? |
| 4 | Tu ji ku yî? | تو ژ کو یی؟ | Where are you from? |
| 5 | Çima tu nayêyî? | چما تو نایێیی؟ | Why don't you come? |
| 6 | Çend pirtûkên te hene? | چەند پرتووکێن تە هەنە؟ | How many books do you have? |
Practice
- this house (mal f), direct and oblique.
- I see those men (mirov, present dibînim).
Answers
- ev mal, vê malê
- Ez wan mirovan dibînim.
Summary
- ev / ew (direct); vê, vî, van / wê, wî, wan (oblique) + oblique ending on the noun.
- Question words: kî çi kîjan çawa çima kengî li ku çend; particle ma.