16. Prepositions and circumpositions
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Ev rûpel niha bi îngilîzî ye.
Simple prepositions
A noun or pronoun after a preposition is always oblique.
| preposition | meaning | example |
|---|---|---|
| li | at, in, on | li malê at home |
| ji | from, of | ji Amedê from Amed |
| bi | with, by (means) | bi trênê by train |
| bo / ji bo | for | ji bo te for you |
| heta | until, as far as | heta sibê until tomorrow |
| bê | without | bê pere without money |
| wek / mîna | like | wek bavê xwe like his father |
Place words combine with li and ji: li ser on, li bin under, li ber in front of, li pişt behind, li nav inside, li kêleka beside.
Circumpositions
Kurmanji often frames the noun with a preposition and a postposition:
| frame | meaning | example |
|---|---|---|
| di … de | in, inside | di malê de in the house |
| ji … re | to, for (a person) | ji min re to/for me |
| bi … re | with (together) | bi min re with me |
| ji … ve | since, from | ji sibê ve since the morning |
| di … re | through, via | di Stenbolê re via Istanbul |
| # | Kurdish | Arabic script | IPA | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ez li malê me. | ئەز ل مالێ مە. | /ɛz lɪ maːleː mɛ/ | I am at home. |
| 2 | Ew ji Wanê hat. | ئەو ژ وانێ هات. | /ɛw ʒɪ waːneː haːt/ | He came from Van. |
| 3 | Ez bi te re têm. | ئەز ب تە ڕە تێم. | /ɛz bɪ tɛ rɛ teːm/ | I'm coming with you. |
| 4 | Min ji wê re name nivîsî. | من ژ وێ ڕە نامە نڤیسی. | /mɪn ʒɪ weː rɛ naːmɛ nɪviːsiː/ | I wrote her a letter. |
| 5 | Pirtûk li ser maseyê ye. | پرتووک ل سەر ماسەیێ یە. | /pɪɾtuːk lɪ sɛɾ maːsɛjeː jɛ/ | The book is on the table. |
| 6 | Di bajêr de pir mirov hene. | د باژێر دە پر مرۆڤ هەنە. | /dɪ baːʒeːɾ dɛ pɪɾ mɪɾoːv hɛnɛ/ | There are many people in the city. |
Contracted forms
When a 3sg pronoun (wî / wê) follows ji, bi, li, di, the two fuse into one word:
| + wî / wê | example | |
|---|---|---|
| ji | jê | jê re to him/her |
| bi | pê | pê re with him/her |
| li | lê | lê dinêre looks at him/her |
| di | tê | tê de in it |
Practice
- for my father
- in the city
- with them
Answers
- ji bavê min re
- di bajêr de
- bi wan re
Summary
- After a preposition the noun is oblique.
- Circumpositions: di…de in, ji…re for/to, bi…re with, ji…ve since.
- ji/bi/li/di + 3sg pronoun → jê, pê, lê, tê.