11. My, your, his: the personal clitics

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

1. my house (specific) and our house.
2. their books.
3. I don’t have a car.

Answers

1. ماڵەکەم, ماڵەکەمان
2. کتێبەکانیان
3. 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.