6. Pronouns and “to be”
🟢 Beginner · Lesson 6 of 23
Two sets of pronouns
Kurmanji pronouns have two forms. The direct form is used for the subject of most sentences. The oblique form is used after prepositions, for objects of present-tense verbs, for owners (my, your) and for the doer in the past tense (lesson 14).
| person | direct | oblique | meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | ez | min | I / me, my |
| 2sg | tu | te | you / you, your |
| 3sg (that) | ew | wî (m) / wê (f) | he, she, it / him, her, his, her |
| 3sg (this) | ev | vî (m) / vê (f) | this one |
| 1pl | em | me | we / us, our |
| 2pl | hûn | we | you (pl) / you, your |
| 3pl (those) | ew | wan | they / them, their |
| 3pl (these) | ev | van | these |
Gender appears only in the oblique 3sg: wî for a man (or masculine noun), wê for a woman (or feminine noun).
“To be”: the copula
Am, are, is is a short word written after the noun or adjective:
| person | after a consonant | after a vowel |
|---|---|---|
| 1sg | im | me |
| 2sg | î | yî |
| 3sg | e | ye |
| 1pl / 2pl / 3pl | in | ne |
| # | Kurdish | Arabic script | IPA | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ez kurd im. | ئەز کورد ئم. | /ɛz kʊɾd ɪm/ | I am Kurdish. |
| 2 | Tu kurd î. | تو کورد ئی. | /tʊ kʊɾd iː/ | You are Kurdish. |
| 3 | Ew kurd e. | ئەو کورد ئە. | /ɛw kʊɾd ɛ/ | He / She is Kurdish. |
| 4 | Em kurd in. | ئەم کورد ئن. | /ɛm kʊɾd ɪn/ | We are Kurdish. |
| 5 | Ez mamoste me. | ئەز مامۆستە مە. | /ɛz maːmoːstɛ mɛ/ | I am a teacher. |
| 6 | Tu mamoste yî. | تو مامۆستە یی. | /tʊ maːmoːstɛ jiː/ | You are a teacher. |
| 7 | Ew mamoste ye. | ئەو مامۆستە یە. | /ɛw maːmoːstɛ jɛ/ | He / She is a teacher. |
| 8 | Hûn mamoste ne. | هوون مامۆستە نە. | /huːn maːmoːstɛ nɛ/ | You (pl) are teachers. |
The plural has one form for all persons: em / hûn / ew … in.
“Not to be”
Put ne before the noun or adjective; the copula stays at the end:
| # | Kurdish | Arabic script | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ez ne mamoste me. | ئەز نە مامۆستە مە. | I am not a teacher. |
| 2 | Ew ne li malê ye. | ئەو نە ل مالێ یە. | He is not at home. |
“There is” and “to have”: heye / tune
heye there is (plural hene), negative tune or tuneye. With an owner in the oblique (or an ezafe phrase) it means to have:
| # | Kurdish | Arabic script | IPA | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Av heye. | ئاڤ هەیە. | /aːv hɛjɛ/ | There is water. |
| 2 | Nan tune. | نان تونە. | /naːn tʊnɛ/ | There is no bread. |
| 3 | Pirtûkeke min heye. | پرتووکەکە من هەیە. | /pɪɾtuːkɛkɛ mɪn hɛjɛ/ | I have a book. |
| 4 | Du birayên min hene. | دو برایێن من هەنە. | /dʊ bɪɾaːjeːn mɪn hɛnɛ/ | I have two brothers. |
Questions
A yes/no question can be a statement with a rising tone, or start with the particle ma: Ma tu kurd î? “Are you Kurdish?”
Practice
- I am a student (xwendekar).
- We are not teachers.
- She is beautiful (ciwan).
Answers
- Ez xwendekar im.
- Em ne mamoste ne.
- Ew ciwan e.
Summary
- Direct: ez tu ew em hûn ew; oblique: min te wî/wê me we wan.
- Copula after the word: im î e in (after vowels me yî ye ne).
- Not: ne … ; there is: heye/hene, negative tune.