11. This, that and question words
🟡 Intermediate · Lesson 11 of 23
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.