12. Wishes, commands and the future
🟡 Intermediate · Lesson 12 of 23
The subjunctive
The subjunctive is the form for wanted, possible or not-yet-real actions. It is the present with bi- instead of di-; the negative uses ne-:
kirin (کرن) "to do, to make": present stem k, past stem kir, transitive
| person | pronoun | Present | Subjunctive | Subjunctive negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | ez | dikim دکم | bikim بکم | nekim نەکم |
| 2sg | tu | dikî دکی | bikî بکی | nekî نەکی |
| 3sg | ew | dike دکە | bike بکە | neke نەکە |
| 1pl | em | dikin دکن | bikin بکن | nekin نەکن |
| 2pl | hûn | dikin دکن | bikin بکن | nekin نەکن |
| 3pl | ew | dikin دکن | bikin بکن | nekin نەکن |
çûn (چوون) "to go": present stem ç, past stem çû, intransitive
| person | pronoun | Subjunctive | Subjunctive negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | ez | biçim بچم | neçim نەچم |
| 2sg | tu | biçî بچی | neçî نەچی |
| 3sg | ew | biçe بچە | neçe نەچە |
| 1pl | em | biçin بچن | neçin نەچن |
| 2pl | hûn | biçin بچن | neçin نەچن |
| 3pl | ew | biçin بچن | neçin نەچن |
ê/î-stems contract: hatin → bêm “that I come”, anîn → bînim.
When to use it
| after | meaning | example |
|---|---|---|
| dixwazim | I want (to) | Ez dixwazim biçim. I want to go. |
| dikarim | I can | Ez dikarim bêm. I can come. |
| divê | must | Divê tu bixwînî. You must study. |
| bila | let | Bila ew bê. Let him come. |
| heke / eger | if | Heke tu bêyî, em ê biçin. If you come, we will go. |
| da ku | in order to | Ez hatim da ku te bibînim. I came to see you. |
xwestin (خوەستن) "to want": present stem xwaz, past stem xwest, transitive
| person | pronoun | Present |
|---|---|---|
| 1sg | ez | dixwazim دخوازم |
| 2sg | tu | dixwazî دخوازی |
| 3sg | ew | dixwaze دخوازە |
| 1pl | em | dixwazin دخوازن |
| 2pl | hûn | dixwazin دخوازن |
| 3pl | ew | dixwazin دخوازن |
The future
The future is the subjunctive preceded by the particle dê or its short form ê, placed after the subject. It is very often written joined to a pronoun:
| person | future of çûn |
|---|---|
| 1sg | ez ê biçim / ezê biçim |
| 2sg | tu yê biçî / tuyê biçî |
| 3sg | ew ê biçe / ewê biçe |
| pl | em ê / hûn ê / ew ê biçin |
| # | Kurdish | Arabic script | IPA | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ez ê sibê biçim Wanê. | ئەز ئێ سبێ بچم وانێ. | /ɛz eː sɪbeː bɪtʃɯm waːneː/ | I will go to Van tomorrow. |
| 2 | Tu yê çi bikî? | تو یێ چ بکی؟ | /tʊ jeː tʃɪ bɪkiː/ | What will you do? |
| 3 | Ew ê neyê. | ئەو ئێ نەیێ. | /ɛw eː nɛjeː/ | He won't come. |
| 4 | Em ê bibînin. | ئەم ئێ ببینن. | /ɛm eː bɪbiːnɯn/ | We will see. |
The negative future puts ne- on the verb: ez ê neçim “I won’t go”.
The imperative
Commands are bi- + present stem + -e (singular) or -in (plural); after a vowel-final stem, nothing / -n. The prohibitive (don’t!) uses ne-:
kirin (کرن) "to do, to make": present stem k, past stem kir, transitive
| person | pronoun | Imperative | Prohibitive |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2sg | tu | bike بکە | neke نەکە |
| 2pl | hûn | bikin بکن | nekin نەکن |
xwarin (خوارن) "to eat": present stem xw, past stem xwar, transitive
| person | pronoun | Imperative | Prohibitive |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2sg | tu | bixwe بخوە | nexwe نەخوە |
| 2pl | hûn | bixwin بخون | nexwin نەخون |
xwendin (خوەندن) "to read, to study": present stem xwîn, past stem xwend, transitive
| person | pronoun | Imperative | Prohibitive |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2sg | tu | bixwîne بخوینە | nexwîne نەخوینە |
| 2pl | hûn | bixwînin بخوینن | nexwînin نەخوینن |
Two very common verbs have irregular imperatives:
hatin (هاتن) "to come": present stem ê, past stem hat, intransitive
| person | pronoun | Imperative | Prohibitive |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2sg | tu | were وەرە | neyê نەیێ |
| 2pl | hûn | werin وەرن | neyên نەیێن |
çûn (چوون) "to go": present stem ç, past stem çû, intransitive
| person | pronoun | Imperative | Prohibitive |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2sg | tu | here هەرە | neçe نەچە |
| 2pl | hûn | herin هەرن | neçin نەچن |
Practice
- I want to eat.
- We will come tomorrow.
- Don’t go! (to one person)
Answers
- Ez dixwazim bixwim.
- Em ê sibê bên.
- Neçe!
Summary
- Subjunctive bi- (negative ne-) after want, can, must, let, if, in order to.
- Future: dê / ê + subjunctive (ezê biçim).
- Imperative bike / bikin, prohibitive neke; were come!, here go!