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Kurdish Pages [132]
Dg
JAR
iPêeM
.^
y
lO
U,
BAHDINAN KORMANJI
A GRAMMAR OF THE
KURIANJI OF THE KURDS
OF MOSUL DIVISION AND SURROUNDING ' DISTRICTS OF
KURDISTAN.
BY
CAPTAIN E. F. JARWNE, ASSISTANT POLITICAL OFFICER, DOHUK
BAGHDAD :
PRINTED
AT
THE
GOVER^ 1932,
PRESS,
INTRODUCTION.
Meaning of Bahdinan
Kurmanh.
Kurds divide Kurdistan into five great divisions : SoRAN comprising
roughly
Sulaimania,
Rania,
and
their neighbours on the north-east.
Bahdinan with the greater
Zab and
Zakho
Khabur
separating it from the other four areas.
BoHTAN comprising the areas north and west of Zakho. Hakkari the areas nortli of the first three divisions. MiLLi
deriving its name from
the tribe of that name,
and west of the Bohtan division.
This spoken
work
in
the
is
an
account
second-named
of of
the
dialect
these
five
of
Kurdish
divisions, the
Bahdinan.
Although it professes to deal with only one book
will be
dialect
the
found to be almost of as much use to students
of the Bohtan and Hakkari dialects
as
it
may
be
to
those
working in the Bahdinan area itself.
For
there
is
little
difference
in accidence and syntax
between the dialect of Bahdinan and those of its neighbours,
From
the
including
dialect
on
the
east,
Ruwanduz
Neri.
of the Soran, however, and in particular,
from that of Sulaimania, it differs considerably and syntax :
immediate and
in
accidence
and in forms of words other than those derived
from Persian.
A difference is insisted on by the the extent of separating the Sulaimania call
Kurdi,
are called
from
the remaining
Kurmanji.
Kurds
themselves
dialect,
which
to
they
dialects of Kurdish, which
Meaning of word Kurmanji.
The word Kurmanji means the tongue of the ' Kurmanj ' which presumably oiice meant the people, in some form or other, whom we now call Kurds ; in Bahdinan, at any rate,
the word is now used to denote the people, Kurds, Jews! Christians, or Yezidis who are not
' Ashiret ' and
is
thus
especially used of non-tribal elements living amidst or under the patronage of a tribe.
The academic question whether Kurdish is the offspring or
the
parent of
Persian
has
been
ably
discussed
by
Major E. B. Soane and therefore there is no need to attempt to
settle
it
here ;
close
relationship
there
certainly
is
between the two languages, and a knowledge of one of them' is an aid in
the acquirement of the other.
Most Kurds
maintain that their language is a corruption of Persian,
with
an admixture of Kurmanjised Arabic and Turkish words. Characteristics
In
comparison
with
the
of Kurmanji.
Soran
dialect,
the
peculiar
characteristics of Kurmanji are :
(1) its simplicityalmost paucityof expression; its .
economy
of
prepositions and adjunctions ; its
- abruptness and practicality ;
(2) its regard of the transitive verbs as passives in the past tenses.
Dialects.
It is not au exaggeration to
say
that every tribe or
valley of a hundred villages has its peculiar characteristics ; in Kurmanji at any rate these are rather variations of pro¬ nunciation
and
peculiarities
usages of syntax.
Note,
of form,
than
of
idiomatic
for instance, the variations in the
Oblique case of the 2nd Pers.
Plur. of the Personal Pronoun ;
in the Muzuri, ' hungo' ; in Dohuk, ' hawa' ; in the Bohtan, ' ewa.'
The difference of inhabitants,
in
the
the
various
resources at the disposal of ^the districts,
causes
variations in
the vocabulary used to render certain single English thus; to- translate the EngHsh word saddle-bags
be
explained
that
it
words :
ought
to
in north-west Bahdinan a pair of saddle
bags is made in one piece and called ' tir '; in the
opposite
corner of Bahdinan the two bags are made in separate pieces and called ' juhal'. In presenting the
prehensible to the
Kurmanji language
enlighten if attempt were of
a
single
in
a
form
com¬
Englishman, it would confuse raiher than
root-sound;
made to an
describe
the
variations
endeavour, therefoie, has been
made to define the irreducible minimum of original or
main
sounds, of vi'hich the others are merely variations.
The main sounds are set forth in
the
representation of
the system of phonetical media. used in the book. The
Kurds themselves
attempting to subjugate their
of rules of grammar. obedience to
a
smile
at the thought of anyone
language to
a
regular
The writer sees in it a
few, broad practical rules.
system
propensity
for
A propensity by
no means to be despised.
It is not difficult to obtain
an elementary knowledge of
the language ; but in order to speak with
the
and accent as the Kurds themselves it
necessary
oneself up
to
long
a
companion and
the early stages of the practice of the must
be
fluency to
give
periods of social intercourse with them.
Tb>s book will be best used as
given
is
same
considered
as
language.
guide
The
in
rules
broad indications of general
usages rather than as unadjustable and inflexible laws.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS.
Paragraph.*
Page.
Introduction
Phonetical System
Part I.
Accidence, Nouns and adjectives Demonstratives and Pronouns Adverbs Conjunctions
.
Prepositions
The Verb ' to be ' The Regular Verb Irregular Verbs
The Causative and other Verbs The Compound Verbs Part
...
1
12
1 9
20
14&15
21
15&16
22
16&17
23
18-22
25-31
22
31
32&33
34
33
39
37
40
40
47
4S&46
48
47&48
49_S6
49
II.
Syntax of the sentence
...
Appendix.
Form of the noun
Style of Kurmanji Examples of Kurmanji
...
Conversational Expressions Compliments etc.
Vocabulary.
English into Kurmanji
...
paragraph is numbered in brackets at the top of, left of, each paragraph.
65
and
on
the
PHONETICAL SIGNS OF
USED
IN
KURMANJI
REPRESENTATION
SOUNDS.
Vowels.
a
pronounced like a in ' father ' and (in Amadiyah) like a in bail,
a
sound varies between a ir^' flat ' and u in
ê
sounds like a in ' gate ' or e in ' bete ' (French)
e
pronounced like e in ' pet '
i
like ' ee ' in ' meet '
i
like ' i ' in ' sit '
Ö
pronounces as a
Scotchman
rush '
pronounces ' o ' sound
in ' boat ' but sometimes as ' o ' sound
in ' broad '
Û
as ' oo ' in ' boot '
u
as ' u ' in ' put '
ii
as ' u ' in French ' rendu '
ai
sound varying between the 'i' sound of 'bite' and 'oy' sound in 'boy'
,
'
aw
pronounced as an u sound following a long ' a '
ew
pronounced the mouth
as
the
' ou '
sound
pronounced
with
small.
Consonants.
The
following
consonants
are pronounced just as they
are in English:
b, p, t, d, j, ch, r, s, sh, f, g, (hard), h, 1, m, n, v, w.
Vll
The
following
signs for consonant sounds are also used
in this grammar :
zh
like French
rr
much rolled
' j ' in
' jour '
' r '
kh
as
' ch ' sound in
gh
resembling Arabic
q
a guttural ' k '
h
resembling
the
' loch ' ' ghain '
Arabic
but less guttural,
pectoral
' h '
but
less
pronounced
t
a
' t ' pronounced with
the tip
of the tongue
just
between the teeth like the Italian -' t ' 7.
pronounced English.
with
more
pronounced
hiss
than
in
CHAPTER I.
NOUNS AND ADJECTIVES.
(1)
Qualification of Nouns by other Nouns and by Adjectives.
{a)
Singular
Noutis.
Qualifying nouns and adjectives usually follow Singular nouns they qualify and are connected to them by particles
e or a.
e is usualiy
used
when
the qualified noun is
mas¬
culine and a when that noun is feminine. Examples :
the father of the girl.
bab e kichk
the mother of the boy.
daik a kurrk
the old man
mêr e pîr
the little woman
zflin a buchûk
i^
khatt e khwar izli ga e pir
ht.
the
crooked line from the
old ox {i. e. animals
Use experienc ed
for
the
difficult
work.) a fela means " the Christian's house " but
Note.-
mal e fela means
" the Christian's property."
(b)
Plural Nouns.
When the qualified noun is plural in sense the particle is et. Examples
:
mal et gûnd dwar et asker sê mêr et kalas
. drav et qulib zivirit kluidan e
khvi'a
dar et drezh
the houses of the village the animals of the troops three-miser-men
counterfeit money comes back to its own coiner, long sticks
*Except for the variation for the masculine and feminine, this connecting particle corresponds to the ' izafeh ' in Persian.
2
KURMANJI
GRAMMAR.
Exception.
Cardinal numbers, and demonstrative
and interrogative
adjectives precede the noun they qualify. Examples :
dû bahîv
two almonds
aw mêr
that man
chand kes
,
how many men
kizh derga
which door
hindek miröv
some men
' khösh, khwash '
Also the Adjective. khösh mêr
nice man
khosh tarn
nice taste delicious
(2) The The particle ye which is
treated here
because
of
Particle YE. may be the Avestic relative 'hya,' its
relation
particle described above which is
to
the
connecting
possibly also derived from
the Avestic relative.
In actual use
noun
and
is
the
particle
ye
is
treated
as a qualified
connected to a following qualifying
noun* or
clause, by the connecting particles
The connecting ted in speech
particles e and et
are
usually contrac¬
when used with ye, as follows j
ye e becomes ye
ye et becomes
yet
The following examples explain the use of the ye. mal a mazin ye a min
the big house, that of me
i.e. the big house of mine
kûrr e min ye e mirri
my son, he that died
miwish et wan ye et bash
their grapes, the good ones
aw bra ye e min nafa ye a min i. e.
that
is
a
brother
to me
(who is of) use to me. ye min guti min kiri
lit.
that
I
have
said,
I
have
done
i. e. words cannot be unsaid, once they have been said,
ek awa ye Iber hukm e zhini
one,
that
(man),
that
(is)
at
woman's beck,
j'e
paîzî dûrin
chênin
dê
'lhavîni
who
sows
in
autumn
harvest in summer
will
ACCIDENCE,
NOUNS AND ADJECTIVES
ye 'zhmishka bibet de hinbana
3
who robs mice will (have to)
köshit
gnaw at sacks,
(bibet from birin-remove) (This particle ye
tive.
is used
as
much
as ku for the rela¬
See below, para. 16.) (3)
Of nouns.
press gender.
Gender.
Unqualified nouns have no inflexions to ex¬
If it is needed to distinguish especially the sex,
the adjectives nir meaning 'ma le' and me meaning 'female' may be used.
These naturally
are not used with
words
themselves have a meaning of particular sex. Examples
hêstir-mule
:
(either male or female) but hêstir e nIr means
the male mule and
hêstir a me means the female mule.
khabar a me ser ye mêr
kevii
effeminate
words
f;ill
'. n
those of a man (i. c. soft words win hard men.) Of
Adjectives.
Adjectives are not inflected. Examples :
mat a min sagha
hama körêa
my aunt is alive but she is
blind (a is the 3rd Pers. Sing, of the copula which requires a
final a immediately preceding it to be changed to e) as in kora blind where the final a changes to e before the copula.)
hasp e chak u mahin a chak
the
good horse and the good
mare,
dîk e mazin u mirishk a mazin the big cock and the big hen. (4)
Unqualified
The
nouns are
Plural.
made plural by the addition of a
an to the noun. Examples :
aqle-Kûrmanjapashîtêt
the sense of the
Kurds comes
afterwards, bar
a stone
baran
stones
sad
hundred
sadan
hundreds
goyi
member of Goyan
göyan
members of the
tj-ibe
Goyan tribe
4
KURMANJI GRAMMAR. (5) The Singular.
The
singular
nature of the noun is
emphasized by the-
addition of ek to the simple form. Examples : mer
the man
merek
one man
aw merek
that one man
(6) Indefiniteness.
There is no definite article in Kurmanji.
Indefiniteness
IS emphasised by the addition of eki to the noun, miroveki jareki
rözheki
a man
a day
once
(7) The Diminutive.
Affixing a k or the S5-llables kok, ok gives a diminutive sense very often to a noun or an adjective. Examples :- -
kûrr
son
kûnk
boy
zhin kuchik_
woman small
zhink kuchkök
tiny
lass
manjalök
small cauldron, saucepan
PSîzok
autumn flower
(8) Method of Expressing the Relations of Case in
Kurmanji
I. In Kurmanji there is only one
"case-termination.'^
This will be termed in this work 'the ending of the ob¬ lique case.' It consists of the vowel i (occasionally pronounced like a short e)
A'ofe.This possibly represents the genitive case termination of the old Persian.
.
II-The nominative and vocative* relations are expres¬ sed by the crude or undeclined form of the noun. The other case relations are expressed by the oblique case-ending with or without the use of Prepositions and postpositions.
ACCIDENCE, NOUNS AND ADJECTIVES
5
Examples :
liirch pasi dekhwat
the bear eats the sheep
azman a devî dakök a seri
lit. tongue of the mouth, ham¬
îiazani khösha janî
Ignorance is pleasant to the soul
mer of the head,
The
above
examples
are
respectively examples of the
'Objective, Genitive, and Dative relations of case. Use "of the Oblique ending with prepositions,
tken a kwari aw debet
what you put in to the cornbin,
a khwari
that comes out at the bottom,
tab izh ashi têt kûrr izh ashl khabr dat
the father comes from the mill the son gives news from the mill.
t)ahari kushti pahîzi shûstî
killed in the
spring,
washed
in the aiiitumn.
'bdarikûtan
to beat with wood
■'bdermanî
with (by means of) medicine.
*Note -In the vocative the nominative form of the noun is used. The vocatives O or YA may precede the noun -, O may follow the :noun
:
YaShêkh Khûdewö
OShekh OGod
O Ham5 Kûrrö
Babo
O Father, old fellow.
A postposition
(9)
Postpositions.
da
is
used
a locative relation.
O »=""'^1 .^^ ^°y
after words or expressions
Nouns followed by postposi¬
tion da are sometimes preceded by preposition di.
'lbazhêrîda
in the bazaar
digelida
in the gully
A postposition ra is used (especially in the Bohtan and Yezidi districts) usually after nouns or pronouns preceded by preposition bi.
-bikira
with whom?
Jhin bine bilawinî da kurr bitarabigahen
. ,
bizhinra
,,
with the woman.
marry young that sons for you wiU come m time.
Postposition va is used especially after words which ex¬ press an ablative relation.
u WÎ va
IzJpihqasr-iva
from that (reason)
on account of the castle.
*Note.-Theve is no case-termination in the plural forms, example : -
wan malham e dilanin
they are balm of hearts.
KURMANJI GRAMMAR.
(10) Comparison of Adjectives. The
Comparative
is
formed
by
the
addition
of the
ending Ter to the adjective. Examples : Positive.
.
Comparative.
Meaning.
Buchûk
Buchûkter
small.
Drêzh
Drêzhter
long.
Pahn
Pahnter
wide.
Aqil
Aqilter
sensible.
Bisakhawet
Bisakhawetter
generous.
Mêj-
Mêrter
manish, manly.
Zîrek
Zlrekter
energetic.
Tûzh
Tûzhter
shart.
Giran
Giranter
heavy, dear.
Tarr
Tarrter
damp, wet.
Hishk
Hishkter
dry.
Sanaa
Sanaater
easy.
Zahmet
Zahmetter
difficult.
Biliud
Biiindter
high.
Nizim
Nizitnter
low.
The English Superlative is rendered by comparative in conjunction meaning " than all." Positive.
with
the use of the
the expression,
Superlative." *
izh hami
Meaning of the
" Superlative ".
narm
izh hami narmter
softest.
zaf
izh hami zafter
most.
bebakht
izh hami bebakhtter
most lacking in
buchûk
izh hami buchiikter
tiniest,
nazik
izh hami nazikler
most delicate.
conscience,
'J'he following are irregular : Positive.
.Comparative.
Meaning.
mazin
master
big.
chak
chêter
good.
gallek
peter
many.
' Correctly speaking there is no Superlative in Kurmanji.
ACCIDENCE, NOUNS AND ADJECTIVES
Examples :
dû
rûvi
chêterin izhshêreki
,
ama
izhhami—two foxes are better than two
are best of all.
sharr izh
,
dfi
, -.
sher
lions and
-
cheterin two
lions
'
.
batali chêtira— fighting is better than laziness
hingvin izh sheker
shirintera -honey
is sweeter than
sugar.
Adverbial
Superlative.
The utmost possible degree
is
expresed
by
prefixing
Herchi or Hachu to the Positive or Comparative. Examples
.
hachu ZÛ bit warra hêra— come here as quickly as possible, hachu drengtir hat he came with the utmost delay. (11)
Adjectives
are
Intensive
Adjectives.
strengthened by
placing before
them
the following :
.
gallek, qowî. as gallek
bash Very
good,
.
qowi aqil
Very intelligent. The
(ii) The Cardinal
Numerals.
Numbers :
ek, yek
11.
yazdeh
21.
bîst-u-yek
1.
2.
dû
12.
dwazdeh
22.
bîst-u-du
sê
13.
sêzdeh
23.
bîst-u-se
4.
char
14.
chardeh
30.
sih
5.
penj
15.
panzdeh
40.
chil
6.
shash
16.
shazdeh
50.
penjil, penjî
haft
17.
haftdeh
60.
shest,
7.
8.
hasht
18.
hashtdeh
70.
haftê
neh, nuh
19.
nehdeh
80.
hashtê
deh
20.
bist
90.
sat,
1,000.
3.
^
9. 10. 100.
'483. 58,301.
333. 1,000,000.
The
char
penji u
deh (Yezidis)
sad
hazar
50,000.
not penjîhazar
sat-u-hashte-u-sê
penji u hasht hazar u sê sat u yek se sat u sih u sê milyönek
substantive
denoting
the
things
numbered
is
alwavs in the Singular.
Sadan, Hazaran hundreds, thousands, is rarely
heard.
8
KURMANJI
The
First
GRAMMAR.
Ordinal
Numbers.
ye awwal, ye beri
Sixth
ye dûwe
Second
Thirdye sêye Fourth Fifth
ye shashe
Seventh ye hafte Eighthye hashte
ye chare ye penje
Ninth
ye nuhe
Tenth
ye dehe
Fractions.
i nivek i 'zbse yek I 'zhchar ek i zhpenjek and so on (the zh may be omitted) dêhêk r^. zhbista
Two and a half twentieths (the Tapu
share)
duwuniv.
Adverbial
Twice dujara
sêjara
Thrice
Thirty
times
sihjara
etc.
Nouns
Jûtek Hafta
A pair.
Ketek
A single one.
Ketket
One by one.
A week. Days of the Week:
Saturday sh.-unb
Wednesday
Sunday
Thursday
ekshamb
Monday
dushamb
Tuesday
sêshamb
Friday
charshemb penjshanib
aiiia or rözh a jema
The four Seasons of the Year. char qaul
et sali
Spring bahar
Autumn
Summer havini
Winter zivistan
paiz
Months of the Year. Hêv et sali
January
kaniin a mazin
February March
shewat
July tirmah August - tabakh
adar
September
êlûl
April nîsan
October
May
giilan'
November
cheri. a
June
hêzêran
December
kaniin a buchûk
The
What o'clock is it ?
Tjmf
of
cheri a beri ,
diie
Day.
saat cliaiul a ?
It is ten minutes to eight.
saai hasht, kem deh duqîqa.
CHAPTER II.
DEMONSTRATIVES AND PRONOUNS. (12)
\
Meaning.
Demonstrative
Adjectives.
Nominative Case.'
Oblique Case. VI
av
this
wi, we-"ha
aw, aw-. -ha, wo. .-ha
that
avan, ava
av, van, va
these
awan,
wan, wa, wan. ..ha
those
awa
awa ha, awan...et,
wa ha, wa et, hanna
hanna
Demonstrative
Pronouns.
Nominative.
Oblique Case,
Meaning.
this that
ava
VÎ, avi
awa
we, awl, awe
van, va
these
avan, va
wan, wa, wanha, waha
those
avvan, awa, awanha awaha
JVo/«The word
Her prefixed
to the demonstrative
emphasises
the particular irntity of the noun to which the pronoun or adjective refers :
herava
this same (one).
herawa
that same (one).
hervan
these same (ones).
herwan
those same (ones).
Examples of the use of the Demonstratives :
ava chêtera izh awêha
this one
is
better than
your
one.
chi bêin ê— what do they call it ? da kel bet e till boiling should come to it. av
kteb
herawha is
that?
this
book
the
same ,
one
as ,
bela, ava u awha heryek a-this and that are one and the same.
10
KURMANJI
av kteba
GRAMMAR.
awktêbha
u
that
herwakîyeka
aw mirSvha Note.
This
expressed by
this
book
and
book are exactly similar,
kind
that man.
of, that kind of, such
the use of the
adverb
Hosa,
as
this ,
Wosa
such
as
that,
are
meaning literally thus
in this manner.
hosa miroveki
hosa
jamera
such a man as
naman
such
this.
warriors as
those
are
no
more.
wusa fa'aleki davêt jizaeki shadîd
such a
crime
wants
severe punishment..
(13)
The
Meaning.
I,
Personal
Pronouns. Oblique.
Nominative.
me
min
az
Thou, Thee
tu
He, Him, She, Her, it
aw
We, Us
am
You, You
htin
They, Them
.
ta awl, WÎ, e ma
hawa, ewa, hiingo
wan.
awan, awa, awe
wa
Examples :
az tSm
I am coming,
awe gut bo hawa
(14)
aw iriin dekushit
bêin ê
He said to you.
He will kill,
They call it.
The Possessive Pronouns are formed by the use of
the oblique forms of the personal pronouns with the connec¬ tive particles :
mal a min khabar e wi Note.
My
house,
jenab
e
ta
Your
excellency-
His words e i.e., he is right.
The complinK-ntary use of the
2nd Person Plural
2nd Person
Singular is not so common as in other Easiern languages.
(15) The
Reflexive kho
Pronoun for all cases is or
khwa
This must be used whenever it is desired to refer to
subject of the clause by a pronoun. bring
the
For instance, ' we shall
our children ' is not to be translated : Am biicliQket ma daênin but
Am buchtiket khwa daênin
DEMONSTRATIVES AND PRONOUNS.
11
Examples :
Töl a khwa Iser dishmin
Don't leave revenge (untaken) on
e khwa nahêla
the head of your enemy
Her yek u asl e kho
everyone according to his origin
Bikho kirî derman nina
there is no undoing
one's
own
deeds
Note. Personally ' is translated. (16)
The
Binefes a kho or bizat e khwa.
Relative
Pronouns.
Besides the relative in ye, yea, yeet, mentioned above the
relative ku is used ; or the relative pronoun may be omitted. Examples of the Relative
Zhin ku hat, zhin yea hati
The relative is
The woman who came
indeclinable
and
must
be
assisted
by
pronouns to express the oblique cases.
Mer ku kich a we hat, mer
the man whose daughter came
ye kich a we hat
Mer ku kich a kho ena, mer
the
ye kich a kho Sua
man
who
brought
his
daughter
Mer ku bêin-e Hama
the man whom they call Ahmad
The relative is very frequently omitted as :
Mar gasti zhwêrisî detersit
(he who is) bitten by a snake fears a rope.
(17)
The Indefinite Relatives.
The commonest are :
her kuorhaku
everyone who-
her chu or hachu
whatever
soever
hindisome, how much hachuwakhtwhenever
hingiwhilesoever .
herchu hachu (or hachi)
hachuerdiwherever
may also mean ' whoever '
Examples of their use :
hachi karrek he kûrrek he
whoever
has a debtor has a
son
hindi av bosh bit ash khosh ter bit
the
more
the
water
the
better the mill
hindi min
as far as I am concerned
hingi aw ma' qui bu
as long as he was chief
hachu rut a khabr put a
(. e., the poor man's voice is. unheeded
KURMANJI
12
(18)
GRAMMAR.
Interrogatives.
The commonest are :
ki
who
chand
how many
chi
what
kengi
when
,
(ki and chi are both used as both interrogative adjec¬
tives and as interrogative pronouns) kizh, kizhk
which
böche
why
kani, ka
where
kêrê
what place, where (kêdere is used by
kiva, kive
vifhither
' chawa
how
the Yezidis) -
chandjara
chandi, ta kengi
how long
ka
whether
an
how often
or.
Examples : -chi töv mêra
what kind of man ;
ki mer
which man ?
az nazanim, ka debet an nahêt
I do not know
whether
he
will come or not kani aw ?
where is he ?
kive chu ?
where has he gone to ?
Note. The ordinary interrogative particle gelo aw mashghula .
(19)
like the Persian ' aya' is gelo
is he busy ?
Indefinite Nouns and Pronouns.
The commonest are : kes
a person,
her
every, each
anyone
chu
anything,
ing all, every
di, ditir
other
hami
hindek
certain
jami
all, every
fulan kes
so and so
fulan
certain
yeki
a,
chand
some
ba'z
some
yekudu
each other
ba'zeki
someone
someone
gallek
many
Examples of their use :
kes nahat
no one has come
chu nina
it is nothing
chu kes nahat . her kes, hami kes
no one at all has come everyone
noth-
DEMONSTRATIVES
chudi nina kidi
chand rozhadi yekaditir
hindi nisana zinet a bahai ;i
hindi zhinin hindi zhanin
AND
PRONOUNS.
1*
there is nothing else who else in a few days time
one to the other some Aprils adorn the spring some
are
women,
some
are
furies
wan hazh yekudu naken
they do not like one another.
CHAPTER III.
(20) ADVERBS. There is no particular form adverb.
1.
in
Kurmanji
to
mark
the
Three types may be noted :
Pure
Adverbs.
2.
Adjectives
3.
Adverbs formed by use of a
use
:
The
following
is
a
list
used
as
adverbs.
preposition with a noun.
of
the
commonest adverbs ir
beli, are, naam
yes
na na
ihtimal
probably
nê-
not
na khêr
no
na
not
no
belki
perhaps
dbit
possibly
meger
perhaps
nadûr
possibly
hel bet
of course
mu'ayyan
without doubt
wa, wasa, hosa
so
chawa
how
ho, wûho
pichek much, many
jjallek
rather, slightly
anjakh
scarcely, only
bevênavê
willynilly
qawi,
very
herwaki gallekna
slightly
verily
nihayet
exceedingly
hata
even
muayan
purposely
khaflat
by chance
bêsebub
without reason
zor.
gallek haqiqat
tekva
pekva
altogether
tekel jarek
just similarly
eger
otherwise
bikulli
totally
bo chê
why
denly
hindi
to such an extent
totally,
sud
her, qat
absolutely
bitini
digel
withal
hindek
slightly
her
in any case,
hama
only, just
alone
merely purely gallek
gallek
bit
nûha nûhö
at
the most
nûka
now
very
kem
kem
at the very
least
bit
nûka u pêva
now
and forth
hence
15
CONJUNCTIONS.
elan
at present
vêgavê
wêjere
then
wegave
then
avjara
this time
chCijara
never
^allekjara
often
kemjara
seldom
jarek izh jara
once
jara jara
now then
beri hingi
previously
upon a
time always.
her jara hamu
every time
jara daiman
continually
dumahi,
eventually
nihayet at that
wakhtida ZÛ
early
jarekidi, disan
again
now
qat, abad
never
pwêmabêni
in the meantime
izhmêzhi
long ago
dreng
late
time "
kêre kêdere
where
avraz
uphill
vêre.
here
nishiv
downhill
vêdere.
virra, Ihêra,
serva, zhöiva
above
hêra
Inav
inside-
dörmadörva
all round
wêdere
were
there
Iwêre
zhêrva
below
pishtva
behind this place here
kîve
whither
hive
hither
vîjehi
höva
thither
erdeki
somewhere
hö, wö, wöva
thither
hachu erdi
wherever
kani ka
where ?
virakh
on this
hamu, her je
everywhere
warakhiha
on that side
hindekje
certain places
(21)
side
CONJUNCTIONS.
Conjunctions in Kurmanji are few in number and rarely
used.
A list of those more frequently used is given here : List of Conjunctions.
u
and
hinde
as far as
zhi zhik con¬
cerns
also (Suffix
hum hum
both, and
yan
either, or
ya
yan
or
kan, ka
whether
an
either or
eger
though
an
ama hama
or
other-
wise
yet
meger
nevertheless
nakii
not that
eger
if
hama
be
wa lo
though
hachu
whatever
it that
digel, ku
though
granted
KURMANJI
16
GRAMMAR.
iua
therefore
izhberku
since
ma dam ku
so long as
chûnku
because
da
in order that
zhber wi
therefore
hata
until
waku
when
khCize ku
o that
ta
until
lo
therefore
gain
introduces
ques¬
tions
bilamaneki
(22)
Prepositions
in
so to say...
PREPOSITIONS.
Kurmanji
may
be
divided into
two
kinds :
(a)
Real prepositions, requiring no connection between
them and the noun they govern.
(Ö) Nouns
used
as
prepositions
which
require
the
connecting particles described in para. (1). The following lists include most of the prepositions in general use. (a)
Real Prepositions.
from, by, because of
i-ih, 'zh
le, '1
in, on, with, to
di
in, at,
near
to, for
a
'to, for
bo
gel, degel, 'dgel
with, together with
bi, pi, 'b, 'p
by, with, by means of
be
without
ber
on, at, near, in front of
'Iba, nik, dûv, jum
near, at side of, in house of
izh ber
because of
ta, hata
to, till, up to
15 ku
because
(b)
ber,
'Iber,
Noun Prepositions.
pêsh, 'lpêsh,
in front of, on the account of
berahi
shun,
shun, pisht,
'Ipisht,
behind, after, in succession to
dûv
in the presence of
lal (a) ser,
'Iser,
salal
zhûr,
zhrirva,
above, upon, on top of
PREPOSITIONS.
17
atraf (et) gir, dor
1 ound
tenisht, beramber, muqabil
alongside of, opposite
dumahi
as a result of, in consequence
nezik
near
■tê, têda dinav,
nav,
inside 'Inav, navbên,
amongst
'lmabên navrez
in the very centre of
'zh khêr, 'zh bil
without, excepting
haqq, khusûs
concerning
CHAPTER IV.
(23) THE The '
This
is, etc.
is
the
Enclitic
simple
copula
to a consonant ;
meaning
merely
There are
am,
art,
gives them
two forms ; one, used affixed
the other, used affixed to a vowel.
Person.
2
4fter consonant.
fl i 2
L3
Plur.
Copula.
It is affixed to nouns, adjectives, etc. and
a predicative sense.
Sing,
VERB.
After vowel.
-im
-ma
-i
-i or a
-a
-a
ri i 2
-in
-na
-in
-na
13
-in
-na
Examples : I am ill
az nasaghim tu kêfkhöshi
' thou art comfortable, happy
aw Iber hukm e zhin-a
he is at woman's beck
am islamin
we are Mussulmans
hun kurmanjin
you are peasants
wan malham e dilanin
they are balm to hearts
az birsi..ma
I am hungry
tu körê-i or körê-a
thou art blind
aw wustai-a
he is tired
>
am fêla-na
we are Christians
hun yezdi-na
you are Yezidis
wan jû-na
they are Jews
The Negative :
Either na or ne is prefixed to the predicate ; or the copula is affixed to the syllable nin, thus : az nin-im
I am not
am
tu nin-i
thou art not
hun nin-in
nin-in
you are not
we are not
awnin-a
he is not
wan nin-in
they are not
THE
VERB
TO
19
BE'.
Examples :
az ne liasaghim or az nasagh hin-im
I am not ill
tu nebirsia or tu birsi nini
thou art not hungry
aw nekörê-a or aw kSra nina
he is not blind
am nefela-na or am tela ninin
we are not Christians
wan najû-na or wan jCi ninin
they are not Jews
(24) CONJUGATION OF THE VERBS. ' Bun '^' to BE '. Present Gnomic Present.
bi Negative.
Present Indicative.
az bim
az debim
tu be
tu debê
aw bit
Stem
az nabim tu nabs
(debê)
(be) or aw debit bitin
(nabe)
aw nabit
or
or
nabitin
debitin' am bin
am debin
am naliin
2
hun bin
hun debin
hun nabin
3
wan bin
wan debin
wan nabin
1
Meaning : become,
I am not
am,
I
become,
I
am becoming,
Present Subjunctive.
Future.
I do not
becoming, etc.
Negative (both Future
and Subjunctive)
az debim
az bibim, bim
nabim
tu dêbê
tu bibe, be
nabe
aw debit, dêbê
aw bibit, bit, bibe, be
nabit (nabe rane)
am debin
am bibin, bibin
nabin
hun debin
hun bibin, bin
nabin
wan debin
wan bibin, bin
nabin
Negative.
The Imperative.
2
bi or ba
be
riabi or naba
do not be
3
bit
let him be
nabit
let him not be
2
bin
be (plural)
nabin
do
not
be
(plural) bin
let them
not
(plural)
be
nabin
let
them
* The ending of the 3rd Person Singular in Present Tense lengthened to -itin.
not
be (plural)
is
often
20
KURMANJI
GRAMMAR.
Examples :
Waku miri mala 'un nabit gûr tang nabit
if a dead man
is not accursed his grave will not be narrow herrö am debin a
mêwan et
wi
every
day
we
become
his guests. bela bibin let them be so. nabit a chu
dbit it becomes, i.e. perhaps.
it will come to nothing
hamia debin a chand ?
How many will they all come to ?
ye isRdrav mam e khwa sharm biket,-
he who is ashamed
to accept his uncle's money.
buchuk et khwa de sava bin*
his children
will never
grow (be undersized) The
Past
Past Stem
The Preteritet
Tenses. bii bi Negative.!
az burnt
I was, or I became
az nabfim
I was not, etc.
tu bûi
I was not, did
tu nabûî
thou
not
become aw bu
he was, he became
aw nabû
am bun
we
am nabCin
were,
wert
not.
etc.
we
became hull bun
you
were,
you
hun nabiin
they
wan nabûn
became wan bun
they
were, became
The Imperfect.
Negative.
az deböm§
I
tu debiii
thou used
used
to
be,
az nadebûm (rare) az nabiim j
was becoming to be,
tu nadebûî, tu nabiii
wert becoming aw debû
he
used
to
be,
aw nadebû, aw nabii
was becoming
am debûn
we
used
to
be.
were becoming.
hûn debiin
you
used
to
etc. the
second
form
being
the most generally used.
be,
were becoming. wan debun
.they used to
be,
were becoming * The future prefix is sometimes separated from the verb.
t Often pronounced bim, bî, bi, bin, etc. X Often pronounced nabim, nabî, nabî, nabîn, etc. *> Often pronounced debim, debi, debi, debîn, etc. or 'dbim, 'dbi, etc.
II Often pronounced nadebim, nadebi, etc.
21
THE VERB 'TO BE'.
Examples :
hêsh khalas nabi ?.
Ts it not yet finished ?
wa bu
am beri wa debun (t'bun)
it was so.
to be so bu bahar
nabû a
, , bahar debit
it became spring,
chu
it
nothing am behivi t'bun
came
to
nothing
-i. it was spring
nabû
chu
we were in despair
.
it turned out bad.
it
... bi-zhm
wife, {i.e. widow)
bi pûch
,
we used
chak debi
was
,-, lit.
was
'
.
it was shaping
well
Tenses Formed from the
Past
Participle.
bûi, bi
The Past Participle
, Negative, t
The Perfect.
az biiima
I have been
az nabûima
tu bûla
thou hast been
tu nabûia
aw bûia
he has been
aw nabûia
am bûina
we have been
am nabûina etc.
etc.
The Pluperfect.!
az biii bum, az bi bim I had
been
tu bûî bûi, tu bi bi
Negative. §
az nabiii bum, az nabi bim I had not been, etc.
tu nabui bûî, tu nabi bi
thou hast been
aw^ bûi bû, aw bi bi
aw nabOi bu, aw nabi bi
he had been
am bûi bun, am bi bin
am nabûî biii bun, am nabi bin
we had been etc.
The Past Subjunctive. ||
etc.
Negative.lf
az bûi bama, az bi bama
az nabui bama, az nabi bama
tu biii baia, tu bi baia
tu nabui baia, tu nabi baya
aw bûî baya, aw bi baya
aw nabui baya, aw nabi baya
am bûi bana, am bi bana
am nabui bana am nabi bana
etc.
etc.
' Often pronounced bima, bia, bia, blna, etc., .-ind fnabima, nabw
^^ '^i Often pronounced bî bim, bi bî. bî bî,. etc., and
§ nam bin
' "* II Often pronounced bibama, bibaia, etc., and t nabibama, nabibaîa, etc.
22
KURMANJI GRAMMAR.
The Past Subjunctive (Short Formi
az bam
Negative.
,
az nabam
tu bai
''
tu nabai
aw ba
aw ban
am ban
am ban
etc.
etc.
Meaning : I might have had, been etc.
(25) CONJUGATION OF
THE REGULAR VERB IN
KURMANJI.
From
a
study
of
the
Conjugation given
above,
the
following principles may be observed.
(a) Personal endings. In the Present Tenses the personal endings are always : Singular.
Plural.
1.
-m
-in
2.
-i
-in
3.
-t
-in
Noie. 2nd Person Singular is sometimes e and the 3rd
Person
Singular is sometimes-e-and-tin.
In the Past Tenses the personal endings are always : Singular.
1.
-m
2.
-i
Plural.
-in or -n
-in or -n
3.
-in or -n
(b) The future is denoted by the prefix de or' da.
(c) The prefix de (often pronounced 't or it) is used with
the present and imperfect tenses and expresses imper-
fectness or continuity.
id) The prefix bi (often pronounced 'b or ib or the
sign
of
the
Subjunctive.
The
Imperative
pi)
is
usually
resembles the 2nd and 3rd persons of the Present Subjunctive except that the personal ending 2nd person is short in the Imperative,
varying
Singular of the
Hetween i., e. & a.
(c) The negative of the Future and Subjunctive is na, of the other tenses na.
if) The Nominative Pronouns are rarely omitted and the verb must agree with them in number and person.
THE REGULAR VERB
23
THE VERB STEMS. General Notes on their
The
Kurmanji
verb
can
Formation.
be conjugated
according to
regular rules when certain parts of the verb are known. These essential parts are : The Infinitive
The Present Stem The Past Stem
The infinitive ends in -n preceded by a short vowel or a long vowel. The
Past
Stem.
The Past Stem is formed by cutting off the final n of the Infinitive together with any short vowel that precedes it. The Infinitive may also be divided into Root + Ending
In Kurmanji -the following endings are met with : -tin
-din
-stin
-shtin
-an
-in
The Present Stem.* The Present Stem is found generally speaking bv cutting off the "Ending".
This broad rule is modified however by certain vari.ations which occur with the several types of Infinitives. * See note below.
The Types of Infinitives and their Present Stems.
Below' is given as complete as possible a note
various types of the Infinitives with
of
the
the principles for the
formation of the Present Stems. Infinitives ending in -tin. Past Stem
girtin
sieze
bhistin An
s
or
sh
hear preceding
Present Stem
girt
gu"
bhist the
bins ending
tin
is
sometimes
changed to a (z or zh) respectively in the Present Stem :
.
khwastin
seek
khwast
khwaz
kûshtin
to kill
kûsht
kCizh
24
KURMANJI GRAMMAR. An f preceding the ending tin is changed to v in the
Present Stem :
akheftin keftin
speak fall
akheft keft
akhev kev
vangaftin
plough
vangaft
vangfu-
Ar preceding the ending tin is changed to er in the Present Stem :
henartin hizhmartin
send count
henart hizhmart
henêr hizhmêr
vashartin
hide
va shart
va sher
If the ending -tin is preceded by a long vowel, that is, Root ends in a long vowel then the letters sh or zh are added to the root to form the Present Stem, as avê-tin
throw
rivet
avêzh
firo-tin
sell
firöt
firösh
sotin
burn
sot
sözh
Infinitives ending in -din
An preceding the ending -din is changed to in or en in the Present Stem.
(This is the " Causative Verb) ".
shkandin
break
shkand
shkên
standin
take
stand
stên
iVofe. Sometimes the din is omitted and (he verb then appears likeIhe verbs endmg in -an but the Present Stem remains unaltered, as
revan(din)
abduct
revên
reva(nd)
Infinitives ending in -stin and -shtin. shûstin
wash
shûst
shu
gheshtin
arrive
ghêsht
ghe
rû nishtin
sit down
rû nisht
ru ni
These verbs must be distinguished from those ending in -tin of which the last consonant of the root is s or sh as. bhistin, kûshtin above. Infinitives ending in -an
kutan
beat
kuta
gerian
seek
geria
ger
the
contracted form of the
Not to be confused verbs in -andin above.
with
"
kiit
.
THE REGULAR VERB
25
Infinitives ending in -in (one of the commonest types of verbs in Kurmanji.)
kirrin
buy
kirrt
^'l
birrin
cut
birn
bin
hassuin
sharpen on a hone
hassm
*REMARK :-Philo-logically,
the forms
Stems " are in reality the original
, .f p,,,^,,.
shown above as
Pre. en:
roots of the Verb.
(26) THE TENSES OF THE REGULAR VERB. Tenses formed from
the Present Stem.
These tenses are the : Gnomic Present.
Present Indicative. Future.
Present Subjunctive. Imperative.
(( The Gnomic Present is formed by joining the personal endings of the Present (see (25) above) to the Present Stem, khwastin
to seek
Present Stem
khwaz
azkhwazim
seek
am khwazin
we seek
tukhwazi
thouseekest
hun khwazin
you seelc
awkhwazit
he seeks
wan khwazm
they seek
Use :To express customary action in indefinite time or
with compound verbs {see para. (39) below). Examples.
duwar et bash aliq et kho bkhozedaken
ga u hasp sherr ken gûlk
ser pê kevit
the good animals increase themselves their fodder.
the ox and the horse hght, the
calf gets
amongst
their
eet
{i.e.; the innocent get involved
with the guilty )
jan a miröv der kevit nav a miröv der nakevit
a man's life may fall out (of sight) but not a man's name.
(») The Present Indicative is formed by prefixing the continuative particle to the Gnomic Present.
az dekhwazim
I am seeking
am dekhwazin
we are seeking
tu dekhwazi
thou art seeking
hun dekhwazin
you are seeking
aw dekhwazit wan dekhwazin
he is seeking they are seeking
Use : As the present Indicative in Englisjn.
26
KURMANJI GRAMMAR. Examples.
waku
hirch
Sk
pir
^^
debitin
(debitin) ,
, . ^
,
when the bear becomes old the
dekenin
cubs laugh at him (common variation of the 3rd
.
Sing. Pres. Indie.)*
tu chi dechini aw dehelini
what you sow you reap
(de hel ini)
The Negative of both Indicative and Gnomic is : az nakhwazim tu nakhwazi aw nakhwazit am nakhwazin
I do not seek thou dost not seek he does not seek we do not seek, etc.
I am not seeking art not seeking is not seeking are not seeking
verbfhusT-^^"^''""''"^ ""^ ^^ '^™^'"' ^^' ^^^ "^«»"^e and the sa ye ma '1 ber dar e ma natrawit 1 dar e khalqi derawit
our dog does not bark at our door, but barks at (other's) people's doors. (Kurdish saying) natrSwit for na de rawit
Examples.
mal e kulus nachit a gori .,,,..
the wealth of the miser does hot «0 to the grave (with him)
suwarek btim toze nakat
a single horseman raises no dust
sorgul be istn nabit
no rose without thorn
{Hi) The Future is formed bv prefixing de da to the 'Gnomic.
az dakhwazhn I will seek am dakhwazin tu dakhwazi thou wilt seek hun dakhwazin dakhwazit he will seek wan dakhwazin
we shall seek you will seek they will seek
Negative Future:
az nakhwazim I wilt not seek am nakhwazin. we will not seek tu
nakhwazi
thou wilt not seek
nakhwazit
he will not seek
etc.
etc
USE :To express the future as in English, and very frequently also to render the English future Perfect and ^conditional.
I^reslntltfm^ is'^ol'„"\r„ÎSenI5^ti!L'.^^^- ^^"^" °^ '^"^^^ ^^^^ '-^
THE REGULAR VERB
27
Examples :
Dahêm or dehem.
I will come.
Haka hun zQ nachin aw derevit.
If you do not go quickly
he will have fled.
Haka hun zu nahati ban aw derevit.
If you had not come
quickly he would have fled.
.
Chi tken a kwari aw debet a khwari.
What you put in the
corn-bin will come out at the bottom.
Ye zhmishka bibet de hinbana koshit.
He who takes from
the mouse will (have to) gnaw at the bag.
{iv) The Present Subjunctive is formed by prefixing bi to the Gnomic Present.
az bikhwazim I" may seek
am bikhwazin
we may seek
tu bikhwazi
thou niyst seek
hun bikhwazin
you may seek
aw bikhwazit
he may seek
wan bikhwazin they may seek
The
Negative Subjunctive is
the
same
as the
Future
Negative.
Use - uses of this tense are to denote actions whose execution
is doubtful and after such verbs
as
dare,
'can,' ' wish,' ' fear to,' ' must,' etc. Examples :
Az nawêrim bichim.
I dare not go.
Tu nazani
You do not know how to talk.
bakhevi.
Nashia bichit.
He could not go.
Hun daven hichin
you wish to go
_
Haka 'zhta bet fursat khûrta naka Izabûni.
If you may
get a chance do not oppress the weak.
Zhin bini 'blawini da kurr 'btira bigahên.
Marry young
that you may have children.
The
Imperative is here treated with the Present Sub¬
junctive as except for the 2nd Sing.
It exactly resembles it_
bikhwazi, bikhw^aze, bikhwaza seek.* bikhwazit let him seek,
bikhwazin Jet them seek or seek you. Negative.
nakhwazi, nakhwazit, etc.
The Negative Imperative follows the same rules as the Negative Subjunctive.
* Sound varying between short a and short e.
^
28
KURMANJI GRAMMAR. Examples of the use of the Imperative and Subjunctive :
nuha bida dêha bistêne, give nine and receive ten. miröv khûndar bit qarrdar nabit,
let
a
man
be
a murderer,.
let him not be a debtor,
miröv dik e rözheki bit bela mirishke saleki nabit, let a man be cock for one day,
and he needn't be a hen for a year,
kem bikhwa her gav bikhwa,
'Izhina nagerra
eat little but often.
'ikhizma bigerra, don't look
for a woman,
look for relations,
bikhwa gösht suvvar ba gösht u " le da gösht "
eat flesh,
ride
flesh and sleep with flesh,
khizmet bika piran waki pir dabe khizmet bibine, look after the old; when you are old you may see yourself looked after.
(27) THE SUBJECT AND OBJECT OF THE PRESENT TENSES.
The and
Subject
Intransitive
in the verbs
Present Tenses is
in the
of
both
Nominative
Transitive
Case and the
verb agrees with it in number and person.
In the case of Transitive Verbs the Direct Object may be indicated by the Oblique Case. (If the Direct Object is a pronoun
this is always put in the Oblique Case in the Present
Tenses.)
Examples :
khoyani
mirov
bikûzhit
hasti
va
dasherit,
he
who
kills
a
relation buries his hones,
tu min nave u az ta navim,
you do not like me, and
I do not
like you.
ye dest e khwa va kat
jeh e khwa
ferha kat,
he
who
opens
his hand widens his position.
(2cS) TENSES FORMED FROM
THE PAST STEM.
The following tenses are formed from the Past Stem. (fl)
The Preterite.
{b) The Imperfect. Past Stem :
'
khwasf.
Preterite
.
az
khwastim
am
khwastin
tu
khwasti
hun
khwastin
aw khwast
"i
wan khwastin For
Imperfect
az
dekhwastim
am
dekhwastin
tu
dekhwasti
hun
dekhwastin
aw dekhwast
wan dekhwastin
meaning:
see below.
J
\otc. Personal Pronouns are seldom omitted in conversation.
THE
REGULAR
Meaning of the
The concord
VERB
Past Tenses.
of the Past Tenses is ruled according to a
peculiar and characteristic usage of this branch of Kurmanji. The
logical object of the past tense is denoted by the
Nominative Case and the verb agrees with it in number and person,
the logical
siibject
being
denoted by the Obhque
Case : the subject of Intransitive Verbs in the Past is denoted by the Nominative Case. Examples : thou soughtest me
ta az khwastim min tu khwasti
I sought thee
hov^'a aw khwast
you sought him
awi Imn khwastin
he sought you
ma tu khwasti
we sought thee
wan az khwastim
they sought me
ta am khwastin
thou soughtest us
awi am khwastin
he sought us mm
1
1
ta
You
awi
He
) sought something
)
tishtek khwast
ma
We You
hawa
They-)
wan
but mm
I You
ta
He
awi
) kiteba khwastin
) sought the books We
ma
You
hawa
They J
wan
J
tlote-the. Direct Object of the Past Tenses is put in the Nomi¬ native case and the verb agrees with it in number and person : if no direct object is expressed, the verb agrees with the object understood. Early comprehension of this peculiarity is
indispensable to a study
of Bahdinan Kurmanji. Philo-logically the construction may be compared to the Old Persian, where the agent of the act was put m the Oblique Case (originally the genitive) and the object of the action became the subject, in use with the Past Participle.
The Preterite signifies quite clearly a definite action completed ; the an acton in the process of completion or repetition, or
Imperfect
performed customarily.
SQ
KURMANJI
shöl kir
he worked
her rö shöl
dekir
GRAMMAR.
shiil dekir
Examples of the meaning of ta
az
naviam
he was working
every dav he used to work.
chaveki
min
tu
the Past Tenses .
naviai
disliked me one eye (somewhat)
her
du
chavan,
you
I' disliked you both eyes
(much more).
(29) TENSES
FORMED
WITH
THE
BY
PAST
(/) The
Past
AuXILIARY VERBS PARTICIPLE.
Participle.
This is formed by the addition Past Stem : Meaning :
khwast
of
Past
Grammatically
i to the Past Stem.
Participle :
the
Past
khwasti.
Participle
of
Transitive Verbs is always passive in meaning.
Use :
Its use
almost that of a
with the
predicate
Auxiliary Verb
adjective ;
and
' to be '
it may
brln
is
in fact be
used as an ordinary adjective.
Examples of the use of the Past Participle : dou
jarabandi cheter izhmasti najarabandi
:
tried buttermilk
is better than untried curds,
shûl kiri
mal e khwa
khosh
devia
khalqi
he who has done
his own work him the people loved, jiiwan e haspi
na a'lemti
nadan
dest
e
nazani
do
not
give
the untrained colt into the hand of the ignorant, aql e zhina Iköshe danai has been
placed
waki ra
in the
dbit blav dbit,
laps
of woman
good sense
and when they
get up it is scattered.
{ii) The Is
formed
by
Perfect Tense.
adding
the
enclitic
copula
used
after
vowels to the Perfect Participle. Past Participle :
khwasti
az
khwastima
am
khwastina
tu
khwasti
or khwastia
hun
khwastina
aw khwasti
or khwastia
wan khwastina
Meaning:
I
am
sought,
I
have
been
sought,
have
sought me. * Though
not
logically.
Sec
.second example above.
Literally, the
Kuvf'.ish means : (He by whom) work lias heen done in his own house, is loved by the people.
THE
REGULAR
(«j) The Is
formed
by
VERB.
31
Pluperfect Tense.
adding the Preterite
of
bun
to
the. Past
Participle.
az
khwasti bum
am
khwasti
tu
khwasti bi
hun
khwasti
bun
aw
khwasti
wan
khwasti
bun
bui
Meaning:
{iv)
(or bim, etc.)
bun
Had sought me, I was sought, had been sought.
The Perfect Subjunctive is formed by adding
the Past Subjunctive of the Aiixiliary to the Past Participle az
khwasti
bama,
bam
am
khwasti
bana,
ban
tu
khwasti
baia,
bai
hun
khwasti
bana,
ban
baya,
ba
wan
khvvastu bana,
ban
aw khwasti Meaning : Note.
Might have sought me, I might be sought.
The Pluperfect and Perfect
are rarely used
unless
a
subject
Subjunctive
of
Tr.insitive
in the Oblique Case is
either
Verbs
expressed
or understood.
Examples :
min darek dai
nav cherkh
a
I
have put
wi
a
spoke
in
his
wheel,
haka pashimana shakh le hati
if a repentant man had horns
bana dachin a asmana
thej'
would
reach
to
heaven,
hachu ta zhmin khwasti baya
whatever you had asked me
min daba ta waki
am
I would have given you.
hatin
aw
hesh
when we
nehati bi
iv)
came he had
not
yet come.
A Conditional Perfect
(only used in Apodosis)
is formed by prefixing da to the Perfect Subjunctive, as : haka az
narevi bama
awan
if I had not
az da kushti bama haka
dabanja
habaya
bdest
min
aw
e
min
had
dakushti
(30)
CONJUGATION
t" come.
away
they
been
hand
I
a
pistol
would
in
have
killed him. OF THE
Past Stem :
Gnomic Present.
there
my
ba (or az wi dakQzhim)
hatin
run
would have killed me.
Pres. Indie.
hat.
VERB
Present
Future.
HATIN.
Stem :
(h)
Subjunctive.
hem
têm
dehem
bihem.
bêm
he
tê
dehe
bihe.
be
het
tet
deliêt
bihêt.
bet
hen
ten
bihên.
ben
etc.
etc.
dêhên etc.
etc,
e.
KURMANJI
32
GRAMMAR.
Imperative.
Plural.
Singular. 2nd
Pers.
warra
warrin
3rd
Pers.
bihêt, bet
bihen, ben
The * Negative of the Present is nahêm and that of the
Future and Subjunctive nahêm (or na-êm). preterite. Imperfect.
Perf. '
Pluperfect,
hati bum, bim
dehati
hati
h'ati bui, bi
hati baia, bai
dehat
hati
hayi bii bi
hati baya, ba
dehatin
hatin
hati bun bin
hati bana, ban
dehatim
hati hat
hatin
(31)
HATIN
USED TO
hati bama, bam
FORM A PASSIVE.
When the agent of a verb
is
not expressed and cannot
be understood grammatically, then the by a circumlocution of hatin and the as
.
Perfect.
hatima
hatim
Passive is expressed
Infinitive of the
verb
;
az hatim a girtin
I was captured.
az dahati bama girtin
I would have been captured.
az dehem a girtin
I shall be captured.
Examples :
ser ye hati a birrini nahêt
(32)
A head cut off
cannot
be
ransomed.
a kirrini
PRINCIPAL PARTS OF SOME SEMIIRREGULAR VERBS. Infinitive.
Meaning.
-see, find say
,
Past
Stem.
Present Stem.
Imperative.
dit
bin
bibine
gûtin
gut
bêzh, be
bêzhe, bêa
khvi'arin
khwar
khwa
bikhwa
k
bike
ditin
do
kirin
kir
Temain
man (din)
ma
men
bimêne
throw off
ekhestin
ekhest
ekhe
-êkhe
give
dan
da
de
bide
allow
hishtin
hisht
hel
bihela
heian
hel a
chûn
chu
clii
harra
chön
cho
zan
za
zê
bizê
go
give birth
* For the Negative prefix na ; in the i mperfect nadhatim and nahalim .are both used.
THE
-sta
-ste
-ste
birin
bir
be
bibe
ênan
ena
en, in
bine
stan
take away bring put
(33)
33
CAUSATIVE AND OTHER VERBS.
f da-nian
-nia
-ne
-ne
Idê-nandin
-nand'
-ne
-ne'
COMPARATIVE TABLE STEM
OF
PRESENT
TENSES.
Gnomic ênan
da-nian
dan
birin
götin
inim
danem
dem
bem
bê-im
ini
dane
de
be
bê-i
init
danet
det .
bet
bê-it
inim
danen
den
ben
bê-in
-stan
kirin
ekhestin
binim
-stem
kem
ekhem
bini
-ste
ke
ekhe
binit
-stet
ket
ekhet
bin in
-sten
ken
ekhen
"ditin
Pres. Indie.
*dedanem
tinim
-stem
.
debêii
dedem
debem
dekem
dekhem
Futuii-e
debei
dedem
debem
-stem
dekem
dê-ekhem
bine
dane
bide
bibe
bibine
-ste
*dedanem
dainim
Imperat.
(34)
The
verbs
THE
because
they
Intransitive
CAUSATIVE VERB.
whose
form
of
are
infinitives
this
ending,
usually
Verbs.
bibê