Language/Dari/Grammar/Noun-Gender-and-Plurals
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Introduction
In this lesson, we will dive into the concept of noun gender in Dari and learn how to form plurals of common nouns. Nouns are an essential part of speech that refer to people, places, things, ideas, and feelings. Understanding noun gender and plurals in Dari is crucial for building sentences and communicating effectively. By the end of this lesson, you will have a solid understanding of these topics.
Don't miss the chance to check out these pages as you wrap up this lesson: Describing People and Things & Plurals.
Noun Gender
In Dari, just like most other Indo-European languages, every noun has a gender classification: masculine, feminine, or neutral. The gender of a noun in Dari does not necessarily relate to its natural gender. For example, a tree is considered feminine while a book is masculine. Knowing the gender of a noun is especially important in Dari because it determines the form of its articles and adjectives, as well as its plural form. Let's take a closer look at how to identify the gender of a noun.
Gender of Nouns
Gender in Dari is distinguished by the suffix of the noun. There are no strict rules for the choice of suffix, although some suffixes are more common than others for each gender. Here is a list of common suffixes for each gender of nouns in Dari:
- Masculine: -ک، -گر، -گان، -زاده
- Feminine: -ی، -ز، -ستان، -خانه، -کی، -نی، -واره
- Neutral: -ه، -اء
It is important to note that there are some nouns that do not have gender classifications, and they can be used interchangeably for all genders.
Examples
Let's take a look at some examples of each gender classification of nouns in Dari:
| Dari | Pronunciation | English Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| پدر | padar | father (masculine) |
| مادر | mādar | mother (feminine) |
| مرکز | markaz | center (neutral) |
In the example above, we see that "پدر" (padar) is a masculine noun, "مادر" (mādar) is a feminine noun, and "مرکز" (markaz) is a neutral noun. It is important to note that the suffix of each noun indicates their gender classification.
Plurals of Nouns
In Dari, forming plurals for nouns is easier than in some other languages. We will look at the general rules of forming plurals in Dari, but there are some exceptions that we will cover later in this lesson.
Regular Plurals
To form the regular plural of a noun in Dari, you generally add the suffix "-ها" or "-ان" to singular nouns, and "-ین" to singular nouns ending in a vowel. Here is a table that shows some examples of regular plurals in Dari:
| Singular Noun | Plural Noun | |
|---|---|---|
| ماشین | ماشین‌ها / ماشین‌های | cars |
| ساعت | ساعت‌ها / ساعت‌های | watches |
| خانه | خانه‌ها / خانه‌های | houses |
| پسر | پسران / پسرین | boys |
As we see in the example above, adding "-ها" and "-ان" for masculine and neutral nouns, and "-های" or "-ی" for feminine nouns is a general rule.
Irregular Plurals
Some nouns in Dari do not follow the regular plural rules. These nouns mostly have a different suffix in their plural form or have an entirely different word for their plural form. Here are some examples of such irregular plurals in Dari:
- برادر (brother) -> برادران (brothers)
- پدر (father) -> پدرها / پیران (fathers)
- مادر (mother) -> مادران (mothers)
- خواهر (sister) -> خواهران (sisters)
- ماه (month) -> ماه‌ها / ماه‌های (months)
It is important to remember irregular plural forms as they don't follow the standard rules for plural formation.
Articles
In Dari, articles are used to give more information about a noun, such as its definiteness or indefiniteness. Articles play an essential role in forming sentences in Dari. There are two types of articles in Dari: definite and indefinite.
Definite Articles
In Dari, the definite article "the" is "ه". When the noun is masculine, and begins with a vowel, it can be "و" instead. You can add the definite article to a noun to make it definite. Here are some examples of definite articles used in Dari:
| English Sentence | Dari Sentence | Transcription |
|---|---|---|
| The house is beautiful | خانه زیباست | khāne zibāst |
| The book is on the table | کتاب روی میز است | ketāb ru-i mez ast |
| The boy is my brother | پسر برادر من است | pesar-e barādar-e man ast |
In the examples above, "خانه" (khāne) means house, but adding the definite article "ه" to it transforms it into "خانه‌ی" (khāne-i), which means "the house." Adding "و" instead of "ه" can happen in cases where the noun begins with a vowel such as "و" چای while we say "چای" for indefinite cases.
Indefinite Articles
In Dari, the indefinite article is "یک" which means "a" or "an." You can add the indefinite article to a noun to make it indefinite. Here are some examples of indefinite articles used in Dari:
| English Sentence | Dari Sentence | Transcription |
|---|---|---|
| A woman is walking on the street | یک زن روی خیابان راه می‌روید | yek zan ru-i khyābān rāh miravīd |
| I need a pencil | یک خودکار نیاز دارم | yek khodkār niaz dāram |
| An apple is on the table | سیبی روی میز است | sib-i ru-i mez ast |
In the examples above, we see the word "یک" (yek), which means "a" or "an". It is placed before the noun to indicate indefiniteness. The gender of the noun determines the form of the indefinite article.
Conclusion
In this lesson, we have learned about the concept of noun gender in Dari and how to form plurals of common nouns. We have also covered the two types of articles in Dari: definite and indefinite. Remember, knowing the gender of a noun and how to form its plural is crucial for communicating effectively in Dari. With practice, you will soon master the ability to form sentences using nouns, articles, and plurals like a native Dari speaker. Good luck with your studies!
Now that you've completed this lesson, don't stop learning! Check out these related topics: Pronouns & Adjectives.
Other Lessons
- Plurals
- Adjectives
- Asking Questions
- Describing People and Things
- How to Use Be
- Basic Verb Conjugation
- Gender
- 0 to A1 Course
- Past Tense
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