Language/Northern-kurdish/Grammar/Basic-Word-Order
As a Northern Kurdish language teacher with 20 years of experience, I am excited to introduce to you the basic word order in Northern Kurdish sentences. This knowledge is essential for anyone seeking to learn Northern Kurdish, as it forms the foundation for sentence construction and communication.
In Northern Kurdish, the basic word order is subject–object–verb (SOV). This means that the subject of the sentence comes first, followed by the object, and finally the verb. Unlike some other languages, Northern Kurdish does not strictly adhere to this word order and allows for flexibility in sentence construction.
In this lesson, we will cover the following topics:
Subject
The subject is the person or thing that performs the action in the sentence. In Northern Kurdish sentences, the subject is usually placed at the beginning of the sentence.
For example:
| Northern Kurdish | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Min !! Min | I | |
| Tu !! Tu | You | |
| Ev !! Ew | He | |
| Ava !! Ava | She | |
| Em !! Em | We | |
| Hûn !! Hûn | You (plural) | |
| Wan !! Wan | They |
Object
The object is the person or thing that receives the action in the sentence. In Northern Kurdish, the object is usually placed after the subject.
For example:
| Northern Kurdish | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Em kovayên zarokan dikin. | Em kovayên zarokan dikin. | We are making children's clothes. |
In this example, "Em" (we) is the subject of the sentence, "kovayên zarokan" (children's clothes) is the object and "dikin" (are making) is the verb.
Verb
The verb is the action or state of being in the sentence. In Northern Kurdish, the verb is usually placed at the end of the sentence.
For example:
| Northern Kurdish | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Mîna qeçaxa hewal! | Mîna qeçaxa hewal! | Fly like a bird! |
In this example, "Mîna qeçaxa hewal" (like a bird fly) is the subject and object of the sentence, and "!" is the verb.
It is important to note that Northern Kurdish allows for flexibility in sentence construction. While the basic word order is SOV, you can rearrange the order of words in a sentence to change emphasis or add complexity. This can give your sentences different shades of meaning and make your speech more nuanced and expressive.
So, now that you are familiar with the basic word order in Northern Kurdish, you can start practicing constructing sentences that follow this order. Remember that practice makes perfect, and the more you practice, the more comfortable and confident you will feel communicating in Northern Kurdish.
I hope you found this lesson helpful and informative. Stay tuned for more lessons in our "Complete 0 to A1 Northern Kurdish Course"!