Language/Northern-kurdish/Grammar/Present-Tense
As a Northern Kurdish language teacher for 20 years, I've found that verb conjugation is one of the most important topics for students to master. In this lesson, we'll focus on one tense: the present tense. By the end, you'll know the basic rules for conjugating verbs in the present tense and be able to use them in your own Northern Kurdish sentences.
Basic Rules of Northern Kurdish Verb Conjugation
Before we dive into the present tense, let's review some basic rules. In Northern Kurdish, verbs change according to the subject pronoun. To conjugate a verb in the present tense, we simply add a suffix to the verb stem.
For example, the verb "to speak" in Northern Kurdish is "gutin". To use it in a sentence, we need to conjugate it. Here's how:
| Northern Kurdish | Pronunciation | English | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ez dinim | 'ez di'inim | I speak | Tu dîtî | 'tu di'ti: | You speak (singular) | Ew dixwaze | 'ew di'xwa:ze | He/She/It wants | Em digerin | 'em di'gerin | We go | Hûn dibin | 'hu:n di'bin | You see (plural) | Ew dibêjin | 'ew di'be:dʒɪn | They say |
As you can see, the verb stem "gutin" stays the same for all forms, and we simply add a suffix to it to match the subject pronoun.
Here's a breakdown of the present tense suffixes:
| Pronoun | Suffix | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ez | -im | Tu | -î | Ew | -e | Em | -in | Hûn | -in | Ew | -in |
Notice that "Ew" and "Hûn" share the same suffix "-in". This is because Northern Kurdish doesn't distinguish between the third person singular and plural in the present tense.
Let's look at some other verbs so you can practice:
| Northern Kurdish | Pronunciation | English | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ez baran im | 'ez ba'ran im | I rain | Tu hewêrî dî | 'tu he'we:ri: di: | You fly | Ew xweş e | 'ew xweʃ e | He/She/It is happy | Em qirêjin | 'em qi're:dʒɪn | We eat | Hûn dîtin | 'hu:n di:'tin | You see | Ew çavdêr in | 'ew ʧav'de:r in | They think |
Remember to always use the correct subject pronoun and corresponding suffix.
Irregular Verbs
Of course, as with any language, there are a few irregular verbs you'll need to memorize. Here are some of the most common ones:
| Northern Kurdish | Pronunciation | English | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ez dizanim | 'ez di'za:nim | I know | Tu dikarî | 'tu di'ka:ri: | You can | Ew dide | 'ew di:de: | He/She/It gives | Em didin | 'em di'din | We give | Hûn din | 'hu:n di:n | You give | Ew din | 'ew di:n | They give |
Notice that the verb "to know" is irregular in all forms. You'll need to memorize these verbs by heart and practice using them in sentences.
Negation and Interrogation
To use negative statements in the present tense, simply add the negative particle "ne" before the verb. For example:
| Northern Kurdish | Pronunciation | English | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ez nexwînim | 'ez ne'xwi:nim | I don't eat | Tu neçavdêrî | 'tu ne'ʧav'de:ri: | You don't think | Ew naxwaze | 'ew na'xwa:ze | He/She/It doesn't want | Em neqerqînin | 'em ne'qerqi:nen | We don't dance | Hûn nebînin | 'hu:n ne'bi:nɪn | You don't see | Ew nemirin | 'ew ne'mɪri:n | They don't die |
To ask a question in the present tense, simply raise the tone of your voice at the end of the sentence. No additional particles are needed.
| Northern Kurdish | Pronunciation | English | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tu bûyî? | 'tu bu:'ji: | Did you come? | Ew dixwaze? | 'ew di'xwa:ze | Does he/she/it want? | Hûn dibin? | 'hu:n di'bin | Do you see? | Ew dibêje? | 'ew di'be:dʒe | Do they say? |
Conclusion
Congratulations! You've just learned the basics of Northern Kurdish verb conjugation in the present tense. Keep practicing with different verbs and subject pronouns until you're comfortable. The present tense is just the beginning--soon you'll be ready to move on to the past and future tenses.
Remember to stay enthusiastic, and don't be discouraged if you don't get everything right away. It takes time to master a language, but your effort will pay off. I hope this lesson has been helpful to you, and I wish you luck on your Northern Kurdish language learning journey!