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Kurmanji Grammar: "the" and "a"

PostPosted: Sat Dec 03, 2011 11:24 pm
Author: Zert
Ok, so I'm learning Kurdish with those Dersa Kurdi videos on YouTube, which has been going quite well.
But, there's an important thing I'm not sure of how to apply, namely the suffixes after words to indicate "the" and "a".
I tried taking a look at this, but that further complicated the issue:
http://www.institutkurde.org/en/library ... nji/p2.pdf

So, this is what I have, but I don't think it's correct:
Ala ye = a flag.
We use "ye" because ala ends on a vowel.
Carikek = a quarter.
We use "ek" because carik ends on a consonant.

Ala ? = the flag.
I don't know what's supposed to be after this.
Zimanê = the language.
We use "ê" because ziman ends on a consonant.

I would like some help with this.
Thanks in advance.

Re: Kurmanji Grammar: "the" and "a"

PostPosted: Sun Dec 04, 2011 8:03 am
Author: Piling
Hi,

'Ala ye' : it is flag.
A flag : Alayek.
Alayek e : it is a flag.

btw, u can say indifferently 'Al' or 'Ala', both are correct. For example : Ala kurdî (the Kurdish flag) or Alaya kurdî.

When a nouns ends by 'e' like 'Lale' (tulip), it is simple : u just add 'k' : Lalek. Then :

Lale ye.
Lalek.
Lalek e.

Re: Kurmanji Grammar: "the" and "a"

PostPosted: Sun Dec 04, 2011 12:45 pm
Author: Zert
Piling wrote:Hi,

'Ala ye' : it is flag.
A flag : Alayek.
Alayek e : it is a flag.

btw, u can say indifferently 'Al' or 'Ala', both are correct. For example : Ala kurdî (the Kurdish flag) or Alaya kurdî.

When a nouns ends by 'e' like 'Lale' (tulip), it is simple : u just add 'k' : Lalek. Then :

Lale ye.
Lalek.
Lalek e.


Thanks, but I'm not sure if I understand.

Alayek = A flag
This one makes sense.

Alayek e = it is a flag
This one also makes sense to me.

Ala ye = ?it is flag?
In a sentence:
Ev ala ye = This is a flag.
So that doesn't add up, it seems.

Re: Kurmanji Grammar: "the" and "a"

PostPosted: Sun Dec 04, 2011 4:05 pm
Author: Piling
If I translate in English, 'Ala ye' means more precisely 'this is THE flag' (not A flag, u talk about one particular flag). As u could say : Ev al kesk û zer û sor e : THis flag is green, yellow and red (the one u talk about).

Another sense : Derya ye, ne çem e : here is sea (or this is sea), not river. But 'deryayek : a sea.

Re: Kurmanji Grammar: "the" and "a"

PostPosted: Sun Dec 04, 2011 4:34 pm
Author: kurd-sthanam
in kurmanji we have not "the". only "a". words have not -eke suffix like sorani :) only "ek/yek" for "a/one".

subjective (or objective in past tenses who are transitiv): -ek (-yek after vowels)
objective (or subjective in past tenses who are transitiv) : -eke(feminine) -ekî(masculine) (-yeke, yekî after vowels)

xeyala mirovekî - (the) dream of a person
mirovek baş - a good person

ewî/wî kesek dît - he saw anybody.
kesekî ew dît - anybody saw him/her/it.

the book you read is very old and i saw interesting things, there stays north dialect use -îd for plural but today kurmanci has not plural :D zazakî use -î for plural. and maybe there are wrong things in it. but it is far from kurmanji taken as standard.

what is the mission of -eke (the) in soranî ? i have read a little in internet but i didnt understand?

Re: Kurmanji Grammar: "the" and "a"

PostPosted: Wed Dec 07, 2011 8:25 pm
Author: Zert
I see, I kinda understand now, thanks.