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Lesson 11 Lesson 1
In this lesson you will learn how to greet and welcome people, introduce yourself, ask simple questions, and excuse yourself.
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Tu bi xêr hatî Kurdistanê.
Anons: Rêwîyên fira2 Rêwîyên fira
This is a noun phrase formed with ezafeh construction, which is discussed in detail in lesson 2.
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 549'an ji kerema xwe3 ji kerema xwe
This phrase is used to say "please" in order to ask or invite someone to do something. Note that sometimes the reflexive pronoun "xwe" can be followed by the preposition "re" as in: "ji kerema xwe re."
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 werin ber deriyê heft an4 an
Thus suffix "an" at the end of "heft" (seven) is the plural oblique ending that forms ordinal numbers.
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 .
Bawer: Bibore5 Bibore
"Bibore" is the shortened version of the expression "li min bibore" (excuse me/pardon me). It also has the variants of "li min negire" and "min bibexşîne." When addressing more than one person replace the particle "-e" at the end of the verb in all versions with the plural personal particle "-in," e.g., "biborin/li min biborin/li min negirin/min bibexşînin." (you [plural] excuse/pardon me).
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 , roj baş6 roj baş
A form of greeting used during the day. It consists of two words: roj: day and baş: nice, good.
The same expression can be used in response.
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 , gelo7 gelo
In Kurmanji the question word "gelo" is used to introduce a question, see lesson 6b.
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 tu Şîler î?
Şîler: Belê8 Belê
"Belê" is synonymous with "erê" that means "yes." However, "belê" is more polite and formal than "erê."
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 , ez Şîler im. Tu kî 9 kî
An interrogative pronoun that is used to refer to human beings and other creatures. The interrogative pronoun "kî" is in the simple case. Its oblique form "kê" will be dealt with later.
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 yî? Tu Bawer î10 Tu Bawer î
In this sentence the question is obtained by using interrogative intonation, see lesson 6b.
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 ?
B: Belê, ez Bawer im. Bi nasîna te ez kêfxweş bûm11 Bi nasîna te ez kêfxweş bûm
This expression is one way of saying "Nice to meet you." You can replace "kêfxweş" with "şa" or "dilxweş" as in "Bi nasîna te ez şa/dilxweş bûm." Both expressions can be used in any social group. If the other party initiates the greeting, you can respond with the same phrase or just say "ez jî" (me too).
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 .
Ş: Ez jî bi nasîna te şa bûm.
B: Tu bi xêr hatî Kurdistanê12 Tu bi xêr hatî Kurdistanê
A form of greeting upon arrival. When you want to address more than one person you change the pronoun "tu" (you [singular]) to the pronoun "hûn" (you [plural]). In addition, you will have to replace the personal ending "î" that is at the end of the verb stem "hat" with personal particle "in" as in: "Hûn bi xêr hatin Kurdistanê."
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 .
Ş: Sipas.
B: Çawan î13 Çawan î
In Kurmanji, a sentence usually starts with the subject and ends with the verb, e.g., Ez Bawer im; Ew giran in; Tu çawan î?
However, since the verb signifies the person and number the subject can sometimes be omitted. That is, Kurmanji is a pro-drop language.
e.g., Çawan î? (How are you?) = Tu çawan î? (How are you?)


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 ? Rêwîtî çawan14 çawan
In some regions the last "n" might be dropped: çawan; çawa.
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 bû15 bû
This is one of the conjugated forms of the verb "bûn" (to be) in the simple past tense. The simple past tense will be dealt with in the following lessons, however, since we have a few instances where the verb "bûn" occurs in the simple past tense in this lesson it will be useful to provide the full conjugation of this verb here.

Bûn (to be) in the simple past tense
Ez bûm
Tu bûyî
Ew bû
Em bûn
Hûn bûn
Ew bûn
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 ?
Ş: Ez baş im. Lê rê pir dirêj bû, lewma ez hindek16 hindek
"Hindek" (a little) is synonymous with "hinek," "piçkî," "piçek," and "hebek".
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 westiyayî me.
B: Tu amade yî? Trimbêla17 Trimbêla
Alternative: Seyare; seyareya min (my car).
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 min a18 a
"A" is used to emphasize the precise place or time of something like the English adverb "right."
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 li wir e.
Ş: Belê, ez amade me.
B: Ka19 Ka
The conjunction "ka" (let's, let me) is used as a cohortative in the first person singular and plural to express self-encouragement and intention as in this sentence. It will be dealt with in detail in lesson 10.
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 ez baholên te hilgirim û em biçin.
Ş: Ew gelek giran in.
B: Tişt nabe20 Tişt nabe
This is a way of saying "no problem." Another way of expressing the same idea is "ne mişkule ye."
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 .

Nominative Case of Personal and Demonstrative Pronouns Nominative Case of Personal and Demonstrative Pronouns
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Present Tense Copulas (am, is, are) Present Tense Copulas (am, is, are)
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  1. Lesson 1

    In this lesson you will learn how to greet and welcome people, introduce yourself, ask simple questions, and excuse yourself.

  2. Rêwîyên fira

    This is a noun phrase formed with ezafeh construction, which is discussed in detail in lesson 2.

  3. ji kerema xwe

    This phrase is used to say "please" in order to ask or invite someone to do something. Note that sometimes the reflexive pronoun "xwe" can be followed by the preposition "re" as in: "ji kerema xwe re."

  4. an

    Thus suffix "an" at the end of "heft" (seven) is the plural oblique ending that forms ordinal numbers.

  5. Bibore

    "Bibore" is the shortened version of the expression "li min bibore" (excuse me/pardon me). It also has the variants of "li min negire" and "min bibexşîne." When addressing more than one person replace the particle "-e" at the end of the verb in all versions with the plural personal particle "-in," e.g., "biborin/li min biborin/li min negirin/min bibexşînin." (you [plural] excuse/pardon me).

  6. roj baş

    A form of greeting used during the day. It consists of two words: roj: day and baş: nice, good.
    The same expression can be used in response.

  7. gelo

    In Kurmanji the question word "gelo" is used to introduce a question, see lesson 6b.

  8. Belê

    "Belê" is synonymous with "erê" that means "yes." However, "belê" is more polite and formal than "erê."

  9. kî

    An interrogative pronoun that is used to refer to human beings and other creatures. The interrogative pronoun "kî" is in the simple case. Its oblique form "kê" will be dealt with later.

  10. Tu Bawer î

    In this sentence the question is obtained by using interrogative intonation, see lesson 6b.

  11. Bi nasîna te ez kêfxweş bûm

    This expression is one way of saying "Nice to meet you." You can replace "kêfxweş" with "şa" or "dilxweş" as in "Bi nasîna te ez şa/dilxweş bûm." Both expressions can be used in any social group. If the other party initiates the greeting, you can respond with the same phrase or just say "ez jî" (me too).

  12. Tu bi xêr hatî Kurdistanê

    A form of greeting upon arrival. When you want to address more than one person you change the pronoun "tu" (you [singular]) to the pronoun "hûn" (you [plural]). In addition, you will have to replace the personal ending "î" that is at the end of the verb stem "hat" with personal particle "in" as in: "Hûn bi xêr hatin Kurdistanê."

  13. Çawan î

    In Kurmanji, a sentence usually starts with the subject and ends with the verb, e.g., Ez Bawer im; Ew giran in; Tu çawan î?
    However, since the verb signifies the person and number the subject can sometimes be omitted. That is, Kurmanji is a pro-drop language.
    e.g., Çawan î? (How are you?) = Tu çawan î? (How are you?)


  14. çawan

    In some regions the last "n" might be dropped: çawan; çawa.

  15. bû

    This is one of the conjugated forms of the verb "bûn" (to be) in the simple past tense. The simple past tense will be dealt with in the following lessons, however, since we have a few instances where the verb "bûn" occurs in the simple past tense in this lesson it will be useful to provide the full conjugation of this verb here.

    Bûn (to be) in the simple past tense
    Ez bûm
    Tu bûyî
    Ew bû
    Em bûn
    Hûn bûn
    Ew bûn

  16. hindek

    "Hindek" (a little) is synonymous with "hinek," "piçkî," "piçek," and "hebek".

  17. Trimbêla

    Alternative: Seyare; seyareya min (my car).

  18. a

    "A" is used to emphasize the precise place or time of something like the English adverb "right."

  19. Ka

    The conjunction "ka" (let's, let me) is used as a cohortative in the first person singular and plural to express self-encouragement and intention as in this sentence. It will be dealt with in detail in lesson 10.

  20. Tişt nabe

    This is a way of saying "no problem." Another way of expressing the same idea is "ne mişkule ye."

  21. Nominative Case of Personal and Demonstrative Pronouns

  22. Present Tense Copulas (am, is, are)

In this lesson you will learn how to greet and welcome people, introduce yourself, ask simple questions, and excuse yourself.
 This is a noun phrase formed with ezafeh construction, which is discussed in detail in lesson 2.
 This phrase is used to say "please" in order to ask or invite someone to do something. Note that sometimes the reflexive pronoun "xwe" can be followed by the preposition "re" as in: "ji kerema xwe re."
 Thus suffix "an" at the end of "heft" (seven) is the plural oblique ending that forms ordinal numbers.
"Bibore" is the shortened version of the expression "li min bibore" (excuse me/pardon me). It also has the variants of "li min negire" and "min bibexşîne." When addressing more than one person replace the particle "-e" at the end of the verb in all versions with the plural personal particle "-in," e.g., "biborin/li min biborin/li min negirin/min bibexşînin." (you [plural] excuse/pardon me).
 A form of greeting used during the day. It consists of two words: roj: day and baş: nice, good.
The same expression can be used in response.
 In Kurmanji the question word "gelo" is used to introduce a question, see lesson 6b.
 "Belê" is synonymous with "erê" that means "yes." However, "belê" is more polite and formal than "erê."
 An interrogative pronoun that is used to refer to human beings and other creatures. The interrogative pronoun "kî" is in the simple case. Its oblique form "kê" will be dealt with later.
In this sentence the question is obtained by using interrogative intonation, see lesson 6b.
 This expression is one way of saying "Nice to meet you." You can replace "kêfxweş" with "şa" or "dilxweş" as in "Bi nasîna te ez şa/dilxweş bûm." Both expressions can be used in any social group. If the other party initiates the greeting, you can respond with the same phrase or just say "ez jî" (me too).
 A form of greeting upon arrival. When you want to address more than one person you change the pronoun "tu" (you [singular]) to the pronoun "hûn" (you [plural]). In addition, you will have to replace the personal ending "î" that is at the end of the verb stem "hat" with personal particle "in" as in: "Hûn bi xêr hatin Kurdistanê."
 In Kurmanji, a sentence usually starts with the subject and ends with the verb, e.g., Ez Bawer im; Ew giran in; Tu çawan î?
However, since the verb signifies the person and number the subject can sometimes be omitted. That is, Kurmanji is a pro-drop language.
e.g., Çawan î? (How are you?) = Tu çawan î? (How are you?)


 In some regions the last "n" might be dropped: çawan; çawa.
 This is one of the conjugated forms of the verb "bûn" (to be) in the simple past tense. The simple past tense will be dealt with in the following lessons, however, since we have a few instances where the verb "bûn" occurs in the simple past tense in this lesson it will be useful to provide the full conjugation of this verb here.

Bûn (to be) in the simple past tense
Ez bûm
Tu bûyî
Ew bû
Em bûn
Hûn bûn
Ew bûn
 "Hindek" (a little) is synonymous with "hinek," "piçkî," "piçek," and "hebek".
 Alternative: Seyare; seyareya min (my car).
 "A" is used to emphasize the precise place or time of something like the English adverb "right."
 The conjunction "ka" (let's, let me) is used as a cohortative in the first person singular and plural to express self-encouragement and intention as in this sentence. It will be dealt with in detail in lesson 10.
 This is a way of saying "no problem." Another way of expressing the same idea is "ne mişkule ye."

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You are now in Word Audio View, you can click underlined items below to listen, or you can change to another view by using the buttons at the top of the window Kurmanji Kurdish: Word View, click below to listen
Play Video
Lesson 1
Tu bi xêr hatî Kurdistanê.
Anons: Rêwîyên fira 549'an ji kerema xwe werin ber deriyê heftan.
Bawer: Bibore, roj baş, gelo tu Şîler î?
Şîler: Belê, ez Şîler im. Tu kî yî? Tu Bawer î?
B: Belê, ez Bawer im. Bi nasîna te ez kêfxweş bûm.
Ş: Ez jî bi nasîna te şa bûm.
B: Tu bi xêr hatî Kurdistanê.
Ş: Sipas.
B:Çawan î? Rêwîtî çawan bû?
Ş: Ez baş im. Lê rê pir dirêj bû, lewma ez hindek westiyayî me.
B: Tu amade yî? Trimbêla min a li wir e.
Ş: Belê, ez amade me.
B: Ka ez baholên te hilgirim û em biçin.
Ş: Ew gelek giran in.
B: Tişt nabe.

Nominative Case of Personal and Demonstrative Pronouns
Present Tense Copulas (am, is, are)

You are now in Sentence Audio View, you can click underlined items below to listen, or you can change to another view by using the buttons at the top of the window Kurmanji Kurdish: Sentence View, click below to listen
Play Video
Lesson 1
Tu bi xêr hatî Kurdistanê.
Anons: Rêwîyên fira 549'an ji kerema xwe werin ber deriyê heftan.
Bawer: Bibore, roj baş, gelo tu Şîler î?
Şîler: Belê, ez Şîler im. Tu kî yî? Tu Bawer î?
B: Belê, ez Bawer im. Bi nasîna te ez kêfxweş bûm.
Ş: Ez jî bi nasîna te şa bûm.
B: Tu bi xêr hatî Kurdistanê.
Ş: Sipas.
B:Çawan î? Rêwîtî çawan bû?
Ş: Ez baş im. Lê rê pir dirêj bû, lewma ez hindek westiyayî me.
B: Tu amade yî? Trimbêla min a li wir e.
Ş: Belê, ez amade me.
B: Ka ez baholên te hilgirim û em biçin.
Ş: Ew gelek giran in.
B: Tişt nabe.

Nominative Case of Personal and Demonstrative Pronouns
Present Tense Copulas (am, is, are)

You are now in Word Audio View, you can click underlined items below to listen, or you can change to another view by using the buttons at the top of the window American English: Word View, click below to listen
Play Video
Lesson 1
Tu bi xêr hatî Kurdistanê.
Anons: Rêwîyên fira 549'an ji kerema xwe werin ber deriyê heftan.
Bawer: Bibore, roj baş, gelo tu Şîler î?
Şîler: Belê, ez Şîler im. Tu kî yî? Tu Bawer î?
B: Belê, ez Bawer im. Bi nasîna te ez kêfxweş bûm.
Ş: Ez jî bi nasîna te şa bûm.
B: Tu bi xêr hatî Kurdistanê.
Ş: Sipas.
B:Çawan î? Rêwîtî çawan bû?
Ş: Ez baş im. Lê rê pir dirêj bû, lewma ez hindek westiyayî me.
B: Tu amade yî? Trimbêla min a li wir e.
Ş: Belê, ez amade me.
B: Ka ez baholên te hilgirim û em biçin.
Ş: Ew gelek giran in.
B: Tişt nabe.

Nominative Case of Personal and Demonstrative Pronouns
Present Tense Copulas (am, is, are)

You are now in Sentence Audio View, you can click underlined items below to listen, or you can change to another view by using the buttons at the top of the window American English: Sentence View, click below to listen
Play Video
Lesson 1
Tu bi xêr hatî Kurdistanê.
Anons: Rêwîyên fira 549'an ji kerema xwe werin ber deriyê heftan.
Bawer: Bibore, roj baş, gelo tu Şîler î?
Şîler: Belê, ez Şîler im. Tu kî yî? Tu Bawer î?
B: Belê, ez Bawer im. Bi nasîna te ez kêfxweş bûm.
Ş: Ez jî bi nasîna te şa bûm.
B: Tu bi xêr hatî Kurdistanê.
Ş: Sipas.
B:Çawan î? Rêwîtî çawan bû?
Ş: Ez baş im. Lê rê pir dirêj bû, lewma ez hindek westiyayî me.
B: Tu amade yî? Trimbêla min a li wir e.
Ş: Belê, ez amade me.
B: Ka ez baholên te hilgirim û em biçin.
Ş: Ew gelek giran in.
B: Tişt nabe.

Nominative Case of Personal and Demonstrative Pronouns
Present Tense Copulas (am, is, are)

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