Language/Central-kurdish/Grammar/Past-Tense

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Central Kurdish → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Verbs and Tenses → Past Tense

Introduction

In this lesson, we will delve into the intricacies of the past tense in Central Kurdish. The past tense is an essential aspect of the Kurdish language as it allows us to express actions and events that have occurred in the past. Understanding how to form and use the past tense will greatly enhance your ability to communicate effectively in Kurdish.

Throughout this lesson, we will explore the various forms of the past tense, including regular and irregular verbs. We will also examine the different ways to express duration and completion of past actions. By the end of this lesson, you will have a solid grasp of the past tense in Central Kurdish and be able to construct sentences to discuss past events.

Regular Past Tense Verbs

Let's begin by looking at how to form the past tense for regular verbs in Central Kurdish. Regular verbs follow a predictable pattern when conjugated in the past tense. To form the past tense, we typically add a specific suffix to the verb stem according to the verb's class. There are four verb classes in Central Kurdish, each with its own set of conjugation rules.

Verb Class 1

Verbs in Class 1 end in "-în" in the infinitive form. To conjugate these verbs in the past tense, we remove the "-în" ending and add the appropriate suffix. The past tense suffixes for Class 1 verbs are as follows:

Central Kurdish	Pronunciation	English
کڕین	kerin	to do
کڕ	kir	did
کردم	kirdim	I did
کردی	kirdî	you did
کرد	kird	he/she did
کردن	kirdin	we did
کردنی	kirdinî	you (plural) did
کردن	kirdin	they did

Verb Class 2

Class 2 verbs end in "-iy" in the infinitive form. To conjugate these verbs in the past tense, we remove the "-iy" ending and add the appropriate suffix. The past tense suffixes for Class 2 verbs are as follows:

Central Kurdish	Pronunciation	English
چون	çûn	to go
چوو	çû	went
چووم	çûm	I went
چووی	çûyî	you went
چوو	çû	he/she went
چوون	çûn	we went
چوونی	çûnî	you (plural) went
چوون	çûn	they went

Verb Class 3

Class 3 verbs end in a consonant in the infinitive form. To conjugate these verbs in the past tense, we add the appropriate suffix directly to the verb stem. The past tense suffixes for Class 3 verbs are as follows:

Central Kurdish	Pronunciation	English
دانستن	danestin	to know
دانست	danest	knew
دانستم	danestim	I knew
دانستی	danestî	you knew
دانست	danest	he/she knew
دانستن	danestin	we knew
دانستنی	danestinî	you (plural) knew
دانستن	danestin	they knew

Verb Class 4

Class 4 verbs end in "-wîn" in the infinitive form. To conjugate these verbs in the past tense, we remove the "-wîn" ending and add the appropriate suffix. The past tense suffixes for Class 4 verbs are as follows:

Central Kurdish	Pronunciation	English
خوێندن	xwendin	to read
خوێند	xwend	read
خوێندم	xwendim	I read
خوێندی	xwendî	you read
خوێند	xwend	he/she read
خوێندن	xwendin	we read
خوێندنی	xwendinî	you (plural) read
خوێندن	xwendin	they read

Examples

Now let's look at some examples of regular verbs conjugated in the past tense:

Class 1

1. کتاب خوێندن

کتاب خوێندم.

I read a book.

1. گەلی هەڵگرتن

گەلی هەڵگرت.

He danced.

Class 2

1. سەردێڕ کردن

سەردێڕ کردم.

I fell.

1. شتێک خەرکردن

شتێک خەرکرد.

They laughed.

Class 3

1. بڵاوکردن

بڵاوکردم.

I enjoyed.

1. گەرمکردن

گەرمکرد.

He warmed up.

Class 4

1. نامە نووسین

نامە نووسم.

I wrote a letter.

1. پێویستن

پێویست.

We needed.

Irregular Past Tense Verbs

While regular verbs in Central Kurdish follow a predictable pattern in the past tense, there are also many irregular verbs that do not follow the standard conjugation rules. These irregular verbs have unique conjugation patterns that must be memorized. Here are some common irregular verbs and their past tense forms:

Central Kurdish	Pronunciation	English
دەستکاریکردن	destkarkirin	to work
دەستکاریکرد	destkarkir	worked
دەستکاریکردم	destkarkirdim	I worked
دەستکاریکردی	destkarkirdî	you worked
دەستکاریکرد	destkarkir	he/she worked
دەستکاریکردن	destkarkirin	we worked
دەستکاریکردنی	destkarkirinî	you (plural) worked
دەستکاریکردن	destkarkirin	they worked

Examples

Let's see some examples of irregular verbs conjugated in the past tense:

1. دەستکاریکردن

دەستکاریکردم.

I worked.

1. بڵاوکردن

بڵاوکرد.

He enjoyed.

Duration and Completion of Past Actions

In Central Kurdish, we can express the duration and completion of past actions using specific words and phrases. Here are some examples:

• "دووچرکردن" (dûçerkirin) - to finish
• "ڕۆژتر" (rojtar) - yesterday
• "پێشوو" (pêşû) - before
• "دوای" (dawî) - after

Examples

1. دووچرکردن

من کۆتاییەکی پێشوو دووچرکرد.

I finished a task before.

1. ڕۆژتر

دەمەوێنتەوە ڕۆژتر.

They arrived yesterday.

1. پێشوو

ئەو پێشوو دەرچوو لە مێوبەجۆ و دووشەمی یەکەمی چوووندەوە.

They left before the wedding and the second dance.

1. دوای

دوای خۆمان دەرچوو لە مێوبەجۆ و دووشەمی یەکەمی چوووندەوە.

We left after the wedding and the second dance.

Cultural Insights

The past tense is an integral part of Kurdish culture and language. Understanding how to express past actions allows us to recount historical events, share personal experiences, and engage in storytelling. Kurdish culture has a rich tradition of oral history, and the past tense plays a crucial role in preserving and passing down these narratives from one generation to the next.

It is also interesting to note that regional variations exist in the usage and understanding of the past tense in Central Kurdish. Different dialects within the Kurdish language may have slight variations in verb conjugations and usage. These variations are often influenced by historical, cultural, and geographical factors. For example, the Sorani dialect, spoken primarily in Iraqi Kurdistan, may have different past tense forms compared to the Kurmanji dialect, spoken in Turkey and Syria.

Exercises

1. Conjugate the following regular verbs in the past tense:

• کتاب خوێندن (to read a book)
• دەستکاریکردن (to work)
• نووسین (to write)
• دەرکردن (to do)
• خەولاندن (to sleep)

2. Fill in the blanks with the correct past tense form of the given verbs:

• دەستکاریکردن:

   * ئەو کارە ______________.
   * ئەوان کارێکی ______________.

• گۆڕکردن:

   * ئەو کۆتاییە ______________.
   * ئەوان کۆتاییەکی ______________.
   

3. Translate the following sentences from English to Central Kurdish:

• I went to the market yesterday.
• They danced all night.
• We read a book before.
• He enjoyed the movie after.

Solutions

1. Conjugation of regular verbs in the past tense:

• کتاب خوێندن:

Central Kurdish	Pronunciation	English
کتاب خوێندم	ketab xwendim	I read a book
کتاب خوێندی	ketab xwendî	you read a book
کتاب خوێند	ketab xwend	he/she read a book
کتاب خوێندن	ketab xwendin	we read a book
کتاب خوێندنی	ketab xwendinî	you (plural) read a book
کتاب خوێندن	ketab xwendin	they read a book

• دەستکاریکردن:

Central Kurdish	Pronunciation	English
دەستکاریکردم	destkarkirdim	I worked
دەستکاریکردی	destkarkirdî	you worked
دەستکاریکرد	destkarkir	he/she worked
دەستکاریکردن	destkarkirin	we worked
دەستکاریکردنی	destkarkirinî	you (plural) worked
دەستکاریکردن	destkarkirin	they worked

• نووسین:

Central Kurdish	Pronunciation	English
نووسم	nûsim	I wrote
نووسی	nûsî	you wrote
نووس	nûs	he/she wrote
نووسن	nûsin	we wrote
نووسنی	nûsinî	you (plural) wrote
نووسن	nûsin	they wrote

• دەرکردن:

Central Kurdish	Pronunciation	English
دەرکردم	derkirdim	I did
دەرکردی	derkirdî	you did
دەرکرد	derkird	he/she did
دەرکردن	derkirdin	we did
دەرکردنی	derkirdinî	you (plural) did
دەرکردن	derkirdin	they did

• خەولاندن:

Central Kurdish	Pronunciation	English
خەولاندم	xelandim	I slept
خەولاندی	xelandî	you slept
خەولاند	xeland	he/she slept
خەولاندن	xelandin	we slept
خەولاندنی	xelandinî	you (plural) slept
خەولاندن	xelandin	they slept

2. Fill in the blanks with the correct past tense form of the given verbs:

• دەستکاریکردن:

   * ئەو کارە دەستکاریکرد.
   * ئەوان کارێکی دەستکاریکردن.

• گۆڕکردن:

   * ئەو کۆتاییە گۆڕکرد.
   * ئەوان کۆتاییەکی گۆڕکردن.

3. Translation of sentences from English to Central Kurdish:

• I went to the market yesterday.

من دیروستەوە بوازەرگا.

• They danced all night.

ئەوان شێوانی شانەکەمانیان کرد.

• We read a book before.

مێوبەجۆ پێشوو ئەو کتێبە خوێند.

• He enjoyed the movie after.

ئەوانی ڵەبێت پاش ______________.

{{#seo: |title=Central Kurdish Grammar → Verbs and Tenses → Past Tense |keywords=Central Kurdish, Kurdish grammar, past tense, regular verbs, irregular verbs, cultural insights |description=Learn how to form and use the past tense in Central Kurdish. This lesson will teach you how to express actions and events that happened in the past in the Kurdish language.

Table of Contents - Central Kurdish Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Basic Greetings

• Introduction to Greetings
• Polite Expressions

  ---

Pronouns and Nouns

• Subject Pronouns
• Possessive Pronouns

  ---

Numbers and Counting

• Numbers 1-10
• Ordinal Numbers

  ---

Basic Sentence Structure

• Forming Simple Sentences
• Questions and Negations

  ---

Time and Dates

• Days of the Week
• Months and Seasons

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense
• Past Tense

  ---

Food and Dining

• Common Food Items
• Dining and Ordering

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Descriptive Adjectives
• Comparative and Superlative

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Directions and Locations

  ---

Prepositions and Conjunctions

• Common Prepositions
• Common Conjunctions

  ---

Housing and Accommodations

• Types of Housing
• Household Items

  ---

Central Kurdish Culture and Society

• Kurdish Traditions and Customs
• Kurdish Family and Social Structure

Other Lessons

• Conditional Mood
• Future Tense
• Present Tense
• Give your Opinion
• 0 to A1 Course
• Subject Pronouns
• Negation
• Possessive Pronouns
• Gender
• Comparative and Superlative

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