Language/Northern-kurdish/Grammar/Past-Tense
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As a Northern Kurdish language teacher with over 20 years of experience, I am excited to teach you how to conjugate verbs in the past tense. This lesson is part of the "Complete 0 to A1 Northern Kurdish Course" and is suitable for complete beginners.
Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Gender & Roots of Northern Kurdish.
What is the Past Tense?
Before we dive into the past tense of Northern Kurdish verbs, let's review what the past tense means. The past tense is used to describe actions, events, or conditions that have already happened or existed in the past. In Northern Kurdish, the past tense is formed by conjugating the verb.
Conjugating Regular Verbs in the Past Tense
Regular verbs in Northern Kurdish form the past tense by adding the suffix "-î" to the stem of the verb. The stem is the part of the verb that remains unchanged throughout the different conjugations. The stem is usually formed by removing the infinitive ending "-n" from the verb.
Here is an example of how to conjugate the verb "to speak" (gotin) in the past tense:
| Northern Kurdish | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| gotinî | go-teen-ee | spoke |
As you can see, we added the suffix "-î" to the stem "got" to form the past tense of the verb "to speak" (gotin).
Here are a few other examples of regular verbs in the past tense:
| Northern Kurdish | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| xistî | xist-ee | stood |
| çûî | choo-ee | went |
| kirî | keer-ee | did/made |
Conjugating Irregular Verbs in the Past Tense
Irregular verbs in Northern Kurdish do not follow the same pattern as regular verbs in the past tense. Instead, each irregular verb has its own unique conjugation. Here are a few examples of irregular verbs in the past tense:
| Northern Kurdish | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| hat | hat | came |
| dît | deet | saw |
| bihîst | bee-heest | sat |
As you can see, the conjugation of irregular verbs in the past tense varies greatly.
Negative Past Tense
To form the negative past tense in Northern Kurdish, the word "ne" is added before the past tense conjugation. The word "ne" means "not" in English. Here is an example of how to conjugate the verb "to speak" (gotin) in the negative past tense:
| Northern Kurdish | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ne gotinî | ne go-teen-ee | did not speak |
As you can see, we added the word "ne" before the past tense conjugation of the verb "to speak" (gotin) to form the negative past tense.
Practice
Now that you know how to conjugate verbs in the past tense, it's time to practice! Here are a few sentences for you to translate into Northern Kurdish using the past tense:
- Yesterday, I went to the park.
- We saw a movie last night.
- She did not eat breakfast this morning.
- They sat in the front row at the concert.
Conclusion
Congratulations! You have completed the lesson on the past tense of Northern Kurdish verbs. The ability to conjugate verbs in the past tense is an essential skill in understanding and communicating effectively in Northern Kurdish. Practice, practice, practice, and you'll be a master in no time!
Excellent job on conquering this lesson! Consider delving into these related pages: Future Tense & Give your Opinion.
Other Lessons
- Pronouns
- Demonstrative Pronouns
- Manner Adverbs
- Place Adverbs
- Conditional Mood
- Roots of Northern Kurdish
- Basic Word Order
- 0 to A1 Course
- Negation
- Nominative Case
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| ◀️ Present Tense — Previous Lesson | Next Lesson — Future Tense ▶️ |