Sorani Kurdish grammar points I

Question 1

absolute/lexical state

Answer 1

noun w/o any modification; indicates the general meaning of things. Ex: snow, trees, mud, people.

Question 2

modifiers like “how many,” “several,” “every,” and “each,” require…

Answer 2

a following indefinite singular noun (note: zor/many takes a preceding singular noun)

Question 3

indefinite state

Answer 3

absolute+ èk/yèk

Question 4

indefinite plural

Answer 4

absolute (singular)+ ân/yân

Question 5

definite state

Answer 5

singular noun ending in consonants and u, e, î+ aká (ه كه) OR singular nouns ending in vowels (a, â, o)+ ká (كه)
-note, the combination of aka with an “î” ending, i.e. îaka, sometimes is written as eká.

Question 6

definite plural

Answer 6

definite singular (i.e. dargâka)+ân= dargâkân. 
I.e. just add (a)kân to the absolute singular.
Therefore, states of definite/indefinite go closest to the root of the word, and singular/plural comes next (?)

Question 7

دهرسهكانى سهخت

Answer 7

The lessons (about which we already know) which happen to be hard, not necessarily in contrast to anything else. (Lowest level of noun-adjective linkage).

Question 8

دهرسانه سهختهكه

Answer 8

(Lvl 2)
Point out the specific lessons with in the group that are hard. Example:
دهرسى چوارهم و دهرسى حهوتهم دهرسانى سهختهكه ى ئهم كتاوهن.
Lesson four and lesson seven are the hard lessons of/in this book.

Question 9

دهرسه سهختهكان

Answer 9

(Lvl3) The hard lessons in contrast to the easy lessons ( دهرسه ئاسانهكان) wherein the adjectives hard and easy are inextricably linked to the nouns, i.e the hard lessons vs. the easy lessons

Question 10

Closed izafa construction

Answer 10

When noun-adjective phrases are enveloped by the demonstrative or modified by the definite suffix, The linking vowel changes to “a”. The indefinite is excluded from this category. P. 11

Question 11

Open izafa

Answer 11

Used for attributive adjectives when the adjective follows a noun that is 1) absolute singular 2) indefinite singular or 3) indefinite plural, and is linked to the noun by “i”. P. 10

Question 12

Possession

Answer 12

The possessed noun (first) is connected to the possessor noun (2nd to 3rd to 4th etc) connected by “i”. These two nouns can be any combination of definite, indefinite, and demonstratively augmented.

Question 13

Noun attachment example (levels 1v3)

Answer 13

1) گولهكه ى سوور
The red flower

3) گوله سوورهكه
The rose (which is red by definition)

Question 14

Noun linkage (identity example)

Answer 14

ميژوونووسه عهرهبهكان (3)
The arab historians (here we are considering ONLY Arab historians NOT historians who happen to be Arab (1) ميژوونووسهكانى عهرهب
—————
(3) قوتابيه كردهكان (only students who are Kurdish are under consideration in contrast to students who happen to be Kurdish but not as an exclusive category would be قوتابيهكاني كرد (1)

Question 15

Possessive pronouns

Answer 15

م، ت، ي، مان، تان، يان

Question 16

future tense

Answer 16

at least according to Guli, there is no future tense in Sorani Kurdish. Instead, you use the present tense in combination with an adverb of time or related context, to suggest the future.

Question 17

Kirdin verbs

Answer 17

these all act as transitive and conjugate in the past as such.