The little words for “to be”
Turn a word into a whole sentence.
By the end of this lessonBuild a simple sentence with “am”, “is”, or “are”.
The idea
After a consonant, use im with ez, î with tu, e with singular ew, and in with plural subjects. The “to be” form comes at the end.
See it in a sentence
After a vowel, these forms change: me, yî, ye, and ne. For now, practice with baş (well / good), which ends in a consonant.
Build it step by step
- First identify the subject: one person or several? The ending carries this information even when the sentence contains no action verb.
- Next look at the final sound of the word immediately before the copula. Baş ends in a consonant; çawa ends in a vowel. Choose the appropriate column below.
- To negate a description, put ne before it and keep the agreeing copula at the end: Em ne baş in.
| Subject | After a consonant | After a vowel |
|---|---|---|
| ez | im | me |
| tu | î | yî |
| ew (singular) | e | ye |
| em / hûn / ew (plural) | in | ne |
Take a sentence apart
we: plural subject
at home: ends in a vowel
plural copula after a vowel
English uses a separate “am/is/are” before the description. Turkish attaches a personal ending to many predicates. In Kurmanji, check both the subject and the preceding sound.
A common trap
Incorrect: Em li malê in.
Correct: Em li malê ne.
Ne here means “are”, not “not”. Its function comes from its position; a negative description uses ne before the predicate.
Grammar reference: Thackston, § 11, Present copulas