Things you do every day
Build your first present-tense verbs.
By the end of this lessonUse xwendin (to read / study) in the present tense.
The idea
For xwendin, use di- + the present stem xwîn + a person ending: -im, -î, -e, or -in. Learn the present stem with each verb; it is not always predictable from the infinitive.
See it in a sentence
Kurmanji present forms can express an ongoing action or a habit. The situation supplies the difference.
Build it step by step
- Learn two stems where needed: xwendin has present stem xwîn- and past stem xwend-. Removing -in from the infinitive does not always give the present stem.
- For this regular pattern, assemble di- + present stem + subject ending. A plural subject uses -in, regardless of whether it is we, you or they.
- Negate this present form by replacing di- with na-. Keep the stem and the person ending: dixwînî → naxwînî.
| Subject | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| ez | dixwînim | naxwînim |
| tu | dixwînî | naxwînî |
| ew (singular) | dixwîne | naxwîne |
| em / hûn / ew (plural) | dixwînin | naxwînin |
Take a sentence apart
present indicative marker
present stem: read
first-person singular agreement
Kurmanji can use the same present form for a habit and an action in progress; context distinguishes “I read” from “I am reading”.
A common trap
Incorrect: Ez na dixwînim.
Correct: Ez naxwînim.
For this verb, na- replaces di-; it is not a separate word added before di-. Some verbs have irregular negatives, such as karîn → nikarim.
Grammar reference: Thackston, §§ 13–14, Infinitive and present tense