Lêkerên pêkhatî · Verbs with prefixes
Keep da-, ra-, ve-, hil- and wer- attached to the verb family.
By the end of this lessonRecognize five common prefixes and place present and negative markers inside the taught forms.
The idea
Learn the full verb as a lexical unit: daxistin (to lower), rabûn (to get up), vekirin (to open), hilgirtin (to lift), wergirtin (to receive). In these present forms the prefix comes before di-: ve-di-k-im, ra-di-b-im, hil-di-gir-im.
See it in a sentence
Do not treat the first letters of every word as a productive prefix or assume a prefix always has one literal meaning. Learn the complete infinitive, its two stems and attested forms; regional and spelling variants exist.
Build it step by step
- Learn the full verb as a lexical unit: daxistin (to lower), rabûn (to get up), vekirin (to open), hilgirtin (to lift), wergirtin (to receive). In these present forms the prefix comes before di-: ve-di-k-im, ra-di-b-im, hil-di-gir-im.
- Read vedikim as ve-di-k-im, not di-ve-k-im. In the negative, ve-na-k-im keeps the same lexical prefix.
- In the past, keep the prefix and choose the past stem: Ez rabûm; Min ew vekir. Rabûn is intransitive; vekirin is transitive.
- Do not treat the first letters of every word as a productive prefix or assume a prefix always has one literal meaning. Learn the complete infinitive, its two stems and attested forms; regional and spelling variants exist.
| Prefix | Infinitive | I: present | I: negative | Past stem |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| da- | daxistin | dadixim | danaxim | daxist |
| ra- | rabûn | radibim | ranabim | rabû |
| ve- | vekirin | vedikim | venakim | vekir |
| hil- | hilgirtin | hildigirim | hilnagirim | hilgirt |
| wer- | wergirtin | werdigirim | wernagirim | wergirt |
Take a sentence apart
lexical prefix retained in this verb
present negative marker
present stem of kirin
agreement with ez
Use English and Turkish meanings to understand the situation, but choose Kurdish stems and agreement from the Kurdish construction. A translation does not determine the conjugation.
A common trap
Incorrect: Ez navedikim.
Correct: Ez venakim.
For this verb ve- precedes na-; di- is replaced rather than retained.
Grammar reference: Thackston, Course grammar reference: Thackston, verb formation and tense chapters; forms selected for this lesson.