My book, your world
Connect a noun to its owner.
By the end of this lessonRecognize simple possessive phrases with the ezafe link.
The idea
The ezafe links a noun to its owner. In the definite singular, feminine nouns take -a and masculine nouns take -ê. The owner follows: min (my), te (your), or me (our).
See it in a sentence
Learn each noun with its gender. Kitêb (book) is feminine; pirtûk is another word for book. This lesson uses definite singular nouns only.
Build it step by step
- Start with the thing possessed. Learn its grammatical gender with the noun; the owner’s gender does not determine the ezafe.
- For a definite noun, select -a, -ê or -ên, then add the owner in the oblique form. The owner comes after the noun.
- These endings are not a universal plural suffix: -ên links a definite plural noun to a modifier or owner. Nouns in other roles have other patterns.
| Noun | Link | Possessive phrase |
|---|---|---|
| kitêb (feminine) | -a | kitêba te |
| dest (masculine) | -ê | destê te |
| kitêb / dest (plural) | -ên | kitêbên te / destên te |
Take a sentence apart
book: feminine noun
definite plural link
you as possessor
English “your books” puts the owner first. Kurmanji puts the possessed noun first: kitêbên te. The same link can connect an adjective: kitêba nû.
A common trap
Incorrect: kitêba ez
Correct: kitêba min
An owner takes the oblique form. Ez is a direct pronoun; min is its oblique form. For a subject’s own possession, see the xwe lesson.
Grammar reference: Thackston, §§ 4 and 7, Construct and pronouns