Kurdish Academy

← Vegerîn bo Rêziman

Gotinên Diyarker

Articles & Determiners

📌 What are Articles?

Articles are small words that come before nouns to show if we're talking about something specific (definite) or something general (indefinite).

English examples:
  • Definite: "The book" (a specific book we know)
  • Indefinite: "A book" (any book, not specific)
⚠️ Important Difference!

In Kurdish, articles come AFTER the noun (as suffixes), not before like in English!
Also, Kurdish articles change based on the noun's gender (masculine or feminine).

1. Definite Articles (Gotinên Diyar)
The specific one - "THE"

Definite articles in Kurdish are suffixes (endings) added to nouns. They indicate a specific item that both the speaker and listener know about. The form depends on the noun's gender.

Definite Article Forms:

Gender Direct Case Oblique Case Example
Masculine -ê -î pirtûkê (the book)
Feminine -a -ê kitêba (the book - feminine)
📌 Examples - Masculine Nouns:
pirtûk → pirtûkê
book → the book
keç → keçê
girl → the girl
Ez pirtûkê dixwînim.
I read the book. (I the-book read)
📌 Examples - Feminine Nouns:
kitêb → kitêba
book → the book
mala → mala
house → the house
Ez kitêba dibînim.
I see the book. (I the-book see)
💡 How to know if a noun is masculine or feminine?

General rules:
• Nouns ending in consonants are usually masculine
• Nouns ending in -a or -e are usually feminine
• But there are exceptions! You'll learn them with practice.

2. Indefinite Articles (Gotinên Nediyar)
A general one - "A / AN"

Indefinite articles indicate any one of something, not a specific one. In Kurdish, there are two main forms:

  • yek - means "one" or "a/an" (used as a separate word)
  • -ek / -ak - suffix meaning "a/an" (attached to the noun)

Using "yek" (one / a):

📌 Examples with "yek":
yek pirtûk
a book / one book
yek keç
a girl / one girl
Ez yek pirtûk dixwînim.
I read a book. (I one book read)

Using "-ek / -ak" suffix:

Noun Type Suffix Example Meaning
Ends in consonant -ek pirtûkek a book
Ends in vowel -yek malayek a house
Some feminine nouns -ak keçak a girl
📌 Examples with suffix:
pirtûkek
a book
keçak
a girl
Ez pirtûkek dixwînim.
I read a book. (I a-book read)
💡 When to use "yek" vs "-ek"?

Both are correct! "yek" emphasizes "one" more strongly, while "-ek" is more casual and common in everyday speech.

3. Demonstratives (Nîşanker)
This, That, These, Those

Demonstratives point to specific things based on their distance from the speaker. They change based on number (singular/plural) and distance (near/far).

Distance Singular Plural English
Near (close to speaker) ev van this / these
Far (away from speaker) ew wan that / those
📌 Examples - Near (this/these):
ev pirtûk
this book
van pirtûkan
these books
Ez ev pirtûk dixwînim.
I read this book. (I this book read)
📌 Examples - Far (that/those):
ew pirtûk
that book
wan pirtûkan
those books
Ez ew pirtûk dixwînim.
I read that book. (I that book read)
💡 Important Note!

Notice that "ew" can mean both "he/she" (pronoun) AND "that" (demonstrative). The meaning is clear from context!

Quick Reference Table

Type Kurdish English Example
Definite (masc.) -ê / -î the pirtûkê (the book)
Definite (fem.) -a / -ê the mala (the house)
Indefinite yek / -ek / -ak a / an pirtûkek (a book)
This (near) ev this ev pirtûk (this book)
That (far) ew that ew pirtûk (that book)
These (near) van these van pirtûkan (these books)
Those (far) wan those wan pirtûkan (those books)
📚 Summary:
  • Definite articles (-ê, -a, -î) come AFTER the noun as suffixes and change based on gender and case
  • Indefinite articles (yek, -ek, -ak) mean "a/an" or "one"
  • Demonstratives (ev, ew, van, wan) come BEFORE the noun and show distance and number
  • Kurdish articles are gender-sensitive (masculine vs feminine)
  • Word order: Demonstrative + Noun + Definite/Indefinite suffix