Kurdish Academy

← Vegerîn bo Rêziman

Avahiya Ergatîf

Ergativity

📌 What is Ergativity?

Ergativity is one of the most important and unique features of Kurdish grammar. It is a special grammatical construction that applies to transitive verbs in the past tense.

In ergative constructions:

  • The subject takes the oblique case (min, te, wî, wê, etc.)
  • The verb agrees with the object, not the subject
  • This ONLY happens with transitive verbs in the past tense
1. Transitive vs Intransitive Verbs
Understanding the difference

Before understanding ergativity, you must know the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs:

Verb Type Definition Example
Transitive Takes a direct object xwarin (to eat), dîtin (to see), xwendin (to read)
Intransitive Does NOT take a direct object çûn (to go), hatin (to come), razân (to sleep)
⚠️ Critical Rule!

Ergativity ONLY applies to transitive verbs in the past tense.
Intransitive verbs do NOT use ergative construction, even in the past!

2. Present Tense: Normal Construction
Nominative case for subject

In the present tense, Kurdish uses a normal construction for both transitive and intransitive verbs. The subject is in the nominative case.

Subject (Nominative) Object Verb English
Ez nan dixwim I eat bread
Tu pirtûk dixwînî You read a book
Ew film dibîne He/She sees a film
Em av vedixwin We drink water
Hûn muzîk guhdarî dikin You listen to music
💡 Present Tense = Normal!

In the present tense, everything is straightforward. Use nominative pronouns (ez, tu, ew, em, hûn, ew).

3. Past Tense Transitive: Ergative Construction
Oblique case for subject - THIS IS THE KEY!

In the past tense with transitive verbs, Kurdish uses the ergative construction. The subject takes the oblique case.

Subject (Oblique) Object Verb English
Min nan xwar I ate bread
Te pirtûk xwend You read a book
Wî film dît He saw a film
Wê film dît She saw a film
Me av vexwar We drank water
We muzîk guhdarî kir You listened to music
Wan çay vexwar They drank tea
⚠️ This is the Most Important Rule!

Past tense + Transitive verb = Oblique subject!

Use: min, te, wî, wê, me, we, wan (NOT ez, tu, ew, em, hûn, ew)

4. Nominative vs Oblique Pronouns
The critical difference
Person Nominative (Present) Oblique (Past Transitive)
I ez min
you (sing.) tu te
he ew wî
she ew wê
we em me
you (pl.) hûn we
they ew wan
5. Present vs Past: Side-by-Side Comparison
See the difference clearly

Verb: xwarin (to eat)

Present Tense (Normal)

Ez nan dixwim.
Tu nan dixwî.
Ew nan dixwe.
Em nan dixwin.
Hûn nan dixwin.
Ew nan dixwin.

Past Tense (Ergative)

Min nan xwar.
Te nan xwar.
Wî/Wê nan xwar.
Me nan xwar.
We nan xwar.
Wan nan xwar.

Verb: dîtin (to see)

Present Tense (Normal)

Ez film dibînim.
Tu film dibînî.
Ew film dibîne.
Em film dibînin.
Hûn film dibînin.
Ew film dibînin.

Past Tense (Ergative)

Min film dît.
Te film dît.
Wî/Wê film dît.
Me film dît.
We film dît.
Wan film dît.
6. Intransitive Verbs in Past Tense
NO ergative construction!

Important: Intransitive verbs (verbs without a direct object) do NOT use ergative construction, even in the past tense. They use nominative pronouns.

Subject (Nominative) Verb (Past) English
Ez çûm I went
Tu çûyî You went
Ew çû He/She went
Em çûn We went
Hûn çûn You went
Ew çûn They went
📌 More Intransitive Examples (Past):
Ez hatim. (NOT: Min hatim)
I came.
Tu razayî. (NOT: Te razayî)
You slept.
Ew ket. (NOT: Wî/Wê ket)
He/She fell.
💡 Remember!

Intransitive verbs = NO ergative!
Use ez, tu, ew (NOT min, te, wî/wê) even in the past tense.

7. Verb Agreement with Object
Advanced: When objects are plural or feminine

In ergative constructions, the verb can sometimes agree with the object in gender and number, especially when the object is definite.

Kurdish Object Type English
Min nan xwar. Singular masculine I ate bread.
Min nanê xwar. Definite singular I ate the bread.
Min sêv xwar. Singular feminine I ate an apple.
Min sêvê xwar. Definite feminine I ate the apple.
Min sêv xwarin. Plural I ate apples.
💡 Advanced Note!

When the object is plural or feminine definite, the verb may change form to agree with it. This is an advanced feature that varies by dialect.

8. Common Transitive Verbs (Use Ergative in Past)
Verbs that require oblique subjects in past tense
Infinitive English Past Stem Example (Ergative)
xwarin to eat xwar Min nan xwar.
vexwarin to drink vexwar Min av vexwar.
dîtin to see dît Min film dît.
xwendin to read xwend Min pirtûk xwend.
nivîsandin to write nivîsand Min name nivîsand.
kirin to do, make kir Min kar kir.
girtin to take, catch girt Min top girt.
standin to take stand Min pirtûk stand.
kirin to buy kir Min nan kirî.
firotin to sell firot Min mal firot.
9. Practice Examples
Applying the ergative rule
📌 Transitive Verbs (Ergative):
Min pirtûkek xwend.
I read a book. (oblique "min")
Te çi dît?
What did you see? (oblique "te")
Wî nan xwar.
He ate bread. (oblique "wî")
Wê muzîk guhdarî kir.
She listened to music. (oblique "wê")
Me kar kir.
We worked. (oblique "me")
We film dît.
You (pl) saw a film. (oblique "we")
Wan av vexwar.
They drank water. (oblique "wan")
📌 Intransitive Verbs (NO Ergative):
Ez çûm dibistanê.
I went to school. (nominative "ez")
Tu hatî?
Did you come? (nominative "tu")
Ew raza.
He/She slept. (nominative "ew")
Em direwîn.
We ran. (nominative "em")

Quick Reference: Ergativity Rules

Tense Verb Type Subject Case Example
Present Transitive Nominative (ez, tu, ew...) Ez nan dixwim.
Present Intransitive Nominative (ez, tu, ew...) Ez diçim.
Past Transitive Oblique (min, te, wî/wê...) Min nan xwar.
Past Intransitive Nominative (ez, tu, ew...) Ez çûm.
📚 Summary:
  • Ergativity = Past tense + Transitive verb
  • Use oblique pronouns: min, te, wî, wê, me, we, wan
  • NOT nominative: Don't use ez, tu, ew, em, hûn with past transitive!
  • Intransitive verbs: Always use nominative (ez, tu, ew), even in past
  • Present tense: Always use nominative, no matter what
  • Key transitive verbs: xwarin, dîtin, xwendin, nivîsandin, kirin, girtin
  • Key intransitive verbs: çûn, hatin, razân, rewîn, ketin