Kurdish Academy

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Rêza Peyvan

Word Order & Syntax

📌 What is Word Order?

Word order refers to the arrangement of words in a sentence. Different languages have different word orders. Kurdish uses a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) structure, which is different from English's Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) structure.

1. Basic Word Order: SOV
Subject - Object - Verb
Kurdish Word Order:
SUBJECT + OBJECT + VERB

In Kurdish, the verb comes at the end of the sentence. This is very important to remember!

Kurdish (SOV) Word-by-word English (SVO)
Ez nan dixwim. I + bread + eat I eat bread.
Tu pirtûk dixwînî. You + book + read You read a book.
Ew film dibîne. He/She + film + watches He/She watches a film.
Em muzîk guhdarî dikin. We + music + listen to We listen to music.
Hûn Kurdish hîn dibin. You (pl) + Kurdish + learn You learn Kurdish.
📌 Breaking Down the Structure:
Ez nan dixwim
I eat bread
Zarok top dilîze
The child plays ball
💡 Key Difference!

English: Subject + Verb + Object (SVO)
Kurdish: Subject + Object + Verb (SOV)

The verb always comes last in Kurdish!

2. Intransitive Verbs (No Object)
Subject - Verb

When there is no object (intransitive verbs), the structure is simply Subject + Verb.

SUBJECT + VERB
Kurdish Word-by-word English
Ez diçim. I + go I go.
Tu radizî. You + sleep You sleep.
Ew dikeve. He/She + falls He/She falls.
Em dimirin. We + die We die.
Hûn direwîn. You (pl) + run You run.
3. Adjective Position
Noun + Adjective

In Kurdish, adjectives come after the noun they describe, which is the opposite of English.

Kurdish Word-by-word English
pirtûkek baş book + good a good book
zarokek biçûk child + small a small child
maleke mezin house + big a big house
keçeke xweş girl + nice a nice girl
hevalek nû friend + new a new friend
📌 In Full Sentences:
Ez pirtûkek baş dixwînim.
I read a good book. (I + book good + read)
Ew maleke mezin dixwaze.
He/She wants a big house. (He/She + house big + wants)
Em zarokên biçûk dibînin.
We see small children. (We + children small + see)
4. Prepositional Phrases
Position in sentences

Prepositional phrases (like "at home", "to school") usually come before the verb but after the object (if there is one).

Kurdish Structure English
Ez li malê me. S + Prep.Phrase + V I am at home.
Ez dibistanê diçim. S + O + V I go to school.
Ez li dibistanê dixwînim. S + Prep.Phrase + V I read at school.
Ez pirtûk li dibistanê dixwînim. S + O + Prep.Phrase + V I read a book at school.
Ew bi hevalê xwe re diaxive. S + Prep.Phrase + V He/She talks with his/her friend.
📌 More Examples:
Ez ji malê têm.
I come from home.
Tu bi otobûsê diçî?
Do you go by bus?
Em li parkê dilîzin.
We play in the park.
5. Question Word Order
Interrogative words at the beginning

Question words (kî, çi, ku, kengî, etc.) usually come at the beginning of the sentence, but the verb still stays at the end.

Kurdish Structure English
Kî ye? Q.Word + V Who is it?
Çi dixwazî? Q.Word + V What do you want?
Tu li ku yî? S + Q.Word + V Where are you?
Tu çi dikî? S + Q.Word + V What are you doing?
Kengî tê? Q.Word + V When are you coming?
Çima tu naçî? Q.Word + S + V Why don't you go?
📌 Complex Questions:
Tu çi li dibistanê dixwînî?
What do you read at school? (You + what + at school + read?)
Ew kengî bo malê diçe?
When does he/she go home? (He/She + when + to home + goes?)
Hûn bi kî re diaxivin?
Who are you talking with? (You + with who + talk?)
6. Negative Sentence Structure
Negation prefixes on verbs

In negative sentences, the word order remains the same (SOV), but the verb takes a negative prefix (na-, ne-, nîn-, me-).

Positive Negative English
Ez diçim. Ez naçim. I go. / I don't go.
Tu dixwînî. Tu naxwînî. You read. / You don't read.
Ez çûm. Ez neçûm. I went. / I didn't go.
Ez im. Ez nînim. I am. / I am not.
Biçe! Meçe! Go! / Don't go!
💡 Important!

The word order doesn't change in negative sentences - only the verb gets a negative prefix!

7. Compound Sentences
Connecting clauses with conjunctions

When connecting two clauses, each clause maintains its own SOV structure. Common conjunctions include û (and), yan (or), lê/belê (but), ji ber ku (because).

Kurdish English
Ez dixwînim û tu dinivîsî. I read and you write.
Ez diçim yan ez dimêm. I go or I stay.
Ez dixwazim, lê ez nakarim. I want to, but I can't.
Ez naçim ji ber ku ez nexweş im. I don't go because I am sick.
Dema ku ez dixwînim, ez hêdî hêdî dixwînim. When I read, I read slowly.
📌 Complex Examples:
Ez pirtûk dixwînim û hevalê min muzîk guhdarî dike.
I read a book and my friend listens to music.
Eger tu bixwazî, em dikarin biçin.
If you want, we can go.
Ez dizanim ku tu baş î.
I know that you are good.
8. Time Expressions
Position in sentences

Time expressions can appear at the beginning or before the verb in a sentence.

Kurdish Position English
Îro ez diçim. Beginning Today I go.
Ez îro diçim. Before verb I go today.
Sibehê ez dibistanê diçim. Beginning In the morning I go to school.
Ez her roj pirtûk dixwînim. Before object I read a book every day.
Duh ez li malê bûm. Beginning Yesterday I was at home.
📌 Flexible Positioning:
Sibe ez dê biçim bazarê. = Ez sibe dê biçim bazarê.
Tomorrow I will go to the market. (Both are correct)
Êvarê em li malê ne. = Em êvarê li malê ne.
In the evening we are at home. (Both are correct)

Quick Reference: Word Order Rules

Structure Type Word Order Example
Basic sentence Subject + Object + Verb Ez nan dixwim.
Intransitive Subject + Verb Ez diçim.
Adjective Noun + Adjective pirtûkek baş
With preposition S + O + Prep.Phrase + V Ez pirtûk li malê dixwînim.
Question Q.Word + (S) + (O) + V Çi dixwazî?
Negative Same as positive (verb has prefix) Ez naçim.
Time expression Beginning or before verb Îro ez diçim.
📚 Summary:
  • Basic word order: Subject + Object + Verb (SOV)
  • Verb position: Always at the end of the sentence
  • Adjectives: Come after the noun (pirtûkek baş = book good)
  • Questions: Question word at beginning, verb still at end
  • Negatives: Same word order, verb gets negative prefix
  • Prepositional phrases: Usually before the verb
  • Time expressions: Flexible - beginning or before verb
  • Compound sentences: Each clause maintains SOV structure