Kurmanji Grammar Series — Lesson 06. Learn the present tense (Dema Niha) in Kurmanji Kurdish through English explanations, Kurdish grammar terminology, full conjugation tables, dialogues and exercises. Download the illustrated four-page PDF guide and workbook.
Learning goals — Armancên fêrbûnê
Learn to form the present indicative, choose person endings, negate statements, ask questions, distinguish direct and oblique pronouns in present transitive clauses, and recognize irregular verbs.
1. Present tense — Dema niha
The present indicative can express habitual actions, current events and general truths. Ez her roj dixwînim. means “I read every day”; Ez niha dixwînim. means “I am reading now.” Kurmanji does not require the same simple/progressive contrast as English.
2. Formation — Avakirina dema niha
For many verbs, a useful teaching pattern is di- + present stem + agreement ending. The infinitive xwendin (read/study) has the present stem xwîn-: di-xwîn-im → dixwînim. This pattern does not apply mechanically to every verb.
3. Personal endings — Dawiyên kesane
The conjugation of xwendin illustrates person/number marking. Notice that first, second and third plural use the same verb form; the subject pronoun distinguishes the participant.
| Pronoun | Present verb | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ez | dixwînim | I read |
| tu | dixwînî | you read |
| ew | dixwîne | he/she reads |
| em | dixwînin | we read |
| hûn | dixwînin | you (plural) read |
| ew | dixwînin | they read |
4. Present stems — Rehên dema niha
Learn present stems with their infinitives rather than assuming they are formed by simply deleting -in. Common pairs include xwendin → xwîn-, dîtin → bîn-, kirin → k-, xwarin → xw-, and nivîsîn → nivîs-.
| Infinitive | Present stem | Example |
|---|---|---|
| xwendin | xwîn- | dixwînim |
| dîtin | bîn- | dibînim |
| kirin | k- | dikim |
| xwarin | xw- | dixwim |
| nivîsîn | nivîs- | dinivîsim |
5. Affirmative sentences — Hevokên erênî
Kurmanji commonly places the verb after its complements: Ez kitêbê dixwînim. (I read the book); Tu nanê dixwî. (You eat the bread); Em kurdî diaxivin. (We speak Kurdish). In present transitive clauses, a definite object is often oblique.
6. Negation — Neyînî
For many regular present-indicative forms, na- replaces di-: Ez dixwînim → Ez naxwînim. (I read → I do not read); Tu dibînî → Tu nabînî. (You see → You do not see); Ew dinivîse → Ew nanivîse. (He/she writes → does not write). Other tenses and moods use different negation patterns.
| Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|
| Ez dixwînim. | Ez naxwînim. |
| Tu dibînî. | Tu nabînî. |
| Ew dinivîse. | Ew nanivîse. |
7. Questions — Pirs
A yes/no question may use intonation: Tu dixwînî? (Do you read?/Are you reading?). Question words include çi (what), kengî (when) and li ku (where). Examples: Tu çi dixwînî? (What are you reading?); Tu kengî dixwînî? (When do you read?).
8. Transitive clauses and case — Rewşa lêkerên gerguhêz
In a typical present transitive clause, the agent is direct and the object oblique: Ez te dibînim. (I see you). The contrast with the past transitive Min tu dîtî. (I saw you) illustrates Kurmanji split alignment. The full past-tense system is addressed in Lesson 07.
9. Intransitive verbs — Lêkerên negerguhêz
Intransitive verbs do not take a direct object in their basic frame. Ez diçim. (I go/am going); Tu têyî. (You come/are coming); Ew radizê. (He/she sleeps). The verbs çûn, hatin and razan show why the regular di- formula is not universal.
10. High-frequency special verbs — Lêkerên taybet
Common forms include ez diçim (I go), ez têm (I come), and ez dikarim (I can). Karîn and other modal constructions will receive a separate lesson.
11. The present copula — Pêvebera dema niha
The copula uses endings attached to a predicate rather than the regular di- verb pattern: Ez baş im. (I am well); Tu baş î. (You are well); Ew baş e. (He/she is well); Em baş in. (We are well).
12. Time expressions — Peyvên demê
Useful expressions are niha (now), her roj (every day), îro (today), carinan (sometimes) and gelek caran (often/many times). These help determine whether the present is ongoing or habitual.
13. Dialogues — Axaftin
A: Tu çi dikî? (What are you doing?) B: Ez kitêbê dixwînim. (I am reading the book.) A: Tu her roj dixwînî? (Do you read every day?) B: Erê, ez her roj dixwînim. (Yes, I read every day.)
A: Tu kurdî diaxivî? (Do you speak Kurdish?) B: Erê, ez kurdî diaxivim. (Yes, I speak Kurdish.)
14. Frequent mistakes — Çewtiyên gelemperî
Do not use an infinitive in place of a finite verb; do not assume every present stem is predictable; do not insert di- into the present copula; do not use the same person ending with every pronoun; and do not confuse English progressive aspect with a separate obligatory Kurmanji tense.
15. Exercises — Rahênan
A. Complete: Ez dixwîn__; tu dixwîn__; ew dixwîn__; em dixwîn__.
B. Negate: Ez dixwînim; tu dibînî; ew dinivîse.
C. Translate into Kurmanji: “I read every day”; “Are you reading?”; “We speak Kurdish”; “I do not see you.”
D. Give the present stems of xwendin, dîtin, nivîsîn, xwarin.
E. Explain how the same present form can express a habit and an ongoing action.
F. Which contains a copula: dixwîne or baş e?
16. Answer key — Bersiv
A. -im, -î, -e, -in.
B. Ez naxwînim; tu nabînî; ew nanivîse.
C. Ez her roj dixwînim; Tu dixwînî?; Em kurdî diaxivin; Ez te nabînim.
D. xwîn-, bîn-, nivîs-, xw-.
E. Context and time expressions distinguish habitual and ongoing meanings.
F. baş e contains a copular ending.
17. Sources and limitations — Çavkanî
Recommended grammar references: W. M. Thackston, Kurmanji Kurdish: A Reference Grammar (2006); Geoffrey Haig and Ergin Öpengin’s (2018) linguistic research on Kurdish; and Geoffrey Haig’s descriptive work on Northern Kurdish. Examples follow a standard-oriented teaching variety; dialect variation remains possible. A proficient Kurmanji editor can provide further native-speaker review.
18. Next lesson — Dersa pêş
Lesson 07 will cover the Past Tense (Dema Borî), including the relationship between case and verb agreement. Future lessons will treat future, perfect and modal constructions separately.
Free workbook: Download Lesson 06 — Present Tense (Dema Niha) PDF.
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