Verb 'bûn' (to be) in present tense

A1 — Lêker

The present of 'to be' as a short word after the predicate (im, î, e, in), its forms after a vowel, and where it goes in the sentence.

Can use the present of 'bûn' (im, î, e, in; after a vowel me, yî, ye, ne) in basic sentences

Examples

Ez xwendekar im. — I am a student.
Tu çawa yî? — How are you?
Ew mamosteyeke baş e. — She is a good teacher.

VerbsA1

Verb 'bûn' (to be) in present tense

The present of 'to be' as a short word after the predicate (im, î, e, in), its forms after a vowel, and where it goes in the sentence.

Learning Goal

Can use the present of 'bûn' (im, î, e, in; after a vowel me, yî, ye, ne) in basic sentences

Exam Skills:ListeningReadingWritingSpeaking

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

Ez xwendekar im.

I am a student.

Tu çawa yî?

How are you?

Ew mamosteyeke baş e.

She is a good teacher.

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

In the present tense, "to be" (bûn) is not a separate verb. It is a short word placed after the noun or adjective it belongs to, and written separately:

Person	After a consonant	After a vowel	Example
ez	im	me	Ez xwendekar im. - I'm a student.
tu	î	yî	Tu çawa yî? - How are you?
ew (sg.)	e	ye	Ew mamoste ye. - She's a teacher.
em	in	ne	Em ji Amedê ne. - We're from Amed (Diyarbakır).
hûn	in	ne	Hûn birçî ne? - Are you hungry?
ew (pl.)	in	ne	Ew xwendekar in. - They're students.

At the end, not in the middle

English puts "am / is / are" between the subject and what you say about it. Kurmanji puts the copula last: Ez Kurd im is literally "I Kurd am". The usual beginner error is to place it in the English slot, *Ez im Kurd. Think of it as a tag on the end of the sentence.

The vowel rule matters: after a word ending in a vowel, the forms with y or n keep the sounds apart. Compare Ew mezin e (He is big) with Ew bira ye (He is a brother), and Ez li vir im (I'm here) with Ez li malê me (I'm at home).

No article, no "a"

Jobs and nationalities take no article: Ez bijîşk im - I'm a doctor. Ew ne mamoste ye - She isn't a teacher: the negative puts ne before the predicate (see the negation topic).

In questions nothing moves; the voice rises: Tu westiyayî yî? - Are you tired?

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

Practice Exercises

English speakers put the copula in the English slot (*Ez im Kurd) or leave it out. It comes last and is written as a short separate word: Ez Kurd im, Tu baş î, Ew mamoste ye. After a vowel the forms are me, yî, ye, ne: Ez li malê me.

Common Error Patterns

Putting the copula in the English slot (*Ez im Kurd) instead of after the predicate

The copula comes last, written as its own short word: Ez Kurd im (not *Ez im Kurd). After a vowel it is me, yî, ye, ne: Ez mamoste me.

Ez xwendekar im.

I am a student.

Ez = I. Xwendekar = student. Im = am: the copula is written as a separate short word after the noun.

Tu çawa yî?

How are you?

Tu = you. Yî = are (after a vowel; after a consonant it is î). Çawa = how. The most common Kurdish greeting.

Ew mamosteyeke baş e.

She is a good teacher.

Ew = she. Mamoste = teacher. -yeke = a (indefinite). Baş = good. E = is.

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1. Greetings and introductions

Frequently asked questions

When do you use Verb 'bûn' (to be) in present tense?: In the present tense, "to be" ( bûn ) is not a separate verb. It is a short word placed after the noun or adjective it belongs to, and written separately:
How do you form Verb 'bûn' (to be) in present tense?: English puts "am / is / are" between the subject and what you say about it. Kurmanji puts the copula last: Ez Kurd im is literally "I Kurd am". The usual beginner error is to place it in the English slot, *Ez im Kurd . Think of it as a tag on the end of the sentence. The vowel rule matters: after a word ending in a vowel, the forms with y or n keep the sounds apart. Compare Ew mezin e (He is big) with Ew bira ye (He is a brother), and Ez li vir im (I'm here) with Ez li malê me (I'm at home). Jobs and nationalities take no article: Ez bijîşk im - I'm a doctor. Ew ne mamoste ye - She isn't a teacher: the negative puts ne before the predicate (see the negation topic).
What are common mistakes with Verb 'bûn' (to be) in present tense?: English speakers put the copula in the English slot (*Ez im Kurd) or leave it out. It comes last and is written as a short separate word: Ez Kurd im, Tu baş î, Ew mamoste ye. After a vowel the forms are me, yî, ye, ne: Ez li malê me.

Person

After a consonant

After a vowel

Example

Ez xwendekar im. - I'm a student.

yî

Tu çawa yî? - How are you?

ew (sg.)

Ew mamoste ye. - She's a teacher.

Em ji Amedê ne. - We're from Amed (Diyarbakır).

hûn

Hûn birçî ne? - Are you hungry?

ew (pl.)

Ew xwendekar in. - They're students.

Frequently asked questions

When do you use Verb 'bûn' (to be) in present tense?

In the present tense, "to be" ( bûn ) is not a separate verb. It is a short word placed after the noun or adjective it belongs to, and written separately:

How do you form Verb 'bûn' (to be) in present tense?

English puts "am / is / are" between the subject and what you say about it. Kurmanji puts the copula last: Ez Kurd im is literally "I Kurd am". The usual beginner error is to place it in the English slot, *Ez im Kurd . Think of it as a tag on the end of the sentence. The vowel rule matters: after a word ending in a vowel, the forms with y or n keep the sounds apart. Compare Ew mezin e (He is big) with Ew bira ye (He is a brother), and Ez li vir im (I'm here) with Ez li malê me (I'm at home). Jobs and nationalities take no article: Ez bijîşk im - I'm a doctor. Ew ne mamoste ye - She isn't a teacher: the negative puts ne before the predicate (see the negation topic).

What are common mistakes with Verb 'bûn' (to be) in present tense?