a-practical-kurdish-grammar

112 A PRACTICAL KURDISH GRAMMAR
amples: *j.> iLjjI (awista da-b-(i)m) 'now I become',
' ^^i t-jjl (awista da-b-i) 'now thou becomest', ^ji U
(awista da-b-e) 'now he, she, it becomes', etc.
276. The above form of the verb 'to be' is called the suf¬
fix form. There is also an independent or more emphatic form
of the verb 'to be', denoting 'existence'. It is only found in
two tenses, the present and the preterite, and it has no indi¬
vidual negative forms. The present tense is conjugated thus:
Singular Plural
(^ ^l(amin ha-m) -^a cLol (ama ha-in)
I am (I exist)
^_jA yl(atii ha-i) thou art
we are (we exist)
^^ii jXJ!(angö ha-n) you are
4^ jKaii ha-ya) he, she, it is (j|_jl(awan ha-n) they are
277. The 3rd person singular, or a^ (ha-ya), when not
connected with the personal pronoun jl (aii), signifies 'there
is', or 'there exists', and the 3rd person plural, or ^a (ha-n),
when not connected with the pronoun ^jl_jl (awan), signifies
'there are'. Example . 4»a J\) jjj (zor nan ha-ya) 'there is
much bread' ;^4, ^S d^\(E,a\ak kas ha-n)' there are many
persons', etc.
Note. As to the reason why the 3rd. person singular ends in I (a)
or "^(ya), and not in(_5(e) or o (a), as the verbs otherwise usually do,
see 198. Also notice that it is the same when appended to iiouns or ad¬
jectives.
Present Tense, negatively
Singular Singular
pt* O^' (amin ni-m) I am not
(J y^ (atii n-i) thou art not
n^ y\ (amin na-b-(i)m)
I do not become