Meeting people in Kurdish
How are you, what is your name, where are you from, I like it: the first five minutes. Play the ten Kurdish words against the clock, with a note on how locals really use each one after every answer. All ten are written out below.
All 10 Kurdish phrases in this lesson
- Hûn çawa ne?HOON cha-WA ne
- How are you?
- Ez baş imez BASH im
- I'm fine, thanks
- Û tu?oo TU
- And you?
- Navê we çi ye?na-VE we CHI ye
- What's your name?
- Navê min ... yena-VE min ... ye
- My name is...
- Hûn ji ku ne?HOON zhi KU ne
- Where are you from?
- Ez ji ... meez zhi ... me
- I'm from...
- Ez jê hez dikimez zhe HEZ di-kim
- I like it
- Pir xweşik ePIR khwe-SHIK e
- It's beautiful
- Bi xêr hatîbi KHER ha-TEE
- Welcome
Hûn is the plural you, used exactly as the polite singular with elders and strangers. When in doubt, hûn. Çawa (how) is said "chawa".
Baş again. Ez baş im, spas, tu çawa yî? is a complete exchange and worth drilling as one unit; you will use it several times a day.
The two-word volley, or û hûn? in the polite form. Always return the question. A Kurdish greeting is an exchange, and stopping after your own answer reads as cold.
Polite form. Casual: "navê te çi ye?".
"Ez ji Kanadayê me", I'm from Canada.
Literally "you came with goodness". The reply is "bi xêr bimînî", may you stay well.