Pashto is a semi-ergative language because it has ergative construction in the past and other perfect tenses only when the verb is transitive, taking a direct object. In this case the verb agrees with the object in number and gender. The subject is in the oblique case. For example:

I read this book
Ma da ketab wolwust/wolwustalo
ما دا کیتاب ولوست/ولوستلو

In the above sentence, the verb “wolwust” agrees with the object “ketab”. Ketab is masculine singular, if I change it to masculine plural, the verb will change with it, as seen in the sentence below:

I read those books
Ma da ketaboona wolwostal
ما دا کیتابونه ولوستل

You ate an apple
Ta yawa manna wahkwarala
تا یوه مڼه وخوړله

In the above sentence, the object which is apple is feminine singular, the verb wahkwarala agrees in number in gender with the object. Let’s change the object into feminine plural and see how the verb changes accordingly:

You ate apples
Ta manni wahkwarali
تا مڼې وخوړلې

In Pashto, every noun has a number and gender and the suffix of verb changes with number and gender. You’ll want to recognize and memorize the endings:

• و is used at the end of the verb when the object is masculine singular
• ل is used at the end of the verb when the object is masculine plural
• ه is used at the end of the verb when the object is feminine singular
• ې is used at the end of the verb when the object is feminine plural

Note: In the past perfective, the ل before و can be dropped (synthesised) when the object of the sentence is masculine singular or feminine singular.

     

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Imperfective Mood

The imperfective mood is used to express a regularity or continuity of the verb action.  It also points to the progressive nature of the action of the verb.

In reality the imperfective mood is the ‘base’ form of the verb in either the present or past tenses without any prefixes to the stem (see notes on syllable stress).

Perfective Mood

The indicator of the perfective mood is a و prefix to the stem of the verb (see notes on syllable stress).

کول       has the perfective form of      کړل

کېدل      has the perfective form of      شول

The perfective mood is used:

1. When describing actions that have been completed (even if they are regular events). For example, when you describe someone’s daily schedule on a particular day, you would use the perfective. If you are describing their schedule every day of their life (or of a long period), you would use the imperfective mood.
2. To indicate completing an action before doing something else

کله چې وخورم نو بيا به ځو

When I eat (have finished eating) then we will go.

3. For the verb of the second clause of a sentence following چې

زه غواړم چې وخورم

I want to eat

Note: in this type of sentence in which the perfective mood is used for the second verb, this would always be in the present tense irrespective of the tense of the verb in the first clause)

ما ته څه راکړۀ چې و يې خورم

Give me something to eat

Hint: it’s fair to say that if there are two verb infinitives being used in the English sentence, then the perfective mood will be used for the second verb in the Pashto.

4. As an indication of compulsion (should, must, ought to, have to)

زه بايد وخورم

I must/have to eat

زه اړيم چې وخورم

I must/have to eat

زه مجبور يم چې وخورم

I must/have to eat

5.  Commonly used in questions when the interrogative is “should…?”

زه تا ووهم؟

Should I hit you?

Syllable Stress

As previously stated, the imperfective mood is the ‘base’ form of the verb in past and present tense without any kind of marker. In fact, when pronouncing the verb, the position of the stress indicates either the imperfective or the perfective mood. This is necessary because some verbs cannot take the و which is the normal indicator for the perfective mood. Generally, the verbs that cannot take this are derived forms of verbs (see notes) from کول and کېدل  and verbs that have two segments.

کښېناستل

to sit

څملاستل

to lie down

Note: When a verb is in the perfective mood then the stress is placed at the start of the verb. This holds true if the verb has the perfective marker or not. To indicate the Imperfective Mood the stress is placed at the end of the verb.

       

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In the above proverb, “tongue” refers not to the body part, but one’s language or speech—indicative of the role and importance of spoken words in the Pashtun culture.

Pashtun people are very sensitive about word choice. There is no place for diplomacy; they are either very polite or very harsh. Most of their social transactions are carried out by word of mouth. They buy and sell, take and give, and enter into relationships all by word of mouth. They don’t keep any written records nor do they feel bound by any paper deal unless it is done through verbal commitment. Hence the importance of language cannot be over emphasized in Pashtun society.

بي ژبې سړۍ
Bi zcbi sara
“A man without words”
A person who doesn’t keep his or her word is like one without a tongue. In Pashto language, there is no marked difference between language and the physical tongue, it depends upon the context. In this context, a man without a language employs a man without a tongue, in simple words, a man with no words of its own. A man who can’t keep his words loses his honour and place in the Pashtun society.

Again, in Pashtun culture, honour occupies a cardinal place, it’s something that a Pashtun values more than life and wealth. Khushal Khan Khatak, a legendary pashto poet reckons to a Pashtun honour in these words:
په خپل ننګ او نام چې راشم لیونی شم
ننګیالی د زمانې خوشال خټک یم
Pa khpal nang ao naam chi rasham lewanayi sham
Nangyalay da zamani khushal khatam yum
“I lose my mind when it comes to my name and honour”
“I am the bravest (honourable) the one and only Khushal Khan khatak”

Pashto literature is overburdened with phrases for honour, bravery and loyalty which are expressed through word of mouth. In another Pashto proverb, the importance of spoken words is described in these words.

پښتون په ژبه مسلمان دی
Pashtun pa czba musalmaan day
“Pashtun is Muslim because of verbal commitment”
Pashtuns are considered staunch and uncompromising Muslims, mainly because Pashtuns think that their forefathers gave a verbal allegiance to Islam and they are bound to remain loyal to Islam.
When someone tries to understand Pashtun or the culture of the Pashtun, he/s can’t miss out the vital importance of spoken commitment or spoken words in this culture.

       

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In the above proverb, the love of traditions and conventions is described to be more essential for a Pashtun than the love of the village they are born in. In some ways, it can be the equivalent of the old English adage “when in Rome, do as the Romans do” but the intensity and meaning of the Pashto proverb is quite different. It says that one can’t give up the conventions of their village even after one moves to another part of the world.

Pashtuns live in tribal society, in which a village is considered to be a unit of families. In villages, Pashtuns live like a family; they know each other by names and clans, help each other in time of need, and share food and other daily necessities. This relationship is called غم ښادي (gham khadi). Pashtuns have a natural love for the village in which they are born and raised, and usually only leave their village when they feel a threat to their life.

غم ښادي (Gham Khadhi)

This literally means “sadness and happiness” and refers to celebration of sad and happy events in the social life of a Pashtun. A good example would be a wedding celebration in which the whole village participate in a way like close family members do. Similarly, if someone dies, the whole village gets together in the village hall called هوجره (hujra) to pray for the departed soul. Participation and collective celebration of these events is extremely important to Pashtuns, a way of life which is known as Gham Khadi. It is unthinkable to live in a Pashtun society without attending these gatherings.

رواج (Revaaj)

Revaaj means conventions or unwritten rules which regulate social order in a Pashtun society. Pashtuns strictly adhere to revaaj even if they are in conflict with the law of the land. This word can be used to mean “custom” in Hindi, Persian, Arabic and Urdu. In Pashto, it specifically refers to the Pashtun way of life.

پښتونولي (Pashtunwali)

A good Pashtun is one who strictly adheres to the Pashtun code of life which is called  پښتونولي (Pashtunwali). These are conventions but they have a vigilant social censure behind them which make them impossible to be broken by a Pashtun. A Pashtun is expected to respect these conventions even if he/she is no more residing in a Pashtun society.
د کلي ووځه خو له نرخه مه وځه

     

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…but we’ll be back! As you may have noticed, the Pashto blog is currently on hiatus. In the meantime, we encourage you to look through the blog archives to keep the Pashto vocabulary, grammar, and culture fresh in your mind.

If you or someone you know would be interested in contributing to the Pashto blog, please contact us at TLsocial(at)transparent.com with “Pashto Blogger” in the subject line.

Until we return, happy language learning!

      

Welcome to our guide to Afghanistan.  You may be going to Afghanistan on business, for a visit or even hosting Afghani colleagues or clients in your own country. Remember this is only a very basic level introduction and is not meant to stereotype all Afghanis you may meet.

When meeting someone the handshake is the most common form of greeting. You will also see people place their hands over their hearts and nod slightly. One should always inquire about things like a person’s health, business, family, etc. Women and men will never shake hands let alone speak directly to one another. Eye contact should also be avoided between men and women. Between men eye contact is acceptable as long as it is not prolonged – it is best to only occasionally look someone in the eyes.

Hospitality is an essential aspect of Afghan culture, no matter whom you are, if you visit a home you will be given the best the family has. This relates back to the idea of gaining honour; if you are invited for tea, which you inevitably will be, you will be offered snacks and your tea glass will be constantly filled. When you have had enough cover the glass with your hand and say “bus” (meaning ‘enough’).

1-      Ahmad: Hello

احمد: اسلام علیکم

2-      Mahmud: Hello, How are you? Are you good?

محمود: وعلیکم سلام څنګه یاست؟ ښه یاست؟

3-      Ahmad: Thanks to God, (I am good) How about you?

احمد: شکر دی. تاسی څنګه یاست؟

4-      Mahmud: Thanks, I am good.

محمود: مننه ښه یم

5-      Ahmad: What is your name?

احمد: ستاسو نوم څه دی؟

6-      Mahmud: My name is Mahmud.

محمود: زما نوم محمود

7-      Ahmad: Mahmud, My name is Ahmad, nice to meet you.

احمد: محمود، زما نوم احمد دی. خوشحاله شوم

8-      Mahmud: nice to meet you too. Where are you from?

محمود: زه هم خوشحاله شوم. تاسی د کوم ځای یاست؟

9-      Ahmad: I am from America.

احمد: زه د امریکا یمه

10-  Mahmud: I am an Afghan.                                                        محمود: زه افغان یم

       

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Tabla is the most famous percussion music instrument in Afghanistan. It is most commonly used in Afghanistan classical music (موسيقي), but its versatility in all musical styles (عبارتونو) has enabled it to become the most popular percussion instrument. The level of sophistication and tonal beauty (ښايست) it possesses has elevated the instrument to an unmatched status in the world of percussion. Tabla, a set of two drums, is the modern caretaker (غمخوري) of an ancient rhythmic tradition (دود او دستور) that is perhaps 5000 years old in a part of the world that is considered a birthplace (پيدايښ ځائي) of civilization.

History (تاريخچه)

The history of classical music in Afghanistan is considered to be at least 500 – (۵۰۰) years (کال) old as represented by a continuum of musicians passing the music down in the oral tradition. As one of the oldest musical traditions in the world (نړۍ), there are qualities that many feel bridge (پول) the gap from the divine aspect (اړخ) of the creation of sound itself to musical expression (څرگندۍ). Tabla were invented(پيدا کړه) in the first half of the 18th century (about 1738) by a drummer named Amir Khusru, who was instructed to develop a more subtle and melodic (خوږژبى) percussion instrument that could accompany the new style of music called Khayal. That style, with tabla accompaniment, is the basis of the modern performances (اداکول) of Afghanistan classical music.

 Description of Tabla (د طبلی سپړنه  )

The tabla is a set of two (دوه) drums that are played while sitting on the floor (ځمکه). The larger drum, called Bam (بم), was originally made from clay, but is now constructed of metal (bras, steel, or copper). The right-hand drum is called the Zeal (ذیل), and is made of a seasoned hard wood. Each drum has two layers of goatskin (پوستكې وزه) stretched across its top to provide a playing surface. The top layer is cut in a circle around the rim, and the bottom layer stretches across the entire drum. The most unique (بې سارې) aspect of tabla construction is the application of an iron and rice paste that is placed in a circle on top of the drum head. That black paste is called the Shyahi (سیاهی/ توری) and, once it is dried, it allows for sound possibilities that are not found on any other drum in the world.

Tabla Sounds (د طبلې غږ)

Na, Tin, Tun, Tete, Ge, Ki or Ke, Na + Ge = Dha, Tin + Ge = Dhin, Dheretere

Please see the video below. (in this video they explain some parts of Tabla in Hindi)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Icwjd_qpZA

       

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