Determiners
Determiners are words that we can put in front of nous to express which nouns we are talking about. In Pashto we can use these words like these as determiners:
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کوم - koom (which / some / certain)
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هر - har (every / each)
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ټول - Tol (all / the whole)
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هیڅ - heets (no / none)
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بل - bul (other)
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داسې - dáase (such, like this)
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دغسې - daghase (just such, just like this)
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هسې - háse (such, like that)
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هغسې - haghase (just such, just like that)
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دا - daa (this / these)
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دغه - dágha (this / these)
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هغه - hágha (that / those)
Notice that there is no definate article "the" in Pashto.
In this chapter we'll look at a bunch of examples of how these determiners are used. The bottom three are special words we'll call demonstratives, and we'll look at those in the next chapter.
When used with questions, the word کوم - koom means "which" or "what."
دا کوم کتاب دی؟
daa koom kitaab day?
Which book is this?
کوم خلک هلته اوسېږي؟
koom khalk halta oséGee?
Which people live there?
کوم ځای ته څې؟
koom dzaay ta dze?
Which place are you going to?
ته د کوم ځای یې؟
tu du koom dzaay ye?
Where are you from?
(lit. 'Of which place are you?')
With statements, the word کوم - koom means "some" or "(a) certain."
هلته کوم سړی ناست دی
halta koom saRáy naast day.
Some guy is sitting there.
statement
هلته کوم سړی ناست دی؟
halta koom saRáy naast day?
Which guy is sitting there?
question
کوم کور ونړېد
koom kor óonaRed
A certain home was destroyed
statement
کوم کور ونړېد؟
koom kor óonaRed?
Which home was destroyed
question
The word کوم - koom inflects just like any other pattern #1 word. It will inflect to agree with the noun it is attached to, just like we would with an adjective attached to a noun.
Inflections
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|
| Plain | | |
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| 1st | | |
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| 2nd | |
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هلته کومه ښځه ناسته ده.
halta kóoma xúdza náasta da
Some woman is sitting there.
(fem. sing. plain)
هلته کومې ښځې ناستې دي؟
halta kóome xúdze naaste dee?
Which women are sitting there?
(fem. inflected - plural)
له کومې ښځې سره خبرې کوې؟
la kóome xúdze sara khabure kawe?
Which woman are you talking with?
(fem. sing. inflected - sandwich)
کومې ښځې ته ووهلې؟
kóome xúdze tu óowahule?
Which woman hit you?
(fem. sing. inflected - subject of past tense trans.)
له کومو ښځو سره خبرې کوې؟
la kóomo xúdzo sara khabure kawe?
Which women are you talking with?
(fem. double inflected - plural, sandwich)
کومو ښځو ته ووهلې
kóomo xúdzo tu óowahule?
Which women hit you?
(fem. double inflected - plural, subject of past tense trans.)
دا پیسې کومو خلکو ته ځي؟
daa paysé kóomo khálko ta dzee?
Which people does that money go to?
(masc. double inflected - plural, sandwich)
کومو ماشومانو ته ووهلې؟
kóomo maashoomáano tu óowahule?
Which children hit you?
(masc. double inflected - plural, subject of past tense trans.)
We use the word هر - har (every / each) when we want to talk about every one of some noun.
هر ماشوم دلته راشي
har maashóom dálta ráashee
Every child should come here
دلته هر کتاب مفت دی
dálta har kitáab mUft day
Every book here is free
زما هر ملګری وفادار دی
zmaa har malgúray wafaadáar day
Every one of my friends is faithful
This word also inflects just like any other pattern #1 word.
Inflections
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|
| Plain | | |
|---|
| 1st | | |
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| 2nd | |
|---|
هره ماشومه دلته راشي
hára maashóoma dálta ráashee
Every (female) child should come here
Fem. sing. plain
هغه هرې ښځې ته دا خبره کوي
haghá háre xúdze ta daa khabura kawee
She says that to every woman
Fem. sing. inflected - sandwich
هرې ښځې ته تکلیف لیدلی دی
háre xúdze takléef leedúlay day
Every woman has seen difficulty
Fem. sing. inflected - subj. of past tense trans.
دا ستونزه په هرو خلکو کې شته
daa stóonza pu háro khálko ke shta
That problem exists in every people.
Double inflection - 'people' is plural and in a sandwich
Notice that this word is usually used with singular nouns, but it can be used with plural group nouns like خلک - khalk (people) if we want to talk about each group, each of which is plural.
We use the determiner word ټول - Tol to talk about all or the whole of something. This also inflects just like any other pattern #1 word.
Inflections
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|
| Plain | | |
|---|
| 1st | | |
|---|
| 2nd | |
|---|
ټول کلی خبر شو
Tol kúlay khabúr sho
The whole village found out
ټوله دنیا تا پېژني
Tóla dUnyáa taa pejzunee
The whole world knows you
Fem sing. plain
ټولې ښځې تا پېژني
Tóle xúdze taa pejzunee
All the women know you
Fem inflected - plural
ټولو ښځو ته ولیدې
Tóle xúdze tu óoleede
All the women saw you
Double inflection - plural and subj. of past tense trans.
دا شعر ټولو ملګرو ته ډالۍ وي
daa shi'r Tólo malgúro ta Daalúy wee
May this poem be dedicated to all friends
Double inflected - plural and sandwich
We use the word هیڅ - heets or هېڅ - hets with negative phrases to say "no / none" of something. It's kind of like an emphasizing double negative.
دلته هیڅ روغتون نشته
dálta heets roghtóon núshta
There's no hosptial here
زه هیڅ تعلیم نه لرم
zu heets ta'léem nu larúm
I don't have any education
له دغه سړي نه هیځ خیر نه راځي
la dághu saRée na heets khayr nu raadzee
No good comes from that man
هیڅ خبره نشته
heets khabúra nishta
It's nothing, no problem
The word هیڅ - heets does not inflect.
We use the determiner word بل - bul to talk about the 'other' or 'another' something or someone. This word does inflect.
Inflections
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|
| Plain | | |
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| 1st | | |
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| 2nd | |
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ستا بل کور چېرته دی؟
staa bul kor cherta day?
Where's your other house
بلې ښځې سره خبرې کوي
búle xúdze sara khabúre kawee
She's talking with another woman
بلې خوا ته ورشه
bule khwaa ta wársha
Go to the other side
بلې ښځې زه ولیدلم
búle xudze ze óoleedulum
The other woman saw me
The words داسې - daase and هسې - hase can be used to mean "such" or "like this" and "like that," respectively.
زه داسې کتاب غواړم
zu dáase kitáab ghwáaRum
I want a book like that
زه داسې خلکو سره خبرې نه کوم
zu daase khalko sara khabúre nu kawum
I don't talk with such people
هسې سړی نه دی
hase saRay nu day
He's not that kind of guy
Note: the word هسې - háse is also very, very often used as an adverb meaning "just," "for no reason," or "in vain."
For an extra degree of emphasis or specificity you can use the words دغسې - daghase (just like this) or هغسې - hagháse (just like that)
زه دغسې کتاب غواړم
zu daghase kitáab ghwáaRum
I want a book just like that
هغسې ماشومه وه
haghase maashóoma wa
She was a child just like that
Many of these determiners can be used together, and in different orders.
زه به دا شی کوم داسې ملګري ته ورکړم
zu ba daa shay koom daase malgúray ta wárkRum
I will give this thing to some such friend
ما هیڅ داسې کوم شی نه دی لیکلی
maa heets dáase koom shay nu day leekúlay
I didn't write any such thing like that
Usually these determiners go before the quantifiers of a noun, but some of these determiners like داسې - dáase, and دغسې - dagháse can go before or after the quantifier.
Also note a lot of these can also function as adverbs, which function differently than determiners.
