Dari: I eat

A

adorobrasil

Senior Member
Chicago
American English-Midwest
My Afghan friend seems to be telling me that 'I eat' is 'KHOR-dom', but my Beginning Dari textbook gives the impression that present tense verbs have the prefix 'me'. Is that correct or is the 'me' prefix optional/variable?
 
    • 'KHOR-dom' means I ate. Your textbook is correct.

    PS. Since this forum deals with different languages, it would be nice of you to indicate the language in the thread title.
     
    Sorry about not identifying the language as Dari. I'm still not used to a forum with multiple languages. So, it is correct that ALL present tenses have the 'me' prefix?
     
    adorobrasil said:
    Sorry about not identifying the language as Dari. I'm still not used to a forum with multiple languages. So, it is correct that ALL present tenses have the 'me' prefix?
    Click to expand...
    As far as the indicative is concerned, yes, they have the ''me'' prefix
     
    Certain verbs like daashtan don't normally take the 'me-' prefix in the present tense, so "I have" is daaram and not *medaaram (except in certain circumstances). Otherwise as agha-ye Marrish said the present indicative will usually have the 'me-' prefix.
     
    adorobrasil said:
    Sorry about not identifying the language as Dari. I'm still not used to a forum with multiple languages. So, it is correct that ALL present tenses have the 'me' prefix?
    Click to expand...

    The prefix "me" is not restricted only to the present tense. The function of "me" is to provide habit, continuance and even condition. It is best to illustrate this with examples.

    Rustam's horse grazes in a field everyday.

    asp-i-Rustam dar maidaane har roz me-charad.

    The truth is this that it is grazing now.

    Haqiiqat iin ast kih aan aknuun me-charad.

    When I went out I saw that Rustam's horse was grazing.

    waqte kih beruun raftam, diidam kih asp-i-Rustam me-chariid.

    Rustan's horse always grazed/used to graze in a large field.

    asp-i-Rustam hameshah dar maidaane buzurg me-chariid.

    Rustam's horse grazed all day long!

    asp-i-Rustam hamah-i-roz me-chariid!

    If Rustam's horse had grazed all day, surely it would not have been hungry any more!

    agar asp-i-Rustam hamah-i-roz me-chariid, yaqiin-an gurusnah na-me buud.

    If Rustam were rich, he would give his horse to a poor person.

    agar Rustam tavaan-gar me-buud, uu asp-i-xud raa bah kase tang-Haal me-daad.

    O how I wish I had a horse.

    ai kaash man aspe (me)-daashtam
     
    Last edited:
    You must log in or register to reply here.
    Back
    Top