Lesson No 1

For the learning of any language including Pashto there are 3 main prerequisites

1. Grammar.2 Vocabulary 3. Communication or Practice.

GRAMMAR

Pashto Subject Pronouns

I زه ZA.
WE مونږ/موږ MONG/J.
YOU SINGULAR ته TA
YOU PLURAL تاسو TASO.
HE/SHE هغه HAGHA.
THEY هغوی HAGHOI

VOCABULARY

ZA HALAK/ZANKAY YAM
I am a boy. زه هلک یم (halak, zankey, urhkey etc are geosynonyms for boy in Pashto)


ZA JINAI YAM
I am a girl. زه جنئِي یم (other geosynonyms for JINAI are jinkai, injlai etc)

YAM یم AM

COMMUNICATION

How are you?.څرنګه /څنګه یی sanga ye? / saranga ye ?

I'm fine زه ښه یم za kha/sha yam

GENERAL

There are two main dialects in Pashto language.

Hard dialect: spoken in areas like Peshawar, Mardan, Swat, Malakand, Dir, Kohat, Paracinar, Jalalabad, Bajawar, Mohmand, Khyber,etc mainly in northern part of Pashto speaking areas. Here the pure Pashto words are pronounced as kh and g not sh and j if the

The word for fine is pronounced as kha not sha. The word for beard is pronounced as gira not jira.

Soft dialect: Spoken in Kandahar and ares like Banu, Karak, Waziristan, Baluchistan, Paktya etc. Here the above sounds are pronounced as sh and g . Fine is sha here and beard is jira here.

I will try for your orientation of both the dialects or accents.THERE IS NOTHING TO DO SPECIAL .Often the symbol/ in this course denotes the difference of dialects. However it is not necessary to learn both the dialects as both are easily mutually intelligible. Accents of Qandahar and Peshawar or Mardan are the standard accents through out the world.

Remember that both the dialects are written in the same script . Thats why you see special Pashto letters for khe and ghe.