Dari Grammar
The Subjunctive in Dari (بروم ، بگیرم )
In many ways, Dari grammar is quite simple and consistent. English speakers enjoy a built-in familiarity with it in that its verb tense patterns are quite similar to English. Here are some major differences though:
Dari has no separate progressive aspect. It conveys progressive (ing-construction), using idioms and participial phrases. In itself, this should not be a problem, but these idiomatic expressions are primarily colloquial and some speakers are reluctant to use them in formal situations and in writing. Gradually though colloquialism is becoming more and more acceptable. Here are two examples of the progressive workarounds:
قادر گفته راهی است
چه خنده داری
Qader keeps saying.
Why are you laughing?
Dari verb endings change for each of the six persons: three persons singular and three persons plural.
There is no gender in Dari, not even the pronouns “he” and “she.”
In Dari, the position of speaker and directions are a constant presence. Pronouns reflect this tendency. Thus این and آن (This and that) are very frequent pronouns.
In Dari, the distinction between animate and inanimate and human and non-human makes a larger difference than in English. Thus animate plural normally adds ان (aan) while inanimate plurals are formed with the suffix ها (haa).
Conditionals in Dari employ past as well as present tense. The contrary-to-fact conditionals (would have seen, might have worked) are not as varied and elaborate as in English. Dari has a clearly distinct habitual past or narrative past. This tense in its form mirrors the present habitual:
هر روز درس می خوانم
هر روز درس می خواندم
I study every day.
I would (used to) study every day.
Finally --and this makes a very important differences to second language learners—stress in Dari is most frequently on the last syllable. Thus while in English the stress in “America” is on the second syllable (me), in Dari the stress falls on the last syllable: kaa. amriKAA.
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