Moderator:vijayjohn
Rémy LeBeau wrote:Here is the way I am hoping this will work: Every week or fortnight I will post a conversation and some (very limited) key Pashto-specific vocabulary, and during the week anyone who is interested in learning can look over it and see what they make of it, post some notes about what they think it means and why.[/url].
A very nice idea, thanks. However, there's one thought I'd like to share - I thought about starting the normal way (ie. having everything explained) and moving on to guesswork once you've covered basic morphology. That could be more effective in terms of us actually learning something. Anyway, I do realize that what we do here is as much, or maybe more, about having fun, than learning, so please continue and I'll be glad join.
My translations below (I used to learn Pashto some time ago, so it is a bit unfair perhaps):
A. Pä kher rāghle. / په خېر راغلې۔
Welcome / Come in wellness.
B. Pä kher ose. / په خېر اوسې۔
Live in wellness
So this probably is a formulaic exchange like Turkish hos geldiniz - hos bulduk
A. Tsänga ye? Sehat de khä day? / څنګه یې؟ صحت دې ښه دئ؟
How are you(sg.)? Is the health good?
B. Sälāmat ose, tä tsänga ye? / سلامت اوسې، ته څنګه یې؟
Live peacefuly/healthily (= thanks), how are you yourself (ye = thou art; tä = thou).
A. Dä khudāy fazäl day, khä yäm. / د خدای فضل دئ، ښه یم۔
It's God's grace (=Thank God) I am good
A. Zmā noum John day. / زما نوم جان دئ۔
My (=zmā) name is John.
A. Ḏer wäbakha, stā noum tsä day? / ډېر وبخښه، ستا نوم څه دئ؟
Excuse me (Ḏer - very; wäbakha - forgive), what is your name?
B. Zmā noum Afzal day. / زما نوم افضل دئ۔
My name is Afzal
A. Tä dä koum dzāy ye? / ته د کوم ځای یې؟
Where are you from? (=Of which place are you)
B. Zä dä Afghānistān yäm. / زه د افغانستان یم۔
I'm from Afghanistan
B. Tä dä koum dzāy ye? / ته د کوم ځای یې؟
Where are you from?
A. Zä dä Amrīke yäm. / زه د امریکې یم۔
I'm from America.Try to figure out which words are verbs and try to notice any patterns such as verb endings.
Rémy LeBeau wrote:Wow peterlin, I didn't know you studied Pashto before!
I am trying to adapt the 'Michel Thomas method' to written format, which tries to teach not by drilling grammar, but by showing learners how to guess and logically construct sentences without wracking their head about the grammar, instead helping them get 'a feel' for how sentences are constructed and verbs are conjugated. The idea behind it is that if the learners notice the patterns themselves, it is much easier for them to internalize and remember.
Rémy LeBeau wrote:Haha Dari is much easier by miles! Are you gonna be taking part in the lessons?
Rémy LeBeau wrote:Here is a simple task to help you get used to using the two: For every sentence in the dialogue that uses a form of possessive, re-write it using the other possessive form that is available.
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