Many recorded Genç Zazaki vocabulary sentences correspond to English clauses such as “it is a tree” and “they are legs.” In Zazaki, the equivalent of English be is usually not a separate word. It appears at the right edge of the predicate, the part of the clause that says what the subject is.
This be-like element is the copula. It is used in clauses of identity, classification, location, possession, and existence. In the examples below, the copula may be pronounced as a final vowel, or it may be zero, meaning that the clause has a copular meaning but no audible copula segment.
The important boundary is the end of the predicate expression. In Êya yo dara, the predicate expression is yo dara, and the copula is carried by its final word, dara.
For that reason, the main pattern is not simply that final vowels change. These clauses often have a copular vowel at the end of the predicate. When the predicate stem already ends in a vowel, that vowel may interact with the copula: it may be replaced, raised, or separated from the copula vowel by a glide such as y or w.
Regular Copula Patterns
The most common regular patterns in these vocabulary clauses are summarized below. Gender here means grammatical noun class, not biological sex.
| Clause type | Usual surface pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Feminine singular | Predicate ends in -a. | Dar -> dara |
| Masculine singular, bare consonant-final predicate | Often zero: no pronounced copula segment. | Kwıtık -> kwıtık |
| Masculine singular, vowel-final predicate | Final vowel often becomes -o. | Mefte -> mefto |
| Plural predicate | Predicate often ends in -ê or a related raised final shape. | Câx -> câxê |
Feminine Singular: -a
The feminine singular copula is usually heard as final -a. With many consonant-final stems, it is added directly to the predicate word.
Base form: Dar (tree). Predicate form in the clause: dara.
When the predicate stem already ends in a vowel, the stem and the copula must still form a pronounceable word. A buffer, or glide, is a short consonant-like transition inserted between vowels. After some final vowels, the glide is w.
Base form: Mûra (pear). Clause form: mûra-w-a, with w between the stem-final vowel and the feminine copula.
After final i, the expected written sequence is -iya: the stem-final i remains before the y glide and feminine -a.
Base form: Darsi (stinger, poison needle). Clause form: darsiya, with i-y-a at the end.
Masculine Singular: Zero or -o
Masculine singular clauses have two common surface shapes. First, many bare consonant-final predicates have a zero copula. Zero means that the copular relation is grammatically present in the clause, but no separate sound is pronounced for it.
Base form: Kwıtık (dog). The predicate remains kwıtık; no -o is pronounced.
Base form: Sir (garlic). The predicate is consonant-final and has zero masculine copula.
Second, many masculine predicates have an overt -o. Overt means that the ending is actually pronounced. With vowel-final stems, this often looks like final-vowel replacement: the citation form ends in a vowel, and the clause form ends in -o.
Base form: Mire (yoke). Clause form: miro.
Base form: Fırçi (brush). Clause form: fırço.
Base form: Mefte (key). Clause form: mefto.
Where the Ending Attaches
The copula must attach to a host, meaning the word that carries the ending. In these clauses, the host is normally the final word of the predicate expression. This matters most when the predicate is more than one word.
The data does not support a simple rule in which a particular final consonant always chooses zero or always chooses -o. A better practical generalization is that many bare one-word masculine predicates are zero, while multiword predicate expressions more often show overt -o on the final word.
Predicate expression: destê tırışiko. The copula is on the final word, tırışik-o.
Predicate expression: tâxtê wırdayiş daro. The copula is on the final word, dar-o.
Plural Predicate Clauses: -ê and Raised Final Vowels
Plural predicate clauses are commonly introduced by Êyi, meaning they or these. The plural copula is often heard as final -ê on the predicate.
Base form: Câx (knitting needles). Plural predicate form: câxê.
Base form: Çaqe (legs). In the predicate clause, final -e is realized as -ê.
Some plural predicate forms show more than direct addition of -ê. Vowel-final predicates may have a raised or tightened final vowel, often written with final y. These forms are still part of the same plural predicate pattern.
Citation form: Ğele sya (buckwheat). Plural predicate form: ğele syay.
Citation form: Bamyê (okra). Plural predicate form: bamyêy.
Citation form: Bâzâlyê (peas). Plural predicate form: bâzâlyêy.
Quick Reference: Regular Patterns
| Context | Practical rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Feminine singular, consonant-final stem | Add or reveal final -a. | Dar -> dara |
| Feminine singular, vowel-final stem | Use a glide such as w or y before -a. | Mûra -> mûrawa; Darsi -> darsiya |
| Masculine singular, bare consonant-final predicate | Often zero. | Kwıtık -> kwıtık |
| Masculine singular, vowel-final predicate | Final vowel often becomes -o. | Mefte -> mefto |
| Masculine singular, multiword predicate expression | The final word often carries overt -o. | destê tırışik -> destê tırışiko |
| Plural predicate | Use -ê or a related raised final vowel. | Câx -> câxê; Bamyê -> bamyêy |
Exception: When n Appears Before the Copula
The regular rules above describe what happens when the copula attaches to the visible predicate form. A smaller set of examples behaves differently: an n appears before the copula even though the plain citation form does not end in n. This is best treated as an exception to the surface rule, not as a separate ordinary copula ending.
One case involves the pronoun mı, meaning my or me. Before the masculine copula, it can appear as mıno.
The possessive pronoun is not simply mı before the copula; it appears with n in mıno.
Here too, mı appears as mıno before the copula.
A second case involves reduced forms ending in -û, especially in baby or child-related compounds with qıcû. Before a copula vowel, an n appears: masculine -no, feminine -na, and plural -nê.
The visible base has qıcû, but the clause form has qıcû-n-o.
The feminine copula appears after the resurfacing n: qıcû-n-a.
The plural form has qıcû-n-ê.
As a historical side note, fuller forms with n, such as mın and plural or oblique endings like -ûn, are found in historical Zazaki texts and in some modern dialects. That background explains why the n is not arbitrary, but for reading these examples synchronically the practical point is simpler: in these two environments, the visible short form may regain n before the copula.