Emergency

1. یارمەتی!

   Yarmetî!

   Help!

   Usage

   A shout for help when you are in danger

   Grammar Note

   یارمەتی means 'help'. With a clitic and بدە it becomes a sentence: یارمەتیم بدە 'help me'.

2. دز!

   Diz!

   Thief!

   Usage

   Shouted to alert bystanders when something has just been stolen

   Grammar Note

   دز is 'thief'. The verb stem دزی, as in دزی کرد 'he stole', shares the root.

3. ون بووم

   Win bûm

   I'm lost

   Usage

   Opening line when you are lost and need help from a passer-by

   Grammar Note

   ون بوون means 'to get lost'. The short vowel of ون is not written.

4. جزدانەکەم بزر کرد

   Cizdanekem bizr kird

   I lost my wallet

   Usage

   Reports a lost wallet to the police or your hotel

   Grammar Note

   In the transitive past, the agent clitic sits on the object (جزدانەکەم 'my wallet'). بزر کردن means 'to lose'.

5. بارگەکەم ون کرد

   Bargekem win kird

   I lost my luggage

   Usage

   For missing luggage at an airport or a station

   Grammar Note

   ون کردن is 'to lose'; its counterpart ون بوون means 'to get lost'.

6. نزیکترین نەخۆشخانە لەکوێیە؟

   Nizîktirîn nexoşxane lekwêye?

   Where is the nearest hospital?

   Usage

   Asks the way to a hospital after an illness or injury

   Grammar Note

   -tirîn forms the superlative. لەکوێیە fuses لە + کوێ 'where' with the copula -ye.

7. دکتۆر، یارمەتیم بدە!

   Diktor, yarmetîm bide!

   Doctor, help me!

   Usage

   Calls a doctor directly for help at a clinic or on the spot

   Grammar Note

   یارمەتی دان 'to help' marks the helped person by a clitic (یارمەتیم بدە). The bare singular imperative is informal.

8. پەیوەندی بە پۆلیسەوە دەکەم

   Peywendî be polîsewe dekem

   I'll call the police

   Usage

   Said firmly to a scammer or a threatening person

   Grammar Note

   پەیوەندی … کردن 'to contact' wraps the person in بە … ەوە (بە پۆلیسەوە). Composed from attested words and patterns rather than quoted from a source sentence; worth confirming with a native speaker.

9. دەچمە لای پۆلیس

   Deçme lay polîs

   I'm going to the police

   Usage

   Says you are going to file a report with the police

   Grammar Note

   لای means 'at the place of' and is used when going to a person (لای پۆلیس).

10. پۆلیس ئاگادار کراوەتەوە

    Polîs agadar kirawetewe

    The police have been notified

    Usage

    Tells others that the police have already been informed

    Grammar Note

    A passive perfect of ئاگادار کردن 'to inform'; -ewe gives the sense of having been informed.

11. لێم دوور بکەوە

    Lêm dûr bikewe

    Stay away from me

    Usage

    A firm warning to someone who will not leave you alone; blunt, use only when needed

    Grammar Note

    The imperative of دوور کەوتنەوە 'to keep away'. لێم means 'from me'.

12. پێم وایە قاچم شکاوە

    Pêm waye qaçim şikawe

    I think my leg is broken

    Usage

    Describes an injury to a doctor or a rescuer

    Grammar Note

    پێم وایە is the fixed 'I think'. The clitic -m on قاچ gives 'my leg'.

13. تکایە پەلە بکە

    Tikaye pele bike

    Please hurry

    Usage

    When you need someone to act quickly

    Grammar Note

    The imperative of پەلە کردن 'to hurry'. Use پەلە بکەن for several people or elders.

14. ڕووداوێک ڕووی دا

    Ṟûdawêk ṟûy da

    An accident happened

    Usage

    Reports an accident to bystanders or the police

    Grammar Note

    ڕوو دان 'to happen' is written ڕووی دا. ڕووداو means 'event' or 'accident'. Composed from attested words and patterns rather than quoted from a source sentence; worth confirming with a native speaker.

15. ئاگر

    Agir

    Fire

    Usage

    Shouted or pointed at to warn of a fire

    Grammar Note

    ئاگر means 'fire'; the word for firefighting, ئاگرکوژێنەوە, is a compound of 'fire' and 'putting out'.

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