Food & Drinks

32 phrases · Central Kurdish (Sorani) with romanization, English and audio

  1. برنج

    Birinc

    Rice

    Usage

    Rice; برنج دەخۆم means 'I eat rice'

    Grammar Note

    The spelling has no vowel; a short i is supplied, giving birinc.

  2. نان

    Nan

    Bread

    Usage

    Flat bread, the staple of every meal; نان نەماوە؟ is 'is there no bread left?'

    Grammar Note

    نان is spelled the same as the verb 'to put'; context tells them apart.

  3. گۆشت

    Goşt

    Meat

    Usage

    Meat in general; ماسی یان گۆشت 'fish or meat'

    Grammar Note

    ۆ is o and ش is ş. The word ends in a consonant cluster.

  4. ماسی

    Masî

    Fish

    Usage

    Fish, both as food and as an animal

    Grammar Note

    Do not confuse ماسی 'fish' with ماست 'yogurt'.

  5. مریشک

    Mirîşk

    Chicken

    Usage

    Chicken meat or the bird; for ordering a meal

    Grammar Note

    A short i is pronounced inside the initial مر.

  6. هێلکە

    Hêlke

    Egg

    Usage

    Egg; 'a dozen eggs' is دەرزەنێک هێلکە

    Grammar Note

    ێ is ê and the final ە is e.

  7. شیر

    Şîr

    Milk

    Usage

    Milk; شیر لە قاوەکەت دەکەیت؟ is 'do you put milk in your coffee?'

    Grammar Note

    Write it with ی. With ێ, شێر means 'lion' and is a different word.

  8. ماست

    Mast

    Yogurt

    Usage

    Yogurt, often served with a meal

    Grammar Note

    Not مەست 'drunk'; note there is no ە.

  9. پەنیر

    Penîr

    Cheese

    Usage

    Cheese

    Grammar Note

    ی in پەنیر is î.

  10. شۆربا

    Şorba

    Soup

    Usage

    Hot soup; a word shared with Persian and Turkish

    Grammar Note

    ۆ is o. شۆرباکە خەستە means 'the soup is thick'.

  11. میوە

    Mîwe

    Fruit

    Usage

    Fruit in general; میوە و نان دەخوات 'she eats fruit and bread'

    Grammar Note

    و after ی is the glide w (mîwe).

  12. سەوزە

    Sewze

    Vegetables

    Usage

    Vegetables; also used when saying what you do not eat

    Grammar Note

    سەوز means 'green'; چیاکە سەوزە is 'the mountain is green'.

  13. قاوە

    Qawe

    Coffee

    Usage

    Coffee; قاوەی کوردی is Kurdish coffee

    Grammar Note

    ق is q and the final ە is e.

  14. چا

    Ça

    Tea

    Usage

    Tea; before suffixes it is spelled چای (چایەکە 'the tea')

    Grammar Note

    The base form is چا; before definite endings it appears as چای.

  15. ئایسکرێم

    Ayskirêm

    Ice cream

    Usage

    Ice cream; پێم خۆشە ئایسکرێم بخۆم is 'I'd like to eat ice cream'

    Grammar Note

    A loan from English. ێ is ê.

  16. کەباب

    Kebab

    Kebab

    Usage

    Grilled meat; a restaurant standard

    Grammar Note

    A dish name shared with Persian and Arabic.

  17. دۆڵمە

    Dołme

    Dolma

    Usage

    Vegetables or vine leaves stuffed with rice and meat

    Grammar Note

    ڵ is ł and ۆ is o. The same dish as Turkish dolma.

  18. نانی بەیانی

    Nan-î beyanî

    Breakfast

    Usage

    Breakfast; 'I'm having breakfast' is نانی بەیانی دەخۆم

    Grammar Note

    'Morning bread' is breakfast; dinner is نانی ئێوارە. The ezafe -ی links the nouns.

  19. نانی ئێوارە

    Nan-î êware

    Dinner

    Usage

    Dinner; the evening meal is also called ژەمی ئێوارە

    Grammar Note

    'Evening bread' is dinner. ئێوارە begins with ê.

  20. زۆر برسیمە

    Zor birsîme

    I'm very hungry

    Usage

    Says you are hungry, when looking for a place to eat

    Grammar Note

    Both برسیم and برسیمە are used. The negative is برسی نیم.

  21. تامی زۆر خۆشە

    Tam-î zor xoşe

    It tastes very good

    Usage

    To praise food: 'the taste is very good'

    Grammar Note

    تام 'taste' + ezafe + adjective describes the taste of the dish, with the subject left out.

  22. عافیەتە

    'Afiyete

    Bon appétit

    Usage

    Said to people who are eating or about to eat

    Grammar Note

    ع is the pharyngeal consonant, romanized '. It comes from Arabic ʿāfiya.

  23. قاوەتان دەوێت؟

    Qawetan dewêt?

    Would you like coffee?

    Usage

    A polite offer to a guest; to a friend: قاوەت دەوێت؟

    Grammar Note

    'Want' puts the clitic on the noun before دەوێت (قاوەتان دەوێت؟ 'do you want coffee?').

  24. قاوەت پێ خۆشترە یان چا؟

    Qawet pê xoştire yan ça?

    Would you prefer coffee or tea?

    Usage

    Asks a drink preference; politely: قاوەتان پێ خۆشترە یان چا؟

    Grammar Note

    پێ خۆشە means 'like', and -tir makes it 'prefer'. یان is 'or'.

  25. ئاوم دەوێت

    Awim dewêt

    I want water

    Usage

    Asking for water, in the 'want' pattern noun + clitic + دەوێت

    Grammar Note

    ئاو دان means 'to water (plants)', so use دەوێت to ask for water. Composed from attested words and patterns rather than quoted from a source sentence; worth confirming with a native speaker.

  26. دۆڵمەم دەوێت

    Dołmem dewêt

    I'd like dolma

    Usage

    For ordering; swap in any dish name

    Grammar Note

    The pattern noun + -m + دەوێت, like پیتزام دەوێت 'I want pizza'. Composed from attested words and patterns rather than quoted from a source sentence; worth confirming with a native speaker.

  27. پسوولە، تکایە

    Pisûle, tikaye

    The bill, please

    Usage

    Asks for the check at the end of a meal; وەسڵ، تکایە works too

    Grammar Note

    پسوولە is the bill. A short i sits inside the initial پس, and وو is long û.

  28. حەزم لە خواردنی گۆشت نییە

    Ḧezim le xwardin-î goşt nîye

    I don't like eating meat

    Usage

    To say you prefer to avoid meat

    Grammar Note

    حەز لە … نییە means 'I don't like …'.

  29. نان نەماوە؟

    Nan nemawe?

    Is there no bread left?

    Usage

    Checks whether more bread is available before asking for it

    Grammar Note

    ماوە is the perfect of ماین 'to remain'; with نە- the question means 'is there none left?'.

  30. پێم خۆشە ئایسکرێم بخۆم

    Pêm xoşe ayskirêm bixom

    I'd like to eat ice cream

    Usage

    For wanting a dessert, or a softer way to say 'I'd like to'

    Grammar Note

    The pattern پێ خۆشە + subjunctive. The stem in بخۆم is خۆ-.

  31. برنج دەخۆم

    Birinc dexom

    I eat rice

    Usage

    Says what you usually eat

    Grammar Note

    The object comes before the verb. Present = دە- + stem خۆ + ending -m.

  32. ڕێستۆرانتەکە لەکوێیە؟

    Ṟêstoranteke lekwêye?

    Where is the restaurant?

    Usage

    Asks where a restaurant is

    Grammar Note

    ڕێستۆرانت is a loan from English 'restaurant'. Composed from attested words and patterns rather than quoted from a source sentence; worth confirming with a native speaker.

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