Learning pronouns in Pashto, an Eastern Iranian language spoken in Afghanistan and Pakistan, is crucial for mastering both spoken and written communication. Pashto pronouns are characterized by their forms according to person, number, gender (in some cases), and case. This guide covers personal, possessive, demonstrative, reflexive, and interrogative pronouns, providing detailed explanations and examples for each, including transliterations for pronunciation help.

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns in Pashto replace nouns referring to people or things and are used based on the person being referred to.

Subject Pronouns:

• زه (Zə) – I: “زه ځم.” (Zə ẓ̌əm) – I am going.
• ته (Tə) – You (singular, informal): “ته څه کوې؟” (Tə ʈsə kawəi?) – What are you doing?
• هغه (Haghə) – He/She/It: “هغه روان دی.” (Haghə rawān dai) – He/She/It is going.
• موږ (Moṛ) – We: “موږ وړو.” (Moṛ wṛo) – We go.
• تاسو (Tāsū) – You (plural or formal): “تاسو چېرته یاست؟” (Tāsū čērtə yāst?) – Where are you?
• هغوی (Haghoī) – They: “هغوی راځي.” (Haghoī rāẓ̌i) – They are coming.

Object Pronouns:

Object pronouns in Pashto often follow the verb and indicate the receiver of the action.

• ما (Mā) – Me: “هغه ما ولیدل.” (Haghə mā walīdl) – He saw me.
• تا (Tā) – You: “زه تا خوښوم.” (Zə tā khwaš̌awum) – I like you.
• هغه (Haghə) – Him/Her/It: “زه هغه ولیدل.” (Zə haghə walīdl) – I saw him/her/it.
• موږ (Moṛ) – Us: “هغه موږ ولیدل.” (Haghə moṛ walīdl) – He saw us.
• تاسو (Tāsū) – You (plural): “زه تاسو ولیدل.” (Zə tāsū walīdl) – I saw you (plural).
• هغوی (Haghoī) – Them: “زه هغوی ولیدل.” (Zə haghoī walīdl) – I saw them.

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns in Pashto indicate ownership and are often directly attached to the nouns or used with the possessive particle “د” (da).

• زما (Zamā) – My: “زما کتاب.” (Zamā kitāb) – My book.
• ستا (Stā) – Your: “ستا موټر.” (Stā moṭor) – Your car.
• دهغه (Də haghə) – His/Her: “دهغه کور.” (Də haghə kor) – His/Her house.
• زموږ (Zmoṛ) – Our: “زموږ هېواد.” (Zmoṛ hēwād) – Our country.
• ستاسو (Stāsū) – Your (plural or formal): “ستاسو کار.” (Stāsū kār) – Your work.
• دهغوی (Də haghoī) – Their: “دهغوی کتابونه.” (Də haghoī kitābūna) – Their books.

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns in Pashto point to specific nouns and vary based on distance.

• دا (Dā) – This: “دا څه دی؟” (Dā ʈsə dai?) – What is this?
• هغه (Haghə) – That: “هغه څه دی؟” (Haghə ʈsə dai?) – What is that?

Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns in Pashto are used when the subject performs an action upon itself. Pashto typically uses “خپل” (khpəl) for reflexive meanings.

• خپل (Khpəl) – Oneself: “هغه خپله کار کوي.” (Haghə khpalə kār kawəi) – He/She does the work himself/herself.

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions about people, places, or things.

• څوک (ʈsok) – Who: “څوک دی؟” (ʈsok dai?) – Who is it?
• څه (ʈsə) – What: “ته څه کوې؟” (Tə ʈsə kawəi?) – What are you doing?
• چېرته (čērtə) – Where: “ته چېرته یاست؟” (Tə čērtə yāst?) – Where are you?

Understanding and correctly using Pashto pronouns is vital for navigating both simple and complex conversations. Practice forming sentences with each type of pronoun, and try to engage in conversations or writing exercises to apply these concepts actively. Remember, context and the nuances of Pashto culture and language play a significant role in choosing the correct pronoun form.