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Ergative construction in Pashto Posted by on Jan 9, 2019

In general, in ergative languages, the verb agrees with the object of a sentence. We are familiar with the subject-verb agreement in the English language, but many Russo-Germanic languages have the ergative construction in them. Pashto is a semi-ergative language because it has ergative construction in the past and other perfect tenses only when the…

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Perfective and Imperfective Moods in Pashto Posted by on Dec 15, 2018

In addition to tenses, Pashto also uses two moods: the imperfective and the perfective. Both of these moods can be used in the past and present tenses. Imperfective Mood The imperfective mood is used to express a regularity or continuity of the verb action.  It also points to the progressive nature of the action of…

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The importance of spoken words in Afghan culture Posted by on Dec 7, 2018

خپله ژبه هم قلا ده هم بلا Khpala czba hum qala da hum bala da “It’s your own tongue which either lands you in trouble or protects you from it” In the above proverb, “tongue” refers not to the body part, but one’s language or speech—indicative of the role and importance of spoken words in…

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Understanding the Pashtun Way of Life: Gham Khadi, Revaaj, and Pashtunwali Posted by on Nov 27, 2018

د کلي ووځه خو له نرخه مه وځه Da kaley wawoza kho la narkha ma woza “Let leave the village but not its conventions” In the above proverb, the love of traditions and conventions is described to be more essential for a Pashtun than the love of the village they are born in. In some…

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We’re on a break… Posted by on Jun 25, 2015

…but we’ll be back! As you may have noticed, the Pashto blog is currently on hiatus. In the meantime, we encourage you to look through the blog archives to keep the Pashto vocabulary, grammar, and culture fresh in your mind. If you or someone you know would be interested in contributing to the Pashto blog, please contact us…

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Basic Greetings in Pashto Posted by on Feb 4, 2014

Welcome to our guide to Afghanistan.  You may be going to Afghanistan on business, for a visit or even hosting Afghani colleagues or clients in your own country. Remember this is only a very basic level introduction and is not meant to stereotype all Afghanis you may meet. When meeting someone the handshake is the most common form…

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TABLA, Afghan Musical Bass Beat: Posted by on Jan 14, 2014

  Tabla is the most famous percussion music instrument in Afghanistan. It is most commonly used in Afghanistan classical music (موسيقي), but its versatility in all musical styles (عبارتونو) has enabled it to become the most popular percussion instrument. The level of sophistication and tonal beauty (ښايست) it possesses has elevated the instrument to an…

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