Stative Compounds

Stative compound verbs are used to talk about something being changed or put into a different "state." To make these compounds we will use the stative helper verbs.

We use the two stative helper verbs to make the intransitive and transitive forms of these compounds:

• Intransitive: complement + کېدل - kedúl (to become)
• Transitive: complement + کول - kawúl (to make)

Intransitive Stative Compounds

Instransitive stative compounds are used to talk about a subject changing into a different state.

For example, the compound ستړی کېدل - stuRay kedul (to get tired) is a combination of:

ستړی - stúRay (tired) +

We use this verb to describe a subject changing into a new state described by the complement. So here we have "him" changing into / becoming "tired."

Go ahead and edit the examples above. Notice how the inflection of the complement changes depending on what the subject is.

Transitive Stative Compounds

With transitive stative compounds we have a subject that does something to change an object, or put it in a different state. For this, we use the helper verb کول - kawúl (to make).

For example, the compound ستړی کېدل - stuRay kawul (to make tired) is a combination of:

ستړی - stúRay (tired) +

We use this verb to describe a subject that does something to change an object into a new state described by the complement. So here we have "I" (subject) making "him" (object) "tired." (complement)

Go ahead and edit the examples above. Notice how the inflection of the complement changes depending on what the object is.

So far we've seen the parts that make up the stative compounds:

Intransitive Stative Compounds have:

• a subject that gets changed
• a complement that describes the change
• the helper verb کېدل - kedúl (to become)

Transitive Stative Compounds have:

• a subject that works to change an object
• an object that gets changed
• a complement that describes the change
• the helper verb کول - kawúl (to make)

And now we'll learn about something very special that happens to certain forms of these verbs: welding and squishing.

Welding and Squishing

Welding 👨🏻‍🏭

When we're not using the perfective aspect of the verb (ie. if the verb is imperfective/past participle/perfect) the complement gets welded together with the verb to make one single, indivisible block.

vecteezy.com

That means that even though it looks like there might be two separate words, they are actually one block. That means that and you can never, ever put anything in between them. It also means that the complement loses it's accent in the welding process. The complement just becomes the first part of the verb.

For example, we have an accent on the first part of the word ستړی - stúRay but if we weld it together with کېدل - kedúl (to become) the complement loses its accent.

Notice you'll never hear a Pashtun say ❌ زه ستړی کېږم ❌ - ❌ zu stúRay kéGum ❌! When it's welded together with the verb, the consonant loses it's accent and just rolls along into the verb which carries the accent.

Remember that the welding does not happen in the perfective aspect . If we say something in the perfective aspect , then the complement splits out and it gets its accent back.

Also, when the complement and verb are welded together, even though there might be a space and they look like two words on paper, you can never, ever put anything between them. For example, if you add a نه - nú to the phrase it has to go in front of the welded complement/verb block.

Here لیونی کېږم - lewanay kéGum has been welded into one block. Have a look at the blocks and see.

So you cannot put the نه - nú in the middle of the block and say,

because لیونی کېږم - lewanay kéGum has been welded into one block, and nothing can go in-between those two words.

The same thing goes for the perfect/past participle forms.

But when we use the perfective aspect then the complement stays separate, and just sits in front of the verb like a perfective head would.

Now we can't say

because the نه - nú goes in front of the verb block, which is separate from the complement.

That's probably a nice anthem to repeat to yourself as you are learning Pashto. "I will not go crazy, I will not go crazy..." 🤪

Squishing

When we're not using the prefective aspect (ie. if the verb is imperfective/past participle/perfect), not only does the complement get welded together, it can also be squished/shortened together with the complement.

When we have a complement that is an adjective or a noun and ends in a consonant or ه - u, it will be squished/shortened together with the helper verb in the imperfective aspect .

To do the squishing we remove the ک - k from the front of the verb and join the two words into one. Remember, this only happens when we are using the imperfective aspect .

For example:

• بند - band (closed) + کېدل - kedúl (to become) = بندېدل - bandedúl (to be closed)
• بند - band (closed) + کول - kawúl (to make) = بندول - bandawúl (to close)
• ډک - Duk (full) + کېدل - kedúl (to become) = ډکېدل - Dukedúl (to be filled)
• ډک - Duk (full) + کول - kawúl (to make) = ډکول - Dukawúl (to fill)

Because the complement is squished together with the helper verb it can't inflect to match the subject/object دروازه - darwaaza (door - f.) that's changing.

But when we stop using the imperfective roots/stems the squishing stops, and we need to inflect the complement if it's an adjective.

With #4 "Pashtoon" pattern nouns/adjectives

When a complement is a noun/adjective in the #4 "Pashtoon" pattern and ends in a consonant/ه - u then we squish it even tighter by just taking the first syllable from the 2nd inflection / femine form.

• پوخ - pokh (cooked) + کېدل - kedúl (to become) = پوخېدل - pakhedúl (to be cooked)
• پوخ - pokh (closed) + کول - kawúl (to make) = پوخول - pakhawúl (to cook)
• موړ - moR (full) + کېدل - kedúl (to become) = مړېدل - maRedúl (to get full/satisfied)
• موړ - moR (full) + کول - kawúl (to make) = مړول - maRawúl (to fill/satisfy)

Again with the imperfective roots/stems you won't be able to inflect the complement because it's been squished together with the complement, but in other cases you will need to inflect the complement if it's an adjective.

To review:

• welding

• means joining the complement and verb into one block

• happens to everthing except the perfective root/stem.
• squishing
• means mashing the complement and verb together into one word
• happens only when the complement is an adjective or noun
• happens to only the imperefective root/stem.