Vocative 🗣️
The vocative case is another type of inflection that we use when we want to to call out to a noun. We don't use it in sentences, but rather we use it to address someone (or something), or call their attention.
For instance:
| Plain | Vocative 🗣️ |
|---|---|
سړی saRay man | ای سړیه! ay saRúya! hey man! |
ښځه xúdza woman | ای ښځې ay xúdze hey woman! |
ډاکټر DakTár doctor (m.) | ای ډاکټره ay DakTára hey doctor! (m.) |
ډاکټره DakTára doctor (f.) | ای ډاکټرې ay DakTáre hey doctor! (f.) |
Patterns for Vocatives
Just like the inflections that followed five patterns, the vocative also follows the five patterns.
Vocatives with Pattern #1 Words
Masculine
For the basic, pattern #1 words and names that are masculine (words ending in a consonant or a shwa sound ـه - u) we add a ـه - a ending.
| Plain | Vocative 🗣️ |
|---|---|
ورور wror brother | وروره wróra Hey brother! |
ادم خان adam kháan Adam Khan (name) | ادم خانه adam kháana Hey Adam Khan! |
استاذ Ustáaz teacher (m.) | استاذه Ustáaza Hey teacher (m.) |
ګران graan dear (m.) | ګرانه gráana dear! (m.) |
Feminine
For the basic, pattern #1 words and names that are feminine (words ending in a ـه - a) we do the same thing as we did for the inflections we saw earlier and change the ـه - a to a ـې - e.
| Plain | Vocative 🗣️ |
|---|---|
ښځه xúdza woman | ښځې xúdze Hey woman! |
پلوشه palwasha Palwasha (name) | پلوشې palwashe Hey Palwasha! |
ګل مینه gUl meena Gul Meena (name) | ګل مینې gUl meene Hey Gul Meena! |
نرسه núrsa nurse (f.) | نرسې núrse Hey nurse (f.)! |
This includes feminine nouns that lost their ـه - a:
| Plain | Vocative 🗣️ |
|---|---|
ستن stun needle | ای ستنې stúne Oh needle! |
Vocatives with Pattern #2 Nouns
Masculine
For masculine words ending in an unstressed ـی - ay, we use a ـیه - iya ending.
| Plain | Vocative 🗣️ |
|---|---|
ملګری malgúray friend (m.) | ملګریه malgúriya Hey friend! (m.) |
زده کوونکی zda kawóonkay student (m.) | زده کوونکیه zda kawóonkiya Hey student! (m.) |
ښوونکی xUwóonkay teacher (m.) | ښوونکیه xUwóonkiya Hey teacher! (m.) |
Feminine
Feminine words ending in an ـې - e don't change at all with the vocative.
| Plain | Vocative 🗣️ |
|---|---|
ښوونکې xUwóonke teacher (f.) | ښوونکې xUwóonke Hey teacher (f.) |
Vocatives with Pattern #3 Nouns
Masculine
For masculine words ending in an stressed ـی - áy, we use a ـیه - uya ending.
| Plain | Vocative 🗣️ |
|---|---|
بریالی baryaaláy Baryaalay (name) | بریالیه baryaalúya Hey Baryaalay! |
زلمی zalmáy young lad | زلمیه zalmúya Hey young land! |
لمسی lmasáy grandson | لمسیه lmasúya Hey grandson! |
Feminine
Feminine words ending in an ـۍ - úy don't change at all with the vocative.
| Plain | Vocative 🗣️ |
|---|---|
سپوږمۍ spoGmúy Spogmai (name) / moon (f.) | سپوږمۍ spoGmúy Hey Spogmai! |
Vocatives with Pattern #4 Nouns
Masculine
For masculine words following the "Pashtun" pattern, we also just add a ـه - a like we did with the pattern #1 words above.
| Plain | Vocative 🗣️ |
|---|---|
پښتون puxtóon Pashtun (m.) | پښتونه puxtóona Hey Pashtun! (m.) |
شپون shpoon shepherd (m.) | شپونه shpóona Hey shepherd! (m.) |
Feminine
For feminine words following the "Pashtun" pattern, we do the same thing we do with the inflection pattern.
| Plain | Vocative 🗣️ |
|---|---|
پښتنه puxtaná Pashtun (f.) | پښتنې puxtané Hey Pashtun! (f.) |
شپنه shpaná shepherd (f.) | شپنې shpané Hey shepherd! (f.) |
Vocatives with Pattern #5 Nouns
Masculine
For masculine words following the short squish pattern, we squish the word and add a ـه - a ending.
| Plain | Vocative 🗣️ |
|---|---|
غل ghul thief (m.) | غله ghla Hey thief! (m.) |
خر khur donkey (m.) | خره khra Hey donkey! (m.) |
Feminine
For masculine words following the short squish pattern, we do the same thing we did with the inflection pattern.
| Plain | Vocative 🗣️ |
|---|---|
غله ghla thief (f.) | غلې ghle Hey thief! (f.) |
خره khra donkey (f.) | خرې khre Hey donkey! (f.) |
With Feminine Animate Exception Nouns
There are many animate feminine nouns used for relational terms like خور - khor (sister) and مور - mor (mother). These are feminine, they end in a consonant, and they don't inflect for the normal three reasons. But for the vocative, we do add a ـې - e to them!
| Plain | Vocative 🗣️ |
|---|---|
مور mor mother | مورې móre Hey mom! |
خور khor sister | خورې khóre Hey sister! (f.) |
Vocatives with Plural
Calling out to a plural noun is easy! The plural vocative is always just the second inflection or inflected plural form.
| Plural | Vocative Plural 🗣️ |
|---|---|
وروڼه wróoNa brothers | وروڼو wróoNo Hey brothers! |
استاذان Ustaazáan teachers | استاذانو Ustaazáano Hey teachers |
ملګري malgúree friends (m. pl.) | ملګریو malgúriyo Hey friends! (m. pl.) |
ملګریو malgúro Hey friends! (m. pl.) | |
ښځې xúdze women (f. pl.) | ښځو xúdzo Hey women! (f. pl.) |
خویندې او وروڼه khwáynde aw wrooNa brothers and sisters | سلام خویندو او وروڼو salam khwáyndo aw wróoNo Greetings brothers and sisters |
پښتانه puxtaanú Pashtuns (m. pl.) | پښتنو puxtanó Hey Pashtuns! (m. pl.) |
پښتنې puxtané Pashtuns (f. pl.) | پښتنو puxtanó Hey Pashtuns! (f. pl.) |
مېلمنې melmané guests (f. pl.) | مېلمنو melmanó Hey guests! (f. pl.) |
غله ghlu thieves (m. pl.) | غلو ghlo Hey thieves! (m. pl.) |
Vocatives with Adjectives
Vocatives also work with adjectives, meaning you can call out to some one or some thing by describing them.
| Adjective | Vocative 🗣️ |
|---|---|
ستړی stúRay tired | ای ستړیه ay stúRiya Oh tired one! |
ای له جنګه ستړیه ay la jánga stúRiya Oh you who are tired of war! |
And when you are attaching adjectives to nouns in the vocative case you need to inflect them as well. Each adjective you inflect will follow it's own pattern. For example:
In this example خوږ - khoG (sweet) follows pattern #4 and ملګری - malgúray (friend (m.)) follows pattern #5.