Airport & Customs

1. Ji kerema xwe pasaporta xwe nîşan bidin

   Ji ke-re-ma xwe pa-sa-por-ta xwe nî-şan bi-din

   Please show your passport

   Usage

   Standard phrase used by immigration officers

   Grammar Note

   Kurmanji is SOV. "Ji kerema xwe" = please; the second "xwe" is the reflexive possessive

2. Armanca serdana we çi ye?

   Ar-man-ca ser-da-na we çi ye?

   What is the purpose of your visit?

   Usage

   Standard immigration question

   Grammar Note

   "çi ye" = what is. Kurmanji writes ç, never the digraph "ch" (Hawar alphabet)

3. Hûn ê çend şevan bimînin?

   Hûn ê çend şe-van bi-mî-nin?

   How many nights are you planning to stay?

   Usage

   Commonly asked at immigration

   Grammar Note

   "Hûn ê" + subjunctive forms the future (the polite 2pl "hûn", not the familiar "tu"). "çend" = how many. ("keç" means "girl", not "night".)

4. Tiştekî ji bo ragihandinê heye?

   Tiş-te-kî ji bo ra-gi-han-di-nê he-ye?

   Do you have anything to declare?

   Usage

   Asked at customs

   Grammar Note

   "Heye" = is there. ("daxwazname" is a petition/application form, not a customs declaration.)

5. Bagaja min hîn nehatiye

   Ba-ga-ja min hîn ne-ha-ti-ye

   My luggage hasn't arrived

   Usage

   Tell baggage claim staff

   Grammar Note

   "nehatiye" is the negative present perfect of hatin; "hîn" = yet

6. Ev bagaja destê ye

   Ev ba-ga-ja des-tê ye

   This is carry-on luggage

   Usage

   Tell airline staff at check-in or boarding gate

   Grammar Note

   "Dest" = hand

7. Ez balafirê diguherînim

   Ez ba-la-fi-rê di-gu-he-rî-nim

   I'm in transit

   Usage

   Used at transit counters or immigration

   Grammar Note

   Literally "I am changing planes"; the English word "transit" does not belong in Kurmanji text

8. Derî li ku ye?

   De-rî li ku ye?

   Where is the gate?

   Usage

   Ask when looking for your boarding gate

   Grammar Note

   "Li ku" = where

9. Siwarbûn kengê dest pê dike?

   Si-war-bûn ken-gê dest pê di-ke?

   When does boarding begin?

   Usage

   Ask while waiting at the boarding gate

   Grammar Note

   "kengê dest pê dike?" = when does it begin? Note bûn, not "buun"

10. Dikana bêbac li ku ye?

    Di-ka-na bê-bac li ku ye?

    Where is the duty-free shop?

    Usage

    Ask after clearing security

    Grammar Note

    "bac" = tax, "bê" = without. The word for shop is "dikan", not "dukan"

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