A complex sentence consists of a principal clause and one or more subordinate clauses. Clauses in a complex sentence may be linked by means of subordinating conjunctions (usually the subordinating conjunction "that" - چی ) or without them.
Subordinate clauses are divided groups according to their grammatical function. The groups are subject, predicative, attributive, object, and adverbial (of time, place, cause, purpose, condition, concession, result, manner, and comparison):
a) Subject clauses explain the subject expressed by the demonstrative pronouns "this" - دا or "that" - هَغَه. They may also perform the function of a subject to the predicate of the principal clause. They are connected with the principal clause by the subordinating conjunction "that" - چی :
هَغَه سَړى چی زْما سَرَه یی خَبٌرى کَوٌلې کُور تَه وْلاړ .
"That man who talked to me went home."
b) Predicative clauses perform the function of the predicate expressed by the pronouns "this" - دا , "that" - هَغَه , or "who" - څُوک . They are connected with the principal clause by the conjunction "that" - چې :
زَرْغُونَه هَغَه پېغْلَه دَه چی زْما دٌ لُور سَرَه زْدَه کْړَه کَوى .
"Zarghuna is the girl who studies with my daughter."
c) Attributive clauses serve as attributes to nouns in the principal clause. They are marked by demonstrative pronouns and are placed after that noun. They are introduced by the conjunction "that" - چی :
هَغَه کِتاب چی تا راکْړ ، پٌه رِښْتیا هَم ډېر پٌه زْړٌه پُوری دۍ .
"The book that you gave me is really very interesting."
d) Object clauses function as direct objects or indirect objects in the predicate of a sentence. They are expressed by the pronouns "this" - دا , "that" - هَغَه. They can follow the principal clause, or precede it if they are introduced by the pronouns هَر څٌه چی , or هَر څُوک چی :
"I want something that is edible." - زٌه هَغَه څٌه غْواړٌم چی دٌ خْوَړٌلُو وَړ دئ .
e) Adverbial clauses of time show the time of the action expressed in the principal clause. They are introduced by the following conjunctions:
"while" - هَغَه وَخْت چی ,
"after" - وْرُوسْتَه تٌر دې چی ,
"when" - کٌلَه چی ,
"until" - تٌر څُو پُوری چی ,
"since" - لٌه هَغَه وَخْتَه چی
Adverbial clauses of time use present subjunctive verb forms when they express perfective or future actions:
زٌه بٌه تٌر هغو پُوری خْپٌل پْلار تَه اِنْتِظار کَوٌم چی خْپٌل کار پای تَه وُرَسَوی .
"I will wait for my father until he finishes his work."
f) Adverbial clauses of place show the place of the action expressed in the principal clause. They follow the last clause and are introduced by conjunctions and adverbs that mean "where" چیرې چې , چېرْتَه چې , هَلْتَه چې :
دُوی هَلْتَه وْلاړٌل چیری چی یی اِسْتِراحَت کَوٌلای شُو.
"They went there where they could rest."
g) Adverbial clauses of cause show the cause of the action expressed in the principal clause. They follow the last clause and are introduced by conjunctions that mean "because" - ڂٌکَه چې , لٌه دې کَبَلَه چې , وَلى چې :
زٌه ډېر کار کَوٌم ڂٌکَه چی زْما دٌ کُورَنۍ سَرَه مْرَسْتَه کَوٌم .
"I work a lot because I help my family."
h) Adverbial clauses of purpose state the purpose of the action expressed in the principal clause. If they are introduced by the conjunction "that" - چې or "so that" - څُو they follow the principal clause. If they are introduced by the conjunction "in order that" - دٌ دې دٌ پارَه چې , they precede the principal clause. The present subjunctive verb forms are used in these subordinate clauses:
مُور ښار تَه راغْلَه چی دٌ خْپٌل لْمَسَی پُوښْتٌنى تَه وْلاړَه شى .
"The mother came to the town to visit her grandson."
دٌ دې دٌ پارَه چی رُوغ وې تَه باید بَدَنى وَرْزِش وُکْړې
"In order to be healthy, you must do physical exercises."
i) Adverbial clauses of condition state the condition which is necessary for the realization of the action expressed in the principal clause. They usually precede the last clause and are introduced by conjunctions that mean "if" - کَه , کَه چیرې , کَه کٌلَه. If the clause denotes the real condition in present, the present verb form or the link verb form "are" -وى can be used in it:
کَه دَی ښٌه لامْبُو وَهى تٌر سینْد بٌه پٌه لامْبُو تېر شى .
"If he swims well, he will swim across the river."
If the clause is expressing a real condition in the future, the present subjunctive verb form is used in the subordinate clause:
کَه ښٌه سَبَق وُواېې تٌه گَټْوَر کار پیدا کَوٌلای شې .
"If you study well, you can find profitable job."
If the clause expresses an unreal condition, the perfective verb form in the conditional desirable mood is used in the subordinate clause and the perfective verb form in the conditional desirable mood is used with the particle بٌه is used in the principal clause when the action is completed:
کَه دَغَه هَلٌک سْتا وْرُور وای ، دَی بٌه کُور تَه راغٌلَی وای.
"If this man were your brother, he would come home."
The perfective verb form in the conditional desirable mood with the particle بٌه is used when the action is not completed:
کَه چیری تَه بَډای وای دٌ غَریبانُو سَرَه بٌه دی مْرَسْتَه کَوٌلای
"If you were a rich man, you would help poor men."
j) Adverbial clauses of concession denote the presence of some obstacle which nevertheless does not hinder the action expressed in the principal clause. They usually precede the last clause and are introduced by the conjunctions "though" - کَه څٌه هَم , or سَرَه لٌه دې چی . The principal clause is introduced by the conjunctions "but" - خُو , خُو بیا هَم , بیا هَم and so on.
سَرَه لٌه دې چی هَوا بَدَه وَه ، مُوږ ښٌه حاصِلات ټُول کْړٌل .
"Though the weather was bad, we got a rich harvest.";
k) Adverbial clauses of result denote the result of the action expressed in the principal clause. They usually follow the last clause and are introduced by the conjunctions "so" - ڂٌکَه , "so that" - نُو ڂٌکَه , and "so" - تٌر څُو چې :
"Today I am ill, so I do not work." - نٌن زُه ناجُوړَه یم ڂٌکَه کار نَه کَوٌم .
l) Adverbial clauses of manner characterize in a general way the action expressed in the principal clause, in particular, the adverbial modifier of manner marked by the pronouns or adverbs: "such" - داسى , "such as" هغسى چې , "in such way as" - پٌه داسى شان , پٌه داسى ډَوُل. These subordinate clauses follow the principal clause:
دَی دُومرَه ښٌه پٌه پَښْتُو پُوهېږى چی دٌ پَښْتانٌه گُمان پرې کُوى .
"He knows Pashto in such a way that they take him for the Afghan man."
m) Adverbial clauses of comparison denote an action with which the action of the principal clause is compared. They usually precede the principal clause and are introduced by the conjunctions "as" لٌکَه چې , "as if" - لٌکَه څٌنْگَه چې. The principal clause is introduced by pronouns that mean "same" -هَمْدَغَسى , هَمْدا شان :
پَښْتانٌه لٌکَه چی دٌ ژٌبی دٌ لَهْجُو لٌه اَړْخَه سَرَه څانْگی څانْگی دى ، هَمْدَغَسى دٌ سیاسى مَسَئلُو پٌر سَر هَم گَډَه ژٌبَه نَه شى سَرَه پیدا کَوٌلای .
"Pashtuns have many tribes because of dialects of the language, and they cannot find a common language because of political problems."
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