The ergative form of sentence construction is used only with transitive verbs in past tense forms, such as the past imperfective, past perfective, past imperfective narrative, past perfective narrative, perfect, modal perfect, pluperfect, modal pluperfect, past subjunctive, suppositional, and conditional desirable forms.
In the ergative construction, the subject is expressed by a noun or personal pronoun in the indirect case, or by a pronoun enclitic. The predicate agrees with the direct object in person, number and gender, and the direct object is expressed by a noun or personal pronoun in the direct case, or by a pronoun enclitic. For example:
"I put a plate on a table." - ما غاب پٌر مېز بانْدی کېښُود .
"The father met his friend in the town." - پْلار پٌه ښار کی خْپٌل مَلْگٌرَی وُلید .
"He gave me a book." - دٌه کِتاب ما تَه راکْړ
In the following situations, the ergative construction can be used without an object if the verb (or the auxiliary verb that is part of a compound verb) is in the form of the third person:
a) with quasitransitive verbs (verbs that are used as transitive verbs, but without an object) such as "to laugh" - خَنْدٌل , "to cry" - ژَړٌل , and so on:
"He laughed." - دٌه وُخَنْدٌل .
b) with the verb "to want" - غُوښْتٌل , and other verbs denoting speaking and feelings:
"I wanted to have dinner." - ما غُوښْتٌل ډُوډۍ وُخُورٌم .
"He said that his son had come." - دٌه وُویل چی دٌ دٌه زُوی راغٌلَی وُ .
c) with the potential forms of the verb "to do" - کَوٌل and other verbs:
"I could not go home yesterday." - پَرُون ما وُنَه شُو کَوٌلای چې کُور تَه وْلاړ شٌم.
"He did not understand what I told him. " - دَی پوه نَه شُو چی څٌه مې وُویل.
d) when the object can be understood from context, particularly when the object is the first or second person:
"A man called me." - سَړى وُبَلٌلٌم.
"I saw you at the university." - ما پٌه پُوهَنْتُون کی تٌه وُلیدٌلې
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