When Pashto verbs are grouped according to their method of formation and their structure, there are four main types of verbs:
Type I
Type I verbs are simple verbs. Their infinitives consist of a stem plus the ending -ə́l - ل .
Type I verbs can be:
a) regular, meaning they have the same stem for the present and the past:
"to write" - لیکٌل (stem - لیک)
"to throw" - اَچَوٌل (stem - اَچَو)
b) irregular, meaning that they have different stems for the present and the past:
"to read" - لْوَسْتٌل (past stem - لْوَسْت , present stem - لْوَل )
"to take" - اَخیسْتٌل (past stem - اَخیسْت , present stem - اَخْل)
c) special, meaning that they have different stems for the present, past imperfective, past perfective, and subjunctive:
"to drive" - بیول (present stem - بیای , past imperfective stem - بیو , past perfective stem - - بُوتل , subjunctive stem - بُوز )
"to become" - کېدٌل (present stem - کېږ , past imperfective stem - کېد , past perfective stem - شْو, subjunctive stem - ش )
Type II
Type II verbs are verbs that use prefixes. They are formed by adding prefixes to simple verbs.
"to come in" - نٌنَه وَتٌل ← "to come out" - وَتٌل + prefix "inside" - نٌنَه
"to give (me, us)" - راکَوٌل ← "to do" - کَوٌل + prefix "to me, us" - را
Type III
Type III verbs are verbs that use suffixes. They are formed by combining nouns, adjectives, or participles with abbreviated forms of the auxiliary verbs "to do" - کَوٌل or "to become" - کېدٌل.
"to cause to fly" - اَلْوُزَوٌل ← "to do" - کَوٌل + اَلْوُز (present stem of "to fly" - اَلْوُتٌل )
"to pass" (about time) - تېرېدٌل ← verb "to become" - کېدل + adjective "last" - تېر
Type III verbs can be:
a) completely joint verbs, meaning that they are not divided into a nominal part and a verb in their past perfective forms:
"to turn" - گٌرْزَېدٌل "They turned to the right." - دُوی وُ ښى خْوا تَه وُگٌرْزېدٌل.
"to cause to read" - لْوَلَوٌل "I caused him to read a book." ما ﺋﻰ کِتاب وُلْوَلاوٌه.
b) denominative verbs, meaning that they are divided into a nominal part and a verb in their past perfective forms):
"to spend" - تېرَوٌل "She spent the holidays in Kabul." - رُخْصَتى ﺋﻰ پٌه کابُل کی تېرَه کْړَه.
"to be built" - جُوړېدٌل "A new house was built." - نٌوَی کُور جُوړ شُو.
Type IV
Type IV verbs are compound verbs, consisting of nouns, adjectives, adverbs, or verbal nouns combined with the auxiliary verbs "to do" - کَوٌل or "to become" - کېدٌل.
"to translate" - تَرْجُمَه کَوٌل = "to do" - کَوٌل + noun "translation" - تَرْجُمَه
"to approach" - نِژْدې کېدٌل = "to become" - کېدٌل + adverb "near" - نِږْدې
For more detailed information about types of verbs, see Verb Formation.
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