پتخه
patëxa/pat̪əxa/feminine
The English word 'duck' can be translated into Pashto as پتخه (patëxa) or هېلۍ.
Meaning: aquatic bird of the family Anatidae (noun)
Ways to say it
| Pashto | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| پتخه | patëxa | /pat̪əxa/ | feminine |
| هېلۍ | helëy | /heˈləi/ | feminine |
Both terms refer to an aquatic bird of the family Anatidae.
How does it change in a sentence?
Both forms are feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is patëxa.
Did you know?
- Because both پتخه and هېلۍ are feminine nouns, they are treated as female entities in Pashto grammar regardless of the bird's actual sex.
- The form هېلۍ is more specialized and is often used in poetic or specific regional contexts rather than everyday street conversation.
- The pronunciation of the 'ë' in پتخه (patëxa) is a schwa sound, which can be difficult for English speakers to distinguish from a short 'a'.
Examples in context
- پتخه په اوبو کې روانه ده.patkha pa obo ke rawana da.The duck is swimming in the water.
- دا وړه پتخه ډېره ښایسته ده.da wrra patkha dera khaista da.This little duck is very beautiful.
Example conversation
Zala and Khan are walking by a pond.
- زالا Zalaخان، هغه پتخه وګوره!Khan, hagha patakha wagora!Khan, look at that duck!
- خان Khanهو، هغه ډېره ښکلې ده.Ho, hagha dera khkula da.Yes, it is very beautiful.
- زالا Zalaآیا موږ پتخه ته ډوډۍ ورکولی شو؟Aya mung patakha ta dodai warkoli sho?Can we give bread to the duck?
- خان Khanهو، راځه چې ورته ډوډۍ ورکړو.Ho, razha che warta dodai warkro.Yes, come let's give it some bread.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “duck” translations and entries پتخه, هېلۍ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
