زه
zə/zə/
The English phrase "me" is translated into Pashto as زه (zə).
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced as /zə/. The romanization is [zə].
Did you know?
- The Pashto word زه is a distant cousin of the English word 'I'. Both descend from the Proto-Indo-European root *éǵh₂.
- Pashto has a complex system of ergativity where زه behaves differently in the past tense compared to the present tense.
- While زه means 'me', Pashto often drops the pronoun entirely if the verb ending already indicates the speaker. Using زه explicitly can sometimes add a sense of emphasis or emotional weight.
Example conversation
Omar and Zala are meeting at a park.
- عمر Omarزالا، زه دلته یم!Zala, zah dalta yam!Zala, I am here!
- زالا Zalaسلام عمر، تاسو څنګه یاست؟Salam Omar, taso sanga yast?Hello Omar, how are you?
- عمر Omarزه ښه یم، مننه.Zah kha yam, manana.I am fine, thank you.
- زالا Zalaزه هم ښه یم.Zah ham kha yam.I am fine too.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry زه, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries زه, CC BY-SA 4.0.
