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The Ergative in Depth

Verb agrees with the object

With نے, the verb agrees with the OBJECT

The defining ergative twist.

📊 Ergative agreement
Object Verb agrees as Example
کتاب (f sg) feminine پڑھی
خط (m sg) masculine لکھا
کتابیں (f pl) feminine plural پڑھیں
(object has کو) default masc. sg دیکھا
💬 Examples
لڑکے نے کتاب پڑھی۔
laṛke ne kitāb paṛhī.
The boy read the book.
📝 پڑھی agrees with کتاب (f), not لڑکا
لڑکی نے خط لکھا۔
laṛkī ne khat likhā.
The girl wrote a letter.
📝 لکھا (m) agrees with خط (m), not لڑکی
If the object has کو, the verb is default (masc. sg)

Neither subject nor object controls it.

💬 Examples
اس نے لڑکے کو دیکھا۔
us ne laṛke ko dekhā.
He saw the boy.
📝 Object marked with کو → verb default دیکھا
میں نے اس کو بلایا۔
main ne us ko bulāyā.
I called him/her.
📝 کو-object → default verb
Split-ergativity is only in the perfective

Other tenses agree with the subject.

💬 Examples
میں کتاب پڑھتا ہوں۔
main kitāb paṛhtā hoon.
I read a book. (present, m)
📝 Present → verb agrees with subject (میں)
میں نے کتاب پڑھی۔
main ne kitāb paṛhī.
I read the book. (past)
📝 Perfective → verb agrees with the object