Writing System: Pashto uses the Pashto alphabet, a modified version of the Persian-Arabic script with additional letters to accommodate Pashto sounds.

Word Order: Pashto generally follows a subject-object-verb (SOV) word order; instead of, “I kick the ball,” you would say, “I the ball kick.”

• Distinctive Language Features:

  • Pashto has aspirated consonants, similar to English sounds like p in pat versus spat.

  • Pashto has a split ergative structure, where the subject of the verb changes depending on whether the verb is in the past or present tense.

Postpositions: Pashto uses postpositions rather than prepositions, meaning that the equivalent of in or on would come after the noun it modifies; instead of, “I go in the kitchen,” you would say, “I go the kitchen in.”