Noun Classifiers

There are four noun classes in Avar:

The noun classes function in a way similar to genders in Indo-European languages, and class markers in words must agree with the noun they are connected to. However, unlike those Indo-European languages, the "genders" in Avar almost always correspond to their respective categories, though there is one notable exception:

лъимер "child"

which corresponds to the neuter б class.

There are also "unisex" nouns like цIалдохъан "(school) student" and мадугьал "neighbour" which can use either male or female markers, depending on the sex of the person being referred to.

These noun classifiers can be found in almost all parts of speech.

Verbs:

Чи вачIана the man came
ЧIужу ячIана the woman came
Гьой бачIана the dog came
Ясал рачIана the girls came

Depending on the verb, the class marker can agree with the object rather than the subject:

Эбелалъ гьавуна вас the mother bore a son
Эбелалъ гьаюна яс the mother bore a girl
Эбелалъ гьабуна квен the mother made food

Words derived from verbs, such as converbs and participles, also exhibit similar class agreement:

вачIарав the one who came
вачIун having come
тIехь босарав чи the man who took the book (lit. "book taking man", where the initial б agrees with the neuter "book", and the final в agrees with masculine "man")

Adjectives:

Other word classes that behave like adjectives (such an numerals кIигояв "two (men)" тIоцевесев "first" (masc) кIиабилеб "second" (neut) undergo the same changes.

pronouns:

Гьав дир вас вуго this is my son
Гьай дир яс йиго this is my daughter
Гьаб дир чу буго this is my horse
Гьал дир рукъзал руго those are my houses

In addition, there is a set of locative ending that contains a class marker:

Гьаниве вачIа come here (imper - to a male)
Гьание ячIа come here (imper - to a female)
Чу гьанибе бача bring the horse here
Вац рокъов вуго the brother is at home
Яц къватIий йиго the sister is outside (on the street)
Чу хуриб буго the horse is in the field
Вацалги яцалги рокъор руго the brothers and sisters are in the house

Postpositions and their corresponding adverbs of place that are semantically related to these behave in a similar way:

Дов рукъалда жанив вуго he is inside the house
АскIове вачIа come near (imperative, to a man)

One class of words where they are conspicuously absent is nouns - though there are some "fossilized" class markers in certain nouns, especially kinship terms:

вас boy - яс girl
вац brother - яц sister - бац sibling (animals)
вакьад father-in-law (wife's father) - якьад mother-in-law (wife's mother)
вацгIал cousin (male) яцгIал cousin (female)

as well as inanimates:
рагъ war
рокьи love
церекъад the day before yesterday

Words denoting professions derived from verbs also have them:

ессарухъан weaver (woman) (бессаризе to weave)
векьарухъ ploughman (бекьаризе to plough)