Complex predicates (CPs) consisting of a noun (N) and a verb (V) are an ubiquitous feature of Kurd­ish, and of Indo-Iranian and Indo-Aryan languages generally. MoHANAN (1997) has proposed an argu­ment-sharing analysis for this type of CP in Hindi, according to which both the noun and the verb con­tribute to the argument structure of the CP. In this paper the argument-sharing approach is assessed against the K urdish data, but it transpires that it only accounts for a subset of N + V CPs. Furthermore, for one specific type of CP, an analysis in terms of syntactic incorporation is simpler and empirically more adequate. I conclude that no single model accounts for the totality of CP-formation in Kurdish and related languages. Finally, I address the question of why N+ V CPs should have emerged in the eastern members of Indo-European, yet are almost completely lacking in the Indo-European languages of Europe.