Persian/Verbs

Introduction to Persian Verbs The verb (فعل - Fe'l) is the most essential part of the sentence in Persian. It indicates the action or state of being and usually comes at the end of the sentence. Persian verbs are inflected for: Tense: When the action happens (Past, Present, Future). Aspect: The nature of the action (Simple, Continuous, Perfect). Person and Number: Who is performing the action. Unlike many European languages, Persian verbs do not indicate gender. The Infinitive The infinitive form of a verb acts as the dictionary entry. In Persian, almost all infinitives end in the suffix -an (ـن) or -tan (تن). Examples: رفتن (Raftan) - To go. گفتن (Goftan) - To say. خوردن (Khordan) - To eat. Identifying the Stems To conjugate a verb, you must find its stem. Persian verbs have two main stems: The Past Stem: Found by removing the -an ending from the infinitive. Example: Raftan → Raft (went). The Present Stem: This stem is often irregular and must be memorized. It is used to form present and future tenses. Example: Raftan → Rav (go). Personal Endings Persian uses suffixes to indicate the subject of the verb. These endings attach to the verb stem. Person Singular Ending Plural Ending 1st Person -am (ـم) -im (ـیم) 2nd Person -i (ـی) -id (ـید) 3rd Person -ad (ـد) -and (ـند) Note: In the Simple Past tense, the 3rd person singular has no ending; it is just the bare past stem. Simple Past Tense (Gozašte-ye Sade) This is the easiest tense to learn. It is formed by adding the personal endings to the Past Stem. Formula: Past Stem + Personal Ending Example Conjugation: نوشتن (Neveštan) - To Write Past Stem: Neveš (wrote) Persian Transliteration English نوشتم neveš-t-am I wrote نوشتی neveš-t-i You wrote نوشت neveš-t He/She/It wrote نوشتیم neveš-t-im We wrote نوشتید neveš-t-id You wrote (plural/formal) نوشتند neveš-t-and They wrote Negative Past To make a verb negative, add the prefix na- (نَـ) immediately before the verb stem. The stress shifts to the prefix. ننوشتم (Na-neveštam) - I did not write. نرفت (Na-raft) - He did not go. Present Simple Tense (Hāl-e Sade) The present tense indicates an action happening now or a habit. It uses the Present Stem. Formula: mi- (prefix) + Present Stem + Personal Ending The prefix mi- (می) is the marker of the present tense. Example Conjugation: نوشتن (Neveštan) - To Write Present Stem: Nevis (write) Persian Transliteration English می‌نویسم mi-nevis-am I write / I am writing می‌نویسی mi-nevis-i You write می‌نویسد mi-nevis-ad He/She writes می‌نویسیم mi-nevis-im We write می‌نویسید mi-nevis-id You write (plural/formal) می‌نویسند mi-nevis-and They write Negative Present Replace the prefix mi- with na- (نَـ). نمی‌نویسم (Na-mi-nevisam) - I do not write. نمی‌رود (Na-mi-ravad) - He does not go. Future Tense (Āyande) The future tense is formed using the auxiliary verb khāstan (to want) followed by the past stem of the main verb. Formula: khā- + Personal Ending + Past Stem Example: I will go (Raftan) Persian Transliteration English خواهم رفت khāh-am raft I will go خواهی رفت khāh-i raft You will go خواهد رفت khāh-ad raft He/She will go خواهیم رفت khāh-im raft We will go خواهید رفت khāh-id raft You will go خواهند رفت khāh-and raft They will go Note: In spoken Persian, the future tense is often replaced by the present tense if the context makes the timing clear. The Subjunctive Mood (Sedā-ye Eltezāmi) The subjunctive is used after certain verbs (like "want," "must," "can") or when expressing wishes, doubts, or possibilities. Formula: be- (prefix) + Present Stem + Personal Ending Example: I want to go. (Khāstam beravam) بروم (Be-rav-am) - I may go / Let me go. برو (Be-ro - spoken) - Go! (Imperative) The Verb "To Be" (Budan) The verb "to be" is irregular and extremely common. It has two forms: the enclitic (suffix) form and the independent form. 1. Enclitic Form (Suffixes) Used to link a subject to a noun or adjective. It attaches to the end of the word. Suffix Transliteration Meaning ـم (-am) -am I am ـی (-i) -i You are ـست (-ast) / ـه (-e)* -ast / -e He/She is ـیم (-im) -im We are ـید (-id) -id You are ـند (-and) -and They are (*Note: -ast is formal; in spoken Persian, the suffix -e is often used or the suffix is dropped entirely.) Example: من خسته‌ام. (Man khaste-am) - I am tired. او ایرانی است. (U Irani ast) - He is Iranian. 2. Independent Form (Hastan) Used for emphasis or existence ("There is"). Persian Transliteration Meaning هستم hastam I am (emphatic) هستی hasti You are هست hast He/She is / There is هستیم hastim We are هستید hastid You are هستند hastand They are / There are Compound Verbs Persian uses many compound verbs, formed by combining a noun or adjective with a simple verb (usually kardan - to do, shodan - to become, dādan - to give). Telephone kardan (تلفن کردن) - To telephone. Gerye kardan (گریه کردن) - To cry (literally: to do crying). Garm shodan (گرم شدن) - To become warm. To conjugate these, only the verb part changes. تلفن می‌کنم (Telephone mi-konam) - I am telephoning. تلفن کردم (Telephone kardam) - I telephoned. Common Irregular Verbs Here is a list of the most common irregular verbs with their stems. Infinitive Meaning Past Stem Present Stem بودن (Budan) To be Bud Bash داشتن (Dāštan) To have Dāšt Dār رفتن (Raftan) To go Raft Rav آمدن (Āmadan) To come Āmad Ā دیدن (Didan) To see Did Bin گفتن (Goftan) To say Goft Gu گرفتن (Gereftan) To take Gereft Gir See Also Persian Grammar Persian Vocabulary Verbs