Language/Iranian-persian/Grammar/Lesson-5:-Present-tense-conjugation-of-regular-verbs

Iranian Persian Grammar → Unit 2: Sentence structure and basic verb conjugation → Lesson 5: Present tense conjugation of regular verbs

Welcome to Lesson 5 of the Complete 0 to A1 Iranian Persian Course! In this lesson, you will learn how to conjugate regular verbs in the present tense and make simple statements in the affirmative, negative and interrogative form.

In the previous lesson, we learned how to use the present tense of the verb "to be" in Persian and make simple statements. Now, we will expand our knowledge by learning how to use regular verbs in the present tense.

Regular verbs in Persian

Regular verbs are called "az raa'e-haay-e muntaqem" in Persian, which means verbs with a fixed pattern. Unlike the verb "to be", regular verbs in the present tense have different forms for each subject pronoun.

To form the present tense of a regular verb in Persian, we remove the infinitive ending "an" and add the appropriate personal suffix to the root of the verb according to the subject pronoun.

Here are the present tense conjugations of the verb "kardan", which means "to do":

Iranian Persian	Pronunciation	English
من کار می‌کنم	man kaar mikonam	I do (am doing)
تو کار می‌کنی	to kaar mikoni	you do (are doing)
او کار می‌کند	u kaar mikonad	he/she/it does (is doing)
ما کار می‌کنیم	maa kaar mikonim	we do (are doing)
شما کار می‌کنید	shomaa kaar mikonid	you (plural) do (are doing)
آنها کار می‌کنند	aanhaa kaar mikonand	they do (are doing)

Note: The suffixes for the verbs with the infinitive ending "-idan" (-am, -i, -ad, -im, -id, -and) are exactly the same as the ones for the verbs with the infinitive ending "- kardan".

Examples:

• "Man sobh namaz mikhoonam" (I read morning prayer)
• "To Khane ra pak mikoni" (You clean the house)
• "U ba pedarash goosfand mikone" (He talks to his father)
• "Ma har rooz sabzii mikharam" (We eat vegetables every day)
• "Shoma har shab khaabidetun raa tamaam mikonid?" (Do you (plural) sleep early every night?)
• "Anhaa ketab mifroshand" (They sell books)

Basic sentence structure in Persian

Persian sentences usually follow the Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order. However, this order can change depending on the emphasis you want to put on certain parts of the sentence.

Examples:

• "Man shir dar ghahveh mikhoram" (I drink milk with coffee)
• "Dar ghahve, man shir mikhoram" (With coffee, I drink milk)
• "Mehdi ketabe ali raa kharid" (Mehdi bought the book of Ali)
• "Ketabe ali raa mehdi kharid" (The book of Ali, Mehdi bought)
• "U be Tehran raft" (He went to Tehran)
• "Be Tehran, u raft" (To Tehran, he went)

As you can see in the examples above, by changing the word order we can emphasize certain parts of the sentence. In Persian, we also use different types of particles and prepositions to add more meaning and nuance to our sentences.

Negation and Interrogation in Persian

To form a negative sentence in Persian, we use the word "na" (not) before the verb.

Examples:

• "Man namaz nakhunam" (I do not pray)
• "To film nadeedi?" (Have you not seen the movie?)

To form an interrogative sentence in Persian, we use the particle "آیا" (āyā), which does not have a direct translation in English but is used to introduce a question. We can also use other question words such as "چرا"(cheraa) (why), "کی" (ki) (when), "چه کسی" (che kasii) (who), and "چطور" (chetor) (how) in our questions.

Examples:

• "آیا شما به ایران آمده‌اید؟" (Have you come to Iran?)
• "چطور حال شماست؟" (How are you?)
• "چرا تاخیر کردی؟" (Why did you delay?)

Note that in most interrogative sentences, the verb comes before the subject. However, in a question that starts with the question word "کی" (ki) (when), the subject comes before the verb.

Example:

• "تو چه کسی هستی؟" (Who are you?)

Vocabulary

• انجام دادن (anjam daadan) - to do
• خریدن (kharidan) - to buy
• فروشندگی کردن (forushandegi kardan) - to sell
• قهوه (ghahveh) - coffee
• شیر (shir) - milk
• کتاب (ketab) - book

Useful phrases:

• "من ايراني هستم" (I am Iranian)
• "ممنون" (Thank you)
• "نه، متاسفانه نتوانستم" (No, unfortunately I couldn't)
• "بله، موافقم" (Yes, I agree)

Exercises

• Translate the following sentences into Persian:

1. He reads a book in the park.
2. I sell my car.
3. Do you (singular) drink tea?
4. They do not watch TV.
5. When do you (plural) come to my house?

Answers:

1. U dar park ketab mikhune
2. Man maashinam raa forush mikonam
3. To chaay mishi?
4. Anhaa TV nanevisandan
5. Shoma chand vaght be khane man miayid?

Translation:

1. او در پارک کتاب می‌خواند.
2. من ماشینم را فروش می‌کنم.
3. آیا شما چای می‌نوشید؟
4. آنها تلویزیون نمی‌نگرند.
5. چند وقت به خانه من می‌آیید؟

Further Reading

• Persian Verbs
• Persian Phonology

Sources

• Persian language
• Persian grammar

Table of Contents - Iranian Persian Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

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Unit 1: Basic greetings and introductions

• Lesson 1: Saying "Hello" and "Goodbye"
• Lesson 2: Introducing yourself and others

  ---

Unit 2: Sentence structure and basic verb conjugation

• Lesson 3: Word order in Persian sentences
• Lesson 4: Present tense conjugation of the verb "to be"
• Lesson 5: Present tense conjugation of regular verbs

  ---

Unit 3: Talking about daily routines

• Lesson 6: Talking about your daily routine
• Lesson 7: Talking about others' daily routines

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Unit 4: Object pronouns and possessive pronouns

• Lesson 8: Direct object pronouns
• Lesson 9: Possessive pronouns

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Unit 5: Persian culture and customs

• Lesson 10: Persian etiquette and hospitality
• Lesson 11: Persian holidays and celebrations

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Unit 6: Food and drink

• Lesson 12: Ordering food and drink
• Lesson 13: Talking about food and drink

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Unit 7: Past tense and regular verbs conjugation

• Lesson 14: Past tense of regular verbs
• Lesson 15: Word order in past tense sentences

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Unit 8: Persian literature and arts

• Lesson 16: Persian poetry and classical literature
• Lesson 17: Persian cinema and music

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Unit 9: Travel and transportation

• Lesson 18: Means of transportation
• Lesson 19: Travel preparations and bookings

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Unit 10: Imperative mood, infinitives and complex sentences

• Lesson 20: Using the imperative mood
• Lesson 21: Using infinitives
• Lesson 22: Complex sentences and conjunctions

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Unit 11: Persian history and geography

• Lesson 23: Persian civilization and ancient history
• Lesson 24: Modern history and contemporary issues

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Unit 12: Leisure and entertainment

• Lesson 25: Sports and active recreation
• Lesson 26: Entertainment and leisure activities

Related Lessons

• Nouns
• Dis
• Lesson 22: Complex sentences and conjunctions
• Persian Grammar
• How to say thank you
• How to Use Be
• Pronouns
• Take
• Comaratives and Superlatives
• Most commonly used Adjective