Farsi and English/Pending tests
Contents
Nouns
General
- (fa) بازو → arm
- (fa) پشت → back
- (fa) گونه → cheek
- (fa) قفسه سینه → chest
- (fa) چانه → chin
- (fa) گوش → ear
- (fa) آرنج → elbow
- (fa) چشم → eye
- (fa) صورت / چهره → face
- (fa) انگشت → finger
Indefinite and Definite
In Farsi, there is no usage of articles. For instance, translating a noun with a preceding article in English to Farsi will render this result:
- (en) a/the table → ميز
- (en) a/the son → پسر
- (en) a/the cat → گربه
- (en) a/the father → پاپا
- (en) a/the door → در
However, in Farsi, there is also a word, "را", to reference a particular noun in a conversation. It is somewhat similar to "the" in English, however, it is not an equivalent substitute and is only used to mark definite nouns that are direct objects.
- (fa) .من در را دیدم → I saw (the particular) door.
- (fa) .من نان را دادم → I gave (the particular) bread.
- (fa) .من سگ را برداشم → I took (the particular) dog.
- (fa) .من کتاب را نوشتماشم → I wrote (the particular) book.
- (fa) .من کیف را دوست داشتم → I loved (the particular) bag.
If the noun is not referenced or specified in a conversation or text, then there is no need for "را".
- (fa) .بابا بستنی داد → Father gave ice cream.
- (fa) .بابادک هوا کردم → I fly (a) kite.
- (fa) .سگها بوسیدمان → We kiss dogs.
- (fa) .شم خوردشان → They eat dinner.
- (fa) .آرش ماشین دنبال کرد → Arash follows (a) car.
The only way "را" will be used in these sentences is if someone asks specifically about the direct objects in the sentence. Say for instance someone asks, "چه کس را؟" This phrase translates to "Who?" and is used to refer to human objects. On the other hand the phrase, "چه چیز را؟", means "Which object?" and is used to refer to nonhuman objects. Take our previous sentences with "را" inserted after the direct object.
- (fa) .بابا بستنی را داد → Father gave the ice cream.
- (fa) .بابادک را هوا کردم → I fly the kite.
- (fa) .سگها را بوسیدمان → We kiss the dogs.
- (fa) .شم را خوردشان → They eat the dinner.
- (fa) .آرش ماشین را دنبال کرد → Arash follows the car.
"را" makes the sentences become specific between the two people conversing or in a text the reader is reading.
Pronouns
Personal Pronouns
- (fa) .من فوتبال بازی کردم → I play soccer.
- (fa) .تو فوتبال بازی کردی → You (singular) play soccer.
- (fa) .وا فوتبال بازی کرد → He/she/it play soccer.
(In Farsi, there are no distinctions between he, she, or it.)
- (fa) .ما فوتبال باری کردیم → We play soccer
- (fa) .شُما فوتبال بازی کردید → You all (plural) play soccer.
- (fa) .آنها فوتبال بازی کردند → They play soccer.
However, in Farsi, there is no need to directly state a pronoun in a sentence. The pronoun is understood depending on the ending of the verb (similar to other Romance languages).
- (fa) .فوتبال بازی کردم → I play soccer.
- (fa) .فوتبال بازی کردی → You (singular) play soccer.
- (fa) .فوتبال بازی کرد → He/She/It play soccer.
- (fa) .فوتبال باری کردیم → We play soccer.
- (fa) .فوتبال بازی کردید → You all (plural) play soccer.
- (fa) .فوتبال بازی کردند → They play soccer.
Possessive Pronouns
In Farsi, the possessive pronoun is a suffix attached to the noun, unlike English, which has the possessive pronoun precede the noun. This is the most common way to demonstrate ownership of a noun.
- (fa) .مریم را گلم دوست → Maryam likes my flower.
- (fa) .مریم را گلت دوست → Maryam likes your (singular) flower.
- (fa) .مریم را گلش دوست → Maryam likes his/her/its flower.
- (fa) .مریم را گلمان دوست → Maryam likes our flower.
- (fa) .مریم را گلتان دوست → Maryam likes your (plural) flower.
- (fa) .مریم را گلشان دوست → Maryam likes their flower.
Possessive pronouns also use personal pronouns to show possession of a noun. The character, " ِ ", is the equivalent to an apostrophe in English. However, this form is used only for nouns that act as subjects or indirect objects.[1]
- (fa) .جا یزدِ من قشنگ آست → My award is beautiful.
- (fa) .جا یزدِ تو قشنگ آست → Your award is beautiful.
- (fa) .جا یزدِ وا قشنگ آست → His/Her/Its award is beautiful.
- (fa) .جا یزدِ ما قشنگ آست → Our award is beautiful.
- (fa) .جا یزدِ شما قشنگ آست → Your (plural) award is beautiful.
- (fa) .جا یزدِ آنها قشنگ آستا → Their award is beautiful.
Adjectives
Adjectives in Farsi succeed the nouns they modify, unlike English which has the adjective precede the noun it is modifying. For beginners, the character " ِ ", is written after the noun and before the adjective for pronunciation purposes. However, in most texts the " ِ " is understood so it is not written.
- (fa) ماد سیاه → black snake
- (fa) ماهی بازرگ → big fish
- (fa) خواهر کوچک → little sister
- (fa) پسر قد کوتاه → short boy
- (fa) معلم زشت → ugly teacher
- (fa) مادر قشنگ → beautiful mother
- (fa) حعبه قد بلند → tall box
- (fa) تاکسی زرد → yellow taxi
- (fa) تاویزیونرنگی → color television
- (fa) درخت سیب → apple tree
- (fa) زن جوان → young wife
