Adjectives Come After the Noun
Welcome to A2. If you survived the A1 foundation, you’ve already internalized the biggest surprise Persian grammar throws at English speakers: the verb goes at the end (as UT Austin’s Persian reference explains). Now here’s surprise number two: farsi adjectives come after the noun, not before it.
This post is part of the Persian Grammar series.
In English, you say “big book.” In Farsi, you say ketâb-e bozorg. literally “book-of big.” The adjective follows the noun, connected by the ezafe (-e). Every single time. No exceptions. MSU’s open Persian textbook has additional drills on this pattern.
ketâb-e bozorg (کتاب بزرگ) = big book (literally: book-e big)
mâshin-e ghermez (ماشین قرمز) = red car (car-e red)
khâne-ye bozorg (خانه بزرگ) = big house (house-ye big)
âdam-e khub (آدم خوب) = good person (person-e good)
Notice that when the noun ends in a vowel (like khâne), the ezafe becomes -ye instead of -e. This is the same rule you learned in the ezafe lesson. it applies everywhere ezafe appears.
The good news for learners: Farsi adjectives don’t agree with anything. No masculine/feminine. No singular/plural agreement. No case changes. “Bozorg” means “big” whether you’re describing a book, a car, ten houses, or the concept of bigness itself. Coming from French, Spanish, German, or Arabic, this is a massive relief.
The Ezafe Connection
The ezafe is the invisible -e that glues nouns to adjectives (and nouns to nouns, and names to titles). If you skipped that lesson, go back now. ezafe is the connective tissue of Persian noun phrases, and adjectives can’t function without it.
Quick refresher:
After a consonant: add -e → ketâb-e bozorg
After â or u: add -ye → khâne-ye bozorg, mu-ye meshki
After i: add -ye → sandali-ye râhat
In spoken Farsi, the ezafe often gets swallowed. “ketâbe bozorg” becomes something closer to “ketâb bozorg” with barely a whisper of the -e. But it’s always there structurally, even when your ear can’t catch it.
Here’s the key thing: the ezafe is never written in standard Persian script (except sometimes as a diacritic). So when you read کتاب بزرگ, the ezafe is invisible. you just know it’s there because an adjective follows a noun. This is why reading Persian gets easier with grammar knowledge: you’re reconstructing the spoken sounds that the script hides.
Comparatives: Just Add -tar
English has three comparative systems (“bigger,” “more beautiful,” “better”). Farsi has one (see Persian adjective rules on Wikipedia for the full breakdown): add -tar (تر) to any adjective. That’s it. One suffix. Every adjective. No exceptions for length, no “more” vs “-er” debate.
bozorg (big) → bozorgtar (بزرگتر) = bigger
kuchak (small) → kuchaktar (کوچکتر) = smaller
gerân (expensive) → gerântar (گرانتر) = more expensive
zibâ (beautiful) → zibâtar (زیباتر) = more beautiful
arzân (cheap) → arzântar (ارزانتر) = cheaper
sari’ (fast) → sari’tar (سریعتر) = faster
To compare two things, use az (از. from/than):
In ketâb az ân ketâb bozorgtar-e = This book is bigger than that book
Tehrân az Esfahân bozorgtar-e = Tehran is bigger than Isfahan
Ghazâ-ye irâni az ghazâ-ye itâliâyi behtar-e = Iranian food is better than Italian food (fight me)
The structure: X az Y [adjective]-tar ast/e. X is [more adjective] than Y. Clean, consistent, no confusion about word order.
Superlatives: Add -tarin
If -tar makes comparatives, -tarin (ترین) makes superlatives. Again: one suffix, every adjective, no exceptions.
bozorg → bozorgtarin (بزرگترین) = biggest
kuchak → kuchaktarin (کوچکترین) = smallest
gerân → gerântarin (گرانترین) = most expensive
zibâ → zibâtarin (زیباترین) = most beautiful
arzân → arzântarin (ارزانترین) = cheapest
Superlatives in Farsi come before the noun. this is the one case where the adjective breaks the “after the noun” rule:
bozorgtarin shahr = the biggest city (not shahr-e bozorgtarin)
behtarin ghazâ = the best food
gerântarin mâshin = the most expensive car
Why the position flip? Think of superlatives as determiners (like “the” or “this”) rather than descriptors. They define which one, not what it’s like. This is why “bozorgtarin shahr” feels natural to Iranians. the superlative is identifying, not describing.
The Irregulars. khub/behtar/behtarin, bad/badtar/badtarin
Just like English has good/better/best instead of good/gooder/goodest, Farsi has a handful of irregular comparatives. The good news: there are only three that matter.
khub (خوب. good) → behtar (بهتر. better) → behtarin (بهترین. best)
bad (بد. bad) → badtar (بدتر. worse) → badtarin (بدترین. worst)
ziyâd (زیاد. much/many) → bishtar (بیشتر. more) → bishtarin (بیشترین. most)
“Behtar” and “bishtar” are two of the most common words in spoken Farsi. You’ll hear “behtar-e” (it’s better) and “bishtar” (more) in nearly every conversation. Note that “khubtar” technically exists but sounds unnatural. always use “behtar.”
Also useful:
kam (کم. little/few) → kamtar (کمتر. less/fewer) → kamtarin (کمترین. least)
bozorg (بزرگ. big/great) is regular: bozorgtar, bozorgtarin. but for “elder/older” in family contexts, you’ll hear bozorgtar meaning “the elder one.”
Stacking Adjectives
What if you want to say “the big red expensive car”? In Farsi, adjectives chain together with ezafe between each one. The noun comes first, then adjectives pile on:
mâshin-e bozorg-e ghermez-e gerân = the big red expensive car
(car-e big-e red-e expensive)
Each adjective connects to the next with another ezafe. In theory, you can stack as many as you want. In practice, two or three is normal. more than that and the sentence gets unwieldy even for native speakers.
zan-e javân-e zibâ = the young beautiful woman
ketâb-e kohne-ye irâni = the old Iranian book
ghazâ-ye khoshmazze-ye garm = the delicious hot food
Adjective order in Farsi is flexible. there’s no strict “size before color before origin” rule like English has. But Iranians tend to put the most important or distinguishing adjective last (closest to the end of the phrase). “Mâshin-e ghermez-e bozorg” emphasizes big; “mâshin-e bozorg-e ghermez” emphasizes red.
Street Persian Adjective Shortcuts
In spoken Farsi, the ezafe between noun and adjective compresses or disappears entirely. “Ketâb-e bozorg” becomes “ketâbe bozorg” or even “ketâb bozorg” with barely a pause.
But the biggest spoken shortcut is kheyli (خیلی. very). Iranians use “kheyli” where English might use a comparative:
Kheyli khub-e! = It’s very good! (instead of “it’s better”)
Kheyli bozorg-e! = It’s very big!
Kheyli gerân-e! = It’s very expensive!
In casual speech, you’ll hear “kheyli” stacked for emphasis: “kheyli kheyli khub-e!” = It’s really really good! This is completely normal and not considered uneducated. it’s just how spoken Persian expresses intensity. Think of it as the Farsi equivalent of “sooo good.”
Another spoken trick: -e at the end of adjective phrases acts as the copula (is). “Bozorg-e” = it’s big. “Khub-e” = it’s good. “Gerântar-e” = it’s more expensive. This -e is the spoken version of “ast” (است. is).
If you’re using flashcards for vocabulary, my Anki guide has tips for drilling adjectives with their comparatives so they stick together in your memory.
The Adjective Rules: Adjective comes AFTER noun, connected by ezafe. Comparative: adj + -tar. Superlative: adj + -tarin (goes BEFORE noun).
Example: ketâb-e bozorg (big book) → ketâb-e bozorgtar (bigger book) → bozorgtarin ketâb (biggest book)
ketâb-e bozorgtar
کتاب بزرگتر
the bigger book
ketâbe bozorgtar
کتابه بزرگتر
the bigger book
Iranians stack “kheyli” (very) instead of using comparatives in everyday speech. Rather than saying “in ghazâ behtar-e” (this food is better), you’re more likely to hear “in ghazâ kheyli khub-e!” (this food is very good!). Double or triple stacking. “kheyli kheyli kheyli khub-e!”. is common among younger speakers and adds genuine emphasis, not exaggeration. If an Iranian says something is “kheyli khub,” it’s good. If they say “kheyli kheyli khub”? It’s genuinely excellent.
Make the comparative of “bozorg” (big).
Show answer
bozorgtar (بزرگتر). just add -tar. “In khâne bozorgtar-e” = This house is bigger.
What’s the superlative of “khub” (good)? Careful. it’s irregular!
Show answer
behtarin (بهترین). not “khubtarin.” khub→behtar→behtarin is one of the three irregular sets. “Behtarin ghazâ” = the best food.
How would you say “the more expensive car” in spoken Farsi?
Show answer
mâshine gerântar (ماشینه گرانتر). the ezafe compresses to barely a sound. Formal: mâshin-e gerântar.
For the full grammar roadmap, head to the Persian Grammar Guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
For a list of 60 common Persian adjectives organized by category. with spoken forms, opposites, and example sentences. see the Persian Adjectives vocabulary reference.
Where do adjectives go in Farsi?
What are the irregular comparatives in Persian?
What is the difference between khub, behtar, and behtarin?
Do Farsi adjectives agree with gender?
What are the spoken shortcuts for adjectives in Farsi?
If adjective placement and ezafe connections still feel unnatural, the fastest fix is speaking practice. Book a session with me on Preply and we’ll describe everything in the room until noun-adjective order feels automatic. no more translating backwards in your head.
