What Clitic Pronouns Are
If you’ve made it through nine A2 lessons, congratulations. you’ve almost completed the elementary grammar series (UT Austin’s Persian reference is a great next step for intermediate study). This final lesson ties together several threads you’ve already encountered: the possessive suffixes from the possession lesson, the pronoun contractions from râ, and the preposition clitics you’ve been hearing in examples throughout the series.
This post is part of the Persian Grammar series.
Farsi clitic pronouns are tiny suffixes. just one or two syllables. that attach to the end of words and replace full pronouns. They do the work of “me,” “you,” “him/her,” “us,” “you (pl),” and “them” without needing a separate word. For a formal overview, see Persian clitics on Wikipedia.
-am (م) = me/my
-at (ت) = you/your
-ash (ش) = him/her/his/her
-emân (مان) = us/our
-etân (تان) = you (pl/formal)/your
-eshân (شان) = them/their
You already know these from possession (MSU’s open Persian textbook has helpful drills for these): “ketâbam” = my book. But these same suffixes do triple duty. they handle possession, indirect objects, AND prepositional objects. One set of suffixes, three grammatical functions. This is peak Persian efficiency.
Clitics for Possession (Review)
Quick review from the possession lesson. clitics as possessive markers:
ketâbam (کتابم) = my book
ketâbat (کتابت) = your book
ketâbash (کتابش) = his/her book
ketâbemun (کتابمون) = our book (spoken)
ketâbetun (کتابتون) = your book (spoken, formal/plural)
ketâbeshun (کتابشون) = their book (spoken)
This is clitic function #1. You attach the suffix to the noun and it replaces “my/your/his/her/our/their.” Now let’s see the same suffixes in their other roles.
Clitics as Indirect Objects
This is where clitics really shine. Instead of saying “be man goft” (he told to me), spoken Farsi fuses “be” + pronoun into a single word with the clitic:
be man goft → behem goft (بهم گفت) = he told me
be to goft → behet goft (بهت گفت) = he told you
be u goft → behesh goft (بهش گفت) = he told him/her
be mâ goft → behemun goft (بهمون گفت) = he told us
be shomâ goft → behetun goft (بهتون گفت) = he told you (formal)
be ânhâ goft → beheshun goft (بهشون گفت) = he told them
The “be” fuses with the clitic pronoun to create these smooth, fast forms. “Behem,” “behet,” “behesh”. three of the most common words in spoken Farsi. You hear them in nearly every conversation.
More examples:
Behem begu = Tell me
Behet migam = I’ll tell you
Behesh goftam ke biâd = I told him/her to come
Behemun nagofte bud = He hadn’t told us
Clitics with Prepositions
The same fusion happens with other prepositions:
bâ (with):
bâ man → bâhâm (باهام) = with me
bâ to → bâhât (باهات) = with you
bâ u → bâhâsh (باهاش) = with him/her
bâ mâ → bâhâmun (باهامون) = with us
bâ shomâ → bâhâtun (باهاتون) = with you (formal)
bâ ânhâ → bâhâshun (باهاشون) = with them
az (from):
az man → azam (ازم) = from me
az to → azat (ازت) = from you
az u → azash (ازش) = from him/her
az mâ → azemun (ازمون) = from us
barâye/vase (for):
barâye man → vasam (واسم) = for me
barâye to → vasat (واست) = for you
barâye u → vasash (واسش) = for him/her
The pattern: the preposition absorbs the clitic pronoun, creating a single word. “Bâhâsh harf bezanam” (let me talk with him/her), “azat khâhesh mikonam” (I’m asking of you / please), “vasam biyâr” (bring it for me).
Clitics as Direct Objects with Râ
This is an alternative to the pronoun + râ contractions (mano, toro, uno) you learned in the râ lessons. Instead of putting the pronoun at the object position with -ro, you can attach the clitic to the verb itself:
u râ didam → uno didam → didam-esh (دیدمش) = I saw him/her
man râ did → mano did → did-am. this form is less common but exists
ânhâ râ didam → unâro didam → didameshun (دیدمشون) = I saw them
The verb-attached clitic form (“didamesh”) is an alternative to the object-position form (“uno didam”). Both are correct and common. Some speakers prefer one, some mix them. “Didamesh” is slightly more casual and compressed; “uno didam” is slightly more explicit.
More examples:
Shenidamesh (شنیدمش) = I heard him/her
Khobi-sh didam. less common, but “didamesh” is natural
Mikhâmesh (میخوامش) = I want him/her
Goftamesh (گفتمش) = I said it (to someone implied)
The Spoken Set: -emun, -etun, -eshun
The plural clitics undergo the same vowel compression you’ve seen throughout the grammar series. spoken Farsi shortens -ân to -un:
Formal → Spoken
-emân → -emun (مون) = us/our
-etân → -etun (تون) = you (pl/formal)/your
-eshân → -eshun (شون) = them/their
These spoken forms are universal. In Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz. everywhere in Iran, the spoken clitics use -un endings. The formal -ân endings are exclusively written.
Behemun nagoft = He didn’t tell us
Bâhâtun miâm = I’ll come with you (all)
Ketâbeshuno khundam = I read their book (ketâb + eshun + o [râ])
Clitic Stacking and Word Order
In complex sentences, clitics can stack. a word carries a possessive clitic AND the sentence has a prepositional clitic:
Ketâbamo behesh dâdam = I gave my book to him/her
(ketâb + am + o [râ] = my book [object] | behesh = to him/her)
Bâbâsh behemun goft = His/her dad told us
(bâbâ + ash = his/her dad | behemun = to us)
Vasash kharidam-esh = I bought it for him/her
(vasash = for him/her | kharidam + esh = I bought it)
The key rule: each clitic attaches to its own host word. Possessive clitics go on the noun. Indirect object clitics go on the preposition. Direct object clitics go on the verb or the object noun. They don’t pile onto one word (usually).
This stacking is what makes spoken Farsi so compact. A sentence like “I gave my book to her”. five words in English. becomes “ketâbamo behesh dâdam”. three spoken units where clitics do the heavy lifting.
The Clitic Set: -am (my/me), -at (your/you), -ash (his/her/him/her), -emân/emun (our/us), -etân/etun (your-pl/you-pl), -eshân/eshun (their/them). One suffix set, three functions: possession, indirect objects, prepositional objects.
be u goftam
به او گفتم
I told him/her
behesh goftam
بهش گفتم
I told him/her
Clitic pronouns are so dominant in spoken Farsi that using full pronouns (be man, be to, bâ u) sounds either deliberate or strange. It’s like saying “I told TO HIM” in English. technically fine, but carrying extra emphasis that might not be intended. In normal conversation, “behesh goftam” (I told him) is neutral; “be u goftam” sounds like you’re emphasizing WHO you told. Learners who use full prepositional pronouns sound formal, not wrong. but switching to clitics is what makes your Farsi sound truly natural.
Say “I told her” using the clitic form.
Show answer
Behesh goftam (بهش گفتم) = I told her. “Be” + “-esh” (her) = “behesh.” This is the default spoken form. “be u goftam” sounds overly formal in conversation.
How do you say “with us” using clitics? Give the spoken form.
Show answer
bâhâmun (باهامون) = with us. “Bâ” (with) + linking vowel + “-emun” (spoken form of -emân). “Bâhâmun biâ!” = Come with us!
Say “I saw them” two ways. using pronoun+râ and using verb-attached clitic.
Show answer
Way 1: unâro didam (اوناوو دیدم). pronoun “unâ” + ro (râ) + verb. Way 2: didameshun (دیدمشون). verb “didam” + clitic “-eshun” (them). Both are natural; Way 1 is slightly more explicit, Way 2 is more compressed.
Ready for the next step? The reflexive pronouns lesson (khodam, khodet, khodesh) builds directly on clitics. same personal endings, different function.
For the full grammar roadmap from A1 to C2, head to the Persian Grammar Guide. The B1 series. covering the subjunctive, conditionals, passive voice, and discourse particles. is coming soon.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are clitic pronouns in Farsi?
How do you use “behesh” in Persian?
What’s the difference between clitic and full pronouns in Farsi?
What are the spoken clitic forms in Farsi?
Can clitic pronouns attach to prepositions in Farsi?
Clitic pronouns are the finishing touch that makes your Farsi sound genuinely natural. Book a Preply session with me and we’ll practice all three clitic functions. possession, indirect objects, and prepositions. through role-play conversations until these tiny suffixes become second nature.
