Farsi Imperatives: 5 Ways Iranians Give Commands (A2)
I break down Farsi commands and requests, including the magic word befarmaid, so you can ask for things without sounding bossy or robotic.
Farsi ‘Râ’ Marker: The Word That Changes Everything (A1)
I explain the Farsi ra marker in plain English with real examples so you finally understand when to use it and stop second-guessing yourself.
Farsi Plurals: 4 Suffixes That Cover 95% of Persian (A1)
Farsi plurals are dead simple — add -hâ to almost anything. But textbooks complicate it with Arabic broken plurals and the -ân suffix. Here’s what you actually need to know about making things plural in Persian.
Persian ‘To Be’: Budan, Hast, and the Invisible Copula (A1)
The Persian to be verb has two systems — hast for existence and ast as a copula — and spoken Farsi drops half of it. Here’s how budan actually works in Tehran vs the textbook.
Farsi Present Tense: How Iranians Conjugate Verbs (A1)
The farsi present tense is built from present stems, the mi- prefix, and personal endings — but Tehrani speakers compress everything. Here’s how present tense actually works in real Persian conversation.
Farsi Negation: Four Ways to Say No in Persian
Farsi negation goes beyond just adding “na-” to a verb. Persian has four distinct patterns for saying no — each with its own rules and spoken shortcuts that textbooks usually skip.
Farsi Prepositions: The 15 That Actually Matter
Stop memorizing long lists — these 15 farsi prepositions cover about 90% of what you’ll ever need in real Persian conversation, from dar and az to the colloquial shortcuts Iranians actually use.
How to Ask Questions in Farsi: 7 Patterns Iranians Use (A1)
Learning how to ask questions in Farsi is easier than you think — sometimes all you need is a change in intonation. Here’s every question pattern you need, from basic yes/no to the question words Iranians use daily.
Farsi Pronouns: Why ‘You’ Has Six Versions
Farsi pronouns look simple — six words for I, you, he/she, we, you (plural), and they. But choosing between “to” and “shoma” can make or break a conversation, Persian has no gendered pronouns at all, and the attached pronoun suffixes change how every sentence sounds.
Farsi Sentence Structure: Why Everything Is Backwards
Farsi sentence structure follows an SOV (Subject-Object-Verb) pattern that feels completely backwards to English speakers. But once you see the internal logic — where the verb always anchors the end, adjectives follow nouns, and “ra” marks your direct objects — Persian word order becomes surprisingly predictable.