دنبال

What it means

دنبال (donbâl) is a pure Persian postpositional preposition that expresses the idea of following, pursuing, or searching for something. Its core spatial meaning is “behind” or “after” in the sense of physical pursuit or sequence. From there it extends into the very common figurative use دنبال چیزی بودن (donbâl-e chizi budan), meaning to be looking for something or to be after something. The construction always takes the ezafe connector: دنبالِ (donbâl-e) + noun. You can also use it with verbs: دنبال کسی گشتن (donbâl-e kasi gashtan, to search for someone), دنبال کسی رفتن (donbâl-e kasi raftan, to go after someone or to go pick someone up), and دنبال کسی فرستادن (donbâl-e kasi ferestâdan, to send for someone). Note that دنبال is different from بعد از (ba’d az, after in time): دنبال implies active pursuit or sequential motion, while بعد از is purely temporal. The word is also used in the compound verb دنبال کردن (donbâl kardan, to follow or to pursue).

How to use it

• دنبال کارم می‌گردم. (donbâl-e kâram migardam.) “I am looking for a job.”
• رفتم دنبال بچه‌ها از مدرسه. (raftam donbâl-e bachehâ az madrese.) “I went to pick up the kids from school.”
• دنبالم نیا. (donbâlam nayâ.) “Don’t follow me.”
• دنبال کی می‌گردی؟ (donbâl-e ki migardi?) “Who are you looking for?”

Cultural note

The phrase دنبال کسی رفتن (donbâl-e kasi raftan, to go after someone) is the standard Persian way to describe picking someone up, such as from an airport, school, or party. Asking داری دنبالم میای (dâri donbâlam miyâi, are you coming to pick me up) is a completely ordinary logistical question in Iranian family life, and the answer شب دنبالت میام (shab donbâlat miyâm, I will come get you tonight) is one of the most frequently spoken sentences in any Iranian household. This use of pursuit as pickup is a conceptual frame that learners need to internalize early because it does not translate literally.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab