Common Persian Grammar Mistakes: Test Yourself

✅ کتابِ بزرگِ من روی میز است.
ketâb-e bozorg-e man ruye miz ast.
“My big book is on the table.”

Error: Missing ezafe between کتاب and بزرگ, and between بزرگ and من. When a noun has an adjective and a possessive, the ezafe chain connects all three: noun-e adjective-e possessor.

✅ رنگِ این ماشین خیلی قشنگه.
rang-e in mâshin kheyli ghashange.
“The color of this car is very pretty.”

Error: False ezafe before خیلی. Here, خیلی قشنگه is the predicate (is very pretty), not a modifier of ماشین. The ezafe after ماشین makes it sound like “very pretty car” instead of “the car is very pretty.”

✅ دوستِ خوبَم دیروز اومد.
dust-e khub-am diruz umad.
“My good friend came yesterday.”

Error: After an adjective, the possessive suffix attaches directly. no extra ezafe. It’s خوبم not خوبِ‌ام. The ezafe is between noun and adjective, but the possessive clitic replaces the second ezafe.

✅ من یک کتاب خریدم.
man yek ketâb kharidam.
“I bought a book.”

Error: را marks specific, definite direct objects. یک کتاب (a book) is indefinite. you don’t know which book. No را needed. Compare: کتاب را خریدم (I bought the book). that’s definite, so را is correct.

✅ من آن فیلم را دیدم.
man ân film râ didam.
“I watched that movie.”

Error: را marks direct objects. Direct objects don’t get a preposition. Using both به (to) and را together on the same noun is a contradiction. it can’t be both an indirect and direct object. Drop the به.

✅ غذا خوشمزه بود.
This sentence is actually correct. Trick question.

Why: غذا is the subject here, not the object. No را needed. Many learners over-apply را by adding it to every definite noun, but it only marks direct objects, not subjects or predicate complements.

✅ من رفتم مغازه / من به مغازه رفتم.
man raftam maghâze / man be maghâze raftam.
“I went to the store.”

Error: رفتن (to go) is intransitive. it doesn’t take a direct object. You go to a place (با preposition) not a place (with را). This is a direct transfer from English “I went the store.”

✅ (Casual:) من می‌خوام برم سینما.
man mikhâm beram sinamâ.
“I wanna go to the movies.”

Error: می‌خواهم and بروم are formal written forms. In spoken Tehrani Farsi, they become می‌خوام and برم. Using the formal versions in casual speech sounds robotic. like saying “I wish to proceed to the cinema” in English.

✅ (Texting:) فردا وقت داری؟
fardâ vaght dâri?
“You free tomorrow?”

Error: آیا is the formal question marker. In casual speech and texting, you just use intonation (or a question mark in writing). آیا in a text to a friend is like starting a text with “Do you perchance…”

✅ (To roommate:) درو ببند.
daro beband.
“Close the door.”

Error: ببندید is the formal “you” (شما) conjugation. With your roommate, use تو form: ببند. Also, در را becomes درو in spoken Farsi. Using شما form with a close friend or roommate creates awkward distance.

✅ من تو رو دوست دارم.
man to ro dust dâram.
“I like/love you.”

Error: In English, “I love you” puts the object last. In Persian, the object comes before the verb. تو رو (you + object marker) must come before دوست دارم (like/love).

✅ من دیشب غذا خوردم.
man dishab ghazâ khordam.
“I ate food last night.”

Error: Multiple word order problems. Time adverbs typically come before the object. The verb goes at the end. Standard order: Subject + Time + Object + Verb.

✅ چرا نمیای مهمونی؟ / چرا به مهمونی نمیای؟
cherâ nemiây mehmuni? / cherâ be mehmuni nemiây?
“Why aren’t you coming to the party?”

Error: The destination/prepositional phrase should come before the verb, not after. Also, نمی‌آیی is formal; نمیای is casual spoken form.

✅ من به تو فکر می‌کنم.
man be to fekr mikonam.
“I think about you.”

Error: “Think about” in English uses “about,” so learners reach for درباره (about). But فکر کردن takes the preposition به, not درباره. Each compound verb has its own preposition. you have to learn them individually.

✅ من تابستان از تهران رفتم.
man tâbestân az tehrân raftam.
“I left Tehran in the summer.”

Error: در (in) isn’t used for seasons in casual Farsi the way “in” is used in English. Time expressions like تابستان (summer) work as bare adverbs without a preposition. Also, word order: time comes before the prepositional phrase.

✅ من منتظر تو هستم.
man montazer-e to hastam.
“I’m waiting for you.”

Error: “Wait for” in English doesn’t mean you need برای in Farsi. منتظر takes a direct ezafe connection to its object: منتظرِ تو. No preposition needed.

✅ من به تو تلفن کردم / من بهت زنگ زدم.
man be to telefon kardam / man behet zang zadam.
“I called you.”

Error: The prepositional phrase (به تو) should come before the compound verb, not split it. In Persian, the compound verb stays together at the end. In casual speech, زنگ زدن (to ring) is more common than تلفن کردن.

✅ من فوتبال بازی کردم.
man futbâl bâzi kardam.
“I played football.”

Error: In the compound verb بازی کردن (to play), the object (what you’re playing) goes before بازی, not after it. It’s “football play did” not “play football did.”

✅ من دوش گرفتم.
This is actually correct. Another trick question.

Why: دوش گرفتن (to take a shower) does use گرفتن (to take). Not every compound verb uses کردن. Some use گرفتن, زدن, خوردن, or other light verbs. The mistake would be saying دوش کردم. that’s wrong.

✅ من می‌خوام برم خونه.
man mikhâm beram khune.
“I want to go home.”

Error: After می‌خوام (I want), the following verb must be subjunctive: برم (not میرم). The subjunctive drops the می- prefix and uses the ب- prefix. Also, the که is unnecessary here. it’s optional and usually dropped in casual speech.

✅ لازمه این کتاب رو بخونم.
lâzeme in ketâb ro bekhun am.
“I need to read this book.”

Error: لازمه (it’s necessary) requires subjunctive: بخونم not می‌خونم. Word order also needed fixing. object before verb.

✅ شاید بتونم بیام.
shâyad betunam biyâm.
“Maybe I can come.”

Error: شاید (maybe) triggers subjunctive. می‌تونم must become بتونم. The من is also unnecessary. the verb conjugation already shows the subject.

✅ (Formal email:) با سلام و احترام، خواهشمند است جلسه‌ای هماهنگ گردد.
bâ salâm va ehterâm, khâheshmand ast jalase-i hamâhang gardad.
“With greetings and respect, it is requested that a meeting be coordinated.”

Error: Casual spoken register in a formal email. سلام alone is too casual. می‌خوام is spoken form. یه instead of یک. بذاریم is colloquial. Formal emails require formal written register throughout.

✅ (With friends:) می‌خوام برم اونجا.
mikhâm beram unjâ.
“I wanna go there.”

Error: Ultra-formal, almost archaic language in a casual context. بنده (this humble servant), عزیمت نمایم (to depart. formal), مکان (place. formal). With friends, this sounds absurd. like wearing a tuxedo to a barbecue.

✅ من داشتم می‌رفتم.
man dâshtam miraftam.
“I was going.”

Error: The progressive auxiliary داشتن requires the main verb in the imperfective (with می-). داشتم رفتم uses the simple past. that’s not how progressive works in Farsi.

✅ من سه تا بچه دارم.
man se tâ bachche dâram.
“I have three children.”

Error: When you use a number + تا (counter), the noun stays singular. Three children = سه تا بچه, not سه تا بچه‌ها. The number already indicates plurality.

✅ از دیدنت خوشحالم.
az didanet khoshhâlam.
“I’m happy to see you.”

Error: Not technically wrong, but unnatural word order and phrasing. In natural Farsi, the prepositional phrase comes first. Also, دیدن تو is usually contracted to دیدنت in casual speech.

✅ من همیشه زود می‌خوابم.
man hamishe zud mikhâbam.
“I always go to sleep early.”

Error: خوابیدن (to sleep) is a simple verb, not a compound verb. You conjugate it directly (می‌خوابم), you don’t add کردن to the infinitive. This error comes from learners treating all verbs like compound verbs.

✅ ایران کشور زیبایی است. / ایران یک کشور زیبا است.
irân keshvar-e zibâyi ast. / irân yek keshvar-e zibâ ast.
“Iran is a beautiful country.”

Error: You can say کشور زیبایی (with the indefinite ی) without یک, or use یک کشور زیبا without the indefinite ی ending. Using both یک and the indefinite ی suffix is redundant. it’s marking indefiniteness twice.

✅ من هر روز در پارک ورزش می‌کنم.
man har ruz dar pârk varzesh mikonam.
“I exercise in the park every day.”

Error: Location goes before the verb, not after. Persian word order puts almost everything before the verb: Subject + Time + Location + Object/Compound verb element + Verb.