Preposition Practice: Ba, Az, Be, Dar Exercises

Every Farsi learner hits this wall: you know the verb, you know the noun, but you stick the wrong preposition between them and suddenly you’ve said something bizarre. English prepositions don’t map onto Persian ones. not even close. با (bâ), از (az), به (be), and در (dar) each cover territory that overlaps with multiple English prepositions, and the only way to internalize them is practice.

These persian preposition exercises will drill the four most common Farsi prepositions through 30 fill-in-the-blank sentences and 10 translation traps where your English brain will pick the wrong one. Full answer keys included. no guessing whether you got it right.

If you haven’t read the theory yet, start with the complete Farsi prepositions guide first, then come back here to test yourself.

How Persian Prepositions Differ From English

Before the exercises, a quick reality check. Here’s why direct translation fails:

با (bâ). "with" is the obvious translation, but با also covers "by" (means of transport), "despite," and marks the instrument you use to do something.

از (az). "from" is the starting point, but از also means "than" (comparisons), "of" (partitive), "through," and "about" (in some expressions).

به (be). "to" is the default, but به also means "at," "in" (some contexts), "for," and marks indirect objects where English uses no preposition at all.

در (dar). "in" covers most uses, but در also means "at" (locations), "on" (surfaces in formal register), and "during."

The exercises below target exactly these overlapping zones. Don’t just pick the first one that "feels" English. think in Persian.

Section 1: Fill in the Blank (30 Exercises)

Choose the correct preposition: با (bâ), از (az), به (be), or در (dar).

Beginner (1–10)

1. من دوستم رفتم سینما.
   *man dustam raftam sinamâ.*
   "I went to the cinema ___ my friend."

2. او تهران آمد.
   *u tehrân âmad.*
   "He/she came ___ Tehran."

3. ما خانه هستیم.
   *mâ khâne hastim.*
   "We are ___ the house."

4. این کتاب را مادرم دادم.
   *in ketâb râ mâdaram dâdam.*
   "I gave this book ___ my mother."

5. این رستوران غذا خوردیم.
   * in restorân ghazâ khordim.*
   "We ate food ___ this restaurant."

6. قاشق غذا بخور.
   * ghâshogh ghazâ bokhor.*
   "Eat the food ___ a spoon."

7. من تو بزرگ‌ترم.
   *man to bozorgtar-am.*
   "I am bigger ___ you."

8. مدرسه می‌روم.
   * madrese miravam.*
   "I’m going ___ school."

9. باران خیس شدیم.
   * bârân khis shodim.*
   "We got wet ___ the rain."

10. کلیدها کیفم هستند.
    *kelidhâ kifam hastand.*
    "The keys are ___ my bag."

Intermediate (11–20)

11. وجود سرما بیرون رفت.
    * vojud-e sarmâ birun raft.*
    "___ the cold, he/she went outside."

12. نظر من این فیلم خوب بود.
    * nazar-e man in film khub bud.*
    "___ my opinion, this movie was good."

13. این هدیه تولدت است.
    *in hedye tavallodet ast.*
    "This gift is ___ your birthday."

14. ترس نتوانست حرف بزند.
    * tars natavânest harf bezanad.*
    "___ fear, he/she couldn’t speak."

15. صبح تا شب کار می‌کنم.
    * sobh tâ shab kâr mikonam.*
    "I work ___ morning till night."

16. چه کسی صحبت می‌کردی؟
    * che kasi sohbat mikardi?*
    "___ whom were you talking?"

17. دقت گوش کن.
    * deghghat gush kon.*
    "Listen ___ attention."

18. آن روز دیگر ندیدمش.
    * ân ruz digar nadidam-esh.*
    "___ that day I didn’t see him/her again."

19. تاکسی رفتم.
    * tâksi raftam.*
    "I went ___ taxi."

20. این مسئله خبر دارید؟
    * in mas’ale khabar dârid?*
    "Are you aware ___ this issue?"

Advanced (21–30)

21. حرف‌های او ناراحت شدم.
    * harf-hâ-ye u nârâhat shodam.*
    "I got upset ___ his/her words."

22. لحاظ اقتصادی وضعیت بد است.
    * lehâz-e eghtesâdi vaz’iyat bad ast.*
    "___ economic terms, the situation is bad."

23. تمام وجود تلاش کرد.
    * tamâm-e vojud talâsh kard.*
    "He/she tried ___ all his/her being."

24. صد نفر فقط ده نفر قبول شدند.
    * sad nafar faghat dah nafar ghabul shodand.*
    "___ a hundred people, only ten passed."

25. این ماشین پدرم است.
    *in mâshin pedaram ast.*
    "This car belongs ___ my father."(Hint: Farsi says "of my father.")

26. حال حاضر مشغولم.
    * hâl-e hâzer mashghul-am.*
    "___ the present time, I’m busy."

27. سال‌ها پیش اینجا زندگی می‌کردم.
    * sâl-hâ pish injâ zendegi mikardam.*
    "I used to live here ___ years ago."(Hint: Farsi uses a different structure.)

28. خودت مراقب باش.
    * khodet morâgheb bâsh.*
    "Take care ___ yourself."

29. بچگی عاشق فوتبال بودم.
    * bachegi âshegh-e futbâl budam.*
    "___ childhood, I loved football."

30. رفتنش خیلی ناراحت شدم.
    * raftanesh kheili nârâhat shodam.*
    "I was very upset ___ his/her leaving."

Answer Key: Fill in the Blank

Beginner (1–10):

1. با (bâ). "with" my friend
2. از (az). "from" Tehran
3. در (dar). "in/at" the house
4. به (be). "to" my mother (indirect object)
5. در (dar). "in/at" this restaurant
6. با (bâ). "with" a spoon (instrument)
7. از (az). "than" you (comparison. English uses "than," Farsi uses از)
8. به (be). "to" school (direction)
9. از (az). "from/because of" the rain
10. در (dar). "in" my bag

Intermediate (11–20):

11. با (bâ). "despite" the cold. با وجود (bâ vojud-e) is a fixed phrase meaning "despite"
12. از (az). "in" my opinion. از نظر (az nazar-e) = "in the opinion of". English uses "in," Farsi uses از
13. به (be). "for" your birthday. به مناسبت is implied
14. از (az). "from/out of" fear. cause/origin
15. از (az). "from" morning. starting point of time
16. با (bâ). "with" whom. با کسی صحبت کردن = to talk with someone
17. با (bâ). "with" attention/care. manner
18. از (az). "since/from" that day
19. با (bâ). "by" taxi. means of transport uses با, not به
20. از (az). "of/about" this issue. از چیزی خبر داشتن = to be aware of something

Advanced (21–30):

21. از (az). "because of" his/her words. cause
22. از (az). "from" an economic standpoint. از لحاظ = "in terms of"
23. با (bâ). "with" all his/her being. instrument/manner
24. از (az). "out of" a hundred. partitive
25. از (az). literally "of" my father. Farsi uses مال + از for possession, not "to"
26. در (dar). "at" the present. در حال حاضر = fixed phrase
27. از (az). Farsi says از سال‌ها پیش = "from years ago" (since years ago)
28. از (az). "of" yourself. از خودت مراقب باش = take care of yourself
29. از (az). "since/from" childhood
30. از (az). "because of" his/her leaving. cause

Section 2: Translation Traps (10 Exercises)

Translate these English sentences into Farsi. The catch: the English preposition will mislead you. Think about what Persian actually uses.

1. "I’m afraid of dogs."
2. "She arrived at the airport."
3. "He went by bus."
4. "I’m thinking about you."
5. "This is bigger than that."
6. "We talked about the movie."
7. "I’m happy with the result."
8. "He fell in love."
9. "She’s good at cooking."
10. "I heard it from the news."

Answer Key: Translation Traps

1. من از سگ‌ها می‌ترسم.. man az sag-hâ mitarsam.. English says "of," Farsi uses از (az). happens to match here, but the verb structure differs: از چیزی ترسیدن (to fear from something).

2. او به فرودگاه رسید.. u be forudgâh resid.. English says "at," Farsi uses به (be). arrival takes به because it implies direction/reaching.

3. او با اتوبوس رفت.. u bâ otobus raft.. English says "by," Farsi uses با (bâ). means of transport.

4. دارم به تو فکر می‌کنم.. dâram be to fekr mikonam.. English says "about," Farsi uses به (be). به کسی فکر کردن = to think about someone.

COLLOQUIAL: دارم بهت فکر می‌کنم.. dâram behet fekr mikonam.

5. این از آن بزرگ‌تر است.. in az ân bozorgtar ast.. English says "than," Farsi uses از (az) for all comparisons.

COLLOQUIAL: این از اون بزرگ‌تره.. in az un bozorgtare.

6. ما درباره‌ی فیلم صحبت کردیم.. mâ darbâre-ye film sohbat kardim.. Trick: "about" doesn’t become از or به here. Farsi uses the compound preposition درباره‌ی (darbâre-ye), which is built from در + باره.

7. من از نتیجه راضی‌ام.. man az natije râzi-am.. English says "with," Farsi uses از (az). از چیزی راضی بودن = to be satisfied from something.

COLLOQUIAL: من از نتیجه راضیم.. man az natije râziam.

8. او عاشق شد.. u âshegh shod.. Trick: English says "in love," but Farsi uses no preposition at all. عاشق شدن (âshegh shodan) = to become a lover. If you add a target: عاشق کسی شدن. no preposition needed before the object.

9. او در آشپزی مهارت دارد.. u dar âshpazi mahârat dârad.. English says "at," Farsi uses در (dar). در کاری مهارت داشتن = to have skill in something.

COLLOQUIAL: اون تو آشپزی خوبه.. un tu âshpazi khube.. Note: colloquial swaps در for تو (tu).

10. از اخبار شنیدم.. az akhbâr shenidam.. This one matches: "from" = از (az). But note the structure: از جایی شنیدن = to hear from somewhere. No extra preposition needed.

Patterns to Remember

After doing these exercises, here are the patterns that trip up English speakers most:

با (bâ) surprises:

• Transport: "by bus" = با اتوبوس (not به)
• Despite: با وجود = "despite" (not a "with" meaning at all)
• Talking: با کسی حرف زدن = "to talk with someone"

از (az) surprises:

• Comparison: "bigger than" = بزرگ‌تر از (از = than)
• Opinion: "in my opinion" = از نظر من (از = in?!)
• Satisfaction: "happy with" = از چیزی راضی (از = with?!)
• Fear: "afraid of" = از چیزی ترسیدن

به (be) surprises:

• Thinking: "think about" = به چیزی فکر کردن (به = about)
• Arriving: "arrive at" = به جایی رسیدن

در (dar) surprises:

• Skill: "good at" = در کاری خوب بودن
• Colloquial replacement: در → تو (tu) in spoken Farsi

Track Your Preposition Accuracy

Score yourself:

• Fill-in-the-blank: ___/30
• Translation traps: ___/10
• Total: ___/40

35–40: Your preposition instincts are solid. Move on to harder grammar.
25–34: You’ve got the basics but the tricky overlaps still catch you. Review the "surprises" section above.
15–24: Normal for A2. Re-read the prepositions guide and try again in a week.
Below 15: Don’t sweat it. Prepositions are the last thing to click in any language.

Want more grammar practice? Head to the Persian Grammar Exercises hub for drills on ezafe, verb conjugation, and sentence building. And if you’re mixing up ezafe with prepositions (it happens), try the ezafe exercises next.

If you want a tool that drills prepositions in context. not just flashcards but actual sentence practice. ZabanYar builds exercises around the exact patterns that mess up English speakers. It knows which prepositions you confuse and adjusts accordingly.

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