The word را (râ) is one tiny particle that trips up every single Persian learner. It marks the direct object. but only when that object is specific. Miss it when you need it, and your sentence sounds broken. Add it when you shouldn’t, and you sound like you’re reading off a bad textbook.
Here’s the rule, stripped down: if you’re talking about a specific thing (the book, my car, that cat), you need را. If it’s any thing (a book, some water, food in general), you don’t.
In spoken Persian, را (râ) shrinks to رو (ro) after consonants or و (o) glued right onto the noun. So کتاب را (ketâb râ) becomes کتابو (ketâbo) or کتاب رو (ketâb ro) in everyday Tehran Farsi.
These 25 exercises will train your instinct for when to use it and when to leave it out. If you want the full explanation before practicing, read my complete guide to the Persian râ marker.
The Specificity Rule. When You Need را
Use را when the direct object is specific:
- It has the in front of it in English: “I read the book” → کتاب را خواندم (*ketâb râ khândam*)
- It’s a named thing: “I saw Ali” → علی را دیدم (*Ali râ didam*)
- It has that/this/my/your: “I ate your food” → غذای تو را خوردم (*ghazâ-ye to râ khordam*)
- Both speaker and listener know which one: “Pass the salt” → نمک را بده (*namak râ bede*)
Don’t use را when the direct object is general/indefinite:
- “I want water” (any water) → آب میخواهم (*âb mikhâham*). no را
- “I bought a book” (some book) → کتاب خریدم (*ketâb kharidam*). no را
- “She eats rice” (rice in general) → برنج میخورد (*berenj mikhorad*). no را
Got the pattern? Good. Now prove it.
Section 1: Does This Sentence Need را? (Exercises 1–15)
For each sentence, decide: does the direct object need را (râ)? Write the complete Persian sentence with or without it.
Exercise 1: I read the book.
من کتاب خواندم. *man ketâb khândam*
Exercise 2: She drinks tea. (tea in general)
او چای میخورد. *u châi mikhorad*
Exercise 3: We saw that movie.
ما آن فیلم دیدیم. *mâ ân film didim*
Exercise 4: He wants a car. (any car, non-specific)
او ماشین میخواهد. *u mâshin mikhâhad*
Exercise 5: I called my mother.
من مادرم صدا زدم. *man mâdaram sedâ zadam*
Exercise 6: They eat food. (food in general)
آنها غذا میخورند. *ânhâ ghazâ mikhorand*
Exercise 7: Ali bought the red shirt.
علی پیراهن قرمز خرید. *Ali pirâhan-e ghermez kharid*
Exercise 8: I need money. (money in general)
من پول لازم دارم. *man pul lâzem dâram*
Exercise 9: She washed the dishes. (the specific ones from dinner)
او ظرفها شست. *u zarf-hâ shost*
Exercise 10: He’s reading a newspaper. (some newspaper)
او روزنامه میخواند. *u ruznâme mikhânad*
Exercise 11: I love this city.
من این شهر دوست دارم. *man in shahr dust dâram*
Exercise 12: She teaches Persian. (Persian as a subject, general)
او فارسی درس میدهد. *u fârsi dars midahad*
Exercise 13: We sold our house.
ما خانهمان فروختیم. *mâ khâne-mân forukhitm*
Exercise 14: He’s looking for work. (work in general)
او کار میگردد. *u kâr migardad*
Exercise 15: I know that man.
من آن مرد میشناسم. *man ân mard mishenâsam*
Answer Key: Exercises 1–15
| # | را? | Formal (ketâbi) | Spoken (Tehrani) | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | YES | من کتاب را خواندم. man ketâb râ khândam | من کتابو خوندم. man ketâbo khundam | “The book”. specific |
| 2 | NO | او چای میخورد. u châi mikhorad | اون چایی میخوره. un châyi mikhore | “Tea” in general. not specific |
| 3 | YES | ما آن فیلم را دیدیم. mâ ân film râ didim | ما اون فیلمو دیدیم. mâ un filmo didim | “That movie”. demonstrative makes it specific |
| 4 | NO | او ماشین میخواهد. u mâshin mikhâhad | اون ماشین میخواد. un mâshin mikhâd | “A car”. any car, indefinite |
| 5 | YES | من مادرم را صدا زدم. man mâdaram râ sedâ zadam | من مامانمو صدا زدم. man mâmânamo sedâ zadam | “My mother”. possessive makes it specific |
| 6 | NO | آنها غذا میخورند. ânhâ ghazâ mikhorand | اونا غذا میخورن. unâ ghazâ mikhorand | “Food” in general. not specific |
| 7 | YES | علی پیراهن قرمز را خرید. Ali pirâhan-e ghermez râ kharid | علی پیراهن قرمزو خرید. Ali pirâhan-e ghermezo kharid | “The red shirt”. specific (the one they were looking at) |
| 8 | NO | من پول لازم دارم. man pul lâzem dâram | من پول لازم دارم. man pul lâzem dâram | “Money” in general. not specific |
| 9 | YES | او ظرفها را شست. u zarf-hâ râ shost | اون ظرفارو شست. un zarfâro shost | “The dishes”. the specific ones from dinner |
| 10 | NO | او روزنامه میخواند. u ruznâme mikhânad | اون روزنامه میخونه. un ruznâme mikhune | “A newspaper”. indefinite, just some newspaper |
| 11 | YES | من این شهر را دوست دارم. man in shahr râ dust dâram | من این شهرو دوست دارم. man in shahro dust dâram | “This city”. demonstrative makes it specific |
| 12 | NO | او فارسی درس میدهد. u fârsi dars midahad | اون فارسی درس میده. un fârsi dars mide | “Persian” as a general subject. not specific |
| 13 | YES | ما خانهمان را فروختیم. mâ khâne-mân râ forukhitm | ما خونمونو فروختیم. mâ khunimuno forukhitm | “Our house”. possessive makes it specific |
| 14 | NO | او کار میگردد. u kâr migardad | اون دنبال کار میگرده. un donbâl-e kâr migarde | “Work” in general. not a specific job |
| 15 | YES | من آن مرد را میشناسم. man ân mard râ mishenâsam | من اون مردو میشناسم. man un mardo mishenâsam | “That man”. demonstrative makes it specific |
Section 2: Fix the Mistake (Exercises 16–20)
Each sentence has a را error. either it’s missing when it should be there, or it’s added when it shouldn’t be. Find and fix the error.
Exercise 16: من آب را میخواهم. man âb râ mikhâham. "I want water." (context: asking for any water at a restaurant)
Exercise 17: او دوستش دید. u dustash did. "She saw her friend."
Exercise 18: ما نان را هر روز میخوریم. mâ nân râ har ruz mikhorim. "We eat bread every day." (context: bread in general, not a specific bread)
Exercise 19: علی ماشین قرمز خرید. Ali mâshin-e ghermez kharid. "Ali bought the red car." (context: the specific red car they discussed)
Exercise 20: من فارسی را یاد میگیرم. man fârsi râ yâd migiram. "I’m learning Persian." (context: Persian as a general language)
Answer Key: Exercises 16–20
| # | Error | Correct Formal | Correct Spoken | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | را shouldn’t be there | من آب میخواهم. man âb mikhâham | من آب میخوام. man âb mikhâm | Asking for any water. indefinite, no را needed. |
| 17 | را is missing | او دوستش را دید. u dustash râ did | اون دوستشو دید. un dustasho did | “Her friend” is specific (possessive). needs را. |
| 18 | را shouldn’t be there | ما هر روز نان میخوریم. mâ har ruz nân mikhorim | ما هر روز نون میخوریم. mâ har ruz nun mikhorim | Bread in general. no specific bread, no را. |
| 19 | را is missing | علی ماشین قرمز را خرید. Ali mâshin-e ghermez râ kharid | علی ماشین قرمزو خرید. Ali mâshin-e ghermezo kharid | “The red car”. a specific car they discussed. needs را. |
| 20 | Debatable. both work | من فارسی یاد میگیرم. man fârsi yâd migiram (more natural without) | من فارسی یاد میگیرم. man fârsi yâd migiram | When talking about learning a language in general, Persian speakers usually drop را. With را it implies “that specific Persian”. unusual. Without is more natural. |
Section 3: Translate and Decide (Exercises 21–25)
Translate each English sentence into Persian. You decide whether را is needed.
Exercise 21: "I ate the rice that my mom made."
Exercise 22: "She’s buying fruit." (any fruit, at a market)
Exercise 23: "We watched your video."
Exercise 24: "He writes poetry." (poetry in general, he’s a poet)
Exercise 25: "I found the keys."
Answer Key: Exercises 21–25
| # | را? | Formal (ketâbi) | Spoken (Tehrani) | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | YES | من برنجی را که مادرم پخته بود خوردم. man berenji râ ke mâdaram pokhte bud khordam | من برنجیو که مامانم پخته بود خوردم. man berenjio ke mâmânam pokhte bud khordam | “The rice that my mom made”. very specific, relative clause makes it definite. |
| 22 | NO | او میوه میخرد. u mive mikharad | اون میوه میخره. un mive mikhare | “Fruit” in general at a market. indefinite. |
| 23 | YES | ما ویدیوی شما را تماشا کردیم. mâ videyo-ye shomâ râ tamâshâ kardim | ما ویدیوتو تماشا کردیم. mâ videyoto tamâshâ kardim | “Your video”. possessive makes it specific. |
| 24 | NO | او شعر مینویسد. u she’r minevisad | اون شعر مینویسه. un she’r minevise | “Poetry” as a general activity. indefinite. |
| 25 | YES | من کلیدها را پیدا کردم. man klidhâ râ peydâ kardam | من کلیدارو پیدا کردم. man klidâro peydâ kardam | “The keys”. we both know which keys. specific. |
Spoken Forms Cheat Sheet
Here’s how را (râ) transforms in spoken Tehrani Persian:
| Noun ends in… | Formal | Spoken | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consonant | noun + را | noun + و or noun + رو | کتاب را → کتابو / کتاب رو |
| Vowel (â, u) | noun + را | noun + رو | غذا را → غذا رو |
| Silent ه (e) | noun + را | noun + شو or رو | خانه را → خونهرو |
For more grammar practice with connecting words, check out my ezafe exercises.
The Gray Zone
Some cases aren’t black and white. Persian speakers themselves disagree. Here are the tricky ones:
Abstract nouns: "I like music". من موسیقی دوست دارم (man musiqi dust dâram). No را, because it’s general. But "I liked the music at the party". من موسیقی مهمانی را دوست داشتم (man musiqi-ye mehmâni râ dust dâshtam). Now it’s specific.
Habitual actions: "I drink milk every morning". usually no را because it’s a general habit. But if your roommate bought specific milk and you’re drinking THAT milk every morning, you might hear را.
The rule of thumb: If you can point at it or everyone knows which one you mean, use را. If it’s a general category, skip it.
What’s Next?
The را marker is one of those things that feels impossible until it clicks, and then you can’t believe you ever struggled with it. Keep reading Persian, keep listening, and you’ll start hearing the pattern everywhere.
For more structured practice, visit the Persian Grammar Exercises hub. there’s drill work for every grammar point.
And if you want an app that actually tests your را instincts with instant feedback and adaptive exercises, ZabanYar has dedicated object-marking drills that adjust to your accuracy level. Way more effective than checking answer keys.