Persian Has Two “To Be” Verbs (Sort Of)
The Persian to be verb is the single most used word in the language. and the most invisible. Half the time, Iranians don’t even say it out loud. They just imply it and move on, leaving learners wondering what verb they missed.
This post is part of the Persian Grammar series.
Budan (بودن. to be) splits into two systems that English doesn’t distinguish. One tells you something exists. The other tells you something is something. In the textbook — even MSU’s open Persian textbook — these look like tidy tables. On the street in Tehran, they collapse into suffixes, get dropped entirely, or morph into sounds that don’t match anything in your Farsi textbook.
I had a student in Milan. smart guy, engineer. who spent three weeks thinking Iranians just forgot to finish their sentences. Turns out they were finishing them. He just couldn’t hear the verb because it was a single vowel glued to the end of a word.
If you’re just getting started with Persian structure, the sentence structure lesson shows you where verbs land in a sentence. And for the basics of who’s doing what, check the pronouns lesson.
Hast vs. Ast: The Existence-Copula Split
English uses “is” for everything. “The book is here.” “The book is good.” Same verb. Persian makes a distinction that UT Austin’s Persian reference covers in depth:
Hast (هست) = exists, is present, is there
Ast (است) = is (connecting subject to description)
Ketâb injâ hast. The book is here (it exists in this location)
In ketâb khub ast. This book is good (describing the book)
Think of it this way: if you can replace “is” with “exists” and the sentence still works, use hast. “The book is here” → “The book exists here”. makes sense → hast. “The book is good” → “The book exists good”. nonsense → ast.
In practice, this distinction matters more in writing than speech. Spoken Farsi blurs the line constantly. But understanding the split prevents confusion when you read formal Persian or watch the news.
Full Conjugation of Budan (Present)
Here’s the formal, written conjugation. I’m showing both the hast- forms (existential) and the ast- forms (copula) because they share a base but behave differently.
Existential (hast-):
hastam (هستم). I am / I exist
hasti (هستی). you are
hast (هست). he/she/it is (exists)
hastim (هستیم). we are
hastid (هستید). you (pl.) are
hastand (هستند). they are
Copula (ast-):
The copula forms are different. they’re enclitic, meaning they attach to the end of the previous word like suffixes:
-am (م). I am → man khubam (I’m good)
-i (ی). you are → to khubi (you’re good)
ast (است). he/she is → u khub ast (he/she is good)
-im (یم). we are → mâ khubim (we’re good)
-id (ید). you (pl.) are → shomâ khubid (you’re good)
-and (ند). they are → ânhâ khuband (they’re good)
See the pattern? For the copula, only the third-person singular (ast) stands alone as a separate word. Every other form is a suffix glued onto the adjective or noun before it. This is why beginners miss it. “man khubam” sounds like one word, and it basically is.
Spoken Farsi: Where “Ast” Becomes “-e” (or Disappears)
Formal ast (است) becomes a simple -e (ه) sound in spoken Persian. And the other endings shift too.
in khub ast
این خوب است
This is good
in khube
این خوبه
This is good
The spoken copula forms:
-am → stays -am (man khubam. I’m good)
-i → stays -i (to khubi. you’re good)
ast → -e (in khube. this is good)
-im → stays -im (mâ khubim. we’re good)
-id → -in (shomâ khubin. you’re good)
-and → -an (unâ khuban. they’re good)
The first and second singular barely change. The third-person ast→-e is the big one. And the plurals lose their final consonant, same pattern as present tense verb endings.
Sometimes the copula drops entirely. “Chetori?” (چطوری. how are you?) is technically “chetor hasti?” but nobody says the full form. “Hâlet khube?” (how are you?) technically has a copula (-e), but “hâlet khub?” works too. My spoken vs. written guide covers why Farsi sheds these sounds.
The Negative: Nist and Nabud
“Is not” in Persian = nist (نیست). It’s the negative of both hast and ast, which is nice. one word covers both.
nistam (نیستم). I’m not
nisti (نیستی). you’re not
nist (نیست). he/she/it is not
nistim (نیستیم). we’re not
nistin / nistid (نیستید). you (pl.) are not
nistan / nistand (نیستند). they’re not
Spoken forms follow the same compression: nistid→nistin, nistand→nistan. But nist itself stays nist. it doesn’t shorten further.
“Injâ nist” (اینجا نیست). it’s not here. “Khub nist” (خوب نیست). it’s not good. “Man Irâni nistam” (من ایرانی نیستم). I’m not Iranian. Clean and consistent.
For the past negative (“was not”), you’d use nabud (نبود): “Injâ nabud”. it wasn’t here. The negation lesson covers the full system across all tenses.
When “To Be” Goes Full Invisible
In spoken Farsi, the copula can vanish. Not just shorten. actually disappear. This is the thing that makes beginners feel like they’re missing half the language.
Examples where the verb is silent:
“Chetori?” (چطوری). How are you? (Full: chetor hasti?)
“Esmet chi-e?” (اسمت چیه). What’s your name? (The -e is there but faint)
“In mâl-e man” (این مال من). This is mine (ast completely gone in casual speech)
“Koja?” (کجا). Where? (Where is it?. hast implied)
Dropping the “to be” verb is so natural in spoken Persian that adding it back can sound weirdly formal. like saying “Where is it that you are going?” instead of “Where ya headed?” in English. When an Iranian says “chetori?” they’ve already dropped the verb, the formal pronoun, and any pretense of textbook grammar. If you respond with “man khub hastam” instead of just “khubam,” you’ll sound like a textbook. Technically correct, socially awkward.
Hast in Questions: “Is There…?”
When asking if something exists, hast pulls its weight. These are some of the most useful phrases for daily life in Iran:
“Âb hast?” (آب هست؟). Is there water? / Do you have water?
“Jâ hast?” (جا هست؟). Is there room? / Is there space?
“Vaqt hast?” (وقت هست؟). Is there time? / Do you have time?
“Kasi hast?” (کسی هست؟). Is anyone there?
The answer uses hast/nist. “Bale, hast” (yes, there is) or “Na, nist” (no, there isn’t). In a restaurant: “Ghazâ-ye giâhi hast?” (Is there vegetarian food?). At a hotel: “Otâgh hast?” (Is there a room available?).
This existential hast is one of the first things I drill with beginners because it unlocks immediate real-world functionality. You can get water, check availability, and ask if someone’s home. all with one verb.
Budan in Other Tenses (Quick Preview)
The present tense forms above are the ones you’ll use 90% of the time. But budan also has past and subjunctive forms you’ll meet at A2:
Past: budam (I was), budi (you were), bud (he/she was), budim, budin, budan
Negative past: nabudam (I wasn’t), nabudi, nabud…
Subjunctive: bâsham (that I be), bâshi, bâshe…. spoken form of bâsham
We’ll cover these in detail at the A2 level. For now, the present tense copula and existential forms are what you need.
How would you say “I’m tired” in spoken Persian? (Tired = khaste)
Show answer
khasteam. خستهام (khaste + am copula suffix). Even shorter: “khastam” in fast speech.
A friend asks if there’s coffee. How do you say “No, there isn’t”?
Show answer
na, nist. نه، نیست (using the negative existential)
Convert “in ketâb khub ast” to spoken Tehrani.
Show answer
in ketâb khube. این کتاب خوبه (ast becomes the -e suffix on khub)
For the full grammar roadmap, head to the Persian Grammar Guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between hast and ast in Persian?
How do you say “I am” in spoken Persian?
How do you negate “to be” in Farsi?
Why do Iranians drop the “to be” verb in conversation?
Is budan the only “to be” verb in Persian?
Want to practice using hast, ast, and all their invisible spoken forms in real conversation? Grab a session with me on Preply. we’ll work through real dialogues until you stop looking for the verb and start hearing the silence where it used to be.
