Persian has a cheat code that no other language I’ve learned comes close to matching. Learn 15 simple verbs and 7 light verbs, and you can build hundreds of verb meanings on the fly. That’s not an exaggeration. it’s how the language actually works. The compound verb system means that most “new” verbs are just a noun you already know plus kardan, zadan, or shodan.
This post is the common persian verbs reference. the 50 verbs that appear most in real conversation, with the five pieces of information you need for each one: infinitive, present stem, past stem, the spoken first-person form, and a real sentence. No competitor shows all five. Most show you the infinitive and wave goodbye.
Why Verbs Are the Engine of Persian
In English, you build vocabulary by learning new words. In Persian, you build vocabulary by learning new combinations. The verb کردن. kardan. to do/make appears in over 200 compound verbs. زدن. zadan. to hit creates another hundred. شدن. shodan. to become adds more.
This means the return on investment for learning verb stems is absurdly high. Every new verb stem you memorize unlocks not just one verb, but an entire family of related meanings. And in Persian, the stems matter more than the infinitive. because that’s what you actually hear in conjugated speech.
Quick refresher on how Persian verbs work (the full explanation is in the verb conjugation guide):
- Infinitive: The dictionary form (raftan. to go). You rarely hear this in conversation.
- Present stem: Used for present tense, subjunctive, and imperative. (rav/row)
- Past stem: Used for past tense and perfect tenses. (raft)
- Personal endings: -am, -i, -e (spoken) / -ad (formal) for singular; -im, -id/-in, -an for plural
The 10 Essential Verbs
These ten verbs are the foundation. Every sentence you form in the first month of learning Farsi will use at least one of them. They’re irregular more often than not. because the most-used words in any language resist regularization.
1. بودن. budan. to be
Present stem: bâsh (but “to be” in present uses special forms: -am, -i, -e, -im, -id, -an)
Past stem: bud
Spoken 1st: hastam (I am) / budam (I was)
Man irâni hastam. I’m Iranian. Kojâ budi?. Where were you?
2. داشتن. dâshtan. to have
Present stem: dâr
Past stem: dâsht
Spoken 1st: dâram (I have)
Ye khâhar dâram. I have a sister. Also forms the continuous: dâram miram. I’m going (right now).
3. رفتن. raftan. to go
Present stem: rav (formal) / r (spoken)
Past stem: raft
Spoken 1st: miram (I go). not miravam
Dâram miram khuneh. I’m going home.
4. کردن. kardan. to do/make
Present stem: kon
Past stem: kard
Spoken 1st: mikonam (I do)
The king of compound verbs. Kâr mikonam. I work. Fekr mikonam. I think.
5. گفتن. goftan. to say/tell
Present stem: gu (spoken: g)
Past stem: goft
Spoken 1st: migam (I say). not miguyam
Behesh goftam. I told him/her.
6. دیدن. didan. to see
Present stem: bin
Past stem: did
Spoken 1st: mibinam (I see)
Didamesh diruz. I saw him/her yesterday.
7. خوردن. khordan. to eat/drink/hit
Present stem: khor
Past stem: khord
Spoken 1st: mikhoram (I eat)
Ghazâ khordi?. Did you eat? Also: zamin khordam. I fell (hit the ground).
8. آمدن. âmadan. to come
Present stem: â (spoken: yâ with mi-)
Past stem: âmad (spoken: umad)
Spoken 1st: miyâm (I come)
Key miyâi?. When are you coming?
9. دانستن. dânestan. to know
Present stem: dân (spoken: dun)
Past stem: dânest
Spoken 1st: midunm (I know). the â-to-u shift
Nemidunm. I don’t know. The sentence you’ll say most in your first year.
10. خواستن. khâstan. to want
Present stem: khâh (spoken: khâ)
Past stem: khâst
Spoken 1st: mikhâm (I want). not mikhâham
Chi mikhâi?. What do you want?
15 Daily Action Verbs
Once the essential ten are in your muscle memory, these fifteen take you through a normal day. working, talking, looking, sleeping, buying.
11. شدن. shodan. to become
Present stem: shav (spoken: sh)
Past stem: shod
Khaste shodam. I got tired. Chi shod?. What happened?
12. زدن. zadan. to hit/strike
Present stem: zan
Past stem: zad
Light verb for dozens of compounds: harf zadan (talk), zang zadan (call), gush zadan (listen).
13. دادن. dâdan. to give
Present stem: deh (spoken: d)
Past stem: dâd
Bede be man. Give it to me. Light verb: neshân dâdan (to show), yâd dâdan (to teach).
14. گرفتن. gereftan. to take/get/catch
Present stem: gir
Past stem: gereft
Tasmim gereftam. I decided. Yâd gereftam. I learned. One of the busiest verbs.
15. نوشتن. neveshtan. to write
Present stem: nevis
Past stem: nevesht
Barâm benevis. Write it for me.
16. خواندن. khândan. to read/sing
Present stem: khân
Past stem: khând
In ketâb ro khândi?. Did you read this book? Context distinguishes “read” from “sing.”
17. گذاشتن. gozâshtan. to put/let
Present stem: gozâr (spoken: zâr)
Past stem: gozâsht (spoken: zâsht)
Bezâr beram. Let me go. Unjâ bezâr. Put it there.
18. برداشتن. bardâshtan. to pick up/remove
Present stem: bardâr
Past stem: bardâsht
Az ru miz bardâr. Pick it up from the table.
19. خوابیدن. khâbidan. to sleep
Present stem: khâb
Past stem: khâbid
Dir khâbidam. I slept late.
20. نشستن. neshestan. to sit
Present stem: neshin (spoken: shin)
Past stem: neshast
Beshin. Sit down (informal imperative).
21. ایستادن. istâdan. to stand/stop
Present stem: ist (spoken: vâyst)
Past stem: istâd
Vâystâ!. Stop! (Spoken imperative.) Formal: beistid.
22. خریدن. kharidan. to buy
Present stem: khar
Past stem: kharid
Az kojâ kharidi?. Where did you buy it?
23. فروختن. forukht. to sell
Present stem: forush
Past stem: forukht
Mâshinesh ro forukht. He sold his car.
24. فرستادن. ferestâdan. to send
Present stem: ferest
Past stem: ferestâd
Barâm ferestâd. She sent it to me.
25. پوشیدن. pushidan. to wear/put on
Present stem: push
Past stem: pushid
In lebâs ro bepush. Wear these clothes.
10 Movement and State Verbs
26. افتادن. oftâdan. to fall
Present stem: oft
Past stem: oftâd
Zamin khordam is more common for “I fell,” but oftâdam works too.
27. شنیدن. shenidan. to hear
Present stem: shenav (spoken: shnav)
Past stem: shenid
Shnidi chi goft?. Did you hear what he said?
28. فهمیدن. fahmidan. to understand
Present stem: fahm
Past stem: fahmid
Fahmidi?. Did you understand? Nafahmidam. I didn’t understand.
29. رسیدن. residan. to arrive/reach
Present stem: res
Past stem: resid
Key miresi?. When will you arrive?
30. برگشتن. bargashtan. to return
Present stem: bargard
Past stem: bargasht
Key bargashti?. When did you come back?
31. ماندن. mândan. to stay/remain
Present stem: mân (spoken: mun)
Past stem: mând
Inja bimun. Stay here (spoken).
32. بردن. bordan. to take/carry
Present stem: bar
Past stem: bord
In ro bebar. Take this (there).
33. آوردن. âvardan. to bring
Present stem: âvar (spoken: yâr)
Past stem: âvard
Barâm biyâr. Bring it for me.
34. انداختن. andâkhtan. to throw/drop
Present stem: andâz
Past stem: andâkht
Dur nandâz. Don’t throw it away.
35. ترسیدن. tarsidan. to be scared
Present stem: tars
Past stem: tarsid
Az chi mitarsi?. What are you scared of?
15 Social and Emotional Verbs
36. دوست داشتن. dust dâshtan. to like/love
Dust dâram. I like it / I love you. Same phrase, different weight. Context is everything.
37. فکر کردن. fekr kardan. to think
Fekr konam âreh. I think so. (Spoken shortening.)
38. حرف زدن. harf zadan. to talk
Bâ ki harf mizani?. Who are you talking to?
39. گوش دادن. gush dâdan. to listen
Gush bede!. Listen! Be harf-hâm gush nemidam. He doesn’t listen to me.
40. کمک کردن. komak kardan. to help
Mishe komakam koni?. Can you help me?
41. منتظر بودن. montazer budan. to wait
Montazeret budam. I was waiting for you. Also: sabr kardan (to have patience/wait).
42. سعی کردن. sa’y kardan. to try
Sa’y mikonam. I’ll try.
43. یاد گرفتن. yâd gereftan. to learn
Tâzeh yâd gereftam. I just learned it.
44. یاد دادن. yâd dâdan. to teach
Ki behesh yâd dâd?. Who taught him/her?
45. شروع کردن. shoru’ kardan. to start
Key shoru’ mikonim?. When do we start?
46. تمام کردن. tamâm kardan. to finish
Tamâm shod. It’s finished. (Using shodan for passive/state change.)
47. عوض کردن. avaz kardan. to change
Nazaram avaz shod. I changed my mind (my opinion changed).
48. قبول کردن. ghabul kardan. to accept
Ghabul nemikonam. I don’t accept it.
49. تصمیم گرفتن. tasmim gereftan. to decide
Hanuz tasmim nagereftam. I haven’t decided yet.
50. توضیح دادن. tozih dâdan. to explain
Mishe tozih bedi?. Can you explain?
Quick Reference Table: All 50 Verbs
| # | Infinitive | Present Stem | Spoken “I” | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | بودن budan | bâsh | hastam | to be |
| 2 | داشتن dâshtan | dâr | dâram | to have |
| 3 | رفتن raftan | rav/r | miram | to go |
| 4 | کردن kardan | kon | mikonam | to do/make |
| 5 | گفتن goftan | gu/g | migam | to say |
| 6 | دیدن didan | bin | mibinam | to see |
| 7 | خوردن khordan | khor | mikhoram | to eat |
| 8 | آمدن âmadan | â/yâ | miyâm | to come |
| 9 | دانستن dânestan | dân/dun | midunm | to know |
| 10 | خواستن khâstan | khâh/khâ | mikhâm | to want |
| 11 | شدن shodan | shav/sh | misham | to become |
| 12 | زدن zadan | zan | mizanam | to hit/strike |
| 13 | دادن dâdan | deh/d | midam | to give |
| 14 | گرفتن gereftan | gir | migiram | to take/get |
| 15 | نوشتن neveshtan | nevis | minevisam | to write |
| 16 | خواندن khândan | khân | mikhânam | to read |
| 17 | گذاشتن gozâshtan | gozâr/zâr | mizâram | to put/let |
| 18 | برداشتن bardâshtan | bardâr | bardâram | to pick up |
| 19 | خوابیدن khâbidan | khâb | mikhâbam | to sleep |
| 20 | نشستن neshestan | neshin/shin | mishinam | to sit |
| 21 | ایستادن istâdan | ist/vâyst | vâymistam | to stand |
| 22 | خریدن kharidan | khar | mikharam | to buy |
| 23 | فروختن forukht | forush | miforusham | to sell |
| 24 | فرستادن ferestâdan | ferest | miferestam | to send |
| 25 | پوشیدن pushidan | push | mipusham | to wear |
| 26 | افتادن oftâdan | oft | mioftam | to fall |
| 27 | شنیدن shenidan | shenav | mishnavam | to hear |
| 28 | فهمیدن fahmidan | fahm | mifahmam | to understand |
| 29 | رسیدن residan | res | miresam | to arrive |
| 30 | برگشتن bargashtan | bargard | barmigardam | to return |
| 31 | ماندن mândan | mân/mun | mimunam | to stay |
| 32 | بردن bordan | bar | mibaram | to take/carry |
| 33 | آوردن âvardan | âvar/yâr | miyâram | to bring |
| 34 | انداختن andâkhtan | andâz | miandâzam | to throw |
| 35 | ترسیدن tarsidan | tars | mitarsam | to be scared |
| 36 | دوست داشتن dust dâshtan | – | dust dâram | to like/love |
| 37 | فکر کردن fekr kardan | kon | fekr mikonam | to think |
| 38 | حرف زدن harf zadan | zan | harf mizanam | to talk |
| 39 | گوش دادن gush dâdan | deh | gush midam | to listen |
| 40 | کمک کردن komak kardan | kon | komak mikonam | to help |
| 41 | منتظر بودن montazer budan | – | montazeram | to wait |
| 42 | سعی کردن sa’y kardan | kon | sa’y mikonam | to try |
| 43 | یاد گرفتن yâd gereftan | gir | yâd migiram | to learn |
| 44 | یاد دادن yâd dâdan | deh | yâd midam | to teach |
| 45 | شروع کردن shoru’ kardan | kon | shoru’ mikonam | to start |
| 46 | تمام کردن tamâm kardan | kon | tamâm mikonam | to finish |
| 47 | عوض کردن avaz kardan | kon | avaz mikonam | to change |
| 48 | قبول کردن ghabul kardan | kon | ghabul mikonam | to accept |
| 49 | تصمیم گرفتن tasmim gereftan | gir | tasmim migiram | to decide |
| 50 | توضیح دادن tozih dâdan | deh | tozih midam | to explain |
Look at the compound verbs (36–50). Every single one uses a light verb you already know from the simple verbs (1–14). Kardan appears seven times. Dâdan three times. Gereftan twice. The compound verb post explains the system in full. once you understand it, you stop memorizing verbs and start building them.
For the present tense and past tense conjugation patterns, the grammar posts show every form. This post gives you the vocabulary. the grammar posts give you the machine to run it through.
FAQ
How many verbs do you need to know in Farsi?
What are compound verbs in Persian?
What is the difference between present stem and past stem in Farsi?
Why do Persian verbs sound different in spoken Farsi?
What is the most important Persian verb to learn first?
Fifty verbs. Fifteen of them are simple verbs with unique stems. The other thirty-five are compounds built from those same stems plus a noun. That’s the beauty of the system. and it’s why Persian verbs are actually easier than French verbs, once you see the pattern.
If you want to drill these stems until they’re automatic, ZabanYar can build a verb-stem flashcard deck. infinitive on the front, present stem + past stem + spoken form on the back. Ten minutes a day for two weeks and the stems will be in long-term memory.
Want someone to test your conjugation in real time? I’m on Preply. We’ll go verb by verb, tense by tense, and I’ll make sure your spoken forms don’t sound like you’re reading a textbook aloud to an empty room.