6 Focus on the Form: Verb Tense Past, Present, Future
In the Persian language, verbs are divided into different categories. Previously we explained verbs in the Basic Persian book. Here we look at the verb tenses in more depth!
Verbs are action words which means they express an action or refer to a state of being. Verbs are classified into two main groups: simple verbs and conjunct/compound verbs. We also know there are three major tenses in Persian (like English) which are present, past, and future.
Types of Verbs
Before we talk about verb tenses, we will talk about two major verb groups: simple verbs and conjunct verbs.
Simple Verbs (فعل ساده)
Simple verbs (فعل ساده) are the verbs that have only one part/word. For example: دویدن (to run), خوردن (to eat), رفتن (to go), and خندیدن (to laugh).
A simple verb consists of only one word and conveys a complete meaning. These verbs are the most basic type of verbs.
Conjunct/Compound Verbs (افعال مرکب)
In the Persian language, the verbs that have more than one part are conjunct verbs. Conjunct verbs are made up of multiple parts, typically one part verb and one part noun or adjective to create a more complex meaning. Essentially, they function as a single verb unit. Remember, in conjunct verbs, the meaning of the verb will change. For example: the verb داشتن means “to have” which is a single verb. But the conjunct verb دوست داشتن is made of the noun دوست (friend) and the verb داشتن (to have) which makes the meaning “to love.” Here are more examples:
| Verb in English | Verb in Persian | Sentence in English | Sentence in Persian | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| To Have | داشتن | I have a book. | من کتاب دارم | “To have” is used as a single verb in this sentence. |
| To Pick Up | برداشتن | I picked up my book. | من کتاب را برداشتم | Here, the compound verb is made of an infinitive verb and a word. As you can see the meaning of the “to have” changed to “to pick up.” |
| To Love | دوست داشتن | I love the fall season. | من فصل پاییز را دوست دارم | Here, the compound verb is made of an infinitive verb and a word. As you can see the meaning of the “to have” changed to “to love.” |
Regular Verbs, Irregular Verbs, and Auxiliary Verbs
Regular Verbs (افعال با قاعده)
Most Persian verbs are considered regular, meaning they follow predictable conjugation patterns. Essentially, most verbs follow a regular pattern when conjugating, but a few key verbs like بودن and رفتن have significant stem changes depending on tense making them irregular. Here are some examples: کردن (to do), نوشتن (to write), خواندن (to read).
Examples:
- کردن “kardan” (to do)
- نوشتن “neveshtan” (to write)
- خواندن “khandan” (to read)
- خوردن “khordan” (to eat)
- دانستن “dānestan” (to know)
Irregular Verbs (افعال بیقاعده)
These are the ones whose stems change in unpredictable ways. Irregular verbs change their root when conjugated and do not follow a specific pattern. There are a few key verbs like بودن and رفتن which change significantly. Some other examples are: گفتن (to say), دیدن (to see), گُفتن (to have).
Examples:
- بودن “budan” (to be)
- رفتن “raftan” (to go)
- گفتن “” (to say)
- دیدن “didan” (to see)
- داشتن “dāštan” (to have)
- شدن “shodan” (to become)
Auxiliary Verbs (افعال کمکی)
Also called “helping verbs,” auxiliary verbs are used in combination with main verbs to form different tenses and express grammatical distinction, such as the past perfect or progressive tenses, playing a crucial role in constructing complex verb structures within a sentence. Unlike English, Persian utilizes fewer auxiliary verbs and often relies more on verb endings to indicate tense and aspect. Here is the list of most common auxiliary verbs.
-
بودن (to be)
- Example: هستم (I am)
- Example: بودم (I was)
-
داشتن (to have)
- Example: دارم (I have)
- Example: داشتم (I had)
-
شدن (to become)
- Example: میشوم (I become)
- Example: شدم (I became)
-
توانستن (to be able to, can)
- Example: میتوانم (I can)
- Example: میتوانستم (I could)
-
خواستن (to want)
- Example: میخواهم (I want)
- Example: خواستم (I wanted)
Summary of Verb Types
| Verb Type | Explanation | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Verbs | Simple verbs (فعل ساده) are the verbs that have only one part/word | رفتن (to go), دیدن (to see) |
| Conjunct/Compound Verbs | Conjunct/compound verbs (افعال مرکب) are the verbs that have more than one part, typically one part verb and one part noun, adjective, or adverb. | تصمیم گرفتن (to decide), تماس گرفتن (to contact)
For example, تصمیم means “decision” and گرفتن means “to take,” but تصمیم گرفتن means “to decide.” |
| Regular Verbs | Regular verbs (افعال با قاعده) are the verbs whose past and present stems follow a predictable pattern.
Regular verbs follow a fixed pattern when conjugated, and their root remains unchanged. Note: In these verbs, the root stays the same, and only the endings change. |
نوشتن – نوشت/نویس |
| Irregular Verbs | Irregular verbs (افعال بیقاعده) are the verbs whose stems change in unpredictable ways. Irregular verbs change their root when conjugated and do not follow a specific pattern.
Note: These verbs change form when conjugated. |
بودن – بود/هست |
| Auxiliary Verbs | Auxiliary verbs (افعال کمکی) are used to indicate ability, necessity, or possibility.
Auxiliary verbs do not have a complete meaning on their own, but they assist the main verb to indicate tense, aspect, or modality. Note: Common Persian auxiliary verbs are:
|
توانستن (to be able to), باید (must) |
Types of Verb Tenses
Here we will work on different verb tenses in the Persian language in more detail.
Persian verbs can be classified into different tenses, including past (گذشته), present (حال), and future (آینده). In addition we use certain adverbs in different tenses that help express actions in the past, present, and future. Below are explanations of each tense along with some common time adverbs.
Past Tense (گذشته ساده)
The past tense is formed by taking the infinitive of the verb (which always ends in ن or دن) and removing ن or دن to get the past stem, then adding the proper suffix.
Formation
Past stem + personal endings
| Pronoun | Personal Ending | Example (رفتن – to go) |
|---|---|---|
| من (I) | ـم “-am” | رفتم “raftam” (I went) |
| تو (you) | ـی “-i” | رفتی “rafti” (you went) |
| او (he/she) | no ending | رفت “raft” (he/she went) |
| ما (we) | ـیم “-im” | رفتیم “raftim” (we went) |
| شما (you) | ـید “-id” | رفتید “raftid” (you went) |
| آنها (they) | ـند “-and” | رفتند “raftand” (they went) |
Example Sentences
| English | فارسی |
|---|---|
| I went to class yesterday. | من دیروز به کِلاس رفتم |
| Did you see the movie? | تو فیلم را دیدی؟ |
Past Time Adverbs (قیدهای زمان گذشته)
These adverbs indicate actions that happened in the past.
| فارسی | Transliteration | English | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| دیروز | dīrūz | yesterday | Used to talk about events of the previous day. |
| پریروز | parīrūz | the day before yesterday | Indicates two days ago. |
| هفتهی پیش/هفتهی قبل | hafté-ye pīsh/hafté-ye qabl | last week | Refers to the previous week. |
| سال گذشته | sāle gozašte | last year | Used for an event in the previous year. |
| قبلاً | qablān | previously, before | General past reference for something that happened earlier. |
| مدتی پیش | moddatī pīsh | a while ago | Used for an event that happened some time before now. |
| چند روز پیش | chand rūz pīsh | a few days ago | Indicates a short past duration. |
Exercise 1: Past Tense
Present Tense (حال ساده)
The present tense is formed by adding می (mi) before the present stem of the verb and adding the personal ending.
Formation
می + present stem + personal ending
| Pronoun | Example (رفتن – to go) |
|---|---|
| من (I) | میروم “miravam” (I go) |
| تو (you) | میروی “miravi” (you go) |
| او (he/she) | میرود “miravad” (he/she goes) |
| ما (we) | میرویم “miravim” (we go) |
| شما (you) | میروید “miravid” (you go) |
| آنها (they) | میروند “miravand” (they go) |
Example Sentences
| English | فارسی |
|---|---|
| I go to university every day. | من هر روز به دانشگاه میروم |
| Where are you going? | تو کجا می روی؟ |
Present Time Adverbs (قیدهای زمان حال)
These adverbs indicate actions happening in the present.
| فارسی | Transliteration | English | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| امروز | emrūz | today | Refers to the current day. |
| الان/اکنون | alān/aknūn | now | Indicates something happening at this moment. |
| در حال حاضر | dar hāl-e hāzer | at present | Used for describing the current situation. |
| همین الان | hamin alān | right now | Emphasizes immediacy. |
| این روزها | īn rūzhā | these days | Refers to a general present time period. |
| همیشه | hamīše | always | Used for habitual actions. |
| گاهی | gāhī | sometimes | Indicates occasional occurrences. |
Exercise 2: Present Tense
Future Tense (آینده)
The future tense in Persian is simpler than English. It is made using خواهد (khahad) + the infinitive of the verb.
Formation
خواهد/خواهند + infinitive
| Pronoun | Example (رفتن – to go) |
|---|---|
| من (I) | خواهم رفت “khaham raft” (I will go) |
| تو (you) | خواهی رفت “khahi raft” (you will go) |
| او (he/she) | خواهد رفت “khahad raft” (he/she will go) |
| ما (we) | خواهیم رفت “khahim raft” (we will go) |
| شما (you) | خواهید رفت “khahid raft” (you will go) |
| آنها (they) | خواهند رفت “khahand raft” (they will go) |
Example Sentences
| English | فارسی |
|---|---|
| I will go to class tomorrow. | من فردا به کلاس خواهم رفت |
| Will you become a doctor? | آیا تو به مسافرت خواهی شد؟ |
Future Time Adverbs (قیدهای زمان آینده)
These adverbs indicate actions that will happen in the future.
| فارسی | Transliteration | English | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| فردا | fardā | tomorrow | Refers to the next day. |
| پسفردا | pasfardā | the day after tomorrow | Indicates two days ahead. |
| هفتهی آینده/هفتهی بعد | hafté-ye āyande/hafté-ye ba’d | next week | Refers to the upcoming week. |
| سال آینده | sāle āyande | next year | Used for an event in the upcoming year. |
| بعداً | ba’dān | later | Refers to an unspecified future time. |
| به زودی | be zūdī | soon | Indicates something will happen shortly. |
| در آینده | dar āyande | in the future | Used for long-term future references. |
Exercise 3: Speaking, Future Tense
Please read the following sentences and change them to future tense, then read them out loud:
- من امروز به بازار میروم blank.
- تو کتاب خواندی blank.
- من دیروز به سینما رفتم blank.
- من همیشه صبحانه سالم میخورم blank.
- ما هر روز با هم ورزش میکنیم blank.
- ما در تعطیلات به کوهستان رفتیم blank.
- او هفته گذشته یک مقاله نوشت blank.
!سِپاس
