8.6 Grammar: Perfective Aspect

We have learned that the main verb can be classified into three categories: (a) intransitive verb, (b) transitive verb, and (c) ditransitive verb. The structure of the perfective aspect for intransitive verbs is different from the structure of transitive and ditransitive verbs.

We also learned that an intransitive verb is a verb that requires only one noun/pronoun in a complete sentence and that the noun/pronoun can be either the subject or the object of that complete sentence.

Verb agreement: The intransitive verb requires only one noun/pronoun that can act like a subject or object. The verb agrees with the subject or object, whichever is available in a sentence.

Perfective aspect with Intransitive Verbs in Three Tenses:

Activity 1

Please write two sentences in perfective aspect using the following intransitive verbs.

Perfective Aspect with Transitive and Ditransitive Verbs

Like English verbs, Persian verbs are either transitive (requiring an object) or intransitive. In Persian an accusative marker (enclitic), را rā, comes after any definite direct object: Intransitive: دویدم davidam = ‘I ran’. Transitive: او را دیدم u-rā didam = ‘I saw him’

We have learned that a transitive verb is a verb that requires two nouns/pronouns in a complete sentence where one noun/pronoun has to be the subject and other noun/pronoun has to be the object of a complete sentence.

A ditransitive verb is a verb that requires three nouns/pronouns in a complete sentence where one noun/pronoun has to be the subject and the other noun/pronoun has to be the indirect object; yet another noun/pronoun has to be the direct object of a complete sentence.

Look at the following examples:

-I ate food  من غذا خوردم

-Saba bought clothes. صبا لباس خرید

-Iman ate some bread ایمان کمی نان خورد

-They gave Sanaz a flower. ایمان به ساناز یک گل داد

-Peter gave books to Ahmed.” پیتر کتاب ها را به احمد داد

-Teacher spoke to us. معلم با ما صحبت کرد

Activity 2

Please write two sentences in perfective aspect using the following transitive and ditransitive verbs.

Perfective Aspect Negation

In order to change the perfective aspect sentences to negative, we use the word نright before the main verb.

Examples:

“I did not go to school.” -من به مدرسه نرفتم

“We did not eat food.” -ما غذا نخورد یم

“Mother did not give sweets to the children.” -مادر به بچه ها شیرینی نداد.

“Teacher had taught nothing to us.”-معلم چیزی به ما یاد نداده بود

Use of Simple Perfective Aspect

Unlike the habitual past tense which expresses the routine, habitual, and permanent actions in the past, the simple perfective aspect expresses one completed action. The past adverb of time can be used in a simple perfective aspect sentence.

For examples:

“Yesterday, I ran 10 kilometers.” – دیروز من ۱۰ کیلومتر دویدم

“Last month, father bought a radio.” – ماه گذشته، پدر یک رادیو خرید

“Last year, she went to Iran.” -پارسال, او به ایران رفت

Activity 3

Please write 5 sentences In Persian Language, explaining what you did yesterday in the simple perfective aspect.

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Use of the Present Perfective Tense:

The perfective aspect in the present tense is used to express a recently completed action, the effect of which may still be continuing. Please note that the past adverbs of time cannot be used in the present perfective tense sentences.

For examples:

“Today, I have run 10 kilometers.” -امروز من ۱۰ کیلومتر دویده ام

“Today, my father has given me some money.” -امروز , پدرم مقداری پول به من داده است.

“I have done yoga this morning.” -من امروز صبح یوگا انجام داده ام

Activity 4

Please write 5  sentences in Persian language explaining what you did today in the present perfective tense.

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Use of the Past Perfective Tense

The perfective aspect in the past tense is used to express a distant past completed action, the effect of which may not be continuing at all. Please note that the past adverbs of time can be used in the past perfective tense sentences.

For example:

“Yesterday, I have run 10 kilometers.” -دیروز ده کیلومتر دویدم

“Last month, my father has given me some money.” -ماه گذشته پدرم مقداری پول به من داد

“I have done yoga in my childhood.” -در کودکی یوگا انجام می دادم

Activity 5

Please write 5  sentences in Persian explaining what did you do when you were a child (during your childhood) in the past perfective tense.

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Use of the Future Perfective Tense

In English, the future perfective tense is used to show a completed action by a particular time in future. In Persian Language, we simply use Simple future tense to express those actions.

the perfective aspect in the future tense is used to express assumption that some action must have been completed by a particular time.

For example:

“The children must have fallen asleep by now.” -تا الان بچه ها باید خواب باشند

“Father must have reached the office by 10 o’clock.” – پدر باید تا ساعت ده به دفتر رسیده باشد

“Mother must have cooked the food by the evening.” -مادر باید تا عصر غذا را پخته باشد

Activity 6

Please write 5  sentences in Persian language assuming what your friends must have done by now using the future perfective tense.

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