Grammar and Morphology: Verbs, Nouns, Pronouns, Particles
This is the highest-scoring, most mechanical domain. Persian verbs are built from two stems - past and present - plus prefixes and personal endings. Learn the pattern and most items become predictable.
The verb engine
Personal endings: -am, -i, -ad, -im, -id, -and. Past simple = past stem + ending (neveshtam). Present = mi- + present stem + ending (mi-nevisam). Negative past = na- + past stem (na-neveshtam). Prohibitive = ma- + present stem (ma-nevis). Subjunctive = be- + present stem (be-nevisam). Perfect = past participle + am/i/ast (neveshte-am). Passive = past participle + shodan (neveshte shod).
Nouns and pronouns
Plural: -hā for things, -ān for rational beings (ketābhā, dāneshmandān). Indefinite -i (ketāb-i = a book). Ezāfe -e marks possession and qualification. Pronouns: man, to, u, mā, shomā, ānhā; clitics -am, -at, -aš, -emān, -etān, -eshān. Particle rā marks a definite direct object.
Worked example
Analyse u nāme-rā na-nevesht: subject u; object nāme + rā (definite); verb na-nevesht = negative past, third singular. Translation: 'He did not write the letter.' Now change to present: nāme-rā ne-mi-nevisad; to prohibitive: nāme-rā ma-nevis.
Traps
Adding rā to an indefinite object; using raft with a plural subject instead of raftand; writing ma- for a plain negative past; reading the mi- prefix as the possessive 'my'; forgetting that adjectives never take plural endings.