Maharashtra SSC Persian (MSBSHSE) common mistakes
Maharashtra SSC Persian (MSBSHSE) · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Writing Persian letters in isolated form when they occur inside a word, e.g. writing «م» and «ی» separately in «من» or leaving «ب» unjoined in «بابا», so the word reads as a string of detached shapes.
Candidates learn the alphabet as a chart of 32 isolated letters and memorise letter names, but the joining rules (letters that connect forward vs. the seven non-connectors ا د ذ ر ز ژ و) are practised less, and Urdu/Hindi handwriting habits can leak in.
What to do instead
Keep a two-column practice sheet: connector letters (ب پ ت ث ج چ ح خ س ش ص ض ط ظ ع غ ف ق ک گ ل م ن) versus non-connectors (ا د ذ ر ز ژ و). Write every new word three times: isolated, then joined, then in a short sentence, and self-check each word against the rule before moving on.
Confusing letters that differ only by dots - writing «پ» for «ب», «چ» for «ج», «ژ» for «ز», «گ» for «ک», or «ق» for «ف» - in dictation and in answer text.
The dot patterns are learned visually and quickly, and under exam time pressure the hand defaults to the more familiar shape; candidates also under-practise the four Persian-only letters that have no Arabic counterpart.
What to do instead
Build a dot-count drill: group letters by one dot (ب پ ت ث ن), two dots (ی ق), three dots (ش چ ژ), and no dot (س ج ح خ ز ر د ذ و). Do ten minutes of dictation daily from a peer reading words aloud, circling every dot error, then rewrite only the circled words.
Reading or writing short vowels (اَ اِ اُ) and sukun/tashdid inconsistently - omitting them where the textbook prints them, or inserting them where the text is unvocalised - which changes pronunciation and meaning, e.g. «کِتاب» read as «کُتاب».
Persian is normally written without short vowels, so candidates assume vowels are optional everywhere, but SSC reading passages and verse are often fully vocalised and marks are awarded for correct recitation.
What to do instead
Practise the same short passage twice: once fully vocalised, once bare. Read the bare version aloud and check against the vocalised original, marking each vowel you missed. Learn the minimal pairs that hinge on vowels (کِرم/کَرَم, گُل/گِل) as vocabulary, not as rules.
Treating Persian word order like Marathi or English - placing the verb early (e.g. «من رفتم به مدرسه» written as «من به مدرسه رفتم» is acceptable, but writing «من رفتم مدرسه به» or «است这本书» style calques) and misplacing the ezafe construction.
Persian is Subject–Object–Verb like Marathi, so candidates relax, but the ezafe linker (-e) and the position of adjectives, possessives and the copula differ, and translation exercises invite word-for-word transfer from the mother tongue.
What to do instead
Drill the frame: Subject + (ezafe phrase) + Object + Verb-final. Rewrite ten Marathi sentences into Persian and then back-translate to expose calques. Memorise the ezafe pattern as a chunk: «کتابِ نوِ من» (my new book), noting that the ezafe is written as a short stroke and never as a full vowel letter.
Mixing the two plural markers - attaching «ـها» where «ـان» is required or vice versa, and breaking the ezafe when a plural is inserted, e.g. writing «کتابان من» instead of «کتابهای من».
Both plurals are taught together, but the choice depends on animacy, register and fixed vocabulary (مردان, زنان, دانشجویان vs. کتابها, خانهها), and candidates generalise one rule to all nouns.
What to do instead
Keep a running list of nouns that take «ـان» (human/animate and a few fixed items) and mark everything else as «ـها». Practise the possessive chain explicitly: singular «کتابِ من», plural «کتابهای من», and check the ezafe survives before the plural suffix.
Conjugating the past and present stems of the same verb from different roots without noticing, e.g. writing «رفتم» correctly but forming the present as «رفم» instead of «میروم», or «دیدم» with present «میدانم» confused with «میبینم».
Persian verbs are built on two stems that are often irregular (رفت/رو, دید/بین, گفت/گو, بود/باش), and candidates memorise the infinitive only, then guess the present stem by deleting «ـدن».
What to do instead
Make a three-column verb table: infinitive, past stem, present stem (رفتن | رفت | رو). Cover the third column and test yourself daily. For any new verb, write one past and one present sentence immediately, so the pair is stored together rather than the infinitive alone.
Using the wrong person/number ending on the present stem, especially omitting the final «ـد» in third person singular or adding «ـند» to a singular subject, and dropping the «میـ» prefix in habitual or progressive contexts.
The endings (ـم، ـی، ـد، ـیم، ـید، ـند) are short and visually similar, and spoken Persian drops many of them, so listening habits override the written standard expected in the answer script.
What to do instead
Conjugate one verb fully aloud every day in both tenses, past and present, singular and plural, then write the six forms. In correction, underline the subject and circle the verb ending to check agreement mechanically before submitting.
Translating an unseen passage sentence by sentence, leaving gaps or writing literal glosses that ignore idioms, so the rendered meaning is ungrammatical in the target language even where individual words are correct.
Candidates treat translation as a vocabulary test and run out of time, so they write word-for-word equivalents and skip idiomatic phrases (e.g. «دست دادن» = to shake hands, not 'to give a hand').
What to do instead
Read the whole passage once without writing, note the main verb of each clause, then draft the translation clause by clause. Keep an idiom notebook of ten common expressions per week and reuse each in an original sentence. Leave no blank: a plausible full sentence scores better than a gap.
Answering comprehension questions in the wrong language or register - replying in Marathi/English, or copying a whole paragraph from the passage instead of a targeted answer.
The paper is delivered in Persian but the surrounding schooling is in Marathi, and copying feels safe; candidates also misread «به فارسی پاسخ دهید» style instructions under time pressure.
What to do instead
Before writing, underline the instruction verb in every question. Train the pattern: restate the question stem, give a one-sentence answer in Persian, then add one supporting clause from the passage in your own words. Practise five such answers per passage with a timer.
Mis-scanning the paper's marks distribution - spending equal time on a one-mark vocabulary item and a multi-mark essay or translation, and leaving the composition half-finished.
Candidates work front to back because that feels orderly, and the writing tasks at the end are the heaviest but get the least time; there is no rehearsal of the paper under timed conditions.
What to do instead
Do two full timed mock papers before the exam. In the first five minutes, write the mark value beside each section and allocate minutes proportionally (roughly one minute per mark). Answer the highest-value sections first, then return to short items, and keep a five-minute reserve for checking letter joins and verb endings.