WBCHSE HS Persian flashcards

33 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Saj'

Rhymed prose in which consecutive phrases end with the same sound; common in maqama and ornate Persian prose. Identify it by matching final syllables across short clauses.

Maqama

A picaresque prose genre featuring a trickster hero and rhymed prose; the narrator often reports the hero's exploits. Knowing the genre helps predict plot and style questions.

Frame narrative

A story told within another story, where an outer narrator introduces inner tales. Recognize it when a character begins recounting events to another character.

Dastan

A narrative tale with plot, characters, and dialogue, often longer than an anecdote. In prose exams, identify dastan by sequential events and direct speech.

Tazmin

Quoting a verse or line from another poet inside one's own prose or poem. In prose style questions, tazmin signals learned, allusive writing.

Mathnawi rhyme scheme

Coupled rhyme: each bayt rhymes internally (aa bb cc dd). Used for long narrative poems; distinct from the ghazal's aa ba ca pattern.

Radif

A word or short phrase repeated identically after the rhyme at the end of each line in a poem. It follows the qafiya and must match exactly.

Qafiya

The rhyming element that precedes the radif in a line; it is the consonant and vowel pattern shared across the poem's line endings.

Tashbih

Simile: explicit comparison using words like chun, hamchu, mesl-e, or manand. Example: 'dil-am hamchu ayina' (my heart is like a mirror).

Isti'ara

Metaphor: a comparison with the comparison word omitted, so one thing is called another. Example: 'sham'-e rukh' (the candle of the face).

Tibaq

Antithesis: pairing opposite words in one line, such as shab/ruz (night/day) or garm/sard (hot/cold), to heighten contrast and meaning.

Tajnis

Paronomasia: using two words that look or sound alike but differ in meaning, e.g., shir (lion) and shir (milk). It creates verbal wit.

Matla'

The opening bayt of a ghazal or qasida, where both hemistiches rhyme. It sets the poem's tone and is often quoted in explanation questions.

Maqta'

The closing bayt of a ghazal, often containing the poet's takhallus (pen name). Recognizing it helps answer questions about the poet's self-reference.

Bahr

The metrical pattern of a poem, built from repeated feet such as fe'ilatun, mafa'ilun, mustaf'ilun. Naming the bahr requires scanning syllable weight.

Kinaya

Metonymy or indirect expression: saying something obliquely, e.g., 'dast-e u kar mi-konad' for generosity. The literal words hint at a further meaning.

Past stem

The verb base used for past tenses, usually the infinitive minus -an: raftan → raft, didan → did, kharidan → kharid. Add personal endings to conjugate.

Present stem

The irregular base for present and subjunctive forms, not predictable from the infinitive: raftan → raw-, didan → bin-, khandan → khan-. Memorize per verb.

Ezafe

The unstressed -e linking a noun to a following modifier or possessor: ketab-e sabz (green book), ketab-e Ali (Ali's book). Chains modify from the right.

Object marker -ra

Suffix marking a definite direct object after transitive verbs: ketab-ra kharidam (I bought the book). Do not use it with intransitive verbs.

Present perfect

Formed with past participle plus present copula: rafta-am (I have gone), rafta-ast (he has gone). Signals a past action with present relevance.

Past perfect

Formed with past participle plus budan in the past: rafta budam (I had gone). Marks an action completed before another past event.

Future tense

Formed with khwahan + past stem + personal endings: khwaham raft (I will go). In colloquial Persian, simple present often replaces it.

Plural in -an

Plural suffix used mainly for animate nouns and body parts: mard → mardan (men), dast → dastan (hands). Inanimate nouns usually take -ha.

Subjunctive after bayad

After bayad (must), the verb takes present subjunctive without mi-: bayad beravam (I must go). The mi- prefix is dropped in subjunctive forms.

SOV order

Persian sentences normally place subject first, object next, and verb last: man ketab-ra kharidam (I the book bought). English translation requires reordering.

Ke as relative pronoun

Ke introduces a relative clause meaning 'who/which/that': mardi ke amad (the man who came). Distinguish it from complementizer ke after verbs of saying.

Mastar as verbal noun

The infinitive used as a noun: raftan khub ast (going is good). In translation it becomes an English gerund or infinitive, depending on syntax.

Idiom: dast-e kasi-ra gereftan

Literally 'to take someone's hand', meaning to help or support someone. Translate by sense, not word-for-word, into Bengali or English.

Formal letter opening

Begin with janab-e aqay-e ... or hazrat-e ..., then ba'd az salam va arzu-ye hal-e shoma (after greetings and wishes for your health).

Essay conclusion marker

Dar natija (in conclusion) or pas (therefore) introduces the final paragraph. It should restate the thesis and add one closing thought, not new evidence.

Cohesive device: banabar-in

Means 'therefore, consequently' and links a cause to its result. Use it in essays and letters to connect sentences logically rather than listing ideas.

Context clue: Arabic root

Many Persian words derive from Arabic roots: k-t-b gives ketab, kateb, maktab. Use the shared root to guess an unfamiliar word's meaning in a passage.