AMFA Persian Language Proficiency Test key terms

The unstressed -e that links two words in a Persian noun phrase, marking possession, description, or material, as in ketāb-e man (my book) or divār-e sefid (white wall). It is written but not pronounced after silent ه.

A noun phrase built with the ezāfe, where the second element modifies or possesses the first. Chains like dust-e dukhtar-e mu-safid-e sāken-e Tehrān are common, and only the final element takes the stress.

The possessed noun (mozāf) and its possessor or modifier (mozāf-elayh) in an ezāfe construction. The mozāf drops its final -n in the plural and takes no definite article, while the mozāf-elayh carries definiteness.

A postposition marking a specific direct object, placed after the object phrase, as in ketāb rā khāndam (I read the book). It is obligatory for definite objects and pronouns, and optional for indefinite objects.

The direct object of a verb, the entity affected by the action. In Persian it normally precedes the verb and takes rā when definite, while indefinite objects may appear without it.

A transitive verb, one that requires a direct object, such as khordan (to eat) or neveshtan (to write). Many Persian verbs have both transitive and intransitive forms, often distinguished by a causative suffix or vowel change.

An intransitive verb, one that takes no direct object, such as raftan (to go) or khābidan (to sleep). Its subject is marked like a direct object in past transitive clauses of the same type, but the verb itself admits no rā-marked object.

The passive voice, formed with the past participle plus shodan, as in neveshte shod (was written). The agent is usually omitted or expressed with tavassot-e (by means of), and only transitive verbs can be passivized.

The active participle, formed from the present stem plus -ande, as in nevisande (writer) or dāneshju-derived dānande (knower). These forms often function as nouns and can be pluralized with -hā or -ān.

The past participle, formed from the past stem plus -e, as in neveshte (written) or rafte (gone). It serves in compound tenses, passive constructions, and as an adjective agreeing with its noun in number and definiteness.

The present stem of a verb, used to form the present tense, the imperative, and the active participle. It is often unpredictable from the infinitive, as with goftan → gu- (present stem guy-), so stems must be memorized.

The past stem of a verb, obtained by removing -an from the infinitive, as in raftan → raft. It forms the simple past, all perfect tenses, the past participle, and the passive.

The present perfect, formed with the past participle plus the present tense of būdan, as in rafte-am (I have gone). It reports a past event with present relevance or an experience, and is very frequent in spoken Persian.

The past perfect, formed with the past participle plus the past tense of būdan, as in rafte būdam (I had gone). It marks an event completed before another past reference point.

The past continuous or habitual, formed with mi- plus the past stem and personal endings, as in mi-raftam (I used to go). It contrasts with the simple past by expressing repetition, duration, or background action.

The simple past, formed from the past stem plus personal endings, as in raftam (I went). It presents a completed event viewed as a whole, without reference to duration or repetition.

The subjunctive mood, marked by the prefix be-, as in be-ravam (that I go). It appears after modal expressions, wishes, purpose clauses, and certain conjunctions such as ke, and contrasts with the indicative.

The conditional mood or construction, expressing unreal or hypothetical situations, as in agar mi-raftam, mi-didam (if I had gone, I would have seen). The type of condition determines which tense appears in each clause.

Mood, the grammatical category expressing the speaker's attitude toward an action: indicative, subjunctive, imperative, or conditional. Persian marks mood mainly through prefixes such as mi-, be-, and na-.

A preposition, such as dar (in), bar (on), az (from), be (to), and bā (with). Persian prepositions govern nouns directly, and some combine with ezāfe-like elements or postpositions in fixed phrases.

A bound pronoun attached to a noun, verb, or preposition, such as -am, -at, -ash, -emān, -etān, -eshān. It marks possession, object, or benefactive, as in ketāb-am (my book) or goft-am (I said).

A free-standing pronoun, such as man, to, ū, mā, shomā, īshān, used as subject or emphatic topic. It is not required for subject agreement, since the verb ending already marks person.

A personal ending on a verb that agrees with the subject in person and number, such as -am, -i, -ad, -im, -id, -and. These endings are obligatory in most tenses and carry the subject information.

Verb conjugation, the systematic changing of a verb to show tense, person, number, and mood. Persian verbs are regular once the past and present stems are known, with a small set of irregulars.

A broken plural, formed by internal vowel change rather than a suffix, as in ketāb → kotob (books) or mard → mardān (men). Many Arabic loanwords take broken plurals, which must be learned individually.

A sound plural, formed by adding -hā or -ān to the singular, as in ketāb-hā (books) or mard-ān (men). The -hā suffix is the default and works for most nouns, including inanimate ones.

An Arabic loanword in Persian, often part of a formal or technical register. Many retain Arabic plural forms, patterns, or meanings that differ from their Persian synonyms, so register and collocation matter.

Word formation, the process of creating new words through derivation, compounding, or borrowing. Persian uses suffixes such as -gar, -mand, and -i, and compounds like ketāb-khāne (library) productively.

A prefix attached to a stem to change its meaning, such as na- (negation), bi- (without), and ham- (co-). Verbal prefixes like mi- and be- mark tense and mood rather than lexical meaning.

A suffix attached to a stem to form a new word or inflection, such as -i (quality), -gar (agent), -hā (plural), and -tar (comparative). Suffixes determine the part of speech of the resulting word.

An idiom, a fixed multiword expression whose meaning is not predictable from its parts, such as dast o pā gom kardan (to be confused). Idioms must be learned as units and often belong to a colloquial register.

A proverb, a traditional sentence expressing shared wisdom, often with a narrative or metaphorical frame. Proverbs are quoted in conversation and writing, and their wording is fixed.

An indirect or ironic expression that implies criticism or humor without stating it directly. Recognizing kināye requires cultural knowledge, since the literal wording often contradicts the intended meaning.

Colloquial Persian, the spoken register used in everyday conversation, with reduced forms such as mi-gam for mi-gūyam and unstressed pronouns. Listening and speaking tasks frequently use this register rather than formal written Persian.

Formal written Persian, the register of books, news, and official documents. It preserves full verb endings and formal vocabulary, and candidates must switch between it and the colloquial register.

Intonation or tone of voice, the rise and fall of pitch that signals questions, emphasis, and emotion. In listening tasks, tone often carries meaning that the words alone do not.

Word stress, the prominence given to one syllable of a word. Persian stress usually falls on the last syllable of a word or phrase, but shifts in verbs and ezāfe chains, affecting comprehension.

A speech sound or phoneme, the minimal unit of pronunciation. Persian has distinctive vowels and consonants, including qāf, ghayn, and the glottal stop, whose contrasts matter for listening.

Summarizing, restating the main points of a text in condensed form. It requires identifying the thesis, selecting supporting details, and paraphrasing in one's own words without adding opinion.

A paragraph, a group of sentences developing one controlling idea. Persian paragraphs typically open with a topic sentence and connect ideas with conjunctions such as pas, ammā, and dar natije.

A piece of writing or composition, ranging from a short letter to an essay. Assessment criteria usually include organization, register, grammar accuracy, and the appropriate use of connectors.