Language/Iranian-persian/Grammar/Lesson-4:-Present-tense-conjugation-of-the-verb-to-be
In this lesson, we will learn how to conjugate the verb "to be" in the present tense in Iranian Persian. This is an important verb that is used in a variety of contexts, including making simple statements about ourselves and others. By the end of this lesson, you should be able to use the present tense "to be" to express essential information about yourself and others.
Basic sentence structure in present tense
In Persian, the basic structure of a sentence in the present tense is Subject Pronoun + Present Tense Verb + Complement. The subject pronoun can be omitted if the speaker prefers, and the default is third person singular. The present tense verb can take either a short or a long form, depending on the attached prefix, and the complement can be any predicate or adjective that describes the subject.
Short form
The short form of the present tense has no explicit subject pronoun, and the verb changes its form depending on the subject. The forms of the verb "to be" in the short form in the present tense are:
| Iranian Persian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| هستَم | hastam | I am |
| هستی | hasti | You are (singular) |
| هست | hast | He/She/It is |
| هستیم | hastim | We are |
| هستید | hastyd | You are (plural) |
| هستند | hastand | They are |
Here are some examples:
- من دانشجو هستم. (man dānešjū hastam) - I am a student.
- تو دانشجویی هستی. (to dānešjūyi hasti) - You are a student.
- او یک پزشک است. (u yek pazhūk ast) - He is a doctor.
- ما خستگی نداریم. (mā xastegi nadārim) - We are not tired.
- شما دانشجویان هستید؟ (šomā dānešjūyān hastyd?) - Are you students?
- آنها دانشگاهی هستند. (ānhā dānešgāhi hastand) - They are university students.
Note that in the last example, the predicate "دانشگاهی" (university) is in the singular form, even though the subject "آنها" (they) is plural. This is a common feature of Persian grammar, where the predicate agrees in number and gender with the implicit subject pronoun.
Long form
The long form of the present tense adds an explicit subject pronoun to the short form, followed by the auxiliaries "می" (mī) or "نمی" (nemī), depending on the polarity of the sentence (affirmative or negative). The long form is less commonly used in spoken Persian, but it can add emphasis and clarity to the sentence structure in some cases. The forms of the verb "to be" in the long form in the present tense are:
| Persian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| من هستم | man hastam | I am |
| تو هستی | to hasti | You are (singular) |
| او هست | u hast | He/She/It is |
| ما هستیم | mā hastim | We are |
| شما هستید | šomā hastyd | You are (plural) |
| آنها هستند | ānhā hastand | They are |
Here are some examples:
- من دانشجو هستم. (man dānešjū hastam) - I am a student.
- تو دانشجویی هستی. (to dānešjūyi hasti) - You are a student.
- او یک پزشک است. (u yek pazhūk ast) - He is a doctor.
- من خسته نیستم. (man xaste nistam) - I am not tired.
- هیچ کس خوشبخت نیست. (hič kas xošbaxt nist) - Nobody is happy.
- جان آنها خطرناک است. (jān ānhā xatar-nāk ast) - Their life is dangerous.
Note that in the last example, we used the pronoun "آنها" (they) as the subject explicitly, followed by the third person singular form of the verb "to be". This is because the complement "life" is a singular noun in Persian, even though it can refer to multiple persons.
Negation and Interrogation
To form a negative sentence in the present tense, we use the auxiliary نمی (nemī) before the verb and remove the suffix -ی that occurs between the subject and verb in affirmative sentences. For instance, "شما دانشجویی هستید" becomes "شما دانشجو نیستید" (šomā dānešjū nistid) to mean "You are not a student".
To form an interrogative sentence in the present tense, we typically use rising intonation at the end of the sentence or add a tag question, such as "آیا؟" (āyā?) or "نه؟" (na?). It is also possible to use the word order of the affirmative sentence without changing anything else. For example, "شما دانشجویی هستید؟" (šomā dānešjūyi hastyd?) can mean "Are you a student?" while having the same word order as the original affirmative sentence.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the present tense of the verb "to be" in Iranian Persian is a relatively simple and straightforward topic, but it is essential for forming basic sentences and conveying essential information. By using the tables and examples provided in this lesson, you should have a good understanding of how to use this verb in both affirmative and negative statements, as well as interrogative sentences. As you continue learning Persian, you will come across more advanced structures and verb forms that build on this foundation we have established.
Sources
Related Lessons
- Lesson 15: Word order in past tense sentences
- Conversational and Official sentences
- Negation
- How to Use Be
- Turn
- Prepositions
- Come
- 0 to A1 Course
- Take
- Gender