Language/Iranian-persian/Grammar/Lesson-4:-Present-tense-conjugation-of-the-verb-to-be
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In this lesson, you will learn how to use the present tense of the verb "to be" in Persian and to make simple statements. The present tense is used to talk about actions or states that are happening now or are generally true. It is an essential part of building basic sentences in Persian.
The Present Tense of the Verb "to be"[edit | edit source]
In Persian, the verb "to be" is expressed by the word "است" (ast). This verb is used to connect the subject of a sentence with its complement or predicate. The present tense conjugation of "است" (ast) is as follows:
Persian | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
من هستم | man hastam | I am |
تو هستی | to hasti | You are (singular, informal) |
او هست | u hast | He/She/It is |
ما هستیم | mā hastim | We are |
شما هستید | shomā hastid | You are (plural, formal) |
آنها هستند | ānhā hastand | They are |
Note: The pronunciations provided here are a rough approximation and may vary depending on the speaker's accent.
As you can see from the table above, the verb "است" (ast) is conjugated differently depending on the subject of the sentence. It is important to remember these conjugations as they are used extensively in Persian sentences.
Making Simple Statements[edit | edit source]
To make a simple statement in Persian using the present tense of the verb "to be," you need to combine the subject of the sentence with the appropriate form of the verb "است" (ast). Here are some examples:
- من دانشآموز هستم. (Man dānešāmuz hastam) - I am a student.
- تو دانشجوی خوبی هستی. (To dānešjū-ye khubi hasti) - You are a good student.
- او یک معلم است. (U yek mo'alem ast) - He/She is a teacher.
- ما خواهر و برادر هستیم. (Mā khāhar o barādar hastim) - We are siblings.
- شما دوستان خوبی هستید. (Shomā dustān-e khubi hastid) - You are good friends.
- آنها دانشآموزان هستند. (Ānhā dānešāmuzān hastand) - They are students.
In these examples, the subjects (من, تو, او, ما, شما, آنها) are combined with the appropriate form of the verb "است" (ast) to form complete sentences. It is important to note that Persian does not have a separate word for the English verb "to be" in the present tense. Instead, the verb "است" (ast) is used to express the concept.
Negative Statements[edit | edit source]
To make a negative statement in Persian, you need to add the word "نیستم" (nistam), "نیستی" (nisti), "نیست" (nist), "نیستیم" (nistim), "نیستید" (nistid), or "نیستند" (nistand) after the verb "است" (ast). Here are some examples:
- من دانشآموز نیستم. (Man dānešāmuz nistam) - I am not a student.
- تو دانشجوی خوبی نیستی. (To dānešjū-ye khubi nisti) - You are not a good student.
- او معلم نیست. (U mo'alem nist) - He/She is not a teacher.
- ما خواهر و برادر نیستیم. (Mā khāhar o barādar nistim) - We are not siblings.
- شما دوستان خوبی نیستید. (Shomā dustān-e khubi nistid) - You are not good friends.
- آنها دانشآموزان نیستند. (Ānhā dānešāmuzān nistand) - They are not students.
In these examples, the word "نیستم" (nistam), "نیستی" (nisti), "نیست" (nist), "نیستیم" (nistim), "نیستید" (nistid), or "نیستند" (nistand) is added after the verb "است" (ast) to form negative statements. This structure is similar to the English structure of adding "not" after the verb "to be" to form negative sentences.
Interrogative Statements[edit | edit source]
To form a question in Persian using the present tense of the verb "to be," you need to invert the subject and the verb "است" (ast). Here are some examples:
- آیا من دانشآموز هستم؟ (Āyā man dānešāmuz hastam?) - Am I a student?
- آیا تو دانشجوی خوبی هستی؟ (Āyā to dānešjū-ye khubi hasti?) - Are you a good student?
- آیا او یک معلم است؟ (Āyā u yek mo'alem ast?) - Is he/she a teacher?
- آیا ما خواهر و برادر هستیم؟ (Āyā mā khāhar o barādar hastim?) - Are we siblings?
- آیا شما دوستان خوبی هستید؟ (Āyā shomā dustān-e khubi hastid?) - Are you good friends?
- آیا آنها دانشآموزان هستند؟ (Āyā ānhā dānešāmuzān hastand?) - Are they students?
In these examples, the verb "است" (ast) is placed before the subject to form interrogative statements. The word "آیا" (āyā) is used at the beginning of the sentence to indicate that it is a question.
Summary[edit | edit source]
In this lesson, you have learned how to use the present tense of the verb "to be" in Persian and to make simple statements. You have learned the conjugation of the verb "است" (ast) for different subjects and how to form negative and interrogative statements. The present tense is an essential part of building basic sentences in Persian, and mastering it will allow you to express various actions and states in the present. Keep practicing and using the present tense in your conversations to improve your Persian language skills.
Other Lessons[edit | edit source]
- 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
◀️ Lesson 3: Word order in Persian sentences — Previous Lesson | Next Lesson — Lesson 5: Present tense conjugation of regular verbs ▶️ |