Compound Verbs

01

How They Are Built

• ⁧⁧کار⁩⁩ (kârkârkar) work, plus ⁧⁧کَردَن⁩⁩ (kardankardankrdn) to do, gives ⁧⁧کار کَردَن⁩⁩ (kâr kardankâr kardankar krdn) to work
• ⁧⁧صُحبَت⁩⁩ (ṣoḥbatsohbatṣḥbt) speech, plus ⁧⁧کَردَن⁩⁩ (kardankardankrdn), gives ⁧⁧صُحبَت کَردَن⁩⁩ (ṣoḥbat kardansohbat kardanṣḥbt krdn) to talk
• ⁧⁧گوش⁩⁩ (gušgushgvš) ear, plus ⁧⁧دادَن⁩⁩ (dâdandâdandadn) to give, gives ⁧⁧گوش دادَن⁩⁩ (guš dâdangush dâdangvš dadn) to listen
• ⁧⁧تَماس⁩⁩ (tamâstamâstmas) contact, plus ⁧⁧گِرِفتَن⁩⁩ (gereftangereftangrftn) to take, gives ⁧⁧تَماس گِرِفتَن⁩⁩ (tamâs gereftantamâs gereftantmas grftn) to get in touch

• ⁧دوستِ مَن دَر یِک دَفتَر کار می‌کُنَد.⁩

  dust-e man dar yek daftar kâr mi-konaddust-e man dar yek daftar kâr mi-konaddvst-a mn dr yk dftr kar my-knd

  My friend works in an office.

• ⁧بایَد صُحبَت کُنیم.⁩

  bâyad ṣoḥbat konimbâyad sohbat konimbayd ṣḥbt knym

  We need to talk.

• ⁧مَن موسیقی گوش می‌دَهَم.⁩

  man musiqi guš mi-dahamman musiqi gush mi-dahammn mvsyqy gvš my-dhm

  I listen to music.

02

Only the Second Part Changes

The noun never inflects. Everything - tense, person, negation - happens on the light verb, and the noun sits in front unchanged.

• ⁧کار می‌کُنَم⁩

  kâr mi-konamkâr mi-konamkar my-knm

  I work

• ⁧کار کَردَم⁩

  kâr kardamkâr kardamkar krdm

  I worked

• ⁧کار نِمی‌کُنَم⁩

  kâr nemi-konamkâr nemi-konamkar nmy-knm

  I do not work

• ⁧بایَد کار کُنَم⁩

  bâyad kâr konambâyad kâr konambayd kar knm

  I must work

03

The Common Light Verbs

• ⁧⁧کَردَن⁩⁩ (kardankardankrdn) to do - the general one, and by far the commonest
• ⁧⁧شُدَن⁩⁩ (šodanshodanšdn) to become - for changes of state, and for passives
• ⁧⁧دادَن⁩⁩ (dâdandâdandadn) to give - for actions directed outwards
• ⁧⁧گِرِفتَن⁩⁩ (gereftangereftangrftn) to take - for actions directed inwards
• ⁧⁧زَدَن⁩⁩ (zadanzadanzdn) to hit - for quick, sharp actions
• ⁧⁧داشتَن⁩⁩ (dâštandâshtandaštn) to have - for states

• ⁧اِحساسِ سَرما می‌کُنَم.⁩

  eḥsâs-e sarmâ mi-konamehsâs-e sarmâ mi-konamaḥsas-a srma my-knm

  I feel cold.

• ⁧قَدَم می‌زَنَد⁩

  qadam mi-zanadqadam mi-zanadqdm my-znd

  she is taking a walk

• ⁧نیاز دارَم⁩

  niyâz dâramniyâz dâramnyyaz darm

  I need

04

⁧کَردَن⁩ (kardan) and ⁧شُدَن⁩ (šodan) as a Pair

Keep the noun, swap one light verb for the other, and a thing you do becomes a thing that happens to you. ⁧⁧تَمام کَردَن⁩⁩ (tamâm kardantamâm kardantmam krdn) is "to finish something"; ⁧⁧تَمام شُدَن⁩⁩ (tamâm šodantamâm shodantmam šdn) is "to be finished".

• ⁧آیا تَماشایِ دی‌وی‌دی را تَمام کَردِه‌ای؟⁩

  âyâ tamâšây-e di-vi-di râ tamâm karde-iâyâ tamâshây-e di-vi-di râ tamâm karde-iaya tmašay-a dy-vy-dy ra tmam krd-ay

  Have you finished watching the DVD?

• ⁧تَمام خواهَد شُد.⁩

  tamâm xâhad šodtamâm khâhad shodtmam xahd šd

  It will be finished.

The same pairing runs through the whole class, which is why so many of these verbs come in twos.

• ⁧خَستِه می‌شَوَم⁩

  xaste mi-šavamkhaste mi-shavamxst my-švm

  I get tired

• ⁧مَریض شُدَم⁩

  mariḍ šodammariz shodammryḍ šdm

  I became ill

05

The Two Halves Are Separable

The noun is still a noun. It can take a demonstrative, it can be marked as the object with ⁧⁧را⁩⁩ (rârâra), it can carry a pronoun ending - and the light verb waits at the end of the sentence for it.

• ⁧چِرا این کار را کَردید؟⁩

  čerâ in kâr râ kardidcherâ in kâr râ kardidčra ayn kar ra krdyd

  Why did you do this?

• ⁧مَن بَعداً اَنجامَش می‌دَهَم.⁩

  man baʿdan anjâmaš mi-dahamman ba'dan anjâmash mi-dahammn bʿdn anjamš my-dhm

  I will do it later.