Expressing 'to be' — Persian Grammar

The verb "to be" is the most common verb in Persian, and it is irregular in the present tense - as it is in most languages. Its forms have to be learned as they come.

The Present Tense

(hastamhastamhstm) - I am
(hastihastihsty) - you are
(ast) - he is, she is, it is
(hastimhastimhstym) - we are
(hastidhastidhstyd) - you are
(hastandhastandhstnd) - they are

Five of the six begin with (hasthasthst). The third person singular does not: it is simply (ast). Like every Persian verb, it comes at the end of its sentence.

⁧مَن مُعَلِّم هَستَم.⁩
man moʿallem hastamman mo'allem hastammn mʿllm hstm
I am a teacher.
⁧این کِتاب قَدیمی اَست.⁩
in ketâb qadimi astin ketâb qadimi astayn ktab qdymy ast
This book is old.
⁧بَچِّه‌هایِ مَن خِیلی ساکِت هَستَند.⁩
bačče-hây-e man xeyli sâket hastandbachche-hây-e man kheyli sâket hastandbčč-hay-a mn xyly sakt hstnd
My children are very quiet.

⁧اَست⁩ (ast) and ⁧هَست⁩ (hast) Are Not the Same

Both exist in the third person singular, and they do different work. (ast) links a subject to a description - it is the ordinary "is". (hasthasthst) asserts that something exists, or is present, or is available: closer to "there is".

⁧غَذا خوب اَست.⁩
ġaḏâ xub astghazâ khub astġḏa xvb ast
The food is good.
⁧اینجا یِک سیب هَست.⁩
injâ yek sib hastinjâ yek sib hastaynja yk syb hst
There is an apple here.

The first says what the food is like; the second says that an apple exists on the spot. Ask a shopkeeper (hasthasthst) and you are asking whether they have any.

Past and Subjunctive

Away from the present tense the verb behaves itself. The past is built on (budbudbvd) and the subjunctive on (bâšbâshbaš), both taking the ordinary endings.

⁧دَه سال بود.⁩
dah sâl buddah sâl buddh sal bvd
It was ten years.
⁧وَقتی جَوان بودَم، دَر چین زِندِگی می‌کَردَم.⁩
vaqti javân budam dar čin zendegi mi-kardamvaqti javân budam dar chin zendegi mi-kardamvqty jvan bvdm dr čyn zndgy my-krdm
When I was young, I lived in China.
⁧غَذا بایَد تُند باشَد.⁩
ġaḏâ bâyad tond bâšadghazâ bâyad tond bâshadġḏa bayd tnd bašd
The food must be spicy.

No می‌ (mi-) on This Verb

Nearly every Persian verb builds its present tense with the prefix ⁧می‌⁩ (mi-). This one does not - the forms above replace it entirely. There is no (mi-budammi-budammy-bvdm) in ordinary speech, and no present-tense form of the infinitive (budanbudanbvdn) beyond the six given here.

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Persian course

221 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 1. A few of them, with the words “Expressing 'to be'” is about in bold:

این دوست من آنا است. او یک دانشجو است.
in dust-e man ânâ ast. u yek dânešju ast.in dust-e man ânâ ast. u yek dâneshju ast.ayn dvst mn ana ast. av yk danšjv ast.
This is my friend, Anna. She is a student.
Lesson 2
احساس خوبی دارم! من مریض نیستم. من سالم هستم.
eḥsâs-e xubi dâram! man mariḍ nistam. man sâlem hastam.ehsâs-e khubi dâram! man mariz nistam. man sâlem hastam.aḥsas xvby darm! mn mryḍ nystm. mn salm hstm.
I feel great! I am not sick. I am healthy.
Lesson 64
این آب سرد است. آن آب داغ است.
in âb sard ast. ân âb dâġ ast.in âb sard ast. ân âb dâgh ast.ayn ab srd ast. an ab daġ ast.
This water is cold. That water is hot.
Lesson 68

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