Nouns: Plural with ها

01

It Works on Anything

Add ⁧ها⁩ (-hâ) to any noun at all and you have its plural. There are no classes to learn and no exceptions to memorise.

• ⁧کِتاب‌ها⁩

  ketâb-hâketâb-hâktab-ha

  books

• ⁧بَچِّه‌ها⁩

  bačče-hâbachche-hâbčč-ha

  children

• ⁧اُتُوبوس‌ها⁩

  otobus-hâotobus-hâatbvs-ha

  buses

• ⁧عَکس‌هایِ زِشت⁩

  ʿaks-hây-e zešt'aks-hây-e zeshtʿks-hay-a zšt

  ugly photos

02

How It Is Joined

Persian usually sets ⁧ها⁩ (-hâ) slightly apart from the noun with a half-space, so that the last letter of the noun keeps its final shape. After the seven letters that never join to what follows them - ⁧ا⁩ (alef), ⁧د⁩ (dâl), ⁧ذ⁩ (zâl), ⁧ر⁩ (re), ⁧ز⁩ (ze), ⁧ژ⁩ (že), ⁧و⁩ (vâv) - no half-space is needed and the ending is simply written on.

• ⁧زَبان‌ها⁩

  zabân-hâzabân-hâzban-ha

  languages

• ⁧روزها⁩

  ruzhâruz-hârvzha

  days

• ⁧چیزها⁩

  čizhâchiz-hâčyzha

  things

Both spellings say the same thing; the difference is entirely one of how the letters sit on the page.

03

It Stacks

The plural comes first, and whatever else the noun needs is added after it - an ezafe, a possessive ending, the object marker.

• ⁧کیف‌هایِتان⁩

  kif-hâyetânkif-hâyetânkyf-haytan

  your bags

• ⁧بَچِّه‌هایِ ما⁩

  bačče-hây-e mâbachche-hây-e mâbčč-hay-a ma

  our children

• ⁧موهایَم⁩

  muhâyammuhâyammvhaym

  my hair

04

Not After a Number

This is the rule English speakers forget most often. A noun counted by a number stays singular in Persian - the number has already said there is more than one, so the ending would be redundant.

• ⁧شِش بَرادَر⁩

  šeš barâdarshesh barâdaršš bradr

  six brothers

• ⁧دُو ماشین⁩

  do mâšindo mâshind mašyn

  two cars

• ⁧چَهار گُربِه⁩

  čahâr gorbechahâr gorbečhar grb

  four cats

Saying it the English way is one of the most recognisable learner mistakes.