Numbers — Persian Grammar

Persian numbers are regular and, once the first dozen are learned, entirely predictable. What is worth attention is not the counting but what happens to the noun beside them.

One to Ten

⁧یِک، دُو، سِه، چَهار، پَنج⁩
yek do se čahâr panjyek do se chahâr panjyk d s čhar pnj
one, two, three, four, five
⁧شِش، هَفت، هَشت، نُه، دَه⁩
šeš haft hašt noh dahshesh haft hasht noh dahšš hft hšt nh dh
six, seven, eight, nine, ten

Beyond Ten

The teens are built on the units, and the tens and hundreds have their own words. Compounds are joined with (vavav), "and" - a word that appears between every part of a long number.

⁧یازدَه، دَوازدَه، سیزدَه⁩
yâzdah davâzdah sizdahyâzdah davâzdah sizdahyazdh dvazdh syzdh
eleven, twelve, thirteen
⁧بیست، سی، چِهِل، پَنجاه⁩
bist si čehel panjâhbist si chehel panjâhbyst sy čhl pnjah
twenty, thirty, forty, fifty
⁧صَد، هَزار⁩
ṣad hazârsad hazârṣd hzar
a hundred, a thousand
⁧بیست وَ یِک⁩
bist va yekbist va yekbyst v yk
twenty-one
⁧هَزار وَ سیصَد⁩
hazâr va siṣadhazâr va sisadhzar v syṣd
one thousand three hundred

The Noun Stays Singular

This is the rule that matters. A noun counted by a number does not take the plural ending - the number has already done that work.

⁧شِش بَرادَر وَ هَفت خواهَر⁩
šeš barâdar va haft xâharshesh barâdar va haft khâharšš bradr v hft xahr
six brothers and seven sisters
⁧دُو فَرزَند⁩
do farzanddo farzandd frznd
two children
⁧چَهار گُربِه⁩
čahâr gorbechahâr gorbečhar grb
four cats
⁧سیزدَه دُلار⁩
sizdah dolârsizdah dolârsyzdh dlar
thirteen dollars

The Counter ⁧تا⁩ (tâ)

Between the number and the noun Persian often slips in (tâtâta), a general-purpose counter with no meaning of its own. It is very common in speech and can be left out with no change of sense. It attaches to (čandchandčnd), "how many", in the same way, and there the noun is usually left to be understood.

⁧سِه تا خُودکارِ جَدید⁩
se tâ xodkâr-e jadidse tâ khodkâr-e jadids ta xdkar-a jdyd
three new pens
⁧نَه، فَقَط چَندتا.⁩
na faqaṭ čandtâna faqat chandtân fqṭ čndta
No, just a few.

⁧یِک⁩ (yek) as 'A'

(yekyekyk) is "one", and it is also the closest Persian comes to the English "a". Placed before a noun it presents it as one item, not yet identified.

⁧مَن یِک ماشین دارَم.⁩
man yek mâšin dâramman yek mâshin dârammn yk mašyn darm
I have a car.
⁧یِک فِنجان قَهوِه⁩
yek fenjân qahveyek fenjân qahveyk fnjan qhv
a cup of coffee

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Persian course

110 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 2. A few of them, with the words “Numbers” 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
من دو ماشین دارم، دو دوچرخه و سه موتورسیکلت.
man do mâšin dâram, do dočarxe va se motorsiklet.man do mâshin dâram, do docharkhe va se motorsiklet.mn dv mašyn darm, dv dvčrxh v sh mvtvrsyklt.
I have two cars, two bicycles, and three motorbikes.
Lesson 33
من یک موز و شش تخم‌مرغ می‌خرم.
man yek moz va šeš toxme-morġ mi-xaram.man yek moz va shesh tokhme-morgh mi-kharam.mn yk mvz v šš txm-mrġ my-xrm.
I am buying one banana and six eggs.
Lesson 43

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