Personal Pronouns

01

The Six Pronouns

• ⁧⁧مَن⁩⁩ (manmanmn) - I, me
• ⁧⁧تُو⁩⁩ (totot) - you, one person you know well
• ⁧⁧او⁩⁩ (uuav) - he, she, him, her
• ⁧⁧ما⁩⁩ (mâmâma) - we, us
• ⁧⁧شُما⁩⁩ (šomâshomâšma) - you, either several people or one person addressed politely
• ⁧⁧آن‌ها⁩⁩ (ân-hâân-hâan-ha) - they, them

The one to notice is ⁧⁧او⁩⁩ (uuav). Persian makes no distinction between he and she - not in its pronouns, not in its verbs, not in its adjectives. A whole conversation can go by without revealing whether the person under discussion is a man or a woman, and speakers of Persian rarely feel the lack.

• ⁧او یِک مُعَلِّم اَست.⁩

  u yek moʿallem astu yek mo'allem astav yk mʿllm ast

  He is a teacher.

• ⁧او یِک دانِشجو اَست.⁩

  u yek dânešju astu yek dâneshju astav yk danšjv ast

  She is a university student.

02

The Pronoun Is Usually Left Out

The ending of a Persian verb already says who is doing the acting, so the pronoun is not needed and is usually dropped. Putting it in adds emphasis, or contrast, or simply clarity at the start of a story.

• ⁧بِه خانِه می‌رَوَم.⁩

  be xâne mi-ravambe khâne mi-ravamb xan my-rvm

  I am going home.

• ⁧مَن بِه خانِه می‌رَوَم.⁩

  man be xâne mi-ravamman be khâne mi-ravammn b xan my-rvm

  I am going home.

Both sentences are correct. The second one leans on the ⁧⁧مَن⁩⁩ (manmanmn) - as if answering someone who thought it was somebody else going.

03

You, Singular and Polite

⁧⁧تُو⁩⁩ (totot) is for family, close friends and children. ⁧⁧شُما⁩⁩ (šomâshomâšma) does double duty: it is the plural you, and it is also how you address a single person you do not know well, someone older, or anyone you wish to treat with respect. Used for one person it still takes plural verb endings.

• ⁧تُو مَریض هَستی.⁩

  to mariḍ hastito mariz hastit mryḍ hsty

  You are ill.

• ⁧شُما مَریض هَستید.⁩

  šomâ mariḍ hastidshomâ mariz hastidšma mryḍ hstyd

  You are ill.

The second is what you would say to a stranger or to your employer. Choosing ⁧⁧تُو⁩⁩ (totot) for someone who expects ⁧⁧شُما⁩⁩ (šomâshomâšma) is not a small slip - it reads as presumptuous - so when in doubt, use ⁧⁧شُما⁩⁩ (šomâshomâšma).

04

As an Object

The pronouns do not change shape when they become the object of a verb. A definite object in Persian is followed by the little word ⁧⁧را⁩⁩ (rârâra), and the pronoun simply takes it like any other noun.

• ⁧مَن او را می‌شِناسَم.⁩

  man u râ mi-šenâsamman u râ mi-shenâsammn av ra my-šnasm

  I know her.

• ⁧آیا می‌تَوانی مَن را بِبینی؟⁩

  âyâ mi-tavâni man râ bebiniâyâ mi-tavâni man râ bebiniaya my-tvany mn ra bbyny

  Can you see me?

⁧⁧مَن⁩⁩ (manmanmn) plus ⁧⁧را⁩⁩ (rârâra) is generally contracted into the single word ⁧⁧مَرا⁩⁩ (marâmarâmra).

• ⁧آن‌ها مَرا دوست دارَند.⁩

  ân-hâ marâ dust dârandân-hâ marâ dust dârandan-ha mra dvst darnd

  They like me.