Possessive Enclitics

01

The Six Endings

• ⁧ـَم⁩ (-am) - my
• ⁧ـَت⁩ (-at) - your
• ⁧ـَش⁩ (-aš) - his, her, its
• ⁧ـِمان⁩ (-emân) - our
• ⁧ـِتان⁩ (-etân) - your
• ⁧ـِشان⁩ (-ešân) - their

• ⁧اِسمَم⁩

  esmamesmamasmm

  my name

• ⁧سَگَش⁩

  sagašsagashsgš

  her dog

• ⁧بَچِّه‌هایِشان⁩

  bačče-hâyešânbachche-hâyeshânbčč-hayšan

  their children

• ⁧کیف‌هایِتان⁩

  kif-hâyetânkif-hâyetânkyf-haytan

  your bags

02

The Two Ways Compared

Both are correct and both are common. The ending is shorter and more casual; the ezafe with a pronoun is a shade more deliberate, and is what you use when the owner needs emphasis.

• ⁧اِسمِ مَن اَلِکس اَست.⁩

  esm-e man aleks astesm-e man aleks astasm-a mn alks ast

  My name is Alex.

• ⁧اِسمَم لیزا اَست.⁩

  esmam lizâ astesmam lizâ astasmm lyza ast

  My name is Lisa.

03

After a Vowel

After ⁧ا⁩ (alef) or ⁧و⁩ (vâv) a ⁧ی⁩ (ye) carries the ending across. After the silent ⁧ه⁩ (he) it is an ⁧ا⁩ (alef) instead, just as with the short "to be".

• ⁧موهایَم⁩

  muhâyammuhâyammvhaym

  my hair

• ⁧موهایَت⁩

  muhâyatmuhâyatmvhayt

  your hair

04

The Same Endings on a Verb

These endings are not confined to nouns. Attached to a verb they become the object - "me", "you", "it" - which lets Persian say in one word what English needs three for.

• ⁧نِمی‌تَوانَم بِبینَمَت.⁩

  nemi-tavânam bebinamatnemi-tavânam bebinamatnmy-tvanm bbynmt

  I cannot see you.

• ⁧فَردا می‌بینَمَت.⁩

  fardâ mi-binamatfardâ mi-binamatfrda my-bynmt

  I will see you tomorrow.

• ⁧نَدیدَمَش.⁩

  nadidamašnadidamashndydmš

  I did not see it.

05

And on a Preposition

The prepositions that take an ezafe take these endings just as readily.

• ⁧بَرایَم⁩

  barâyambarâyambraym

  for me

• ⁧بَرایَت⁩

  barâyatbarâyatbrayt

  for you