Questions with آیا

01

The Marker

⁧⁧آیا⁩⁩ (âyââyâaya) at the front announces that a question is coming. It adds no meaning of its own.

• ⁧آیا شُما مَریض هَستید؟⁩

  âyâ šomâ mariḍ hastidâyâ shomâ mariz hastidaya šma mryḍ hstyd

  Are you ill?

• ⁧آیا دَرد دارید؟⁩

  âyâ dard dâridâyâ dard dâridaya drd daryd

  Are you in pain?

• ⁧آیا خوابیدِه‌ای؟⁩

  âyâ xâbide-iâyâ khâbide-iaya xabyd-ay

  Have you slept?

• ⁧آیا فَردا آخَرِ هَفتِه اَست؟⁩

  âyâ fardâ âxar-e hafte astâyâ fardâ âkhar-e hafte astaya frda axr-a hft ast

  Is tomorrow the weekend?

Compare ⁧⁧شُما مَریض هَستید⁩⁩ (šomâ mariḍ hastidshomâ mariz hastidšma mryḍ hstyd) - "you are ill" - and you will see that the only difference is the extra word at the start.

02

It Is Optional

Persian is perfectly happy to ask a question with intonation alone, and in speech that is the commoner choice by far. ⁧⁧آیا⁩⁩ (âyââyâaya) belongs to writing and to careful, formal speech.

• ⁧شُغلی نَداری؟⁩

  šoġli nadârishoghli nadârišġly ndary

  Do you not have a job?

• ⁧پِدَر وَ مادَرَت دَر خانِه هَستَند؟⁩

  pedar va mâdarat dar xâne hastandpedar va mâdarat dar khâne hastandpdr v madrt dr xan hstnd

  Are your parents at home?

• ⁧چَتر داری؟⁩

  čatr dârichatr dâričtr dary

  Do you have an umbrella?

None of these has ⁧⁧آیا⁩⁩ (âyââyâaya), and all are ordinary questions.

03

What It Adds

Using it marks the question as a genuine request for information, rather than a suggestion or an exclamation. In a written form, an exam paper or a formal letter, it is the expected form.

• ⁧آیا اِمکانِ تَغییرِ زَمان وُجود دارَد؟⁩

  âyâ emkân-e taġyir-e zamân vojud dâradâyâ emkân-e taghyir-e zamân vojud dâradaya amkan-a tġyyr-a zman vjvd dard

  Would it be possible to change the time?

04

Answering

⁧⁧بَلِه⁩⁩ (balebalebl) for yes, ⁧⁧نَه⁩⁩ (nanan) for no. To agree with a negative question, answer ⁧⁧نَه⁩⁩ (nanan) and keep the verb negative, as below. To contradict one, Persian has a word of its own, ⁧⁧چِرا⁩⁩ (čerâcherâčra) - the same word as "why" - used the way French uses si: "You don't have a job?" - "čerâ, I do."

• ⁧شُغلی نَداری؟⁩

  šoġli nadârishoghli nadârišġly ndary

  Do you not have a job?

• ⁧نَه، نَدارَم.⁩

  na nadâramna nadâramn ndarm

  No, I do not.