LingoraGrammar guidesLearn Persian

Persian grammar · A1

The Reflexive خُود

(xodkhodxd) means "self". One word covers what English spreads across six - myself, yourself, himself, herself, ourselves, themselves - and the possessive endings supply the person.

01

The Forms

  • ⁧خُودَم⁩

    xodamkhodamxdm

    myself

  • ⁧خُودَت⁩

    xodatkhodatxdt

    yourself

  • ⁧خُودَش⁩

    xodaškhodashxdš

    himself, herself

  • ⁧خُودِمان⁩

    xodemânkhodemânxdman

    ourselves

  • ⁧خُودِتان⁩

    xodetânkhodetânxdtan

    yourselves

  • ⁧خُودِشان⁩

    xodešânkhodeshânxdšan

    themselves

  • ⁧خُودَم آن را دُرُست کَردِه‌اَم.⁩

    xodam ân râ dorost karde-amkhodam ân râ dorost karde-amxdm an ra drst krd-am

    I made it myself.

02

As an Emphatic Possessive

Its commonest use is not reflexive at all. Attached to a noun with an ezafe, (xodkhodxd) means "one's own" - and it takes its person from the subject of the sentence, so no ending is needed.

  • ⁧پَروازِ خُود را اَز دَست خواهی داد.⁩

    parvâz-e xod râ az dast xâhi dâdparvâz-e khod râ az dast khâhi dâdprvaz-a xd ra az dst xahy dad

    You will miss your own flight.

  • ⁧لَوازِمِ خُود را جَمع کَردِه‌ای؟⁩

    lavâzem-e xod râ jamʿ karde-ilavâzem-e khod râ jam' karde-ilvazm-a xd ra jmʿ krd-ay

    Have you packed your things?

  • ⁧کَمی سُرعَتِ خُود را کَم کُنید.⁩

    kami sorʿat-e xod râ kam konidkami sor'at-e khod râ kam konidkmy srʿt-a xd ra km knyd

    Slow down a little.

In every one of those, (xodkhodxd) refers back to whoever the sentence is about. This is the form you meet constantly in written and formal Persian.

03

Written and Spoken

The bare (xodkhodxd) belongs to writing. In speech people almost always use the suffixed forms - (xodamkhodamxdm), (xodatkhodatxdt), (xodaškhodashxdš) - even where the bare word would be correct.

04

After a Preposition

Nothing changes inside a prepositional phrase. The preposition takes the noun, and (xodkhodxd) hangs off that noun with an ezafe exactly as before.

  • ⁧با مُشتِ خُود مُشت بِزَنید.⁩

    bâ mošt-e xod mošt bezanidbâ mosht-e khod mosht bezanidba mšt-a xd mšt bznyd

    Punch with your own fist.

  • ⁧اَز تَعطیلاتِ خُود لِذَّت بِبَرید.⁩

    az taʿṭilât-e xod leḏḏat bebaridaz ta'tilât-e khod lezzat bebaridaz tʿṭylat-a xd lḏḏt bbryd

    Enjoy your holiday.

Comments

Loading comments…