Verbs: Present Tense

01

The Endings

A present-tense verb ends in one of six personal endings, after ⁧می‌⁩ (mi-) and the present stem.

• ⁧ـَم⁩ (-am) - I
• ⁧ـی⁩ (-i) - you
• ⁧ـَد⁩ (-ad) - he, she, it
• ⁧ـیم⁩ (-im) - we
• ⁧ـید⁩ (-id) - you
• ⁧ـَند⁩ (-and) - they

The same endings come back in the other tenses too - with one gap, in the simple past, where the third person singular has none - so they are worth learning once and thoroughly.

• ⁧می‌رَوَم⁩

  mi-ravammi-ravammy-rvm

  I go

• ⁧می‌رَوی⁩

  mi-ravimi-ravimy-rvy

  you go

• ⁧می‌رَوَد⁩

  mi-ravadmi-ravadmy-rvd

  he goes

• ⁧می‌رَویم⁩

  mi-ravimmi-ravimmy-rvym

  we go

• ⁧می‌رَوید⁩

  mi-ravidmi-ravidmy-rvyd

  you go

• ⁧می‌رَوَند⁩

  mi-ravandmi-ravandmy-rvnd

  they go

02

The Present Stem Has to Be Learned

Here is the one real difficulty. A Persian verb has two stems, and the present one - the piece between ⁧می‌⁩ (mi-) and the personal ending - cannot be worked out from the infinitive. It simply has to be learned along with the verb.

• ⁧⁧کَردَن⁩⁩ (kardankardankrdn) to do, gives ⁧⁧می‌کُنَم⁩⁩ (mi-konammi-konammy-knm)
• ⁧⁧رَفتَن⁩⁩ (raftanraftanrftn) to go, gives ⁧⁧می‌رَوَم⁩⁩ (mi-ravammi-ravammy-rvm)
• ⁧⁧دیدَن⁩⁩ (didandidandydn) to see, gives ⁧⁧می‌بینَم⁩⁩ (mi-binammi-binammy-bynm)
• ⁧⁧گُفتَن⁩⁩ (goftangoftangftn) to say, gives ⁧⁧می‌گویَم⁩⁩ (mi-guyammi-guyammy-gvym)
• ⁧⁧دادَن⁩⁩ (dâdandâdandadn) to give, gives ⁧⁧می‌دَهَم⁩⁩ (mi-dahammi-dahammy-dhm)

Some are gentler - ⁧⁧خُوردَن⁩⁩ (xordankhordanxvrdn) gives ⁧⁧می‌خُورَم⁩⁩ (mi-xorammi-khorammy-xvrm), ⁧⁧خَریدَن⁩⁩ (xaridankharidanxrydn) gives ⁧⁧می‌خَرَم⁩⁩ (mi-xarammi-kharammy-xrm) - but there is no rule to lean on, and a dictionary will always list the present stem beside the infinitive for exactly this reason.

03

What It Covers

The Persian present does the work of two English tenses at once. ⁧⁧می‌خُورَم⁩⁩ (mi-xorammi-khorammy-xvrm) is both "I eat" and "I am eating", and context decides which.

• ⁧مَن آب می‌نوشَم.⁩

  man âb mi-nušamman âb mi-nushammn ab my-nvšm

  I drink water.

• ⁧دوستِ مَن دَر یِک دَفتَر کار می‌کُنَد.⁩

  dust-e man dar yek daftar kâr mi-konaddust-e man dar yek daftar kâr mi-konaddvst-a mn dr yk dftr kar my-knd

  My friend works in an office.

• ⁧والِدینِ مَن دَر یِک بانک کار می‌کُنَند.⁩

  vâledin-e man dar yek bânk kâr mi-konandvâledin-e man dar yek bânk kâr mi-konandvaldyn-a mn dr yk bank kar my-knnd

  My parents work in a bank.

It also does duty as a future, whenever the context makes the time clear.

• ⁧فَردا می‌بینَمَت.⁩

  fardâ mi-binamatfardâ mi-binamatfrda my-bynmt

  I will see you tomorrow.

• ⁧یِکشَنبِه بِه تُو پول می‌دَهَم.⁩

  yekšanbe be to pul mi-dahamyekshanbe be to pul mi-dahamykšnbh bh tv pvl my-dhm

  I will give you the money on Sunday.

04

Another Verb Without می‌ (mi-)

Nearly every verb starts its present with ⁧می‌⁩ (mi-), but ⁧⁧داشتَن⁩⁩ (dâštandâshtandaštn), "to have", takes no prefix at all in the present - ⁧⁧دارَم⁩⁩ (dâramdâramdarm), not anything longer. The only other verb like it is "to be", whose present ⁧⁧هَستَم⁩⁩ (hastamhastamhstm) takes no prefix either.

• ⁧مَن یِک سَگ وَ یِک گُربِه دارَم.⁩

  man yek sag va yek gorbe dâramman yek sag va yek gorbe dârammn yk sg v yk grbh darm

  I have a dog and a cat.