15 Common Mistakes When Learning Persian (and How to Fix Them)

The most common mistakes when learning Persian are grammar habits carried over from English: dropping the ezâfe (saying “man ketâb” instead of کتاب من, ketâb-e man, “my book”), putting the verb in the middle of the sentence, forgetting را (râ), and mixing formal and spoken Persian. Pronunciation (â, kh, gh) and politeness (shomâ, taarof) cause the rest.

Below are 15 mistakes English speakers make again and again, each with a wrong and a right example, a short explanation and a fix. Work through them in order, or jump to the ones you recognize. There is practice after the grammar section and a quiz at the end.

Grammar mistakes

1. Forgetting the ezâfe

The ezâfe is a small -e sound that links words together. It does the work of “of”, “‘s” and possessive words in English, and it is almost never written. Learners leave it out because they cannot see it.

Fix: every time two nouns, or a noun and its owner, sit together, say the -e. After a vowel it becomes -ye: خانهٔ من (khâne-ye man, “my house”). Listen Our full guide to ezâfe in Persian covers the spelling rules.

2. Putting the adjective before the noun

In English the adjective comes first (“a big house”). In Persian it comes after the noun, joined with the ezâfe.

Fix: think “house-of-big”. Noun first, then -e, then the adjective. Practice with Persian adjectives and the ezâfe. Listen

3. Putting the verb in the middle

English is subject-verb-object. Standard Persian is subject-object-verb: the verb goes at the end.

Fix: build the sentence and save the verb for last. One exception you will hear: in spoken Persian, the destination often moves after verbs of motion, as in می‌رم خونه (miram khune, “I’m going home”). Listen

4. Forgetting را (râ) after a specific object

When the direct object is specific (a person by name, “the book”, “this film”), Persian marks it with را. English has nothing like it, so learners skip it.

Without râ, کتاب خواندم (ketâb khândam) means “I read (some) books” in general; with râ, کتاب را خواندم (ketâb râ khândam) means “I read the book”. In speech, râ shrinks to -o or -ro: کتابو خوندم (ketâbo khundam). Fix: ask yourself, “would English say the or a name here?” If yes, add râ. See when to use را.

5. Using plurals after numbers (and -ân everywhere)

After a number, Persian nouns stay singular. English speakers add the plural ending out of habit.

Also, the everyday plural ending is -hâ: کتاب‌ها (ketâbhâ, “books”). The ending -ân is mostly formal and used mainly with people and some other living things: دانشجویان (dâneshjuyân, formal) and دانشجوها (dâneshjuhâ, everyday) both mean “students”. Fix: use -hâ by default, and never pluralize after a number. More in plural nouns with ها and ان.

6. Rearranging questions like English

English moves words around to make questions (“You are Iranian” becomes “Are you Iranian?”). Persian does not. A yes/no question keeps the same order and just rises in tone, and a question word sits where the answer would go.

Compare the answer and the question: من در تهران زندگی می‌کنم (man dar tehrân zendegi mikonam, “I live in Tehran”) and شما کجا زندگی می‌کنید؟ (shomâ kojâ zendegi mikonid?, “Where do you live?”). کجا simply takes the place of “in Tehran”. The spoken version of “what is your name?” is اسمتون چیه؟ (esmetun chiye?). Listen Practice with Persian question words.

7. Getting negatives wrong, especially with “nothing” and “nobody”

The negative goes on the verb as a prefix (na- or ne-), not as a separate word. And words like هیچ‌کس (hichkas, “nobody”) need a negative verb too, which feels like a double negative to English speakers.

Fix: with any هیچ word, make the verb negative. In speech you will hear هیچی نمی‌خوام (hichi nemikhâm, “I don’t want anything”). Listen

Register and politeness mistakes

8. Using تو (to) with strangers, or mixing شما with a singular verb

Persian has two words for “you”. تو (to) is for close friends, family and children. شما (shomâ) is for anyone older, anyone you don’t know well, and anyone in a formal setting. Using to with a shopkeeper or your friend’s parents sounds rude.

A second trap: shomâ always takes the plural verb ending, even for one person.

Fix: default to shomâ with a plural verb until someone invites you to use to. The same goes for yes: بله (bale) is polite, آره (âre) is casual. See polite Persian: shomâ instead of to. Listen

9. Mixing formal and spoken Persian in one sentence

Persian has a written standard and a spoken form that differ a lot. Both are correct in their place, but blending them in one sentence sounds odd, much like putting “whom” and “gonna” in the same English sentence.

Fix: learn to recognize both, then pick one per situation: spoken with people, formal in writing and speeches. Our list of 36 everyday spoken vs written differences is a good reference.

10. Taking taarof literally

Taarof is the Iranian system of ritual politeness. A taxi driver may say قابلی نداره (ghâbeli nadâre, spoken, “it’s not worth anything”) when you ask the fare. This is courtesy, not a free ride: you thank them and pay. Likewise, a host who offers food will offer again if you say no, and a first “no” from a guest is often expected.

Fix: when someone refuses payment or a thank-you, insist politely once or twice. Read more in our guide to taarof and Persian politeness. Listen

Pronunciation mistakes

11. Saying â and a the same way

Persian has a long â (written ا or آ), pronounced deep in the mouth with slightly rounded lips, and a short a, like the “a” in “cat”. Swapping them changes words.

Fix: say â like the “a” in “father” with rounded lips, and keep a short and bright. کار Listen کر Listen

12. Turning kh and gh into k and g

خ (kh) is a rough sound from the back of the throat, like the “ch” in Scottish “loch”. غ and ق (both gh in standard Iranian Persian) are its voiced partner, a little like a French r. English speakers often say k and g instead.

Fix: hold a long “k” without closing your throat, and let air hiss through: that is kh. Add voice and you get gh. غذا Listen More tips in how to improve your Persian pronunciation.

13. Guessing the short vowels

Persian script writes long vowels but usually leaves out the short ones (a, e, o). So مرد can be mard (“man”) or mord (“died”), and کرم can be kerm (“worm”) or karam (“generosity”). Learners guess and get it wrong.

Fix: learn every new word with its pronunciation, from audio or transliteration, rather than from spelling alone. Context will do the rest once you know the word. The lesson on Persian vowels explains the system.

Writing and vocabulary mistakes

14. Spelling by sound and ignoring the half-space

Several Persian letters share one sound: ت ط (t), س ص ث (s), ز ذ ض ظ (z), ه ح (h). You cannot spell these words by ear; you have to learn them. Two more digital mistakes are common:

• Missing the half-space (zero-width non-joiner). Write می‌روم and کتاب‌ها, not the joined forms. The prefix and the plural ending stay visually separate but close.
• Using an Arabic keyboard. Arabic layouts type the Arabic versions of ye (with two dots under the final form) and kaf (with a small mark inside), which look slightly different and break search. Persian uses ی and ک. Use a Persian layout or our online Persian keyboard.

15. Over-using pronouns and full forms of “to be”

The verb ending already tells you who is doing the action, so the subject pronoun is often dropped. رفتم (raftam) is “I went”; adding من (man) adds emphasis, like “I went”. Learners also say من خوب هستم (man khub hastam) where people normally say خوبم (khubam, “I’m fine”). The long form is correct but stiff.

Fix: drop the pronoun unless you want contrast, and learn the short endings of “to be”: khubam, khubi, khube (spoken) and so on. Listen

How to avoid these mistakes for good

• Learn phrases, not just words. “ketâb-e man” learned as one chunk teaches the ezâfe automatically.
• Read aloud from transliterated texts at first, then from script as soon as you can.
• Keep a mistake list. Most learners repeat the same five or six; fixing those makes the biggest difference.
• Test yourself. The Persian grammar quiz checks many of the points above.

Common questions

What is the hardest part of learning Persian for English speakers?

Most learners find the script and the gap between spoken and written Persian the hardest parts at first. The grammar itself is fairly regular: there is no grammatical gender and no word for “the”.

Is Persian grammar hard?

Not especially. Verbs are regular once you know the present and past stems, and nouns do not change for gender. The mistakes that trip people up are a few habits from English: word order, the ezâfe and را.

Should I learn formal or spoken Persian first?

Learn the formal forms so you can read, but learn spoken forms early so you can understand people. Just keep them apart: one style per sentence.

Why is the ezâfe not written?

Persian script normally does not write short vowels, and the ezâfe is a short -e. It is written only after vowels (as ی or the small mark in خانهٔ), so you learn to hear and say it from context.

Is it rude to use تو (to) in Persian?

With friends, family and children it is normal and warm. With strangers, older people, teachers or in shops, use شما (shomâ) until you are invited to switch.

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