Persian Subjunctive: How to Form It and When to Use It (with Spoken Forms)

The Persian subjunctive is the verb form you use after words like باید (bâyad, must), شاید (shâyad, maybe) and می‌خواهم (mikhâham, I want). Form it with be- + present stem + personal ending: بروم (beravam, that I go), spoken برم (beram). So می‌خواهم بروم (mikhâham beravam) means “I want to go.” For the negative, swap be- for na-: نروم (naravam).

That covers most of what you need to start. Persian leans on the subjunctive far more than English does, because Persian has no “to + verb” infinitive after want, can, must or so that. Below you will find the full conjugation, the spelling changes (biâyam, bekonam, kâr konam), the negative, the special forms of “to be” and “to have,” every common trigger with examples, the perfect subjunctive (rafte bâsham), the spoken forms Iranians actually use, and practice with answers.

What the subjunctive does in Persian

The subjunctive describes an action that is wanted, needed, possible, planned or hoped for, but not stated as a fact. Compare these two sentences:

• او به مدرسه می‌رود. (u be madrese miravad.) He goes to school. A fact, so the indicative mi- form.
• او باید به مدرسه برود. (u bâyad be madrese beravad.) He must go to school. Not a fact yet, so the subjunctive be- form.

English uses an infinitive in the second sentence (“must go,” “want to go”). Persian instead says something closer to “it is necessary that he goes” or “I want that I go.” That is why the second verb carries its own ending and agrees with its own subject: می‌خواهم بروم (mikhâham beravam, I want to go) but می‌خواهم بروی (mikhâham beravi, I want you to go).

If you are still getting comfortable with the regular present tense, review the Persian simple present first; the subjunctive is built on the same present stem.

How to form the present subjunctive

Three steps:

1. Find the present stem of the verb. For رفتن (raftan, to go) it is رو (rav). If you are unsure how stems work, see how to find the Persian present stem.
2. Put be- (ب) in front, attached to the verb.
3. Add the usual present endings: -am, -i, -ad, -im, -id, -and.

The endings are exactly the same as in the present tense. The only difference between می‌روم (miravam, I go) and بروم (beravam, that I go) is the prefix.

Listen to the written and spoken “I want to go”: می‌خواهم بروم Listen and می‌خوام برم (mikhâm beram) Listen

Spelling and sound changes

• Stems that start with â (آ): be- becomes bi- and the آ loses its hat: آمدن (âmadan, to come), stem آ → بیایم (biâyam, that I come). The same happens with آوردن (âvardan, to bring) → بیاورم (biâvaram).
• Stems that start with a, e or o (ا): be- also becomes bi-: انداختن (andâkhtan, to throw), stem انداز → بیندازم (biandâzam); افتادن (oftâdan, to fall), stem افت → بیفتد (biftad).
• Stems with o or u: in everyday speech the prefix often sounds like bo-: بکنم is written the same way but usually said bokonam rather than bekonam, and بخورم is often said bokhoram. The spelling does not change.
• Write be- attached, never with a space or a half-space: بخرم (bekharam), not ب خرم.

Common verbs in the subjunctive

The present stem is where the irregularities live, so it pays to learn these as pairs. The table gives the “I” form; change the ending for the other persons. For many more, try our Persian verb conjugator.

A useful shortcut: the subjunctive and the command form look alike. برو (boro, go) is the imperative; بروی (beravi) is the subjunctive “that you go.” The difference is that the subjunctive has an ending for every person. Our lesson on Persian imperative verbs covers the command side.

Compound and prefixed verbs: usually no be-

Most everyday Persian verbs are compounds like کار کردن (kâr kardan, to work) or صحبت کردن (sohbat kardan, to talk). In the subjunctive these normally drop be-, and the ending goes on the light verb:

• باید کار کنم. (bâyad kâr konam.) I have to work. Listen
• می‌خواهم با او صحبت کنم. (mikhâham bâ u sohbat konam.) I want to talk to him / her.
• بهتر است استراحت کنی. (behtar ast esterâhat koni.) You’d better rest.

You will also hear and read forms with be- (kâr bekonam), but the plain form is more common and always correct. Verbs with a separable prefix such as برگشتن (bargashtan, to return) never take be-: باید برگردم (bâyad bargardam, I have to go back).

The negative subjunctive: na- instead of be-

To make the subjunctive negative, replace be- with na- (ن). Do not stack them.

Before a stem starting with a vowel, na- becomes nay-, just as be- becomes bi-: نیایم (nayâyam). In compound verbs, na- attaches to the light verb, not the noun.

• شاید امشب نیاید. (shâyad emshab nayâyad.) Maybe he won’t come tonight. Listen
• بهتر است به او چیزی نگویی. (behtar ast be u chizi naguyi.) You’d better not tell him anything.

Watch the difference between نباید بروی (nabâyad beravi, you mustn’t go) and لازم نیست بروی (lâzem nist beravi, you don’t have to go). Negating bâyad gives a prohibition, not “no need.”

“To be” and “to have”: bâsham and dâshte bâsham

Two of the most common verbs do not follow the be- rule.

بودن (budan, to be) → باشم (bâsham)

The subjunctive of “to be” uses the stem باش (bâsh) with no prefix:

• شاید خسته باشد. (shâyad khaste bâshad.) Maybe he / she is tired.
• باید ساعت هشت آنجا باشیم. (bâyad sâ’at-e hasht ânjâ bâshim.) We have to be there at eight.
• امیدوارم حالت خوب باشد. (omidvâram hâlet khub bâshad.) I hope you are well.

Negative: نباشم (nabâsham). You already know the third-person form from everyday speech: باشه (bâshe) Listen is the standard spoken “OK, fine,” literally “let it be.” For the rest of this verb, see our guide to to be in Persian.

داشتن (dâshtan, to have) → داشته باشم (dâshte bâsham)

In the sense “to have,” dâshtan forms its subjunctive from the past participle داشته (dâshte) plus the bâsham forms. It never becomes “bedâram.”

• می‌خواهم یک خانه‌ی بزرگ داشته باشم. (mikhâham yek khâne-ye bozorg dâshte bâsham.) I want to have a big house.
• باید صبر داشته باشی. (bâyad sabr dâshte bâshi.) You have to be patient (literally “have patience”).
• روز خوبی داشته باشید. (ruz-e khubi dâshte bâshid.) Have a nice day. Listen

Negative: نداشته باشم (nadâshte bâsham). Note that only dâshtan “to have” works this way; the compound دوست داشتن (dust dâshtan, to like) is followed by a subjunctive but is rarely put in the subjunctive itself.

When to use the subjunctive: the triggers

You do not have to memorize abstract rules. In practice, a short list of words and phrases pulls the next verb into the subjunctive. Learn these and you will use it correctly almost every time.

Must, should, have to: باید (bâyad)

باید (bâyad) never changes form. The verb after it carries the person.

• باید بروم. (bâyad beravam.) I have to go. Spoken: باید برم (bâyad beram). Listen
• نباید دیر بیایی. (nabâyad dir biâyi.) You mustn’t come late.

Maybe and possibility: شاید (shâyad), ممکن است (momken ast)

• شاید فردا باران بیاید. (shâyad fardâ bârân biâyad.) Maybe it will rain tomorrow. Listen
• ممکن است دیر برسم. (momken ast dir beresam.) I might arrive late. Spoken: ممکنه دیر برسم (momkene dir beresam).

Want, can, like: خواستن، توانستن، دوست داشتن

These conjugate normally with mi-; the second verb goes into the subjunctive.

• می‌خواهم فارسی یاد بگیرم. (mikhâham fârsi yâd begiram.) I want to learn Persian. Spoken: می‌خوام فارسی یاد بگیرم (mikhâm fârsi yâd begiram).
• می‌توانی کمکم کنی؟ (mitavâni komakam koni?) Can you help me? Spoken: می‌تونی کمکم کنی؟ (mituni komakam koni?) Listen
• دوست دارم ایران را ببینم. (dust dâram irân râ bebinam.) I’d like to see Iran.

When the subjects differ, add که (ke, that) if you like; it is optional: می‌خواهم (که) تو بیایی (mikhâham (ke) to biâyi, I want you to come). Our lesson on “want to” and “can” with the subjunctive has more dialogue examples.

Advice, need and importance

Impersonal phrases ending in است (ast, is), followed by optional که:

• بهتر است زود بخوابی. (behtar ast zud bekhâbi.) You’d better go to bed early. Spoken: بهتره زود بخوابی (behtare zud bekhâbi).
• لازم است فرم را پر کنید. (lâzem ast form râ por konid.) You need to fill out the form.
• مهم است که همه بیایند. (mohem ast ke hame biâyand.) It’s important that everyone comes.

Hopes and wishes: امیدوارم، کاش

• امیدوارم موفق باشی. (omidvâram movaffagh bâshi.) I hope you succeed / Good luck. Listen
• کاش زودتر بیاید. (kâsh zudtar biâyad.) I wish he’d come sooner; if only he comes soon.

کاش (kâsh, also ای کاش ey kâsh) takes the present subjunctive for a wish that can still come true. For something contrary to fact now, it takes the past continuous instead: کاش اینجا بودی (kâsh injâ budi, I wish you were here).

Blessings, “let’s” and “shall I?”

The subjunctive can stand alone, with no trigger word, in three everyday uses:

• Let’s: the “we” form. برویم (beravim), spoken بریم (berim) Listen, “let’s go.”
• Shall I / what should I do: چه کار کنم؟ (che kâr konam?) What should I do? در را ببندم؟ (dar râ bebandam?) Shall I close the door?
• Blessings and wishes for someone: خدا حفظت کند (khodâ hefzat konad), spoken خدا حفظت کنه (khodâ hefzet kone), “God protect you.”

So that, in order to: تا، که، برای اینکه

• آمدم تا تو را ببینم. (âmadam tâ to râ bebinam.) I came (in order) to see you.
• زود رفتیم برای اینکه دیر نرسیم. (zud raftim barâye inke dir naresim.) We left early so that we wouldn’t arrive late.

Notice the main verbs are past, but the purpose verb stays in the present subjunctive. Persian does not shift it to a past form. Careful: برای اینکه (barâye inke) also means “because,” and then it takes a normal indicative verb: نیامدم برای اینکه خسته بودم (nayâmadam barâye inke khaste budam, I didn’t come because I was tired). The lesson on تا as a conjunction goes deeper.

Before, without, unless: قبل از اینکه، بدون اینکه، مگر اینکه

• قبل از اینکه بروی، به من زنگ بزن. (ghabl az inke beravi, be man zang bezan.) Before you go, call me. Listen
• قبل از اینکه برسم، رفته بود. (ghabl az inke beresam, rafte bud.) He had left before I arrived.
• بدون اینکه چیزی بگوید رفت. (bedun-e inke chizi beguyad raft.) He left without saying anything.
• نمی‌آیم مگر اینکه تو هم بیایی. (nemiâyam magar inke to ham biâyi.) I won’t come unless you come too.

قبل از اینکه (ghabl az inke) takes the subjunctive even when the whole sentence is about the past, as in the second example. Its opposite, بعد از اینکه (ba’d az inke, after), normally takes the indicative: بعد از اینکه رسیدم (ba’d az inke residam, after I arrived).

If: اگر (agar)

For a real possibility in the present or future, اگر (agar), spoken اگه (age), is often followed by the present subjunctive:

• اگر وقت داشته باشم، می‌آیم. (agar vaght dâshte bâsham, miâyam.) If I have time, I’ll come.
• اگه بارون بیاد، خونه می‌مونیم. (age bârun biâd, khune mimunim.) If it rains, we’ll stay home. (spoken)

You will also hear the simple past in the same slot, اگر وقت داشتم، می‌آیم (agar vaght dâshtam, miâyam), with the same meaning. Unreal conditions (“if I had known”) use past tenses instead; see the conditional section of our Persian past tense guide.

“Someone who…” and doubt

When the person or thing is not specific, the verb in the که clause goes into the subjunctive. After “I don’t think,” the subjunctive is also common.

• دنبال کسی می‌گردم که فارسی بلد باشد. (donbâl-e kasi migardam ke fârsi balad bâshad.) I’m looking for someone who knows Persian (anyone at all).
• فکر نمی‌کنم بیاید. (fekr nemikonam biâyad.) I don’t think he’ll come.

Quick reference: subjunctive triggers

The perfect (past) subjunctive: rafte bâsham

The perfect subjunctive talks about an action that may have happened, should have been completed, or that you hope has happened. Form it with the past participle (past stem + -e) and the subjunctive of بودن:

The negative puts na- on the participle: نرفته باشد (narafte bâshad, (that) he hasn’t gone). Typical uses:

• Possibility in the past: شاید رفته باشد. (shâyad rafte bâshad.) Maybe he has left / he may have left. Listen
• Logical guess: باید خوابیده باشد. (bâyad khâbide bâshad.) She must have fallen asleep.
• Hope about something already done: امیدوارم خوش گذشته باشد. (omidvâram khosh gozashte bâshad.) I hope you had a good time.
• Doubt: فکر نمی‌کنم دیده باشد. (fekr nemikonam dide bâshad.) I don’t think he has seen it.

One contrast trips up many learners. باید رفته باشد (bâyad rafte bâshad) is a guess: “he must have gone.” To say “he should have gone (but didn’t),” Persian uses bâyad with the past continuous instead: باید می‌رفت (bâyad miraft). You can read more about past forms in our Persian past tense guide.

Spoken subjunctive: how Iranians actually say it

In conversation, the subjunctive follows the same shortcuts as the spoken present tense:

• The ending -ad becomes -e: برود (beravad) → بره (bere); باشد (bâshad) → باشه (bâshe).
• The ending -id becomes -in: بروید (beravid) → برین (berin).
• The ending -and becomes -an: بروند (beravand) → برن (beran).
• Several stems shrink: rav → r (beram), â(y) → â (biâm), gu → g (begam), deh → d (bedam), shav → sh (besham), gozâr → zâr (bezâram), âvar → âr (biâram), neshin → shin (beshinam), tavân → tun (betunam), dân → dun (bedunam).
• می‌خواهم (mikhâham) becomes می‌خوام (mikhâm), and می‌توانم (mitavânam) becomes می‌تونم (mitunam).

So the written می‌خواهم به او بگویم که فردا بیاید (mikhâham be u beguyam ke fardâ biâyad, I want to tell him to come tomorrow) is said می‌خوام بهش بگم فردا بیاد (mikhâm behesh begam fardâ biâd) Listen. Use the written forms in essays, emails and exams, and the spoken ones with friends.

Indicative or subjunctive? A side-by-side check

Lesson 34 in our free course practices exactly this choice: Persian present indicative vs subjunctive. Lesson 33 introduces the present subjunctive with exercises and an answer key.

Common mistakes

• Using mi- after a trigger: باید می‌روم is wrong; say باید بروم (bâyad beravam).
• Using the infinitive like English: می‌خواهم رفتن is wrong for “I want to go.” Persian needs a conjugated verb: می‌خواهم بروم.
• Forgetting agreement: می‌خواهم تو بروم mixes subjects. It must be می‌خواهم تو بروی.
• Adding be- to budan or dâshtan: no بباشم or بدارم; use باشم and داشته باشم.
• Stacking prefixes in the negative: نبروم is wrong; it is نروم.
• Writing بآید: before آ the prefix is بی: بیاید.
• Shifting tense after a past main verb: in رفتم تا نان بخرم (raftam tâ nân bekharam, I went to buy bread) the second verb stays present subjunctive.

For more mixed practice, take our Persian grammar quiz. If you want the subjunctive, conditionals and the other intermediate structures in one place with exercises, Farsi Grammar in Use for Intermediate Students covers them chapter by chapter.

Common questions

How do you form the subjunctive in Persian?

Put be- (ب) before the present stem and add the present endings -am, -i, -ad, -im, -id, -and. From رفتن (raftan, stem rav) you get بروم، بروی، برود، برویم، بروید، بروند. Compound verbs usually skip be- (کار کنم), and بودن uses باشم.

When do you use the subjunctive in Farsi?

After words of necessity, possibility, wanting and hoping (باید، شاید، می‌خواهم، می‌توانم، امیدوارم، بهتر است), after purpose and time words like تا، قبل از اینکه and بدون اینکه, often after اگر, and on its own for “let’s,” “shall I?” and blessings.

What is the difference between the Persian subjunctive and the imperative?

Both use be- and the present stem, but the imperative is only for direct commands to “you” (برو boro, بروید beravid), while the subjunctive has endings for all six persons and appears after other words: باید بروی (bâyad beravi, you have to go).

Is there a past subjunctive in Persian?

Yes. It is the past participle plus باشم، باشی…: رفته باشم (rafte bâsham). It is used for things that may have happened (شاید رفته باشد, maybe he has left), guesses (باید رفته باشد, he must have left) and hopes about the past.

Why does “I want to” need the subjunctive in Persian?

Persian has no “to + verb” form after want, can or must. The infinitive (رفتن) acts like a noun, so the action is expressed with a conjugated subjunctive verb that agrees with its own subject: می‌خواهم بروم, می‌خواهم بروی.

Do Iranians use the subjunctive in everyday speech?

Constantly, in shortened form: باید برم (bâyad beram), می‌خوام بیام (mikhâm biâm), شاید بیاد (shâyad biâd), بریم (berim, let’s go) and باشه (bâshe, OK) are all spoken subjunctives.

Learn Persian with our bestseller

Study with the book

Learn Farsi in 100 Days: The Ultimate Crash Course to Learning Farsi Fast

PDF ebook, instant download. $26.99 Original price was: $26.99.$14.99Current price is: $14.99.

Add to cart See inside

Serious about Persian? Get all 30 of our Persian learning books for $199.99 (55% less than buying them one by one).

Browse all Persian learning books