Why Persian puts the preposition before the question word (با کی؟ به کجا؟ از کی؟): pattern
Prepositions position
Prepositions precede question words.
Exercise: fill with Prepositions position.
Why Persian puts the preposition before the question word (با کی؟ به کجا؟ از کی؟): patterns, spoken forms, 10 examples and a quiz.
Prepositions come before question words
English often leaves a preposition at the end of a question: "Who did you talk to?" or "Where are you from?" Persian never does this. The preposition always stays directly in front of the question word: با کی گفتگو کردید؟ (bâ ki goftegu kardid?), literally "With whom did you talk?" Once you know which preposition a verb takes (Lesson 38), you just put it before the question word.
The examples from the lesson
| Persian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| به چند نفر نامه فرستادید؟ | /be chand nafar nâme ferestâdid?/ | How many people did you send a letter to? |
| در کجا درس خواندید؟ | /dar kojâ dars khândid?/ | Where did you study? |
| با کی گفتگو کردید؟ | /bâ ki goftegu kardid?/ | Who did you talk with? |
| برای کِی وقتِ ملاقات دارید؟ | /barâye key vaght-e molâghât dârid?/ | When is your appointment for? |
Common combinations
| Persian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| از کجا؟ | /az kojâ?/ | from where? |
| به کجا؟ | /be kojâ?/ | (to) where? |
| با کی؟ / با چه کسی؟ | /bâ ki? / bâ che kasi?/ | with whom? |
| به کی؟ | /be ki?/ | to whom? |
| از کی؟ | /az ki? / az key?/ | from whom? / since when? |
| برای چه؟ | /barâye che?/ | what for? why? |
| با چه؟ | /bâ che?/ | with what? by what means? |
| تا کی؟ | /tâ key?/ | until when? |
| به کدام …؟ | /be kodâm …?/ | to which …? |
More examples
| Persian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| شما اهلِ کجا هستید؟ / از کجا آمده‌اید؟ | /shomâ ahl-e kojâ hastid? / az kojâ âmade'id?/ | Where are you from? |
| این هدیه را برای کی خریدی؟ | /in hediye râ barâye ki kharidi?/ | Who did you buy this gift for? |
| با چه به دانشگاه می‌روید؟ | /bâ che be dâneshgâh miravid?/ | How do you get to the university? (by what) |
| از کی فارسی می‌خوانید؟ | /az key fârsi mikhânid?/ | Since when have you been studying Persian? |
| به کی زنگ زدی؟ | /be ki zang zadi?/ | Who did you call? |
| از چه می‌ترسی؟ | /az che mitarsi?/ | What are you afraid of? |
| تا کی در تهران می‌مانید؟ | /tâ key dar tehrân mimânid?/ | Until when are you staying in Tehran? |
| در کدام شهر زندگی می‌کنید؟ | /dar kodâm shahr zendegi mikonid?/ | Which city do you live in? |
| درباره‌ی چه صحبت کردید؟ | /darbâre-ye che sohbat kardid?/ | What did you talk about? |
| از کی پرسیدی؟ | /az ki porsidi?/ | Who did you ask? |
In spoken Persian
Spoken Persian usually drops در and به before کجا: کجا زندگی می‌کنی؟ (kojâ zendegi mikoni?), "Where do you live?"; کجا رفتی؟ (kojâ rafti?), "Where did you go?" Other prepositions stay: با کی رفتی؟ (bâ ki rafti?), "Who did you go with?" برای چی is often said واسه چی (vâse chi), "what for, why." Since کی can mean "who" (ki) or "when" (key), از کی can be "from whom" or "since when"; you hear the difference in the vowel.
Common mistakes
- Leaving the preposition at the end, English style: کی با صحبت کردی؟ is wrong; say با کی صحبت کردی؟.
- Dropping a needed preposition: "Who did you ask?" needs از: از کی پرسیدی؟
- Using را instead of the verb's preposition: کی را زنگ زدی؟ is wrong; زنگ زدن takes به: به کی زنگ زدی؟
Now fill in the prepositions in the exercise above and check the answer page.
Practice
-
Translate: "Who are you going with?"
Show answer
bâ ki miravi? با کی می‌روی؟
-
Translate: "Where did you come from?"
Show answer
az kojâ âmadi? از کجا آمدی؟
-
Correct the word order: کی به نامه نوشتی؟
Show answer
be ki nâme neveshti? "Who did you write a letter to?" به کی نامه نوشتی؟
-
What does واسه چی mean?
Show answer
What for? Why? (spoken برای چی)
- Lesson 39: Answers to the exercise
- Previous: Lesson 38, Verbs and Their Prepositions
- Next: Lesson 40, Days of the Week
See all lessons in the Persian grammar series.
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