Persian Adjectives and Ezafe: Speak Fast Lesson 19 Grammar

How Persian adjectives work: word order, the ezafe link, no plural agreement, comparatives and superlatives, examples and a quiz.

Persian adjectives

Study notes for this lesson. The Lesson 19 video teaches Persian adjectives. The main points are easy: the adjective comes after the noun, a short linking vowel called the ezâfe joins them, and the adjective never changes for plural or gender. The examples use the loan words from this lesson.

1. Noun + ezâfe + adjective

In English the adjective comes first ("a big loan"). In Persian it comes after the noun, linked by the ezâfe, an unstressed -e. The ezâfe is pronounced but usually not written.

2. After a vowel: -ye

When the noun ends in a vowel, the ezâfe becomes -ye. After a silent final e, it is often written ی with a non-joiner (خانه‌ی); after â and u it is written ی (جای); after a final i nothing is added in writing.

3. No agreement

Adjectives do not change for plural. Only the noun takes the plural ending: وام‌های بزرگ (vâmhâ-ye bozorg), "big loans," آپارتمان‌های گران (âpârtemânhâ-ye gerân), "expensive apartments." Persian has no grammatical gender, so there is nothing else to match.

4. Adjectives after "to be"

When the adjective is the predicate ("the loan is big"), there is no ezâfe: وام بزرگ است. (vâm bozorg ast). Compare وام بزرگ (vâm-e bozorg), "the big loan." The ezâfe is what tells you which meaning is intended.

5. Two adjectives, and "a"

Two adjectives can be chained with another ezâfe: آپارتمان کوچک ارزان (âpârtemân-e kuchak-e arzân), "a small, cheap apartment." To say "a" in writing, put -ی (-i) on the adjective: وام بزرگی (vâm-e bozorgi), "a big loan." In speech people usually use یه (ye) before the noun: یه وام بزرگ (ye vâm-e bozorg).

6. Comparative and superlative

Add -تر (-tar) for the comparative and use از (az) for "than." Add -ترین (-tarin) for the superlative, which comes before the noun with no ezâfe. The adjective خوب has the special forms بهتر and بهترین.

Examples

Common mistakes

• Putting the adjective first, as in English: بزرگ وام is wrong; say وام بزرگ (vâm-e bozorg).
• Making the adjective plural: وام‌های بزرگ‌ها is wrong; say وام‌های بزرگ.
• Dropping the ezâfe in speech. Without it, وام بزرگ sounds like "the loan is big" (with است) or like two separate words.
• Using ezâfe before a superlative: say بزرگ‌ترین بانک (bozorgtarin bânk), not "bozorgtarin-e bânk" for "the biggest bank."

• Lesson 19: New Words
• Lesson 19: Speaking
• Lesson 19: Reading

Practice

1. Say "a cheap apartment" in Persian.

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   âpârtemân-e arzân آپارتمان ارزان

2. Say "expensive loans."

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   vâmhâ-ye gerân وام‌های گران

3. What is the difference between {{وام بزرگ}} said as vâm-e bozorg and {{وام بزرگ است}}?

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   The first is "a big loan"; the second is "the loan is big."

4. Give the comparative of {{خوب}}.

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   behtar بهتر

5. Translate: "the cheapest loan"

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   arzântarin vâm ارزان‌ترین وام

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