Learn the Persian present subjunctive to say I want to, I can and I must, with formation tables, hotel examples and a quiz.
The Persian subjunctive: I want to stay, I can go
Study notes for this lesson. At a hotel you constantly say what you want to do or can do: "I want to book a room", "Can I see the room?", "I have to leave early". In Persian, the second verb in these sentences goes into the present subjunctive. It is one of the most useful forms for beginners, and it is easy to build once you know present stems.
How to form it
Take the present stem, add the same personal endings as the present indicative, and put بـ (be-) in front in place of می. So می‌مانم (mimânam), "I stay", becomes بمانم (bemânam), "(that) I stay". Before a stem with an o sound, be- is usually pronounced bo-: بخورم (bokhoram), بکنم (bokonam). Before آ it is written بیـ (bi-): بیایم (biâyam), "(that) I come".
Full example: ماندن (mândan), to stay
| Persian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| بمانم | /bemânam (spoken: bemunam)/ | (that) I stay |
| بمانی | /bemâni (spoken: bemuni)/ | (that) you stay |
| بماند | /bemânad (spoken: bemune)/ | (that) he / she stays |
| بمانیم | /bemânim (spoken: bemunim)/ | (that) we stay |
| بمانید | /bemânid (spoken: bemunin)/ | (that) you stay (plural or polite) |
| بمانند | /bemânand (spoken: bemunan)/ | (that) they stay |
More verbs in the subjunctive
| Infinitive and subjunctive | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| رفتن ← بروم | /raftan → beravam (spoken: beram)/ | to go |
| دیدن ← ببینم | /didan → bebinam/ | to see |
| گرفتن ← بگیرم | /gereftan → begiram/ | to take, get |
| دادن ← بدهم | /dâdan → bedaham (spoken: bedam)/ | to give |
| خوردن ← بخورم | /khordan → bokhoram/ | to eat |
| آمدن ← بیایم | /âmadan → biâyam (spoken: biyâm)/ | to come |
| رزرو کردن ← رزرو کنم | /rezerv kardan → rezerv konam/ | to book (compound verbs usually drop be-) |
Words that call for the subjunctive
| Persian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| می‌خواهم … | /mikhâham … (spoken: mikhâm)/ | I want to … |
| می‌توانم … | /mitavânam … (spoken: mitunam)/ | I can … |
| باید … | /bâyad …/ | must, have to (never changes) |
| دوست دارم … | /dust dâram …/ | I'd like to … |
Both verbs agree with their own subject: می‌خواهیم بمانیم (mikhâhim bemânim), "we want to stay". If the subjects are different, the second verb takes the second subject, often after که (ke, "that"): می‌خواهم (که) او بماند (mikhâham (ke) u bemânad), "I want him to stay". باید itself does not change: باید بروم (bâyad beravam), "I must go"; باید بروند (bâyad beravand), "they must go".
Examples
| Persian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| می‌خواهم یک اتاق رزرو کنم. | /mikhâham yek otâgh rezerv konam./ | I want to book a room. |
| می‌توانم اتاق را ببینم؟ | /mitavânam otâgh râ bebinam?/ | Can I see the room? |
| دنیل می‌خواهد سه شب بماند. | /daniel mikhâhad se shab bemânad./ | Daniel wants to stay three nights. |
| باید ساعت ده اتاق را تحویل بدهید. | /bâyad sâ'at-e dah otâgh râ tahvil bedahid./ | You have to check out at ten. |
| می‌تونم صبحانه رو توی اتاق بخورم؟ | /mitunam sobhâne ro tu otâgh bokhoram?/ | Can I have breakfast in the room? (spoken) |
| فردا می‌خواهیم شهر را ببینیم. | /fardâ mikhâhim shahr râ bebinim./ | Tomorrow we want to see the city. |
| نمی‌توانم امشب بیایم. | /nemitavânam emshab biâyam./ | I can't come tonight. |
Negative
To say "I can't" or "I don't want", make the first verb negative: نمی‌خواهم بروم (nemikhâham beravam), "I don't want to go". To say "I want not to …", make the subjunctive negative with نـ (na-) in place of be-: می‌خواهم امشب بیرون نروم (mikhâham emshab birun naravam), "I want to not go out tonight".
Common mistakes
- Using the present indicative after want or can: say می‌خواهم بمانم, not می‌خواهم می‌مانم.
- Leaving the second verb unconjugated or in the infinitive: می‌خواهم ماندن is wrong for "I want to stay".
- Conjugating باید: there is no بایدم for "I must" in standard Persian. Only the second verb changes.
- Adding be- to a compound verb where people normally leave it out: رزرو کنم sounds more natural than رزرو بکنم, though both are heard.
Other parts of Lesson 10
Practice
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Put dâdan into the subjunctive for "I". دادن
Show answer
bedaham (spoken: bedam) بدهم
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Translate: "I want to see the room."
Show answer
mikhâham otâgh râ bebinam. می‌خواهم اتاق را ببینم.
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Correct the mistake: mikhâham mimânam. می‌خواهم می‌مانم.
Show answer
mikhâham bemânam. می‌خواهم بمانم.
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Say "They must go" in Persian.
Show answer
bâyad beravand. باید بروند.
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Say "Can I stay one more night?" in spoken Persian.
Show answer
mitunam ye shab-e dige bemunam? می‌تونم یه شب دیگه بمونم؟
Previous lesson: Lesson 9: Reading. Next lesson: Lesson 11: New Words.
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