Possession in Persian (My, Your, Mine): Lesson 13 Grammar

Study notes for Lesson 13: three ways to show possession in Persian (ezâfe, possessive endings and mâl), with tables, examples and common mistakes.

How to show possession in Persian

The Lesson 13 grammar video covers possession. English uses words like my, your and 's. Persian has three tools for the same job: the ezâfe link with a pronoun or name, short possessive endings attached to the noun, and the word مال (mâl) for "mine, yours, his". You will hear all three every day.

1. Ezâfe + pronoun or name

Put the thing first, then the owner, and join them with the sound -e (the ezâfe). This is the most transparent way and is used both in writing and speech.

2. Possessive endings

Instead of a separate pronoun, you can attach a short ending to the noun. This is very common, especially in speech. The table gives the written form and, after the slash, the everyday spoken pronunciation.

After a word ending in a silent ه, the endings are written separately with an alef: خانه‌ام (khâne-am), خانه‌ات (khâne-at), خانه‌اش (khâne-ash), خانه‌مان (khâne-mân), خانه‌تان (khâne-tân), خانه‌شان (khâne-shân). After a long â or u, a y is added in writing: صدایم (sedâyam), "my voice".

3. mâl: mine, yours, his

To say "mine" or "it belongs to", use مال with ezâfe: این کیف مال من است (in kif mâl-e man ast), "this bag is mine". In speech: این کیف مال منه (in kif mâl-e mane). To ask whose something is: مال کیست؟ (mâl-e kist?), spoken مال کیه؟ (mâl-e kiye?).

Adjectives and possession

When the noun has an adjective, the owner comes at the very end of the phrase: کیف سیاه من (kif-e siyâh-e man), "my black bag". A possessive ending also goes on the last word: کیف سیاهم (kif-e siyâham). Compare کیفم سیاه است (kifam siyâh ast), which is a full sentence: "my bag is black".

Examples

Common mistakes

• Using English order. "Neda's book" is کتاب ندا (ketâb-e nedâ): thing first, owner second.
• Dropping the ezâfe. Without the -e sound, کتاب من sounds like two separate words. Say ketâb-e man, not ketâb man.
• Putting the ending on the noun instead of the adjective. "My new phone" is گوشی جدیدم (gushi-ye jadidam). With the ending on the noun you get a sentence instead: گوشی‌ام جدید است (gushi-am jadid ast), "my phone is new".
• Using both a pronoun and an ending: say کتاب من or کتابم, not کتابم من.
• Forgetting مال for "mine": "it's mine" is مال من است, not just من است, which means "it's me".

More from Lesson 13

• Lesson 13: New Words (belongings and family)
• Lesson 13: Speaking (whose is this?)
• Lesson 13: Reading (Neda's room)

Practice

1. Say "my sister" with a possessive ending.

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   khâharam خواهرم

2. Say "our house" with a possessive ending.

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   khâne-mân خانه‌مان

3. Translate: ماشین پدرم

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   my father's car

4. How do you say "This bag is mine"?

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   in kif mâl-e man ast. این کیف مال من است.

5. What is the difference between these two? کیف سیاهم / کیفم سیاه است

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   The first is a phrase, "my black bag"; the second is a sentence, "my bag is black".

This page is part of the free course Learn to Speak Persian Fast. Next: Lesson 13: Speaking, where Kaveh and Neda look for his key.