Study notes for Lesson 13: a short beginner Persian text in which Neda describes her room and family's things, with key words and a comprehension quiz.
Reading: Neda's room
This short text goes with the Lesson 13 reading video. It is an original beginner text that uses the words for belongings and the possessive forms of this lesson. Neda describes her room and some of her family's things. Read it once for meaning, then a second time and underline every way of saying "my", "his" or "our".
The text
| Persian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| اسم من ندا است. | /esm-e man nedâ ast./ | My name is Neda. |
| این اتاق من است. | /in otâgh-e man ast./ | This is my room. |
| اتاقم کوچک است، اما خیلی قشنگ است. | /otâgham kuchek ast, ammâ kheyli ghashang ast./ | My room is small, but it is very pretty. |
| کتاب‌هایم روی میز است. | /ketâbhâyam ru-ye miz ast./ | My books are on the table. |
| کیف مدرسه‌ام کنار در است. | /kif-e madrase-am kenâr-e dar ast./ | My school bag is next to the door. |
| این دوچرخه مال برادرم کاوه است. | /in docharkhe mâl-e barâdaram kâve ast./ | This bicycle belongs to my brother Kaveh. |
| کاوه یک گوشی جدید دارد. | /kâve yek gushi-ye jadid dârad./ | Kaveh has a new phone. |
| گوشی من قدیمی است، اما من آن را دوست دارم. | /gushi-ye man ghadimi ast, ammâ man ân râ dust dâram./ | My phone is old, but I like it. |
| پدرم یک ماشین سفید دارد. | /pedaram yek mâshin-e sefid dârad./ | My father has a white car. |
| کاوه همیشه کلید ماشین پدرمان را گم می‌کند. | /kâve hamishe kelid-e mâshin-e pedaremân râ gom mikonad./ | Kaveh always loses our father's car key. |
| خانه‌ی ما بزرگ نیست، اما ما آن را خیلی دوست داریم. | /khâne-ye mâ bozorg nist, ammâ mâ ân râ kheyli dust dârim./ | Our house isn't big, but we love it. |
Two small grammar points to notice: Persian uses دوست داشتن (dust dâshtan) for both "like" and "love", so دوست دارم can be either, depending on context. And plural things such as کتاب‌ها often take a singular verb: کتاب‌هایم روی میز است, literally "my books is on the table".
Possessive forms in the text
The text uses all three ways of showing possession. With ezâfe and a pronoun: اتاق من, گوشی من, خانه‌ی ما. With endings: اتاقم, کتاب‌هایم, مدرسه‌ام, پدرم, پدرمان. With مال: مال برادرم. Notice کتاب‌هایم (ketâbhâyam): after the plural ها, the ending is written with a ی.
After reading
- Read the text aloud twice. The second time, try not to look at the transliteration.
- Rewrite three sentences about your own room, for example اتاقم بزرگ است (otâgham bozorg ast), "my room is big".
- Change the text so Kaveh is speaking: اسم من کاوه است, این دوچرخه‌ی من است, and so on.
Key words
- اسم (esm): name
- قشنگ (ghashang): pretty, nice
- روی میز (ru-ye miz): on the table
- کنار در (kenâr-e dar): next to the door
- جدید (jadid): new; قدیمی (ghadimi): old (for things)
- همیشه (hamishe): always
- گم کردن (gom kardan): to lose
More from Lesson 13
- Lesson 13: New Words (belongings and family)
- Lesson 13: Grammar (possession)
- Lesson 13: Speaking (whose is this?)
Practice
-
Is Neda's room big?
Show answer
No, it is small, but very pretty. اتاقش کوچک است.
-
Whose bicycle is in the room?
Show answer
Her brother Kaveh's. مال برادرش کاوه
-
Who has a new phone?
Show answer
Kaveh. کاوه
-
What does Kaveh always lose?
Show answer
Their father's car key. کلید ماشین پدرشان
-
Find the phrase in the text that means "my school bag".
Show answer
kif-e madrase-am کیف مدرسه‌ام
This page is part of the free course Learn to Speak Persian Fast. Next lesson: Lesson 14: New Words (foods).
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