Persian word order is subject, object, verb (SOV): the verb comes last, time comes before place, and adjectives follow their noun. This free game teaches it by doing: build 219 real Persian sentences from word tiles, spot the hidden ezafe, and decide where را goes, with an explanation for every mistake.
Your progress
How to play
Build shows an English sentence and a set of Persian word tiles. Tap the tiles in order; the sentence grows from right to left, as Persian is written. Drag a tile to move it, tap it again to send it back, or use the keyboard: number keys pick tiles, Backspace takes the last one back and Enter checks. One or two tiles are traps, such as a را that is not needed, a wrong verb ending or نه instead of a negative verb. If your order is wrong, the game names the rule you broke. Where Persian allows more than one order (من دیروز رفتم and دیروز من رفتم), both count.
Ezafe shows a noun phrase without its short vowels. Tap every gap where the linking -e is spoken, then see the phrase with the kasra written in. Râ or not? gives you a sentence and asks whether it needs را and where. Your XP, level, streaks and mistakes are saved in your browser, and every item you miss waits for you under Review.
Persian word order explained
A neutral Persian sentence puts the subject first and the verb last. Everything else goes in between, in a fairly stable order:
| Slot | What goes there | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Subject | Who does it. Often dropped, because the verb ending already shows the person. | منman (I) |
| 2. Time | When: دیروز، فردا، هر روز. It may also open the sentence. | دیروزdiruz (yesterday) |
| 3. Definite object + را | A specific object, closed by را. It usually comes before the place or recipient. | کتاب راketâb râ (the book) |
| 4. Place, person, means | Phrases with prepositions: به، در، با، از. | به علیbe ali (to Ali) |
| 5. Indefinite object | A general or “a/an” object without را sits right before the verb. | یک نامهyek nâme (a letter) |
| 6. Verb | Always last, including both parts of a compound verb. | دادمdâdam (I gave) |
Together: من دیروز کتاب را به علی دادم. man diruz ketâb râ be ali dâdam, “I gave the book to Ali yesterday.” Persian word order is flexible for emphasis, but the verb stays at the end in normal written and spoken sentences. Questions keep the same order: تو کجا زندگی می‌کنی؟ (where do you live?) puts کجا where the answer در تهران would be, not at the front. A yes/no question can start with آیا. After می‌خواهم، باید and می‌توانم the second verb is subjunctive and comes last: من می‌خواهم به خانه بروم.
Ezafe: the hidden -e
The ezafe is a short -e that joins a noun to what describes or owns it: کتابِ بزرگِ من (ketâb-e bozorg-e man, my big book). The head noun comes first and every word in the chain except the last takes -e. It is a kasra, so it is normally not written, which is why learners miss it. After a vowel it becomes -ye: written ی after the long vowels â and u (غذای ایرانی), and هٔ or ه‌ی after a silent h (خانه‌ی ما). There is no ezafe after این، آن, numbers, هر، چند and measure words (یک فنجان چای), or after the adverb خیلی.
When to use را
را (râ, in speech often -o or -ro) marks a definite direct object: a name, a pronoun, a noun with این or آن, a possessed noun, or something both speakers already know. It goes after the whole object phrase: ماشینِ قرمزِ برادرم را (my brother’s red car). Leave it out for general objects (من چای می‌خورم, I drink tea), for indefinite ones with یک, after “to be” and شدن, and with verbs that take a preposition: به مادرم زنگ زدم (I called my mother), از سگ می‌ترسم (I’m afraid of dogs).
Common mistakes
- Verb in the middle, English style: من خوردم چای ✗ → من چای خوردم ✓.
- را too early: کتاب را قرمز ✗ → کتاب قرمز را ✓. Adjectives and owners stay inside the object phrase.
- Adjective before the noun: بزرگ خانه ✗ → خانه‌ی بزرگ ✓. Only superlatives go first: بهترین رستوران.
- Negating with نه: من نه می‌دانم ✗ → من نمی‌دانم ✓. The negative is a prefix on the verb, and on the verb part of a compound: باز نکن.
- Plural after a number: دو خواهرها ✗ → دو خواهر ✓.
- Indicative after a modal: می‌خواهم می‌روم ✗ → می‌خواهم بروم ✓.
- Splitting a compound verb: کار من می‌کنم ✗ → من کار می‌کنم ✓.
Want the rules behind every sentence here? Farsi Grammar in Use: For Beginners explains word order, ezafe, را, compound verbs and the subjunctive step by step, with exercises.
See the bookRelated tools and lessons
- Persian sentence structure, step by step
- Ezafe in Persian: rules and spelling
- The object marker را
- Adjectives and the ezafe
- The present subjunctive
- Persian question words
- Persian verb drill
- Persian verb conjugator
- Persian reader
- Persian flashcards
FAQ
Is Persian word order SOV?
Yes. The basic order is subject, object, verb: من سیب می‌خورم (man sib mikhoram), literally “I apple eat”. Time usually comes before place, and the verb stays last.
Can Persian words go in a different order?
Yes, within limits. The subject and a time word can swap (دیروز من رفتم، من دیروز رفتم), and an object with را can come before or after a place phrase. The game accepts these common alternatives and tells you which order is most usual. The verb at the end and the order inside a noun phrase are fixed.
Why can’t I see the ezafe in written Persian?
Because it is a short vowel (kasra), and short vowels are normally left out. You have to know where it goes. After vowels it is written: ی after the long vowels â and u, and هٔ or ه‌ی after a silent ‑ه.
When do I need را?
When the direct object is definite: a name, a pronoun, “this/that” + noun, a possessed noun or something already known. General and indefinite objects (tea, a book) take no را.
Is the Persian here formal or spoken?
The sentences are standard written Persian, the form used in books, news and polite speech (می‌روم، است). In everyday Tehran speech you will hear shortened forms such as می‌رم and رو for را, but the word order is the same.
Where is my progress saved?
In your browser’s local storage on this device: XP, level, streaks and the list of items to review. Nothing is sent anywhere, and “Reset progress” clears it.
Free Persian Starter Pack: Alphabet + 100 Core Words
Get the 14-page printable Starter Pack (all 32 letters, a 7-day reading plan, 100 core words and 20 survival phrases) and a short 5-email course. Free.