Type a Persian verb in English (go), Persian script (رفتن) or transliteration (raftan) to see its full conjugation in 9 tenses for all six persons, with negative forms, transliteration and both verb stems. The tool covers 201 common Farsi verbs, including irregular verbs such as بودن budan and داشتن dâshtan and compound verbs such as کار کردن kâr kardan.
How Persian conjugation works
1. Every verb has two stems
Persian verbs are regular in their endings but have two stems. The past stem is the infinitive minus -an: رفتن raftan → رفت raft. The present stem often looks different and has to be learned with the verb: رو rav, کن kon (from کردن kardan), بین bin (from دیدن didan). The past stem gives the past tenses and the future; the present stem gives the present, subjunctive and imperative.
2. Personal endings
The same endings attach to both stems. The only difference: in the simple past the 3rd person singular has no ending (رفت raft, “he/she went”).
| Person | Ending | Present (go) | Past (went) |
|---|---|---|---|
| من man | ـم -am | میروم | رفتم |
| تو to | ـی -i | می‌روی | رفتی |
| او u | ـد -ad past: none | می‌رود | رفت |
| ما mâ | ـیم -im | می‌رویم | رفتیم |
| شما shomâ | ـید -id | می‌روید | رفتید |
| ایشان ishân | ـند -and | می‌روند | رفتند |
Persian drops the subject pronoun in normal speech, because the ending already shows who does the action: میروم miravam is enough for “I go”.
3. Prefixes build the tenses
- می mi- + present stem = simple present (میروم miravam); + past stem = past continuous (می‌رفتم miraftam). It is written with a zero-width non-joiner, so می stays visually separate.
- بـ be- + present stem = subjunctive (بروم beravam, “that I go”) and imperative (برو boro, “go!”). It becomes bo- before an o sound (بکن bokon, بخور bokhor) and بیـ biy- before a vowel (بیا biyâ, بیاور biyâvar).
- Past participle = past stem + ه -e: رفته‌ام rafte-am (present perfect), رفته بودم rafte budam (past perfect).
- Future = خواه khâh + ending + past stem: خواهم رفت khâham raft.
- Present progressive = داشتن in the present + simple present: دارم میروم dâram miravam. It has no negative form; use نمی‌روم nemiravam.
4. Negation and the subjunctive
Put نـ na- before the verb: نرفتم naraftam. With می it becomes نمی nemi-: نمی‌روم nemiravam. In the subjunctive and imperative نـ takes the place of بـ: بروم beravam → نروم naravam. Before a vowel a ی is inserted: نیامدم nayâmadam.
5. Compound and prefixed verbs
Most Persian verbs are compounds: a noun or adjective plus a light verb such as کردن kardan, شدن shodan or دادن dâdan. Only the verb part is conjugated: کار می‌کنم kâr mikonam, کار نکردم kâr nakardam. With کردن and شدن the subjunctive has no بـ: کار کنم kâr konam. Prefixed verbs such as برگشتن bargashtan put می and نـ after the prefix: برمی‌گردم barmigardam, برنگشتم barnagashtam, and take no بـ: برگردم bargardam.
For a longer walk-through, read how to conjugate Persian verbs, browse the 200 most common Persian verbs, or see the Persian grammar lessons. The difference between written and spoken forms is explained in spoken vs written Persian.
Practise these verbs with a book
Prefer to study verbs on paper? These books from Learn Persian Online cover the same ground:
- 200 Absolutely Essential Persian Verbs: a book of the core verbs for learners.
- Persian Verbs Dictionary: a reference book of Persian verbs.
FAQ
How do you conjugate a Persian verb?
Find the verb’s two stems. The past stem is the infinitive without -an (رفتن raftan gives رفت raft). The present stem has to be learned (رو rav). Add a personal ending (-am, -i, -ad, -im, -id, -and) and a prefix such as می mi- for the present (میروم miravam) or بـ be- for the subjunctive (بروم beravam).
What is the difference between the past stem and the present stem?
The past stem builds the simple past, past continuous, present perfect, past perfect and future (رفتم، می‌رفتم، رفته‌ام، خواهم رفت). The present stem builds the simple present, subjunctive and imperative (میروم، بروم، برو). The past stem is regular; the present stem is often irregular, so it is worth learning with each verb.
How do you make a Persian verb negative?
Add نـ na- to the verb: رفتم raftam becomes نرفتم naraftam. Before می it is pronounced ne-: نمی‌روم nemiravam. In the subjunctive and imperative, نـ replaces بـ: بروم beravam becomes نروم naravam. In compound verbs the negative goes on the verb part: کار نمی‌کنم kâr nemikonam. Before a vowel a ی is added: نیامدم nayâmadam.
Why is it کار کنم and not کار بکنم?
In compound verbs made with کردن kardan or شدن shodan, the subjunctive and imperative normally drop بـ: کار کنم kâr konam, خسته شوم khaste shavam, کار کن kâr kon. Forms with بـ are heard in casual speech. Compounds with other verbs usually keep بـ: حرف بزنم harf bezanam, جواب بدهم javâb bedaham.
Why do Iranians say میرم instead of میروم?
Spoken Persian shortens many common verbs. میروم miravam is said میرم miram, میشود mishavad is said میشه mishe, and میخواهم mikhâham is said میخوام mikhâm. The written forms are used in books, news and formal writing. The tool shows spoken forms for common verbs whose colloquial form is well established.
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