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"" "" C> Cl \.J.J Serge Obolensky

Kambiz Yazdan Panah

Fereidoun Khaje Nouri

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION & WELFA~E OFFICE OF EDUCATION

THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRODUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGINATING IT. POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION POSITIOK OR POLICY.

persian basic course units 1-12

Reprinted by the Center for Applied Linguistics

of the Modern Language Association of America Washington DC 1963

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More free Persian (Farsi) material can be found on the Live Lingua Project website.

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It is the policy of the Center for Applied Linguistics to make more widely available certain instructional and related materials in the language teaching field which have only limited accessibility. This policy calls for the republica-tion of works which arc out of print and of items which are normally limited in their distribution to members of the organization under whose sponsorship they were prepared, such as government agencies: special university programs, and priv-ate business concerns. The users of these reprints should bear in mind that in many instances they are incomplete or provisional in nature and that the Center has chosen to reproduce them either because, even in their present form, they ire better than other available works, or because in some respect they may serve as supplemental to existing mater-ials. Whenever appropriate, the authors' names are indicated. The kinds of prices set for the reprints vary considerably depending on the nature of the financing of the projects, but in every instance the price is determined in the light of the fact that the Modern Language Association is a non-profit professional association.

A publication of the Center for Applied Linguistics of the Modern Language Association of America Washington, D.C. May· 1963

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This Basic Course has been reprinted with the permission of the Foreign Service Institute of the Department of State.

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PREFACE

This volume is an introduction to the Persian language. With it as a foundation the student may continue with either further conversational practice or with reading. It is being published in this tentative form to meet the immediate need felt for a beginning text in Persian. The authors feel very strongly that a thorough revision is necessary, in-corporating different types of drills and using the sheeter unit approach.

The linguist in charge of the text was Serge Obolensky, of Lhe Department of Near East and African Languages, Foreign Service Institute. Carleton T. Hodge, now Professor of Linguistics, Foreign Service Institute, served in an editorial capacity throughout the preparation of the text.

While the present text is new, both as to Basic Sentences and Drills, a certain amou~t of grammatical material from the earlier FSI Spoken Persian has been utilized. Such materials have been thoroughly revised and where necessary restated.

Howard E. Sollenberger Dean School of Languages and Area Studies Foreign Service Institute Department of State

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface • • • Introduction

Unit 1 Basic Sentences. Grammatical Notes

1.1 The spelling used in this course 1. 2 Vowels 1.3 Stress 1.4 Pitch. • ••• 1.5 Juncture •••• 1.6 Styles of speech ••••. 1. 7 / be frerma' id/ . • • • 1.8 Negative prefix /ne-/ ~ /rre-/ . 1.9 The suffix /-e/ ~ /-he/ •

Drills Persian Orthography

Unit 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Basic Sentences Grammatical Notes

2.1 Consonants 2.2 Connective /e/ ('ezafe') ..• 2.3 Forms of address ..••. 2.4 Verb endings •.•••• 2.5 Verb prefixes /mi-/, /be-/ •••• 2.6 Tl1e present stem ('present', 'optative',

2.7 2.8 2.9

'imperative') • . • • . •.•• The past stem (t-stem) Compound verbs .••••.••• Separate pronouns • . • • • .

Drills P~rsian Orthography

Unit 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Basic Sentences • • • • . •••••••• Grammatical Notes . • • • • • ••••

3.1 Pronoun: Separate pronouns (continued). 3.2 Pronoun: Pronominal suffixes .•••••• 3.3 The plural suffix /-a, -ha/ • 3.4 The verb 'be' ••••••• 3.5 The suffix /-1/ 'pertaining to' • 3.6 The indefinite /-i/ • • • . • ••• 3. 7 /soru krerdam/ 'to star"t, to beg in'. 3.8 The suffix /-o/ ~ /-ro/ ~ /-ra/ •••• 3 • 9 / ma 1/ • • • • • •

Drills Persian Orthography •• ,,

vii

V

1.1

1. 7 1.7 1.11 1. 11 1.13 1.14 1. 15 1. 17 1. 18 1. 19 1.20 1.20 1.21 1.30

2.32 2.32 2.38 2.38 2.46 2.47 2.48 2.51

2.53 2.56 2.58 2.59 2.61 2.75

3.81 3.81 3.89 3.89 3.89 3 .92 3.93 3.95 3.97 3.98 3.99 3 .100 3. 101 3 .116


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- --- ----~~- ·------ ---------------- .. --.1111111111 .................... "'""' ____ ... ___ _

Unit 8 . . . . . . . . Basic S1::ntences . . . . . Grammatical Notes , , , .. , , , , , , , ,

8.1 Verb: Past perfect • . , .. 8. 2 / -e/ ~ /-he/ after modifier . • 8,3 Verb: Progressive form • . •.. 8.4 Pronoun /xod/ 'self' .. , ..•...

Drills I • I I I • Persian Orthography •

Unit 9 .. Basic Sentences • • . • • • Grammatical Notes.

9.1.1 /'rrer, 'rrer-/ 9 • 1. 2 / 'rre:n ~ -rem, 'rrem - / • . . 9.1.3 /'rreme/, /1:reme- ~ 1-mnre/ • 9,1,4 /hie, hie-/, ..... . 9.2 Verb: The causative suffix

9.3 9.4

Drills

l-an-, -ani-J/. New verbs and verb uses Numerals: Ordinals ,

Persian Orthography •

Unit 10 Basic Sentences. . ••• Grammatical Notes •••••

10,l Verb: The verb /nesretkn/

/-un-

10.2 Pronoun: Modifying object of verb or

10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7

Drills

preposition. . •.• Preverbs ••••• Use of tenses • . • • . • , ••. Verb: /'istadffin ~ vaystada::n/ •••• Verb: Imperative (familiar form) .•• New verbs and verb uses

Persian Orthography .

Unit 11 Basic Sentences. • • • • • • •••.•••• Grammatical Notes ••••••.•••

11.1 Expressions of time ••• 11.1.1 /vrext/, /key/ •••••• 11.1.2 Words for 'instance, occasion' .• 11.2 Word usage: /xab/ and associated verbs •• 11.3 Prefix /bi-/ 'without' . , • 11.4 Prefix/hB!m-/ 'also, too, the very same'. 11.5 Compounds with suffix /-e/ •

Drills Persian Orthography .•.

g 7

ix

8.247 8. 247 8.252 8.252 8.253 8.253 8.254 8.255 8.262

9.270 9.270 9. 277 9. 277 9 .277 9.278 9.279

9. 279 9.280 9.280 9.281 9. 291

10.298 10.298 10.305 10.305

10,306 10.307 10.307 10. 309 10.309 10.309 10.31() 10. 318

11.326 11.326 11.333 11.333 11.333 11.:p4 11.334 11. 334 11.335 11.336 11.337 11.346


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Unit 12 • • • . • . • . Basic Sentences Grammatical Notes .•.

12.1 Kinship terms • 12.2 Adverbs in /·ffin/ ....•.•. 12.3 Uses of /ke/ .•.• 12.3.1 /ke/ 'when'... . .••. 12.3.2 /ke/ as an emphatic particle ...••. 12.4 Verb: The verb /xabidren/ .•

Drills . . Persian Orthography

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'

12.356 12.356 12. 3 64 12. 364 12. 3 68 12. 3 70 12. 3 70 12.370 12.370 12. 3 71 12. 3 79


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SPOKEN PERSIAN ---------------

Introduction

THE PERSIAN LANGUAGE --------------------

Persian is spoken in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan., though it is not the only language of any of these areas. It is the official language of Iran, used for all instruction in schools, for most news-papers and in government work. While it is the most widely used language in the country, the exact number of speakers is not known, or the proportion of Persian to other languages in the country. It is the language of greatest prestige am a:eyone who h'!s had any education is able to speak it, even if it is not his mother tongue. Iviany others learn it orally as a second language.

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The situation is sbmewbat different in Afghanistan, where both Pashto and Persian are pfficial languages. Due to the long period of high prestige which Per~ian has enjoyed there., most publications have been in Persian and it 'is widely known.

In Tajikistan Persian is called Tajik. While there is consider-able difference between Tajik and Tehran Persian, this is not a question of bourdary lines but of increasing differences in the language as one goes from one place to another within the area where the language is spoken. Fer example, Afghan Persian is quite close to Tajik, the local Persian d.iale~t of Meshed is siw.ila.r-· to Afghan Persian, and so on. (The term Tajik in Afghanistan does not refer to language but to certain groups of people. Anyone wb'.! speaks Persian, 7farsi/, Tajik or other, is a Persian speaker /farsiwW.)

There is a 1stazrlard Persian' used for literary work in Iran and Afghanistan (with some differences), but local spoken varieties of the standard exist all over the speech arc;a. In addition to these, there a't'e also local dialects which are Persian. These a:-e not modifications of the stal'rlard language but sister dialects of it.

Finally, there are the languages closely related to Persian spoken in the area. These incl·1de Tat, Talish, Gilaki., Mazarrlerani (around the Caspian), Kurdish, Bakhtiari, lllri and others in central and western Iran, and the more distantly ~elated Ossetic (in the Caucasus), Pashto (Afghanistan and Pakistan) and Baluchi (mostly in Pakistan). These languages are known collectively as Iranian.

Persian is ,known from written sources which cover at least twenty-five centuries. The oldest definitely datable documents are the cuneiform inscriptions of the Achaemenian kings., beginning in the sixth century B.C,1, the language known as Old Persian. Proo-ably comtemporary, possibly even earlier, is Avestan, the language of the

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holy book of Zoroastrianism, but only late manuscripts are known, and it is uncertain when the prophet Zoroaster lived. The language of the Sassanians, Pahlavi, continues the history of Persian and is assigned to Middle Persian.

Beginning with the ninth century A.D. we have what is tradional-ly known as l"lodern Persian, that is, Persian written in Arabic characters. Naturally a considerable number of changes have taken place in the language since the ninth century, l ·~t the prestige of writers such as Ferdausi, author of the epic po:.;,.~ Shahnarne, has nade this 'early modern 1 period the classical one for Persian. Writers of the classical period and their language are the prime subject of the Persian 11 terature classes in Iran and elsewhere today• They enjoy a prestige far aoove that of classic English authors in America, and it is highly recorrmended that the student of Persian learn some-thing of this literature after he has acquired fluency in the spoken language and ability to read modem Persian literature.

The Arabic alpha.bet was adopted for (and adapted to ) Persian after the Islamic con,::_uest in the seventh century A.D. This is the alphabet used today. A large number of Arabic words are also borrowed, much in the IP.anner of Latin, Greek and French loanwords in English. The structure of English is still basically Germanic. The structure of Persian is still Iranian. Arabic belongs to a se:,,:arate language family, Semitic. It m11st not be inferred from the number of 'h'Ords of Arabic origin in the dictionary that most of the words used in speaking Persian are from Arabic. Just as in English (where we use tfire•, not tconflagration 1 or 'help', not •assistance', in our ordinary ~peech), Persian has fewer Arabic loans in the ordinary spoken la:2gu~ge and more in the formal style, whether written or spoken.

Although Persian has borrowed the Arabic alphabet, it has developed its own styles of both handwriting and printed forms. The diff'erence is, of course, greater in the hand,i.rri tten styles.

Persian belongs to the Imo-Iranian (Irrlic ani vani.an) branch of the Imo-Hittite fami 1y of languages. This family includes Indic (the languages of Northern Irxlia and Pakistan, : . .,..ich as Hindustani [Hindi-Urdu], Bengali, Gujarati, Yiarathi, and a:ncient Sanskrit; as well as Singhalese in Ceylon), Iranian, .Anatolian (Hittite, etc. )1 Armenian, Sla'\1.c (Se,:,bo-Croatian, Bulgarian, Russian, Polish, Czech, etc.), Aleanian, Greek, lt,alic (Latin [whence the Romance lar:guages, French, Spanish, Italian, etc.], Oscan, Umbrian, etc.) Celtic (Welsh, Irish, Breton), Gennanic (Gothic, English, Dutch, German, etc.). English and Persian are, then, related languages, but the relation is too distant to be immediately useful. Some overa.11 similarities such as the use o; nouns, verbs and adjectives, are helpful, but the V'.Jcabulary is often not similar even when directly related.

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This Course -----------

This course is the first step toward learning the Persian language. All of the lessons are in the spoken language. They represent Persian as illustrated by conversations based on everyday situations. After a thorough grounding in pronunciation and in basic grarnrratical features, the student should learn the writing system of Persian. Since Persian is not written in the ordinary spoken style (just as English is not), another style of speech must be learned for reading. Some of the basic differences between the ordinary spoken style and the written or formal style are explained in this Unit and in Unit 2. Reading may be begun very early, but learning to read should not keep the student from the primary goal of learning t~e language. Progress in the Janguage may be hindered by trying to read too soon.

Some obvious facts concerning any language must be kept in mind by the learner. In the first place, there is no one correct way of speaking Persian or any other language. Minor differences of pronunciation, form, vocabulary and usage are fO\Uild among speakers of the standard language. The student should expect these and follow the usage of his tutor. If the tutor's nonnal speech varies from that in the book, his or her manner of speaking should be followed.

How to Study -----------.--.

The best way ro learn any language is to listen to a na.ti ve speaker of that language and then imitate exactly what he says. This course is designed to help you to imitate intelligently and efficiently. Each unit cor..sists of essentially three parts: new material to be learned (Basic Sentences), explanation (Hints on Fronunc:i.ation, Notes) and drill (Grammatical Drill, Variation Drill, Suhstitution Drill, Narrative, 1~uesticns and Answers). The following is the suggested cl:1.ss procedure:

Basic Sentences ----·---------·--Steps 1 to 3 may be done with books open or closed. Tt is

preferable to have them closed 0

Step 1 Go through the Basic Sentences. The tutor says each word or phrase to be learned in Persian. The class repeats the word or phrase in unison. The tutor then says the i tern again, and the class repeats• F.a.ch item is treated in this way (Persian - class repetition - Persian - class repetition) J

Step 1 is optional. If preferred, study may begin with Step 2.


Step 2

Step .3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

.Go through the Basic Sentences (or a section thereof) again, wii:.h the Persian then said twice for each stuient. Each student repeats (twice) after the native speaker. The linguist corrects pronunciation.

Repeat the Basic Sentences in this manner a :rrumber of times• Orni t the build-ups, drilling only the s entenc es themselves. The tutor says the sentence for each student, who repeats as before. Continue this until the students can say the sentences without difficulty and at a normal rate of speed.

Go through the Basic Sentences, the tutor sa:ying a different sentence for each student an:i the student repeating and giving the English e:iuivalent. This is to be done with books closed. Go throul?J:l the Basic Sentences several times and vary the order of the sentences or of the students so that each student has an opportunity to repeat a number of different sentences.

Give the students the English for the sentences and have ·them give the Persian equivalent. The tutor should give the correct form (for them to repeat after him) if a mistake is made in either pronunciation or structure. If there is too much hesitation in this exercise, Step 3 should be repeated, with the English equivalents given.

Variation drill on Basic Sentences. The Basic Sentences are to l>e drilled but· ·w.i. th changes ( substitutions mainly) r,'.)ssible within the limits of grammar and vocabula:cy. No new words or forms are to be introduced. The changes possible will be limited in the early units.

Gramme.tical and Substitution Drills ------------~--~-------------------

Narrativ~s

Step,

Step 2

Drill the sentences given by going through Steps 2 through 6 as above. Stress Step 6. Follow special instructions where given.

The tutor reads through the whole Narratives at natural speed, as if he were reading a story. The students listen for comprehension, books closed.

The students sU111T1B.rize in English as much as they under-stoory allows. (Books closed. )


- . ,-~----- ....... ------------ .... - ................... -IIJIIIII~,_ ........... _

Step .3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7 (where applicable)

Step 9

The tutor reads each sentence for each student, each of whom repeats. (Books closed, preferably).

Go through sentence by sentence for comprehension: The tutor says each sentence, and the students take turns repeating them. Each student translates the sentence he reP3ats. P,;rzy-gramnatical unclarities are resolved by questiong the linguist.

Repeat Step,. (Books closed).

Step 3 is repeated and drill continued in this manner until the students are thoroughly familiar with the material.

The students take parts an:l act out the dialogs. The tutor may take one of the parts the first time or two. Then the students act it all c,,t than.selves. Continue this until any student can take :z:art an:l go through the dialog like an actor.

Questions are asked in Persian by the tutor and answered by the students in Persian. The students should not give tyes t or r no anS1-1ers but try to answer the question as completely as possible using the words contained in the question.

The students should memorize the Narrative and relate the story to the tutor.

Questions and Answers __________ .. _______________ _

The questions and answers given are to be drilled as stated below, but they should not be considered complete. Any question which is within the limits of the students t grammar and vocabulary may be used. Any answer given is considered correct if it is good Persian.

Step 1

Step 2

Note:

The tutor asks each student a question. The student repeats the question, then gives an answer. The answer is corrected, if necessa.r.v, by the tutor, who gives the answer as it should be. The student rei:ea ts the correct answer.

The tutor gives the student the answer which is written in the book. The student repeats. This is not a correction but simply further drill.

Correction of tht~ students I P1:.-~sian by the tutor should consist of the tutor's giving the correct sentence and having the student repeat it. Explanations are a

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Homework

+= ◄ •"" ◄ ◄ I >24F I 4

waste of time. The student should rely on the linguist and the book for grammatical explanations.

, • Read any Hints on Pronunciation or Grammar Notes in the unit.

2. ~emorize Basic Sentences already heard.

3. Review Grammatical and Variation Drills.

•

Whether working with a tutor or with records, the student must repeat each Persian word, phrase or sentence in a loud, clear voice, trying at all times to imitate the pronunciation as closely SB poss-ible. Everything should be mimicked, even the ~:makers' gestures., and especialq his tone of voice. The mAaning of the Persian is to be kept constantly in mind. The English equivalents are to be used as necessary to remind the student of the meaning. In the first five units the student should not attempt under any circumstances to pronounce the Persian before he has heard it.

On the English side., parentheses and quotation marks are used together ( r ••. t) when .2 more literal translation is given in addition to the ordinary English equivalent. Brackets [ ] are used to indicate words in the English equivalent which do not have an equivalent in the Persian. Parentheses ( ) indicate words which are in the Persian but not in a normal English equivalent. Note that on the English side we have what is ordinarily said in English in this situation., mt necessarily a literal translation. The use of parentheses and brackets as explained above should make the situation clear in each case.

Parentheses in the Persian spelling are used to indicate sounds which are sometimes omitted. Brackets are used to indicate a more f'onnal pronunciation to be, used when learning the formal style. Alternate pronunciations c.,f the same word or alternate words are given after a slant line/.

Slant lines are used in the Notes to set off Persian sounds or words within an English text. English letters and words are under-lined when used as examples.

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..... ---=• a - • a a

Unit 1 -------Persian Basic Course

Basic Sentences ____ __...._ ...... ------

Hello.

or

health, oorrlition, state

your health

manner, way, sort

how, how[about) ('what manner')

how is

How are youi

bad

isn 1t

grate.t'ul

or

thank you ('I'm grateful')

or

or

Not bad, thank you.

you

your health

How are youi

15 81

s a a U◄ :: s 01; a

2 .3 1# sEBlam. 2 .3 1 # sEBl.am IEeJ.~ykome

hal

hiletun [h~letan]

towr

cet6wr

cetowre .3 1 # haletun cetowre.

barl

n!st

Ill83TID.Url

motesrekk~r

nmnnunam motesaick~ra:m / motS5Ck~ra:m

m~rsi 2 .3 1 2 3'1 # bmd n!st! motesi:ekk~ra:m.

son-A

~le s~ 2 .3 h~le soma cetowre!

3


Persian (language)

to understand

you underst~d

Do you understand Persiani

yes

I understand

Yes, I understand.

No.

to know

Do you knowi

I know

I don 1t knowe

what

to say, to tell

or (more polite)

you said

or (more polite)

What did you sayi

or

I said

this

what is [it]t

I said, what's thisi

16 .......

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fa?iunidm

mifammid

2 .3 II fars:! mirrehmid f

bidle

miffBhrrmn

.31# .31 # bal.e. m:!fmmam.

.31 # ne. dunestm (danestifn]

~dunid ~ midUlllBl'i [m:!danam]

goftim

fEernludet

goftid

f°Eel"m~did

2 .3 1 # o:! goft:ld.

~& :mrmudidf goftam

•in

c:cye [ c!s t]

.3 12 1# goftlBn, 1:!n c!ye.

More free Persian (Farsi) material can be found on the Live Lingua Project website.17

that

What's thati

hotel

[ [the hotel

place

here

there

where

where is (it]i

Where's [the] hoteli

[[Where•• the hotel1

The hotel is there.

Did you say it's here?

No, I said, it•s there.

restaurant

[[the restaurant

hand

right, straight, true

l·(,n [ tan] ,3 1 II 1,in ciye.

hot~l

hotel& (colloquia1)]] 0

ji

'inja lunja [tanj,]

koj,

koj,st

2 3 I 2 1# hot~l, kojast.

a 3 I 2 1/l hotele, kojast.]] 0

.3 I 2 , u hotel, 'unjast. 2 1 .3 g~ftidf I injast ~ .3 # 3 I 2 1 H n£. goftam, lunjast~

I'dStor'11 / resturki

resturan, (colloquial)]]•

it• s straight ahead; it 1 s true

to the right, (tright hand')

it's on the right

[The] restaurant's on the right.

[(ihe reataurant•a cm the right.

d'5te rlst

~te raste 2 3 I 2 1 restoran, d.£ste r{ste!

a , I • 1 resturan&, date r,ste.J] •

•.u th9se forms are too colloquial it 111 rewnded that thq be Olld.tted. 'lhq ax-e retained hen cmq because they- are on the tape.

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P.1.10

washroom

or

left

to the left (' left hand r )

[The] washroom's on the left.

to go

gol

Go straight ahead.

dc.esssuti [dc.estsut!]

dc.essrusut:( [dc.estrusu1!J

d~te cifp 2 3 I 2 , dEESssut:!., dcmte rspef

b~rid

.3 , # rast berid.

Classroom Expressions

ready

Are you readyi

turn

It's your turn.

Go aheadl Pleaset

beginning

--------------~------

2 .3 II haz~rid f

nowb.!Bt

2 3 I 2 ,# , y " nowblBte, sor,~..:.st •

.3 1 # befEet'Illa'id.

.,, , soru

to perform (auxiliary verb used to make compound verbs)

to begin

let 1s start

Pl.ease, let's startl

one

degree, time

sor11 krerd£n

sor,1 konim

3 I 2 1 # b~farma'id, soro ko~

another, other, more, further

l8


~--~ -·------ .. -- ......... -- .. --◄--1"11\C,-◄◄'" ......... 'F'~>- .......... -.---·-----

[Please] repeatl

( lo11e more time t )

translation

to translate

Please translate.

lesson

end , whole, complete, all

to become

to end, to be finished

The lesson is finished.

Notes ------

3 I 2 1 # y~ rrirortrobi; dig~ ~

ta:!rjorne

trerjom~ krerdm

~~fmrmatid! ~jome !onidf

dhs

tamom [ tmnrun]

sodai

~- .., , t-::.:.:11am sod.ill

.3 I 2 , dim-s, tammn sodf 3 1 # bae. [bm 1mt]

Note 1.1 The Spelling Used in this Course

P111.11

The Persian of these lessons is written in a transcription meant to help the student listen. It is an attempt to put down sysiematically on paper the soums that the tutor will say, or that will be heard on the records. It should be emphasized that the printed material is just a reminder of that which is said am not a subs·t;itute for it.

The transcription used here is an adaptatio·'l of the latin alphabet to Persian. It is based directly on spoken Persian and is not a transliteration of ordinary Persian spelling. I:t is not, strictly speaking, a 1phonetic 1 transcription. For exam;:>le., the letter /k/ stands for one sound before the vowels /u.,o.,a/ and for another sound elsewhere. Since the pronunciation is predictable on the basis of where it occurs, a single letter may be used for both sounds. It is the same as using the letter /t/ in English for the different sourds in toe (with a strong puff of breath)., otop (without a puff of breatfiJ, pot (released with slight bre1ath;or not released), butter (a flap-of the tongue), etc. In Er.iglish these different sounds-airpattern together as /t/. In the san:1e way the two sourxis of /k/ (or of /g/, or of /q/, etc.) pattern together in Persian. To a Persian speak er (of this dialect) they are the I same thing'.


Our transcription is, then, organized to fit the pattern of the Persian language. The letters and other symbols used are:

Vowels i e EB u 0 a

Consonants Voiceless p t .k s a C f X h ' Voiced b d g z z j V q rlmnyw

Stress Weak (unmarked) Strong'

Pitch low 1 Mid 2 High 3 Extra High 4

Juncture Close (no space) Open: Space between words

~j t Single bar' I or• 'Double bar t I or •Double-cross# or /./

Length (at end of phrase) above the line /:/ or on the line combined with /,/ as /;/ or with /./ as /:/.

These letters should not be confused with those used for writing English or any other lap.guage. Every language has a unique sound system and any symbols us·ed to write a language must be defined in terms ot that language. English am Persian have, then, different sound systems. However, where the Persian and English sounds are similar, the same letter is used in the transcription here as is used in English. This is i:articularl.y true of the consonants. This does not mean these sounds are identical.. /t/, for example, is different in English and Persian, even though the same symbol is used. It is ver., important to realize the possible diversity of sounds cowred by a single symbol (as noted above for /k/), the actual sound being detennined by ➔:,he context. These letters are symbols which pattern together as a language system. Such a system of symbols has been devised for English, and is coming more and more into use by linguists arxi for the teaching ot English to speakers of other languages. This $ystern providea a symbol tor each pa:rl of the language pattern (such as /t, i, o, u/ or stresses /'' hi, pitches /1 2 3 4/, etc., as discussed below).

The tollowing notes are rough hints on the pronunciation or Persian. English sounds are given for oompar.i.son, but they are diff er.ent sounds.. Only careful listen1.ng can give the student the Persian vowel sounds.


+ =, "C'f' 4( 41 ,. .... ◄

P.1.13

Note 1.2 Vowels

Letter D~2!:!e_i2!! ~~E!2! ---·--8:1 Like our a in hat but actually- between afd· lbad.1

that souni ~-tne ~ of father. menmm tgrateful 1 Technically: a low froiit-vowel.

, tno• n(B

a Like the vowel of hall but without Ml 'health' lip-rounding. --- hala tnowt

Technically: a low· back unroun:i ed r~st I right' vowel.

e Like our e in set b~t with tone:ue a berid tgo11 little higher.•-- cetowr thowi'

Technically: a (higher) mid front tmletun tyour vowel. healtht

i Like the i of machine in its thigh' n!st 'isn't t quality, but without the gliding of m!dunid •you this· soum i1.1 E..nglish. lmowt

Technical.1.y: a bigh front vowel.

0 Like o in roEe but pronounced very d6 •twot short-in Persian, without the w glide g6ftid tyou that Fnglia~ has at the em. - said'

Techni.cally:: a (higher) mid back koja fwherei' rounded vowel.

u Like our u in rude (or oo in boot) IIIIBl&fl'W'l. tt,hankfull but again-shortand without tiie-w n-,!d unlfrtl 'I knowl glide of English. - jlll' lkirJdl

Technically: a high back rounded vowel.

Note: The simple Persian vowel is usually vel"!r short. C.Ompare Persian /t::ln/ and English bad. There are certai.n conditions under which Persian vowels are-re'ngthened, and these will be noted in due oourseo At present it is sufficient to note that ·t.hey are generally much shorte~ than similar English sounds.

Als~ note that the quality of the vowels is remarkably clear whether they are accented or not. The /e/ of /hiletun/ is as clearly am /e/ as that of /b&rid/. Do not use the 'uh' soum of English (technically /a/, the u of but or a of sofa) for unstressed (unaccented) Persian vowe1s:---Be sure you-shy a clear /e/ in /eeto"fr'e/f /blile/, etc. Do not use the !l of : '?.! for final /e/ (as in /l:ifil.e/ J. The same care should be -caken of 1:,he other vowels. Say a clear /(B/ in /gcSrtean, midunam, m!fcebmam/, a clear but short

• D CSU:


C C • ◄ WWZZ.C 44 > QC I C

/o/ in /soma, koja/., a clear /i/ in /r !n., linja, b&rid/ •

Note also the difference between the /o/ of /•ml.eykom, soma, g6ftid, hot~l., koja/ and the /ow/ of /cet6wre/. The /ow/ is more like English, such as the ow of crOW', the oa of boat, the o of note, etco The /o/ is much shorter than-tfie sounds in crow, boat; note;a11 of which have a w off glide at the end. Round-your i:fps for75ersian /o/ (or. /u/) as you ::,:,.y the consonant in fI'Of\-t of the /o/ (or /u/)o

The /ow/ of /cet6wr/, like English o of note, is not a simple vowel but a combination of vowel plus /w7. There are also (as in English) combinations with /y/. The comnonest oombinations are /ey/ (much like ~t of ~~l) and /ay/ (something like ~,:}!: of bol, but beginning with a deep aw sound): /k~y/ rwhenr, 1c~y/ ?tea'.

Compare: stS do

1three 1

•two'

key 'when•

1 abj6w I beer'

The student should be careful oot to pronounce Persian simple /e/ and /o/ like the /ey/ and /ow/ combinations. He may find him-self doing this, especially at the end of words, since English does not have simple vowels of this quality at the end of l\Ords. listen carefully to the tutor for the oontrast between /se/ r three' and /key/ •wheni' azxi between /do/ •two' and /tabjow/ •beert 0 Cut the /e/ and /o/ short when they are not followed ~p /.v/ or /w/.

Be careful, too, not to confuse the sounds of the letters /g/ and /a/. They represent entirely different soun:is to the Persian speaker. It will be especially useful for you to practice the following word pairs in which the two sounds are contrasted. Do this after the tutor. Don't tI"'J it alone.

n£ 'no' ya •or' dest 1hand' rist fright' wfn -IT! -~ hil lhealth 1 d£r 'in' dr 1£our 1

Note 1 0 .3 Stress

The accent mark is/'/. This is used to indicate the louder syllables. A weak syllable is not marked. There are two main varieties of /' /, a louder and a less loud or s eco::dary. E&ch phrase has at least one strong loud stress. All other stressed syllables (syllables with/'/) are secondary in loudness. A simple rule tells which /'/is the loudest. The last stress /~/ in a phrase is the loudest except that stresses following a shift to a lower pitch are seJOndary. For example., in a sentence /g6ftam 11n

•


cfye/ the louiest stress is on /c!-/, the /g6t-/'· 1ard /tm/ being seoond.8:I'Y. If the same senteme is broken into two phrases we have: /'d>ttsn, •:!n a/:re/, there both /g(,f-/ and /cl.-/ are loud, each being the loud.est in its phrase. /•!n/ is still secon:lary. A third way of saying the sentence is /g6.ft9:lll 1:!n 6!;s'e/. Thie is only one phrase and the loudest syllable is /•fu/. /g~f-/ is still secon:la:ey and ~o is /c!-/, since the latter is on low pitch (/1/; see Note 1.4). Stress (which is loudness) am pitch (which is }light of tone) must be carefully distinguished. Since the lomest syllable is often the highest in pitch, there is frequently a tendency to confuse the two.

Note ,.4 Pitch

The numbers /1 2 3 4/ are used (above the line) to in:licate levels of' pitch or tone. /1/ is low, /2/ mid, /3/ high, and /4/ extra high. (No examples of /4/ have occUITed.) English Pitch has the same number of levels, but they combine into patterns differently and often soun:i different from the Persian (as in questions, for example).

Examples of Persian pitches are:

2 3 1 # 3 1 # IIHB1l?lUIUml.e I Ull Ciye •

l mifaimdd~

Note: The pitch number is placed over the consonant preceding the vowel which actually carries the pitch. In the case of a fall from one pitch to another on the same iiowel, the secon:l pitch is on the consonant following. These levels of pitch are not absolute:- like musical notes on a scale, but are high or low relative to each other. There is even some variation on a given/.itch level. For example, there is noticeable variation before /2. In fact, the type of end-ing the phrase has will always affect the ritch (see below and Note 1 .s Juncture). A significant (meaningful) change in the pitch level is made when a new number is given.

The following diagrams, showing relative pitch levels and some of. the variations due to different phrase endings, will help to make these remark" clear:

~ Here the pitch falls from /3/ to /1/ on /e/. This is the pitch of a final stressed syllable with /31/.


--..:ft h,le som1 c_e_to_wr=·e.

~ d'8 . ~ restorf:W, te :riste,,

_r-~

hot&l, koj&st.

• cq '441 'IC 41 >34¥' I ◄

In these e~:amples the pitch falls to /1/ on the syllable following the strees. The fall is actually more gradual than is shown here but is fairl.1' abrupt.

This the same pitch _pattern as nmnndmm (that is, /a31/ but over a longer stretch.

Here we have two/hrases. The one erding in /, has /3/ as the last pitch. The second?. ending in/./, falls to /1 • This s~ence of /a 3/ followed by- /2 1/ 1n the last phraee, is typical of sentences consisting of several phrases (ending in /,/ and /./).

Comparing the diagrams of pitch levels with the numbers assigned, we see how a number indicates that the pitch is maintained until a new number is given. Var-lation of pitch on a number is most noticeable before /'l/. Following are diagrams which illustrate such variation. The last syllable before/?/ is always long with the first pitch pattern given under numbers 2) and 3).

1) The main stress is on the last sy-llable before /'l/. ___ ..,.., The final syllable rises at the end and is, 0£ course, long.

2) The main stress is on the next to the last syllable before /'l/. __r---,.,,__

d.mte r4stet ____,.-r-

date ristef

There are two possibilities here: rising on the last syllable as before or gQ!a~g down in pitch with length.

3) The main stress has two or more syllables following it before /?/. '----m:lfait..!!'.id?

___,-

m!faillnidi

The two main possibilities here are a drop in pitch, but not to the next level down, with a slight rise at the end (or a waver on the last syllable) or a continuation on a high level and rising, particularly at the end.

f •


P.1.17

The same type of intonation occurs before/?/ whether the last stress is on /3/ or /2/.

Following are diagrams of the patterns most frequently met in class drill. If the student becomes familia~ with the way these work, he will be able to dispense with the use of the numbers above theline and use only punctuation as a rem:lmer system. (Numbers, will be used for anything out of the ordinary)•

1) Single phrases

Before/./ \, 3 2~1 2 ----"\ ___ ,

Before /'l/ 2 ~ 2-~ ~ 2) Two or more phrases 3/ ta 2

\ • 1 ---------, ---------i 2

31 ~ / _ _, _______ ---------,

If the phrase begins with the loud stress, the patters will be /3 1/ rather than /2 3 1/ or /3 ,/ rather than /2 3 ,/.

Note 1.S Juncture.

In order to describe the pitches, it has been necessary to discuss the ways phrases may end, the phrase final junctures. These have been indicated by special signs above the line along with the pitch numbers am by the use of punctuation on the l:i.ne itself. This double representation is to dra~ attention to the meaning of the punctuation marks as used here. La'~er the symbols above the line will be omitted except for special cases. The student should by that time be able to•operate correctly using only the punctuation.

There are three types of phrase endings in Persian: /,/, /'Z/ and /./. The special si@'ls for these are /I/, /II/, and /#/ respectively. We will refer to them by their punctuation marks, but these marks are not used in the same way or with the same values as in English or Persian spelling. The system used her'd assigns specific sound values to the .P'Lh"lCtuation marks.

The carrna /,/ (spec.ial sign /I/) iniicates that the last pitch indicated is carried on evenly to the comma and that a change of pitch usually follows the comma. There is not necessai~ily a break or pause. The syllables immediately before /,/ are slightly lengthened (see below). · ·


P.1.18

A question mark /Z/ (special sign /II/) indicates a rising pitch or a slump, nearly always with a lengthening of the last syllable, as defined above. A question mark is not used to indicate a question but only this type of intonation. There are many questions both 1n Persian and E..1.glish which have no intonation differences from an ordinary statement. Only those questions which have this special inton~tion are marked by /Z/ in this course.

There is another feature of Persian phrasing which occurs in conjunction with the phr.ase fi.r~~l junctures. This is a lengthening or drawling at the end of the phrase. SUch a lengthening regularly occurs with /ii arxi is not specially represented there. Otherwise it is represented. by a colon above the line/:/ and a raised dot/•/ in the punctuation system. The raised dot /•/with a comma /,/ is /;/, and the raised dot /•/with a period is/:/. As many sentences may be said with or wit.'l..:>ut this lengthening, it is rarely marked,

.but the student should be prepared t,o find, say, what has been written /,/ (/j/) varying with /;/ (/: I/) quite frequently.

English and Persian have many similarities in their intonation patterns, but there are important differences. Very special attention must tie paid to the intonation of each Persian sentence. It should not be treated as if it were an English sentence. The pitch mnnbers used will help the student to say things correctly but only careful listening and imitation will give the correct pronunciation.

Note 1.6 Styles of speech.

This note draws the student's attention to variations in the way a Persian may say a word or a phrase. This is still only a brief statement of a very complex situation. Persian is much like English in its va. riations and the way in which they relate to style. In English, for example, we may say tdon 1t you• (/d6wnt -yuw/ in a spelling like we use for Persian) or in a more f'onnal style •do you not' (/duw yuw nit/). Actually, we don I t usually say either one, .but r·ather tdoncha 1 (/dcSwnce/). The latter looks substandard, as we write it this way only in funny papers and novel (or other) diaiogu.,, aimed at point .ng up the fact it is colloquial. Of course, 1doncha 1 is perfectly standar-d and used by standard speakers all of the time; but it is not written st?.ndard. (Another example is tsed.1· for I said 1. Both are identical h.1. sound. 1 Sed r is a graphic variant to show that actual speech :ts being re:iresented.) The same is true of l'ersian. There are ·Jl'l4DY forms in these -units which look substandard to a Persian :who ~ee.s··.t.bem written down. They are perfectly standard and used by sta,:1d.a::cd ,epeakers regularly. They just look substand~rd, as the7 ar..•e nest normally written.

This note deals with a classi-fication of ~:ch variants into different styles -and compares the forms of certain words in these styles. There are, of course, other types of differences in


P.1.19

Persian. There are _personal differences. One speaker may use /e/ where another uses /re/. There are geographic dialect differences and social dialect differences. As we are concerned here only with standard Tehran speech, these other variations are not discussed.

The differences following what we call variations in style work in a very regular fashion. The following sentences are selected from the Basic Sentences and are given in two different styles. The student should compare the two version[. as he goes over them.

, . haletun cetowre [haletan cetowret] 2.

, .., a hale som cetowre. [ha.le so~ cetowrrest]

.3. m!dunidi [midanid]

4. m!duna:111. [midanm]

5. ci goftid [ce goftid]

6. r:tn, ciye [l:!n c:Cst]

7. tun ciye. [t;m c:Cst]

a. restoran, dreste raste. [restoran, dffiste rastrest] 9. d


• ◄ 11',1."lf ◄ I ,. ....

P.1.20

/b&i'(f!['Illalid/ may precede another imperative. This gives a very polite tone to the utterance and in:licates the speaker's deference:

b~farma 1id berid. Please go.

befEarIDB.lid 'ta!rjom& konid. Please translate.

It may also be used as a general deferential verb meaning r go ahead and do whatever the situation calls for•. In this resnect it may sometimes.· _be said to replace the imperative of a verb more specifical-ly suited to that situation. For example:

-Please go there. instead of berid •unja.

befrerma1id. Please go ahead. instead of •read', teat'~

•go•, •come•, or what-ever the occasion calls

for.

The student should note the situations in Basic Sentences, Varia":" tion Drills, and free conversation where /befam.1a 1id/ is used.

Note 1 .e Negative prefix /ne-/ ;.J /nffi-/

rnidunam

nemidunam

The prefix /ne-/ is used before verb forms beginning with /rrd-/

nemiffHllllid

to form the negati\a. Compare:

m:!rahmid

rnifa:hma:m nemi:ta:-.hmam

midunid nemidunid Most other forms of the verb have the prefix /na-/:

gorta:m

Note 1.9 Suffix /-4/ ... /-hi/ hot&l kojast.

resturan kojast.

hotele kojast.

resturane kojast.

'Where's [the] hotel.

Where•s (the] restaurant.

Where is the hotel.

Where is the restaurant.

In the first two sentences the question is general. The speaker wants to lmow if there is any hotel or restaurant in the Vicinity. Th,a third and the fourth questions refer to a specific hotel or restaurant (•the hotel' and 11:r,e restaurant•)~ Both the person mo


is asking the question and the person who is supposed to answer it, knqw: already what hotel or restaurant they meano

This suffix, /-~/ after consonant• and /-r~/ or /-h~/ after vowels., may be added to nouns and is used by some speakers in informal spoken Persian. It may be used when the noun in question is quite specific., i.e. when the person involYed in the conversation lrnows precisely what person or object is being talk~d about. This suffix is always stressed and is not used in formal or written Persian. The suffix is often combined with /rfu/ or /rim/, as in /tin hotele/ /t,m hotel~/ and when referring to a person. has a pejorative connotation.

Grammatical Drill ----------------~

GD. 1.2

Vowels _____ .,.

/ts/ Initial Medial Final _... .... -.. ------- .. .., ___ /S3/ t&sk tears kB!n little # ne no

t&s photograph fem art·

1esnU unions seig stone

'mfsl1s alasl aieb night tami,m now aekk doubt 1aafzun increasing gmn4n thought 1amvaj waves # shame n!Blg r enniymt security damavand Damavand t anj oa society nmnnmi thankful t&1daz~ size klBbud dark blue

/a/ tab water 1'11 Shah dw learned tamad~ ready san~ comb ta until , amsn& has come nagoft' unsaid pisva leader tamuzes learning cip print ~ meciicine 'ahest~ slowly nmn name fra.l. atmospherR

'an that mat astonis.h~d ~a many taga!bi advertise- mlst yogurt pasi Pasha

ment .. 'azad:! .freedom idc kiss tasnl. acquaintance

ff ·. )· ·--···-··-·-··-· -~~ -~


P.1.22

Initial Medial Final ·-----tance

1avaz

/e/ t~sm temz,

that which

voice

name

signature

damad # paye

sah&h-

hedaymt testekin glass momk~n

temtehan examination sepim

t estef ad~ use saket

sadeg!

neski

nesastAn

n~sf

tesbat

'ensU rem1can 1 ejar.e

'ehdas

proof

.justice

possibility

permission creation # mes

/i/ 1!n this b!d t!p

zam:!n

'istadlm to stand

tistgah station

lijad 11man

fin&

tizah t;!d

tiyadist

/o/ tom!d

fonvan

tobo~

tod!Bba

1ostid

creation bihus faith biv~

now pisan! explanation h!ckma

festival z:fu

visiting (patient)

nedessitat-~"'lg

hope

title

paternity

men of letters

professor

zistlm

goftm

k~nd

b~n

~st

holan

bridegroom t~M .foundation f!Bla

nam~

cloak

ncm-exist-ence

letter owner

guidance

possible

nevismd& writer

IlfBV~ grandchild

afterwards pestl

silent tikke

simplicity sive sign

to sit

half copper

willow

brigade

earth

sad~

k~

did~

amid~

tut!

bB:l! sin!

unconscious kaf:t

widow koloft:!

fo.rehead soat!

nobody sa:rth:!

saddle gus:!

to li-ve

religion

'to say

dull

root

mail

order

kimi

to d6 kiJ.8.

ccS

., #

sapo

pistachio

piece

method

simple

that

seen

heard

parrot

evil

tray

enough

thickness

wealmess

superficial

receiver

a woman

a little

you

two kologram

if (poetical)

hat


.>2 ◄U :; ◄ w

P.1.2~

Initial Medial Final ----.. ·-- .......... .,._ ---1osll1p style hcSsn beauty

'ost,n province bonyad foundation I Clm.d~ main bongcth institut:Lon tomum! general somb~l hyacinth 1obol.'lret glory mof:!d useful

/u/ 'u he, she bud was pret~ blanket Tutu iron sud p::::-ofit

, ha.i.r mu

t&l lute zud quick karlu squash

'un that kuh mountain tu inside •uf ouchl 1cus1ruf.n to endeavor amu uncle tusta master

, grateful bibu Ofiorless :nmnnun

lunja there kucek small begu say1 t,1t August kuce ·street siBbu. pitcher tu.st he is bu.f owl

, side SU

,..., ju brook gus ear

/f1/ /a/ ,

moist, ,

nam nam name

1ml bad b'd wini , na dampness ruB no

dm breath drun trap 1EeSa cane tasi repose zld he hit zctd birth marl length m,d Mede

, left cap print cmp

, then

, guard p!J3S pas

bmd knot bfui bandage tarlam lack tadlm man km little kmn desire w foam k'f (Persian

letter)

S& 31 ----· --~-


--__,.....,,...--------

P.1.24

/m/

tlEk bliz yarl

blm.1 'amarl~

"tai goze kS jlBn

I~

-~ mlist

89':IYSl dast

+= ◄ 1111'+''1('" >34¥41 -

single

linen

lland

city of Barn

has come

to pass

pulU

collecting

from

kind of pastry

drunk

value valley

key pey dey

, mey

meydan peyman

-ney zeytun

, meymun

beyt

'ESYtmn

Diphthongs ----------

t'1c

baz yad

Mm tamad&

gozastlfn ktts jmu tafz

giz mist

-saman dast

when

trace

/a/

(Iranian month)

wine

square

pact

rl"Jed

olive

monkey verse

orphans

left wing hliyy alive

fe:,yaz generous

vine

open

memory

root

ready

to leave alas,

bowl greed

gas

yogurt

territory he had


.-.--~.,.....,.......,...,_ ____ .,.._. __ ..,.._..,_..,..,.. ___ ..., ___ :: s a o Q :: see:: a

!'4!31 (continued)

I fB'IYam s~ad I , ..,.

fHJY8S ,

ne.r.rer

/ay/ c'-Y baygan . 'h Jayga

tayce

vl.y

lay

saygm paygah

/ow/ ,

now jow

mow .,&,j

now~

dowlln-.

sowklet ,

nowruz ,

mowzu m6wj

GD. t.8 Negative prefix

days

hunt~r

man of pleasure

luminous

tea file-keeper

p:t.ac.te

bundle

ohl

sediment worthy

base

new barley

vine

spouse

turn govermnent

glory

new year

subject

wa.ve

Drill on negative prefixes /n£/ and /n&/. Repeat the follow:1ng sentences a.tter your tutor, then put them into the negative: Example:

Tutor: m!dllllalll hot,1 kojist. Student: m!d.unsm hot&l kojist.

nlmi.dUJ'lB!Tl hot&l koj,st.

D JC


---··......-~,...._...,~-~------------ ...... ,...---- .............. 11111111..,_.. ............. .

1. m!dunid 'un restoran cet&wre.

2. m!fmhmid.

3. - 4' # goftid h le tun cetowre.

4. fars! mUa?lmdd?

s. fars! mifehrnam. 6. goftam •:!n restorane.

7. goftid rast berid?

e. m!dUlllBn hotel kojast.

9, SOM mid:unid7

10. farmudid hot&l dete c4,et

11. tarjome konid.

12. - &n y dmrs tam sod.

3 1 # hale som.4. cetowre.

Variation Drill -----~-----.------

2 3 ,# 23 2 1 # motesaickeram. soIM, cetowrid. 2 3 1 # hilam bade.

!.stow1• j 3 1 # nemidunsem.

2 31#3 1f3 11 c, tarmudid. goftid, nhii.fll!bmam T 31# 3 , I 2 , # 2 , I 3 , # nm. negoftsn, n~mifEBhm!sn. gcSttam, n&nidua. 2 3 I a ,

'.hotele soml., kojistf .3 , I 2. 1 nemiduruan; hotel kojastf


D - ca * ◄ W41ZZZC1111f 4 I >2 ◄•

23 21 . 2 312 31# cetowr nernidunid! hotele soma, dlmte c~e restorkie.

21 2 31#2 312 1# mersi, mmnunam. restoran, kojast"

2 3 I 2 , a restoran, 'unjast'!'

2 3 II koja?

2 3 2 .3 1 # 'unja, d.£ste CffiPe hotele. 2' 3 II rast goftid i

3 1 # beele.

2 3 I 2 3 11 goftid, dreste cl:pe hotele Y

3 1 # 2 1 # b.Ble. cilBSte c£pe hotele.

2 1 # motes/Ekkeram •.

Substitution Drills --------------------

Substitute 1~1e words given after each sentence for the underlined word or wrds of t.he sentence. All substitution drills are to be c.u-ried out according to the following Model Drills

Instructor:

1st Student:

Instructor:

2nd Student:

Instructor:

3rd Student:

hal.etun cet6wre.

haletun cetowre.

hO.e soma. hale soma cetowre. hoteletun.

hoteletun cetowre.

etc.

◄


~~-~---~~- ----~-- ----~------------◄ ............ \C,_.,( -·""'· ~,-, ......... , -◄----.-----..---

P.1.28

,. h,letun cetowre. •1mj,st -------hale soma bltri n:!st

hoteletun 6. hotel koj&st __ _......_

restoranetun

dsasssu'i linj'

hot&l lunji

restoran 7• tun hotele -------2. bai nist, motesaickeram. resmran

----------- da-s lTIEl:?nnunam

m~rsi daJStsut!

c!

.3. fars! midunid • ------- b~flm"'!a'id soru konim. e. --~--__,_, m!tlBlfflid

soru konid n~midunid

n,mifm:;._mid tarjome konid

nowbete somast

4. restoran dete raste. 'inj' --~,_. ___ hotel 1unja

detsul{ rast bf'trid. 9. ---,:rn

Tun dete ~ dete rast

s. restoran diESte raste. lunja ------------

d' I este caape

kojast

'injlst


.i'mrmudid

midunid

n&micflmid

goftid

~goftid

n~nd.faimdd

Per~1.an Orthography' -------------------

The Persian text as her,a is for use after the introduction

or the script, at which time instructions will be given. As this text 1a far reading purposes, the order ot the

sentences in the drill sectiom is not neceasari~ the same as

1 t 1s 1n the transcription.


- • CZ I C 4 ◄ 1111',1 ◄ 4 i > 4Qj4! ii Q

u _ __.,..,., r c:.~

..:

• ~--- ·J ---, .. u

c:.-(,...S' J;A

• cu:


c:-.1.:.A ----~ 0::- J Uc ..

·IJ..: i .

~1,,:-, c:-1, c:- J t...: Ja ~,~ ,,1~


Persian Buie Course --------~-------~---

name

I

Javadi (a last name)

fttY' name1s Javadi.

gentlemen, sir, mister

Mr. Javadi

Hello, Mr. Javadi.

Unit a ---Basic Sentences ________ ..., _____ _

Fereydun (a man1s first name)

My name's Fereydv.n.

lady', wife, Miss, Mrs.

Afshar (a last name)

Zhal& (a woman• s first nane)

Hello·Mrs. Afshar.

Hello Miss Zhale.

God

guardian

Good-b,y'e.

you are

Iran

Iranian

•&am.Awn

• jamld{

3 I 2 , # • ~sme JD!Bl, jEeVad!ye.

'aq' taqqe ji:evad!

2 3 1 # smlim taqaye j£eVadi.

fereyd,m ~ 3 I 2 , #

''sme min, tereydune.

xanom/xanwn

•e.rlh

za1, 2 3 1 # sel."1 xanome •mtsar. 2 3 , II 883lJm zale xanom.

xodi

haf&z 2 3 1 # xod4 ha£em.


Are you an Iranian~

America

American

I am an American

I am

No, I'm an American.

and

Afshar and

they are

Messers Afshar ar:d Javadi are

Iranian.

request, begging, asking

to request, ask, beg

please (•I make request 1 )

11110unt, value, worth

little a little, somewhat slow, slowly

slower, more slowly speech, word

to hit, to strike to speak speaks

41 ~ ~ 1 ;.:? )!

P.2.33

t.,ma I ir~ ha>.stid~ I emrika/1 amrika

•emrika•!/tamri,ka•i

•emrika•:!yam

Msta:m 3 ,.I 2 , # na::; remrikal:cyam. /

2 1 J.! , amrika ti hrestam~·

VtB

lcefsaro

h4stam [himtmd] 2 3 I

laqaye lcEfsaro jawad:!, 2 1 #

1iran! ha:lstan.

xaes [xahes]

xaes mikonam [xahes

mikonam] qa!r ka qldri / lead. yms

ymvast£r herf zanm h£rf zd1 h.Prf bezim:!d


Please speak a little slower.

good; well

I don't understand

I don't understand Persian well.

very, much, many

or

You speak Persian very well.

to pardon, to excuse

excuse [me] I

this (as object)

in Persian (•to Persian')

you say, you•re saying

ExcuBe me, how do you say this

in Persian?

watch, clock, hour

we say, we're s¢ng

We call this a watch in r~rsian.

how much, how many;

some, several

What time is iti

42

2 3 I 2 3 I xaes mikonaJn, k'1d YaNaster, 2 , # b&f beza1id.

xub nemifrehman

2 , I 2 , # fars:! xub, n~mifremnam.

xeyli

bcsyar

2 3 1 somi xeyli xub farsi luerf

~za:nidf

t:fuo [•!nra]

befarsi

m!gid [zrdgu' id J 3 , 2 3 I b~bEex:sid ff t :!no befars{,

2 1 ci rnigid!

m:!gim [m:!gu1im]

2 3 I 2 , •:!no befars:!, sa 11Bt migimf

2 3 1 # sa•et cinde.

More free Persian (Farsi) material can be found on the Live Lingua Project website.I

I

two olclock

mon.e

wht!!n

to bogin, start (intr.)

(it) begins

to want

I want

I1d .J .. ilrn ( tr want r ) to know woon

tM- wrvi~ starts•

Y1"1U want me to tell (you] whar .. the

movie startsi

Ye-;., please.

three

four

five

six q,,

seven

f.!ight

nine

CZ • ◄ W4C ◄ ◄ I ,.. •• ◄

salrete do 2 3 I 2 , mi.g•a5, salrete dost!

sinema/ silllmuI

sorli sodm y ~ V ["' p soru mise soru

xastm

m!x:am [mixahlETl] 2 3 mixarn bedUil!BTl sinem.:i key

1 'I.' • .., # soru Illl.St3e

.3 . I 2 nd.xa ·lid beg€flll, sinema kay

.., ,, • .., II soru Illl.se2

3 I 2 , # bmle, Y..ab.~s mi.konan,

# se

"·., [ """'] sis ses

hoof [hmft]

hoos [het]

n&


i

ten

to come

you come, youlre coming;

you'll come

'When will you comei

I come, I'm caning;

I'll come

I'll come at three.

How about Mr. Javadi and Mr.

Afshar~

they

they come, they 1re coming;

they 111 come

They 111 come at five.

we

Smith

we come, we1re coming., we111 come

We111 come at seven o'clock and Mr.

Smith at eight (o'clock).

he, she he said

he, she, it comes; is

coming, will come

dell

I urrsim [ I amarlm]

nd'yatid

3 1 # key miya•id.

m!yam [mfyayen]

.3 I 2 , # rntm, sa•me s~ miyam. 2 3

taq,ye jrevad:!o taqiye 1refsar 1 cetowr!

•una/'unh' [ ra,nMJ miyand [m!yayand]

2 31 2 3 1 •una, sa 1ete ~j miyan!

lesmit

m:cya'im 3 I 2 , I 2 ma., sa 1ete hmf.f:. miya 1im, vm

, I 2 •a~aye 1esmit, sa 1ete

ldat. ,11 goft miyad [miyaymJ


.........,...--~ ---~ - --~- -~~--~- ~----~ ---~-•-◄---..-........ - ..... -- .. .....,..,. __ .,..,_,""· ->•~4►.....,.•-◄-----•-... a•=-"

When did he say he'd comei

He said at eight.

Where are you goingi

I'm going to the movies.

to have

you have

Do you have a watchi

No I dontt (have)e

What time are you oomingi

I don't know. trom

Where should we go from tare?

Let's go to +.he movie.

:i! 3 1 # ru key goft miyad.

3 I 2 , ,i # goft, sa 11Bte hmst.

2 3 1 # sorrJ. koja mirid.

3 I 2 , m!rlBll, s mem'-ff

dastrn

darid

2 3 1 # satete ca:nd miyalid.

3 1 # nAmidunen.

·-2 3 1 # lrez linja koja berimo 2 3 1 # b~rim sinema.

Classroom E.xpressicns ---------------------

question

pl.

to ask a question (with /•rm/)

answer

to give

to answer

I'll ask a question, and you

answer [me].

~oal [so 1al]

soalat [so 1alat]

soal [so:al] kEerdm

jeevab

dadem

j!BV&b dadtm

2 3 I ndn so 1al mikonfBTlo,

jewb ~edid!

2 ., L soma


to read

to study

Let's begin classo

..

it vs impos~i'bJ.e, one cannot

(•it does not become')

this way J in the manner

No, it's not possible to say

it this way.

one must, one should, it rs

necessary

You must say [it] this way.

No~~~., Consonants

◄ W.W

Notes

• c; =w;4122224jf


- • ca s a •◄ :: so: a

unaspirated (have no such puff of breath). Notice

the difference between the aspirated /p/ or~ or

2E¥.!!


I .. ,

• < W44 ◄ c: ;zuc; z

position to say /y/ and then, holding your tongue close to the roof of your mouth as you have it for /y /, say /k/

or /g/. Anotper way is to put the tip of the tongue in back of the upper teeth and then say /k/ or /g/. At all times the stu1.bnt should listen car~f:.tlly to the Persian

speaker and i;;u.tats. (We have slightly palatal /k/ and /g/

ill English in such words as key, keel, keep, geese, geezer, _._,_ ---- ~Qa- - ---- -------

but Persian palatalization is much stronger. With some

Persian speakers palatnl /k/ and /g/ approach Persian /c/ and /j/o Some Persic!n speakers have the palatalization only before /i e m/o)

/1/ is higher toned than in English. Raise the middle of the '

tongue closer to the roof of the mouth with the sides of

the t~ngue touching the upper teeth, much as you do for

mak:ing /y/. E.g. /bele/ tyes', /smaml lgreatings', /meyl/ •wish 1 • Note the difference between /meyl/ and

English •mail' •

/r/ is made with the tip of the tongue flapped or trilled

against the ridge back of the upper front teet.h. The

student should never use an English /r/. There are three main varieties of Persian /r/: a single flap (sometimes in between vowels), a trill (two or more flaps - at the

beginning of a word, next to a consonant and usually

between vowels), and a whispered trill (at the end of a

word before a pause or open juncture / , i ./ [ I II #] ) •

Listen carefully to these words again:

rast •ri~ht' b~rid 'go&' qidri ta little'

riyal trial• dar:ld tyou have t fars:C. •Persian' c~r lfourt doezar •two rials' cejur twhat kirxi'

Now list.en to the contrast between these Persian and English

words=

•Persian' contrast tfarcet

D cu


, unra

1 cigarette t

I that (obj•) 1

contrast

contrast

1cigart

!lJNRRAt

/h/ causes no difficulties when it occurs at the br.1i.nning of a syllable. It :i.s easy for us to say /!1ala/ ~now1 and /hal/

lhealtht (at least so far as the /h/ is concerned!). However,

Persian /h/ also occurs at the end of syllables in Persian:

/mifcehma:m, dlEh/. Here there are two possible pronunciations:

1) a more careful cne., where a clear breat,hed [h] is heard

2) the normal colloquial, where /h/ ju.:::t lengthens the vowel.,

with a glide effect. The first pronunciation is hard for

E.~glish speakers, but the student must learn it to be able to

speak Persian properly. It occurs naturally in a normal,

rather deliberateJ type of speech. Since it will probably be

some time before the student can speak rapidly well, it is

best to know how to speak slower proper~y.

The breathed [h] at the end of a syllable sounds difficult,

but it is only putting a breath of air at the end very similar

to that at the beginning. Listen carefully and repeat:

dreh milrehmid mehmunxune qahve noh

The glide type of /h/ is very similar to something we

have in English. Compare a simple vowe1 in English like the

o (phonemically /a/) of hot with the long vowel and glide of - ---?-~• Or compare ~~~~ and ~~~• ~~~~ and hot both have a short /a/ sound (like the /a/ of father). Calm has a long /a/ ----with a glide. In rapid speech Persian bas a very similar

glide and lengthening replacing /h/. It is important to note

that .,~e'"" /h/ is not ordinarily 'left out I in this position but ~--replaced by something else. (This something else is, we shall

see, the same type of glide we have for Persian /t / before a consonant). The glide is toward the tcentert or 'uh' position (phonetically [e] ). · The student should listen carefully and

- -....:..::.. ....


- ,. C C 4 4 Ctµ ◄ Ci > 40l ii Q

imitate his native speat-er whichever pronunciation he may be

using and be sure he can say both.

/t/ is a sound which also requires some ex:pJ.ana.tion. In careful formal speech :t t is a stoppage of br,.1abh, a glottal stop [?).

You hear it frequently in English. If you say very slowly and

deliberately, '~n English', you will have it before each of

these words. It occurs regularly in Persian words said the

same way: /7in/, /:engeU.s.:!/, /nun/, etc. You sometimes hear it in English as a ~~bstitute for /t/ in such words as~~~~!~ (said 2~12~~!). You also hea1· it clear)y in uh-uho

Between vowels in informal spoken Persian /r/may be just

a kind of trough in between the vowel peaks, so that both

vowels are said distinctlyo This is the type of speech one

should first try to master. In rapid spoken Persian it usually

disappears and the vowels run together. A number of different

types of contractions may result. For example:

Vowels said distinctly: sa'!Et Contracted: s~at

w'hat is /h/ between vowels in formal speech may be replaced by the trough kind of /t / in the colloquial (never by the stop [?)of/•/) and may then have the same type of contraction:

Formal: m!xahid Informal distinct: mfx:a•id

Contracted: mixayd

Other values of / 1/ will be discussed when examples have

occured.

The following two sounds will be entirely new to the student, and he

will need ·l;o pay particular attention to them:

/x/ This sound is made farther back in the mouth than a /k/, and

instead of completely stopping the air by pressing your tongue

against the roof of your mouth, you let the air slide through.

It sounds somewhat like clearing your throat. It is the same

f D u


C $ ♦> D

/q/

D - - oz < ¥ G Wfi,C Cl >24¥"'1 ◄

kind of sound as the ch of German ach, but is made fa.rther back. ~-- ---To make /x/ press the back of the tongue against the uwla (pendant at back of mout~) and the back part of the roof of the

mouth and brmtth air through. There is often some trllling of

the uvula in nddition to the other friction. The sound should

be voiceless li~e /s, f, s/, not vuiced as /z, v, z/0 E•Gr xi.1b I good f xeyli tvery' mfx:am 'I wa.11t'

, 'lady' xoda tGod' toxm 'seed, egg' xanom

There are two varieties of /q/: a s·1~op variety and a fricative

variety.

The stop variety is like a far back 'hard' g. This sound .. completely stops the flow of the breath (as do /k/ and /g/). To make it one should press the back of the tongue against the

soft palate and uvula and say gas in go. (This sound is technically described as a voiced post·velar stop, represented

by the symbol [G] ).

This sound occurs usually at the beginn:ing of a word, e.g.

/tq£tl/ •murder', /qrebz/ 'receipt•, /qom/, •Qom'• It is often

heard in the middle of the word when there is also a stop

variety of /q/ elsewhere in the word (eQg. at the beginning or

at the end of the word), e.g. /qomqom~/ •canteen', /d~!q/ 1delicate 1 • It is always a stop when occuring double /qq/,

e.g. /r~qas/ 'dancer', /b83qqal/ •grocer•. In such combina-

tions with other consonants as /mq/, /lq/, /bq/ in the middle of the word /q/ has the stop pronunciation in some of these and

the spirant (fricative) in others. In combination with the above consonan.ts at the end of words the /q/ is regularly a

stop, e.g. /tt,mq/ 1depth 1 , /xlil.q/ •creation•.

The fricative variety of the /q/ sound is made in the sam1:

place in the mouth (pressing the back of the tongue against the soft pal.cite and uvula) but lets the air slide through (as in

•


/x/). The difference between /x/ and the fricative /q,/ is the same as the difference between /s/ and /z/. /q/ and /z/ have the buzzing of the vocal cords (voicing), /x/ and /s/ do not. (This sound is t-e1.m:2icalJ.y described as a voiced post·.,elar

fricative [y Jo Tr-0 fricative var:i.e:.y occJ.rs between vowels, in certain ccnr.o~ant groups and sometimes at the end of the

word, e.g. /taqu/, lgentlem11nl, /nuB:1l'eb/ Vwent', /da:m.aq/ •nose'•

Between vowels /q/ is reg,llarly a frica.ti ve rather than a stop. In consonant groups and at the end of a word there may

be variation ... in some groups /q/ is regularly a stop in others regularly a fricative. In many there is free variation -

either the stop or fricative may be used.

1hen' 1friend 1

'west• . 'kernel•

The difference between the two sounds in these words is not significant.

Which is used does not matter.

While there is some free variation at the end of words and in

certain consonant clusters, /q/ is regularly a stop at the begir.JJ.ing of words and regularly a fricative between vowels. TMi.s pattern is .clear

and is easily seen when a word with a stop /q/ gets a prefix which results in the /q/ be~ng between vowels. For example:

qerlr

qebz

Stop Fricative . ---- ----------

1amount 1

•receipt•

~eqooar

doqoobze

1how muchi'

•with two receipts'

Other words show both the stop and the fricative, beginning of the wordj the fricative later:

the stop at the

qurbaqe lfrog' qayeq •canoe•

One should not contuse /q/ with /g/:


... ---.,-ii ....... ------- .... ---------------------..-- .................. --: .. ,-◄ • .....,.,, ______ T"""""'_ ... __ ~_

qi(z

qollab

_tgoose'

'hook'

lga~ f

'rose water•

There are dialects of Persian in which the stop and fricative

varieties of /q/ are two different sounds which occur in contrast with

each other. In such a dialect the differen;_.d between two words may

depend only on the /q/. For example, in standc?rd Tehrani /qaz-!/ may be 'judge' or •warrior•. In a dialect in which the two varieties of /q/

were distinguished, /qaz!/ is 'judge' and /ya.z!/ 1warrior 1 • The Kermani

dialect, Afghan Persian and Tajik are three dialects in which such a

difference is made,. Examples of words with the stop in Tehrani and the

fricative in these other dialects are:

. . qiyas 1help 1 qul I giant, ogre• qeraTJret 'reparation' • tbud' qonce

# 1othert qaleb 'conquering' qeyr

qeyrret •zeal' • ! goose' qaz qaazrel 11.yric poetry' qarretger t plunderer'

qaazal 'gazelle' • . then' morq . ..,, 1fainting 1 " 'kernel' qres ma:qz

qerqe~ 1iargling'

Yqur speaker w.i.11 probably use the stop variety of /q/ for these

words but he ~~l use _the fricative. Imitate whichever he uses~

!~~!r~!~ Persian grammar is not complex. There are not many endings, and

most forms are quite regular. Like English, tht:::-e is a lot conveyed by

word order rather than special endings; but the order is different. The

Basic Sentences are really the student's grammar. They give the fonns

of Persian words and their use in natural sentences. They are not only

to be memorized but to serve as a basis for making new sentences, using

them as models. The gramnatical notes in these imits are tc help the

student understand the Persian fonns he has already learned in the Basic

Sentences and to guide him in making new combinations.

53


i' a a+ = p - - ...,. ~ ◄ I :,e '4W 'I

Note 2.2 Connective /e/ (tezaf~)

hi!l-e soma your health

dimt-e rast right hand

d£si;-e c~ left hand

t~sm-e nm1 my name - 'EEfsar Miss Afshar xonc:•m-c

satret-e Mnd what tir.ie

sat£t-e d6 two oRclock

Each of these examples has two wrds OO'l1nected by /e/. This /e/

has been separated by a hyphen (-) to ma1


/r.i:eftAne hal~/ r going now 1 0 It may be a phrase: /hotele xube taqaye

trefsar/ •Mro Afshar ts good hotel' ..

Note 2.3 Forms of address

srel&n •a.qaye jrevadto

srelrur. xanome icefsar..

sa>J.&n zale xano.'11.o

Eel .. lo Mr. Ja.vadi.,

Hello l'IJI's. Afshar.

Hello Miss Zha.le~

/taqa./ !Mr. t with the co) 11ective /e/ an:l /xanom/ •Mrs.' or f!'1iss' always precede the last name of a person~ When the first na~e is used

/xanom/ follows it as in /'f,ale xar;.6m/. Tn."is c-..a,1 be either a single or a

married woman. In a more formal speech /xanome ~uqaye 1££.fsar/ can be used for •Mrs. Afshar'. Otherwise thpre is no distinction between 1Miss'

and 'Mrs.• in spoken Pe:rnian. In very formal speeches, radio, newspapers,

etc •. /banu/ plo /banovan/ is used for 'Mrs., ' and /dusiz~/ plo /dusizegan/

for 'Miss• without the connective /e/. In that case both first and last names are used., e.g. /bami zaloye jrevad:!/, /du.size mcery£ne lrefsar/ •

'When a masculine first nan,e is used, it is f,11lowed by /xan/ without

the connective /e/ as in /fereydun xa.n/. Somewhat less familiar than

this but more familiar than /1 aqaye j EEVad!/ will be /t aqaye fereydun xan/ • If the person addressed is considered to be socially inferior to the

speaker (servant., chauffeur, gardener., etc.) the first name without the

connective /e/ is followed by /taqa./ as in /fereydun ~aqa/. With some names /taqa/ may be put before it., e.g. /•aqa reza/. The form /fereydun

taqa/., /taqa reza./ is also used by the members of the family, close

friends, etc. when addressing each other. Here is a summary of the

preceding with some additional details:

Forms of

Address

1 ) very familiar

(used an;_ong relatives or close friends)

Mr. Javad Javadi

/jmd/

Mariam

(his ·wi:fe) ----------

Zhale

(his daughter) --------------/zale/

I


2) Familiar /jaavad taqa/

(used when addressing or servants, etc. or by /taqa reza/ members of a fai"Tlily when addressing ea\'!:h other) has a connota~~.o;:i of endearment.

.3) Polit.e-F'ai-niliar

4) Polite-less Familiar /taqaye jmd/

5) Poli te .... Jnf ormal /ruqa:re j!BVad ,. . X.c:..1/

6) Formal /taqaye j83Vad:!/

7) Formal (to show more respect to a lady)

8) Very formal

(official speeches., radio broadcasts, news-papers, official doouments. Ate.)

/2nreizy1Bll xanom/ /zal~ xanom/

,.., " / /zale xanom

/mr£ry'11 xanom/

I , , X:1.!10.:1:".l ::r.rerya:m h:4nome zal~ xano:•1/ xan6m/

/xanome jrevad:!/ /xanome jrevadi/

/xanc:ne : aq aye jrevadi/

/b " , anu rw::ry8:l'lle jrevadi/

/dusiz~ zaleye

janrad:!/

Further specj'..tl arrl defermcial forms of addressing people \-1:i.ll be taken

up in later Units.

Note 2.4 Verb endings

m:!duruan

m:!xam -goft~

I know

I want

I said

Each of these verbs ends in /-m/, and they all refer to the speaker, 11 1 , as t,he actor (or subject). Tht? verb of the Persian verbal sentence

always indicates by its ending whether the subject or actor is •r•., •you•, 1he, she., it 1 (the same ending se~voe for all three of these - see below),

1we' or •theyt. The separate words (pronotms) for these, such as /rnai./

56


'I', are used for 5nphasis or contrast (compare /goftan/ 1!. said 1 and

/mm goftam/ •I said')., If we compare the 'I' form of a verb with another fonn, such as •you•, we see the endings indicating these forms (I, you)

v~ clearly:

l1ll.dU!llB'll I know-

m!chmid ye:u know

mi:i:.am I want -rwcalid you want

goft.~~ I said , 't, 'd gol ~~ yo·u sa:i.d.

The 'I' ending of /miduman/ and /goftam/ is /c,1£-1,/; the 1you 1 ending is /-id/. The 'I' ending of /m:!xam/ is /-m/, the •you• ending is /-iid/.

Whether /-f:f"Jl/ or /-m/ (/-id/ or /-•id/) is used depends on the last sound of the verb stem (see below) to which it is added. If the verb stem ends

in a consonant /-an/ or /-id/ is used; if it ends in a vowel, /-m/ or /- 1icl/ is used (/mixa-/). Here are examples showing the present and past

e .• -:ings we have had in Uni ts 1 and 2:

1) Present mdings:

mifrehrr11B11

miyam

m!ge

miyad , .

m:i.p.:m

2) Past Endings:

goftam

goft

'I lmow•

t I come•

•he says•

lhe comes•

rwe say•

•I said 1

lhe said'

miyalim

mig:l..d

1niya1id

ha1Stand

mfyand

flEI'I!ludid

•we c0me1

tym: say'

•you come•

•they are' 1they come 1

'you s~d•

From these examples we seP. that the present ending /-sr,,/ or /-m/ is 1I 1 , /-e/ or /-d./ is 'he' (al~o ishe', 'it• or with a noun subject as in /sipema sa 11Bte do soru mise/ •the movie will start at two•), /-im/ o~• /- 1i:m/ is •w.~•, /-id/ or /-•id/ is 'you• and /..fI!lld/ or /-nd/ tth~rl.


•◄ < • z W44 4f ct .► 4U< : I C A i

These forms are used both to correspond to English present tense

forms and to English future forms o There, is also a future made like

English with a form for •will' wh:Lch is less cormnon in spoken Persian and

which will be explained in U:nit .60

There are other Ye:•.•l., endings which haYe nrit yet occured in our Ba.sic

Senten~es. These are:

1) a more familiar for for 1you•. This is /-i/ or /-•i/ in present-future tense as in /m:!d.uni/ 'you (singular fami]ia:c) know•, /mfx:a •i/

tyou (singular familiar) v:ant'; and /-•i/ in the simple past tense as in /gofti/ 'you (singular familiar) said~ e

2) the s:iJnple-past 'we r anding /-m/, a.s in / goftim/ 1 we said' •

.3) the s:imple-past 'they' ewiing /-r:m.d/, as in /goft.a:nd/ 'they said'o

There are two sets of present-future endings: those occuring after stems

ending in a consonant ( consonant verbs) and those occu.:r'ing after otems

ending in a vowel (vowel verbs). As the simple-past endings always occur

after consonants, there is only one set of these endings. The .3rd person singular of the simple past (he, she, it) has no ending (or, has the

ending - zero)., The verbs /rre.rttm/ 'go/ and /1 arnma:n/ 'come• will serve as examples of the complete set of these endings:

m:!rlBll

miri

, rru.re

m::!rim

m!rid

Pre s,:m t-future ------------·--Consonant Verb Vowel Verb --------------

I 1m going, I'll go you•re going, you'll go

m:!yam

mzyati

I'm coming, I'll come

you're coming, you'll come

he (she, it) will go

we I re going,

you 1re going,

is going,

we'll go

you'll g1:,

5i

m:!yad he (she, it) is coming, will come

miya•irn wefre coming, we'll come

m:{ya•id you 1re coming, you'll come

S 10


m!rand

rffiftan

rrefti

rreft

they're going, they'll go

I went

you went

he (she, it) went

ncl:yand they 1re coming, they 111 come

rJftjm we went

rceftid you went

rref'tand they went

Tl1e endings /-rmd/ as in /rcfrtrend/ or /m:!grend/ and /-nd/ as in /rniyand/

are used in slower and more precise speecho The;tr are /....ren/ and /-n/ respectively in rapid spoken Persian. The ending /-id/ is often replaced

by /-in/ in colloquial speech. It should be also noted that in very colloquial informal speech the /t/ is completely lost, so that the _set of endings of a vowel verb becomes as fallows:

m:cyam, miyay, ID:tyad, miyaym, , ,

miyayn, miyan.

The singular familiar /-i/ form is used only when spe!:!.king to one

person, and this person is a child, close relative, or someone the

speaker is on ve-ry familiar terms with. It is always used in addressing

the Deity. Iranians use it when addressing servants, peasants or people

generally whom they consider to be socially inferior. As a general rule

non-Iranians should use the /-id/ form rather than /-i/.

Note 2.5 Verb prefixes /mi-/, /be-/

muam beduna3!1 sinema key soru mise.

mua'id bega3!l, sinema key soru

niisei

berim sinema.

lrez 'inja koja berim.

I want to lmow when the movie

starts.

Do you want me to tell [you]

when the movie startsi

Let 1s go t

FSI - Spoken Persian (Farsi) - Spoken Persian.pdf · Iviany learn it as a language. . , ' The is...

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