Persian for Beginners

Iraj Bashiri

PERSIANFOR BEGINNERS

Fourth Edition

Tape Manual

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Copyright 1991, 1981, 1975, 1972 by Iraj Bashiri

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any formwhatsoever, by photograph or mimeograph or by any other means, bybroadcast or transmission, by translation into any kind of language, norby recording electronically or otherwise, without permission in writingfrom the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passagesin critical articles and reviews.

Library of Congress catalogue number: 90-092057

ISBN 0-915327-04-X

Manufactured in the United States of America

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Contents

Introduction

The Sounds of Persian

Persian VowelsPersian Semi-vowelsPersian Consonants

1. Persian r2. The Glottal Stop ' and h3. The Consonants k and g4. The Persian Sound x5. The Persian Sound q

The Suprasegmentals of PersianQuestion in PersianIntonation Pattern of AddressStress in PersianHarmonySpectrogram

Transition

Phonological DifferencesMorphological DifferencesSyntactic Differences

Unit OneUnit TwoUnit ThreeUnit FourUnit FiveUnit SixUnit SevenUnit EightUnit Nine

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Unit TenUnit ElevenUnit TwelveUnit ThirteenUnit FourteenUnit FifteenUnit SixteenUnit SeventeenUnit EighteenUnit NineteenUnit Twenty

Glossary

Persian-EnglishEnglish-Persian

THE SOUNDS OF PERSIAN

INTRODUCTION

Most of the sounds in Persian are quite similar to those in English, but none areexactly the same. Some minor and some crucial differences distinguish the sounds ofPersian from similar sounds in English. And there are some sounds in Persian for whichthere exist no English equivalents. These are mostly guttural sounds represented ineveryday English by kh, gh, and the like. The sounds of Persian can easily be divided into three main categories: vowels,semi-vowels (diphthongs) and consonants. In "The Sounds of Persian," we will examinethe feature distinctions mentioned above and focus mostly on what makes Persian sounddifferent from English.

PERSIAN VOWELS

Vowels are sounds which are produced with no closure in the vocal apparatus.The air stream flows unimpeded from the lungs. The position of the tongue and therounding of the lips determine the features of the vowel. The six vowels of Persian are differentiated by the height of the tongue: high,mid, low; and by the place in the mouth where each vowel is produced: front or back.The chart below shows this distinction:

front back

high i u

mid e o

low a

chart 1: Persian vowels

Persian vowels

In length, Persian vowels are almost the same. The vowel which receives theword stress, however, is always slightly longer in duration than other vowels in theword, and longer than itself, were it to be in an unstressed position. Note that onlyvowels carry stress. The most common place for Persian word stress is on the vowel ofthe last syllable. There are, however, some words such as ge 'if' that are exceptions tothis rule. Below we will examine the six vowels of Persian and compare them to thosesounds in English that come closest to them:

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1. The vowel i is pronounced roughly like ee in the English word seen. Thedifference lies in the y-glide that follows the English i. The Persian i is notfollowed by this glide:

Compare:

Persian English

sn seenbn beenkn keendn dean

Drill

Repeat the following after your instructor:

: kf, bst, n, l, bin, mell i: birn, bidr, gils, inj, irn

2. The vowel u is pronounced roughly like oo in the English word mood. Thedifference lies in the w-glide that follows the English u. The Persian u is notfollowed by such a glide.

Compare:

Persian English

rd rudemr moorr surepl pooltr tour

Drill


: g, xam, br, ras, , n u: mur, ku, ut, unj, ku, un

3. The vowel o is pronounced roughly like the o in the English word gold. Thedifference lies in a w-glide that follows the English sound. The Persian o isnot followed by such a glide.

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Compare:

Persian English

gl goalt towd doughbn bone

Drill


: xl, xk, dorst, t, jel, pol o: ostd, omd, kolh, bolbl, otq, otobs

4. The vowel e is fairly close in pronunciation to the vowel e in the Englishword bed.

Drill


: sm, dan, xah, lng, xan, lan e: delbr, en, sepr, ketb, emz, emrik

5. The vowel is pronounced roughly like a in the English word bad. Thedifference lies in the -glide (movement of the tongue to a neutral position)that follows the English sound. The Persian is not followed by this glide.

Compare:

Persian English

jm jamrm ramsd sadcp chapdm dam

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Drill


: gr, sb, br, sng, mrd, n : kbb, srb, kmr, smr, fsn

6. The vowel a is fairly close in pronunciation to the vowel a in the Englishword father.

Drill


: n, b, m, xk, aq, xod a: adm, ab, kafr, ka, damn, kesalt

Important Note:

The glides that distinguish the English vowel sounds from those of Persian donot usually affect the meaning of the words. If one were to pronounce the Persian wordswith the English vowels, he would be understood, albeit as a non-native with a heavyaccent. The difference between and a, however, is one that may constitute a meaningdistinction. The fact that English speakers find it difficult to distinguish these twovowels makes it imperative to learn to distinguish from a at an early stage.Furthermore, as we learn more about Persian, we realize that this distinction is essentialfor writing Persian as well. In Persian only the long vowels, in this case a, are writtenusing a letter. is represented by a vowel sign (see "The Persian Writing System," fordetails). The words that follow illustrate how one might confuse the listener by using for a and vice versa:

Compare:

a

xr donkey xr thorndr door dr gallowstk unique tk vine

kr deaf kr work bd bad bd wind

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PERSIAN SEMI-VOWELS(diphthongs)

There are two diphthongs in Persian: ey and ow . These diphthongs arepronounced roughly like the ai in the English word bait, and the oa in the English wordboat respectively.

Drill


ey : syf, syl, qyd, myl, eyvn, dy ow : owqt, owz', howlh, dowlt, nowbt, twr

Contrast:

e - ey : sr syr, xr xyr, sl syl, qr qyr o - ow : ql qwl, kn kwn, kt kwt, bl bwl

PERSIAN CONSONANTS

Consonants are sounds which are produced when the air stream initiating in thelungs is checked in one or two places at, or between, the vocal cords and the lips. A fullclosure produces a stop ( e.g., p). A partial closure produces a fricative (e.g., f ). If thevocal cords vibrate when producing the sound, the consonant is voiced (e.g., b, v). If thevocal cords do not vibrate, the consonant is voiceless (e.g., p, f).

This text teaches the sounds of Persian through imitation of given models, ratherthan through instruction; it assumes that the instructor supplies the students with a fairknowledge of the rudiments of phonology. And that students, especially those who usethis text as a teach-yourself manual, consult a good introductory linguistics text, listento tapes and to a native Iranian. This procedure insures that the sounds they produce arefairly close to those produced by a native speaker. The following consonants of Persianare pronounced approximately the same in English and Persian.

Drill

Repeat after your instructor:

p pl, p, kpr, sepr, tp, p

b b, br, ab, bab, kbb, hobb

t tp, tr, str, ketb, dst, pakt

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d dst, dm, sed, medd, mrd, keld

f frd, fl, felfl, nft, kf, tsadf

v vm, vb, divr, jelv, dv, srv

rx, b, b, ar, g, m

j jn, jng, ajl, hjm, snj, brj

s sng, sin, asmn, mesl, rqs, xs

z zbn, zoql, kuz, vzn, grz, mz

m, otr, xord, rown, h, nq

rf, ulid, kdm, mo, g, d

m mur, kmr, rmz, sm, xtm, zxm

n noqr, kenr, xn, payn, mtn, dfn

l lal, lgr, jolg, dlr, gl, dl

w owqt, owld, twr, twq, jelw, paltw

y yk, yr, siy, dony, ky, my

The following consonants are either not found in English at all, or theirdistribution in the two languages is somewhat different.

1. The Persian r

The Persian r is pronounced differently from the English r. In intervocalicpositions (i.e., between two vowels), Persian r is trilled. It sounds somewhat like theSpanish trilled r in perro 'dog'. At the end of a word, the Persian r is a flap. In otherpositions it is a single tap.

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Drill

Please repeat after your instructor:

r between vowels : drr, rk, borad, traz, rr

r word final : sr, axr, adr, dr, dr

r in other positions: rz, rg, fars, drd, fr

2. The glottal stop ' and h

The glottal stop is produced by the opening and closing of the glottis. ' isproduced in the area immediately in front of the glottis. Unlike the glottal stop which isproduced by a complete closure of the glottis, h needs only a partial closure (h is africative) at the area in which it is produced. Glottal stop and h are found in bothEnglish and Persian. The environment in which these sounds occur in English, however,is more restricted than in Persian. In English h occurs in words such as house and bah!;the glottal stop occurs in certain exclamations like 'oh 'oh!

Drill


h : h, hol, mah, mhr, mh, gorh, hr, nhr

' : 'j, 'd, r'd, 'r, jm', o'', b'd, j'd, s'd

It should be noted that after vowels both the glottal stop and h may be droppedand their place be taken by the lengthening of the vowels that precede them. This isusually referred to as compensatory lengthening of the vowel preceding the deletedconsonant.

Compare:

hr :r city [r evil ]nhr n:r stream [nr male ]mh m: moon [m we ]r'd r:d thunder [rd refusal ]b'd b:d later [bd bad ]j'd j:d curl [jdd ancestor ]

It was mentioned earlier that Persian vowels in stressed positions are alwaysslightly longer than those in unstressed positions. The compensatory lengthening,brought about by the deletion of ' and h, produces enough duration to eliminate anyconfusion that might arise.

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Compare:

hr = :r r nhr = n:r nr jhl = j:l jlbhs = b:s bs shm = s:m sm rhm = r:m rms'd = s:d sd b'd = b:d bd m'n = m:n mnr'd = r:d rd d'v = d:v dv b's = b:s bs

3. The Consonants k and g

Compare the sound of k in the English word cool with the same sound in theEnglish word kitten. It is apparent that the two sounds differ, albeit minimally, both intheir release and in their place of articulation. The k in cool has a clear and sharprelease, produced further back in the mouth than the k in kitten. The k in kitten has asomewhat aspirated or a y-glide release and, of course, it is produced further forward inthe mouth than the k in cool. These features of the English k are shared by all English words in which the ksound precedes a front vowel (e.g., cane, cat, keel); and by those words in which thesound k occurs before a back vowel (e.g., code, comb, coast). This important distinctionexists in Persian as well. Here, however, the distinction is more prominent than inEnglish. Listen to your instructor pronounce these words, then repeat:

before back vowels: kh, kd, krd, kr, km, knd

before front vowels: kf, k, krm, ketb, krd, km

elsewhere: xk, kk, k, trk, ordk, tkml, mktb

As is evident, the front/back distinction explained for English also holds true forPersian. Namely, before i, e, and (front vowels) the sound k is produced furtherforward in the mouth, and it has a y-glide release. When it occurs in front of u, o, and a(back vowels) it is produced further back in the mouth and does not have a distinctrelease.

The y-glide release discussed above results from the raising of the front portionof the tongue when k is before a front vowel, or when k is in word, or syllable, finalposition. The intensity of the release differs from speaker to speaker. For somespeakers, the release of k in a word such as ketb 'book' can be strong enough to soundlike a .

Drill


kh, kd, kn, ks, kin, kis, kj, tk, ptk, lkl, kd

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In the same environment, the g-sound of Persian behaves in exactly the samemanner as k.

Drill


gr, gv, gils, gr, gll, gel, grm, rg, sg

mrg, gm, ngr, sngn, rgbr, sggrg

4. The Persian sound x

The sound x does not occur in English. It is a guttural sound and Americansusually replace it with either an English k or an h. To avoid mispronunciations such as*keyli kub and *heyli hub for xeyli xub 'very good,' these three sounds are presentedbelow in contrast to one another.

Drill


xr, bxt, sxt, xord, txm, xm, zxm, rx, tnasx,

nosx, bx, sx, rxt, bxt, xb, mx, sxt, dxt,

axr, xtr, mxml, axnd, xorm, rx, bx.


x : xr, xk, boxr, bxt, x, sx

k : kh, kn, 'ks, kin, kj, tk

h : h, hol, mah, mhr, mh, gorh

Please contrast:

lx lk, bx bk, rx rk, xl kl, xt kt

Contrast x and k:

xd kd, xk kk, xm km, xr kr, rx rk,

xl kl, xr kr, xb kb

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Contrast x and h:

Please repeat:

xr hr, xz hz, xl hl, x h, xm hm, xr hr

Contrast k and h:

kl hl, kr hr, kr hr, kr hr, km hm, kn hn

Contrast x, h, and k:

xm hm km, xr hr kr, xl hl kl, xn hn kn

5. The Persian sound q

Like x, q is not one of the sounds of the English language. To produce thisvoiceless stop, place the farthest back portion of the tongue against the uvula and try tosay k.

Drill

Repeat the following words three times after your instructor:

qb, qr, bq, otq, qm, qbr, qz, qt, meqdr,qomr, rqs, sqf, qtr, qws, qesmt, qlb

Contrast q and g

qnd gnd, qern gern, q g,qol gol, qbr gbr, qz gz

Contrast q and x

qb xb, qm xm, qnd xnd,q x, qal xal, qomr xomr

Contrast q and k

qk kk, qsb ksb, q k,qm km, qr kr, ql kl

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Contrast q, x and k

q x k, ql xl kl, qr xr kr, qk xk kk,qm xm km, qnd xnd knd, qr xr kr

The voiceless stop q has a voiced fricative variant symbolized by . For somespeakers this variant replaces q in intervocalic (between vowels) position, before voicedconsonants and in syllable final positions. For other speakers it may replace qaltogether. Speakers using are familiar with Arabic. They use the Arabicpronunciation of the words borrowed from Arabic into Persian in quite the same waythat some actors put on a French or Spanish accent.

Drill

Repeat the following words three times after your instructor:

q : rqs, sqf, vqf, vqt, sqt, rtq, ftq, mqtl, nq

: d, a, toiyn, ot, sor, elm, neb, n

Contrast q and

dqq d , aq a, olq ol, fqr fr,mqbl mbl, sorq sor, brq br,meqdr medr

THE SUPRASEGMENTALS

The suprasegmentals are intonation patterns, stresses, emphases, and otherelements that affect the pronunciation.

1. Question in Persian

Questions in Persian are made either by using a question word like e 'what',and koj 'where' or by changing the intonation contour of the declarative sentence. Thissection deals with the latter sentence types (yes/no questions).

Both the declarative and question sentences in Persian carry a sentence stress.Both start at the same level pitch contour. The contour of both types rises at thesentence stress. After the rise both contours fall, except the contour of the questionresumes the original level while that of the statement falls below the original level.Example:

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Statement: u dr bazr kar mikone.

Contour:

Question: u dr bazr kar mikone?

Contour:

One can transform the statement "He works in the market" into a questionsentence in English by raising the intonation. However, the intonation contour ofEnglish sentences of this type rises sharply at the end of the sentence and does not leveloff:

Question: Does he work in the market?

Contour:

Drill

Repeat the following, first as statements then as questions. The words that carrythe sentence stress are emboldened:

statement question

in ketb e in ketb e

un man e un man e

m fars yd mgirim m fars yd mgirim? om fars drs mdid om fars drs mdid? t dr tehrn zendeg mkoni t dr tehrn zendeg mkoni?

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un dr daneg drs mxunn un dr daneg drs mxunn? n ketbe n ketbe? n mane n mane? in erqe in erqe?

2. Emphasis in Persian

We have already seen how question formation changes the intonation contour ofthe declarative sentence. This unit deals with intonation change when it signalsemphasis on one or more parts of the sentence. Compare the following sentences andtheir respective intonation contours:

Statement: pedre mn tuye bazre.

Contour (1):

Contour (2): (emphasis on mn).

Contour (3): (emphasis on tuye)

The second intonation contour indicates that the speaker's father is in the market,not, for example, the hearer's. The third intonation contour indicates that the father is inthe market, not outside or near it. The same phenomenon, of course, occurs in English.Compare the following sentences. The words that are emphasized are emboldened:

statement: My father is in the market. emphasis on my: My father is in the market. emphasis on in: My father is in the market. emphasis on in: My father is in the market.

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Multiple Transformation Drill

The instructor repeats the model sentences three times. The students listen. Thenthe instructor gives the first declarative sentence to individual students and the studentsgive the other four possibilities:

Example:

Statement: xahre unja rus mixune

Question: xahre unja rus mixune?

(emphasis xahre unja rus mixune on xahr)

(emphasis xahre unja rus mixune on unj)

(emphasis on xahre unja rus mixune ? xahr+ question)

1. bradre inja kar mikone 2. zne iraz danega mire 3. pesret unja drs mide 4. ma tuye danega hendi mixunim 5. madretun zinja betehran mire 6. oma unja kar nemikonid 7. u zma kmi pul migire 8. mn tuye in hotel zendegi mikonm 9. mn tuye bazarm

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3. Intonation pattern of address

When using people's names in Persian a distinction is made between whena person is being talked about, and when he is being addressed. The former carries thenormal Persian stress pattern: hsn; the latter does not: hsn. The intonationpatterns of the two forms are also different. When speaking about someone, theintonation pattern is low, it rises and reaches its peak at the end where the stress islocated. On the other hand, the intonation pattern for addressing a person starts highwhere the stress is located (at the initial syllable). It falls as it passes the peak. Comparethe following:

mentioning or naming addressing

hm d h mid

rez r za

aqaye qaz qaye qazi

4. Stress in Persian

Some verbal prefixes like the negative marker n- and the imperative markerb- are always stressed. This is in contradistinction to the nominal stress pattern ofPersian--only a few forms have initial stress. To illustrate this point some nouns andverbs are contrasted below:

b-de give! be-d to the village b-zn hit! be-zn to the woman b-xun read! be-xn in blood b-gu say! be-g to the ball b-gir take! be-gr to the pin b-pr jump! be-pr to the feather b-xr buy! be-xr to the donkey

These illustrations show that the shift of stress on some basic forms can affectthe meaning of a given form. To prevent confusion, it is important to learn the verbalprefixes that carry stress.

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Another example of stress shift is where Persian uses an unstressed i to denoteindefiniteness and a stressed to make abstract nouns out of adjectives and nouns. Anaccidental shift of stress on the same basic form, thus, may create confusion.

Compare:

km- lack km-i a little xub- goodness xb-i a good one mrd- manhood mrd-i a man bozorg- greatness bozrg-i a noble one delavr- heroism delavr-i a hero pir- old age pr-i an old person jvan- youth jvn-i a youth

5. HarmonyAlthough not a feature of the Persian sound system, there are instances of both

vowel and consonant harmony:

a. Vowel Harmony

In spoken Persian, when the prefix b- (either for forming the imperative or thesubjunctive) is used, the -- may be changed to i, o, or u to match the vowel of the stem.This change does not affect the stress pattern. Example:

b + bin b - bin see! b + xor b - xor eat! b + xun b -xun read!

b. Consonant Harmony

Second members of consonant clusters tend to assimilate to the first. Example:

dst dss hand bstn bssn ice cream dzd dzz thief mzd mzz wages

Spectrogram

One of the ways to see some of the differences outlined above for the sounds ofPersian is to look at spectrographs produced for individual sounds in the languagelaboratory. The spectrograph indicates where stops, fricatives, etc. begin and where theyend. It also shows how vowels make a gradual transition into the consonants and out ofthem. The following spectrograms show a) how the sound h is overtaken by the vowel, b) how the geminate consonant tt is different from the simple consonant t.

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Transition

Spoken and written Persian share the same phonological system, morphologicalderivations, and syntactic constructions. Spoken Persian, however, is a somewhatabbreviated form of the written language. Written or formal Persian is employed by public speakers, the print media, radioand television and by educational forums for the dissemination of various nationalprograms. Tajiki and Dari languages are very close to this version of the language.

Unlike formal Persian, which enjoys international prestige, spoken Persian isrestricted by geography and by local idiosyncrasies. It is the language used among themembers of the family and among friends; a refined version is spoken by businessmenand professionals. The spoken language presented in these materials is based on thespeech of the educated and professional Iranians of the Tehran region.

The basic differences outlined above for the written and spoken languages arebroadly categorized below as phonological, morphological or syntactic. They are not,however, all the differences that distinguish the two levels of Persian. Students are thusurged to listen to their instructor, to tapes, and to native speakers and to ask questionsregarding forms that sound familiar but which do not fit the patterns they alreadyrecognize. In the following discussion, the formal language is written out in the Persianscript; the spoken version of the same is transcribed.

Phonological Differences

a. The following correspondences show that spoken Persian uses u before a nasal(i.e., m or n); written Persian uses a represented by an lef:

Example:

written spoken meaning

r nun bread

rZdcZ rzun cheap; inexpensive

r un that

r xiyabun street

rpi mehmun guest

Z midunm I know

rZ gerun expensive

fi xune house

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Newly formed words, words borrowed from other languages, and some Iraniannames remain the same for both the written and colloquial.

Example:

written spoken

sZa university

Za university student

rZcc restaurant

rZ tea cup

r Sasan, boy's name

rpic apartment

rZc Turan, girl's name

b. Some syllables that are pronounced with an e in the written, change the e into iin the colloquial.

Example:


kuik small

c ikar what work

s niga look

fi i what

Z ingilisi English

Again, borrowed words such as c 'sigar' (cigarette) are not affected.

c. Some words ending in c -re in the written language are pronounced with a final

-e in the colloquial.

Example:


Z ge if

a dige other

mge surprise marker

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d. The members of the consonant cluster st remain distinct in the written but

undergo assimilation ( e = ss) in the colloquial.

Example:


bssni ice cream

a dss hand

niss is not

fi xsse tired

ta duss friend

Consonant clusters might lose one or other of their members in the colloquial.

Example:


hf seven

h eight

c etow how

c eqd how much

fek thought

:r city

me:r love

p xoal happy

sob morning

e. Some forms that end in sZ ah in the written lose the final h in the colloquial.

Example: written spoken meaning

s siya black

sZa danega university

s kola hat

s a king

st foruga department store

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Morphological Differences

The discussion of morphological differences here is restricted to differences thataffect the endings that fulfill grammatical functions:

I. Nouns and Pronouns

a. The plural marker for written Persian is -ha; for the colloquial it is -a.

Example:


miza tables

ca drxta trees

[ ketaba books

sndlia chairs

Note: Often, in order to soften the transition from i to a, in the spoken language, abuffer - y - is pronounced. The pronunciation then is sndli-y-a; the -y- has nomeaning.

b. The definite direct object marker in formal Persian is Zc ra. In colloquial

Persian ra is pronounced as an o after consonants and ro after vowels.

Example:


Zc r bino Bizhan-def. d. o. marker

Zc toro you (sing.)-def. d. o. marker

Note: When this marker, or others like the possessive endings, is added to words that endin I- eh, the -eh changes to before the o or the possessive ending is added.

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Example:


Zc fi xunro house-def d. o. marker

c. The conjunction t is written independently in all instances in written Persian

and is pronounced v. This conjunction, which becomes an integral part of the precedingword, is pronounced o (vo after vowels) in colloquial Persian.

Example:


t c t bnmo rezavo mn Shabnam, Reza and I

d. The word hm (also), is reduced to m or just m in the colloquial

language.

Example:


mnm I also

pi omam you (pl.) also

e. The possessive endings are pronounced somewhat differently in the two levels.

Compare:


ketabm my book

ketabet

ketabe

rpi ketabemun

r ketabetun

r ketabeun

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In written Persian, forms that end in s -e, add an Z lef to carry the vowel of the

endings. This lef is optional for the plural forms (i.e., we, you [pl.], they). In the spokenlanguage, the rule explained in the Note after (b), above, applies.

Example:


qZ fi xunm my house

\Z fi xunt

fZ fi xun

r fi xunmun

r fi xuntun

r fi xunun

Similarly, nouns ending in Z -a and t -u add a w -ye to the written to carry the

vowel of the endings. The vowels of the endings are dropped in the colloquial.

Compare:


ptum my blanket

ptut

ptu

rpi ptumun

r ptutun

r ptuun

pam my foot

pat

pa

rpi pamun

r patun

r paun

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The same procedure applies to prepositions that take the ezafe.

Compare:


Z bram for me

bam with me

II. The Verb "to be"

When the verb to be appears on a noun, or on an adjective, the followingdifferences can be distinguished:

a. The third person singular is Z st in the written. In colloquial Persian Z

is pronounced e.

Example:

written spoken meaning Z Z in mize This is a table.

Z ca r un drxte That is a tree.

b. The second person plural is always -id in written, but either -id or -in inthe colloquial.

Example:


a b oma doxtrid/in You are a girl. You are girls.

c. The third person plural is always nd in the written, n in the colloquial.

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Example:


ca una madrn They are mothers.

In forms such as (child), which end in a s -e, an Z lef precedes theendings for the written (cf., ), and the -e is dropped for the colloquial.

Example:

qZ bm I am a child wZ bei Z bss Z fi beim

Z fi beid/in

Z fi bn

If the form ends in Z lef or t u, the vowel of the ending is dropped in the

colloquial; an added lef carries the vowel of the ending in the written. In these cases theindependent forms of "to be" (i.e., ... - ) are preferred.

Example:


= qZ babam I am a father.

= wZ babai

= Z babass

= Z babaim

= Z babaid/in

= Z baban

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III. Other Verbs

The present stems of some verbs are abbreviated in the colloquial.

Example: written spoken meaning

qtc mirm I go

wt miri

at mire

t mirim

t mirid/in

t mirn

Other such abbreviated present stems are:


sZ xa to want

ct ar to bring

to become

sa d to give

cZ zar to put

g to say

in to sit

When the present stem ends in a vowel in the written, a w ye or a hamza precedes

the endings. The short form of the endings is used in the colloquial.

Example:


miyam I come

miyai

miad

miaim

miaid/in

mian

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Similarly:

Z mixam I want

Z mixai

Z mixa(d)

Z mixaim

Z mixaid/in

Z mixan

Note: The s he in the present stem of s Z xah is part of the full form of the stem. The t

is silent before lef. Some stems are not abbreviated but include some of thephonological changes explained earlier.

Compare:


rZ xun to read

rZa dun to know

rZc run to drive

Compound verbs may include one or more of the changes outlined above.

Example:


fek mikonm I think.

acZa ta duss dare He/she likes.

s niga konid/in look!

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Syntactic Differences

There are no great syntactic differences between the two levels of Persian. A fewexceptions are worth mentioning.

1. While the verb of the sentence invariably appears at the end of a sentence, inthe spoken language other elements might follow the verb.

Example:

written: qt fi fi Z

spoken: mixam berm xune I want to go home.

As can be seen, in such cases the preposition fi be (to) is dropped from the

colloquial sentence.

2. In the colloquial language, often the definite direct object is repeated as anending on the verb. The ezafe is usually dropped. Example:

written: qa r w ca Zc

spoken: hsno tu xiyabun didme I saw Hassan on the street.

3. There are two types of prepositions in Persian; those like ca dr, fi be, etc.,

which do not take the ezafe and those like tu, d zir, tc ru, etc., which take the

ezafe. In the formal language, the preposition that takes the ezafe follows the one thatdoes not. In the spoken language, the latter is used without its ezafe.

Compare:

written: Z nZ w

Z nZ ca

Z nZ w ca

spoken: hsn tu otaqe Hassan is in the room.

4. In colloquial Persian, the conjunction Z ge (if) may be dropped, but must

be retained in the written language.

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Example:

written: ...Z Zc Zc Z

spoken: rasse o bexay... to tell you the truth...

5. Certain constructions are used on only one level. The formal future, forinstance, c Z - c Z - c Z (I will go, etc.), is a feature of written

Persian.

Another feature of colloquial Persian is the addition of a stressed -e to the noun oradjective to indicate definiteness.

Compare:

spoken: kuike male mne The small one belongs to me.

pesre tu xiyabune bud The boy was in the street.

Features of this type may pertain only to certain dialects of colloquial Persian. Anexample of this is in colloquial Shirazi where the -e is replaced by -u.

Compare:

spoken:kuuku male mnepesru tu xiyabunu bud

End of Transition

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Unit One

The Verb 'to be'

The verb 'budn' (to be) appears as a set of endings on nouns and adjectives. Forinstance, the combination of the noun 'mrd' (man) and '-e', the third person singular of'budn', results in 'mrd-e' (He is a man).

The full conjugation of 'budn' is presented below. This Unit focuses on the thirdperson singular of 'budn':

spoken written meaning

mrdm qa I am a man.

mrdi wa You (sing.) are a man.

mrde Z a He is a man.mrdim a We are men.

mrdid / in a You (pl.) are men.

mrdn a They are men.

The endings representing 'budn' never carry the stress. The ending for secondperson plural has a frequently used variant represented by '-in'.

In the example above, the endings are added to a noun that ends in a consonant.When the noun ends in a vowel, a buffer '-y-' is used between that vowel and the ending:'sndl-y-e' (it is a chair).

Vocabulary:

Please repeat:


mz table

sndl chair

telefn telephone

dr ca door

erq lZ lamp

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man car

televiziyn r television

ketb [ book

drxt ca tree

n Z this

n r that

hotl hotel

Basic Sentences


n mz-e / Z Z This is a table.

n telefn-e / Z Z This is a telephone.

n sndl-ye / Z r That is a chair.

n erq-e / Z lZ Z This is a lamp.

n man-e / Z r That is a car.

n ketb-e / Z [ Z This is a book.

n hotl-e / Z Z This is a hotel.

n drxt-e / Z ca r That is a tree.

Repetition Drill

The instructor repeats the basic pattern two times. The students listen. Thestudents then repeat after the instructor's third and subsequent repetitions of the basicpattern.

Example:

spoken written

teacher: n mze / Z Z

teacher: n mze

teacher: n mzestudent: repeatteacher: n mz-estudent: repeat

35 Tape Manual__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

teacher: n mz-estudent: repeat

Please Repeat:

spoken written

n telefne / Z Z

n sndlye / Z r

n erqe / Z lZ Z

n mane / Z r

n hotle / Z Z

n drxte / Z ca r

n ketbe / Z [ Z

End of Unit One

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Unit Two

The Verb 'to be'--Negative

To negate 'mrd-e' (He is a man), replace '-e' with '-st' and prefix 'n-', the markerfor negation, to it. This marker is always stressed. The combination of this marker and'-st' is, of course, 'n-st' ([it] is not). Here is the negative of the conjugation of 'mrd' and'budn':


mrd n-st-m / a I am not a man.

mrd n-st-i / a You are not a man.

mrd n-st / a He is not a man.

mrd n-st-im / a We are not men.

mrd n-st-id/in / a You (pl.) are not men.

mrd n-st-n / a They are not men.

This Unit also teaches how to form a question by affixing 'budn' (3rd. sing.,usually) to '' (what).

Vocabulary


n-st is not

? fi what (question word)

-ye ? Z fi what is...

tekrr cZ repetition

Basic Sentences


n -ye ? Z fi Z What is this?

n -ye ? Z fi r What is that?

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n mz n-st / Z This is not a table.

n sndl n-st / r That is not a chair.

n hotl n-st / Z This is not a hotel.

n ketb n-st / [ r That is not a book.

Repetition Drill

The instructor repeats the basic pattern two times. The students listen. Thestudents then repeat after the instructor's third and subsequent repetitions of the basicpattern:

Example:

spoken written

teacher: n mz nst / Z

teacher: repeat

teacher: in miz niststudent: repeatteacher: in miz niststudent: repeatteacher: in miz niststudent: repeat

Please repeat:

spoken written

n sndl nst / Z

n hotl nst / r

n ketb nst / [ Z

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Substitution Drill (1)

Learn the pattern sentence then substitute the cues provided by the instructor forthe underlined form:

Example:

spoken written

n telefne / Z Z

teacher: in telefonestudent: repeatteacher: in telefonestudent: repeat

Please substitute:

teacher: bookstudent:teacher: in ketabestudent: repeatteacher: carstudent:teacher: in mainestudent: repeat

teacher: hotelstudent:teacher: in hotelestudent: repeat

teacher: treestudent:teacher: in drxtestudent: repeat

teacher: lampstudent:teacher: in eraqestudent: repeat

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Learn the pattern sentence then substitution the cues provided by the instructor forthe underlined form:

Example:

spoken written

n ketb nst / [ r

teacher: un ketab nis(t)student: tekrarteacher: un ketab nis(t)student: tekrar

Please substitute:

teacher: treestudent:teacher: un drxt nis(t)student: tekrar

teacher: chairstudent:teacher: un sndli nis(t)student: tekrar

teacher: doorstudent:teacher: un dr nis(t)student: tekrar

teacher: lampstudent:teacher: un eraq nis(t)student: tekrar

teacher: hotelstudent:teacher: un hotel nis(t)student: tekrar

End of Unit Two

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Unit Three

Personal Pronouns

The subject of a Persian sentence using the verb 'budn' is marked by thefollowing dependent pronouns: '-m', '-i', '-e', '-im', '-id/-in', and '-n'. The use of thesepronouns is obligatory.

Persian also uses a set of independent pronouns. Except in cases when these latterare used to emphasize or clarify the subject of the sentence, the use of independentpronouns is optional. The independent pronouns are:

Spoken written meaning

(mn) I

(t) you (sing.)

() tZ he/she

(m) we

(om) pi you (pl. or sing. polite)

(un) they

The independent pronouns may thus appear with the conjugation of the verb'budn' and a noun. The parentheses indicate that the independent pronouns are optional:

Affirmative:


(mn) mrdm qa ) * I am a man

(t) mrdi wa ) *

() mrde Z a )tZ *

(m) mrdim a )*

(om) mrdid/in a )pi*

(un) mrdn a )*

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Negative:


(mn) mrd nstm / a ) * I am not a man

(t) mrd nsti / a ) *

() mrd nst / a )tZ *

(m) mrd nstim / a ) *

(om) mrd nstid/in / a )pi *

(un) mrd nstn / a )*

Vocabulary

Please repeat:


zn rd woman; wife; lady

doxtr a girl; daughter

mo'llm teacher, instructor

agrd a student; apprentice

doktr a doctor

pesr boy; son

pedr c father

madr ca mother

bradr caZ brother

xahr Z sister

Basic Sentences

spoken written

mn doktrm. / qa

m agrdim. / a

t mo'llmi. / pi

un pesrn. /

doktre. / Z a tZ

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m pedr nstim. / c

t madr nsti. / ca

doxtr nst. / a tZ

om agrd nstid. / a pi

Translation

I am a doctor.We are students.You (sing.) are a teacher.They are boys.He/she is a doctor.We are not fathers.You are not a mother.She is not a girl.You (pl. or sing. polite) are not a student.

Note: Normally Persian does not distinguish gender. Thus '' can be translated as either'he' or 'she,' depending on context.

Repetition Drill

See Basic Sentences, above.



spoken written

mn mo'llmm / pi

teacher: doctorstudent: mn doktorm

teacher: studentstudent: mn agerdm

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teacher: motherstudent: mn madrm

teacher: fatherstudent: mn pedrm

teacher: manstudent: mn mrdm

teacher: womanstudent: mn znm



spoken written

m agrdim / a

teacher: daughterstudent: ma doxtrim

teacher: sister; brother; teacher; man



spoken written

t doktri / wa

teacher: ustudent: u doktore

teacher: oma; una; mn

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spoken written

m doktr nstim / a

teacher: studentstudent: ma agerd nistim

teacher: teacher; girl; woman; mother; boy



spoken written

agrd nst / a tZ

teacher: Istudent: mn agerd nistm

teacher: they; you (sing.); we; he; you (pl.)

End of Unit Three

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Unit Four

The 'ezaf' : a Brief Note

The 'ezaf' relates two nouns to each other in a possessed/possessor relationship.The thing possessed is cited first followed by an 'ezaf'; the possessor follows the 'ezaf'.The 'ezaf' is pronounced with the noun representing the object possessed. Example:


ketb-e mn [ my book

In the example above 'ketb' (book) is the thing possessed; '-e' marks the 'ezaf'and 'mn' (I) is the possessor.


ketb-e tZ [ his/her book

n ketb-e mn-e / Z [ Z This is my book.

For more information on the 'ezafe' and its uses see Lesson Four.

Vocabulary

Please repeat:


slm q hello

slm 'lykom q response to slm

hl p condition

etw(r) c how (question word)

bd bad

motkkr thankful

xod Z God

hafz protector, keeper

rez c Reza, first name male

bnm Shabnam, first name female

Bashiri 46________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Basic Sentences

In Persian, as in English, there are various ways of greeting, paying respect orsaying good-bye. The following dialog is one of the more common ways:

Dialog

Please listen:

spoken written

slm bnm q

slm 'lykm, rez. / c q

hl-e om etwr-e? ? Z c pi p

bd nst, motkkrm / q -

xod hafz / Z

beslamt /

Translation:

Hello, Shabnam.Hello, Reza.How are you?It (i.e., my 'hl') is not bad, Thank you.Good-bye.Good-bye (response to 'xod hafz').

Note 1: Note that the verb 'budn' in 'hl-e om etwr-e?' (How are you?) is singular.The reason for this is that the inquiry is made with regard to the listener's 'hl' (health,condition) and not in relation to himself.

Note 2: The mc 't'arf' system is one of the interesting aspects of the Iranian culture.

And it is a complex one at that.The few remarks that follow are intended to acquaint thestudent with the rudimentary elements of this system. The remarks are strictly forinformation purposes; the student need not memorize them yet.

The cultural aspects outlined below deal with the way Iranians meet and try to makeeach other feel comfortable. In a Persian way of putting it, "They tarff". In this context,the 't'arf' system is a way of socializing which, within its simple formulae, allows the

47 Tape Manual__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

experienced to find delicate ways of expressing approval, willingness, refusal, and thelike. Indeed, through the introductory remarks, one can communicate the tone of a wholeconversation.

1. Greeting

'slm' (hello) is the standard way to greet at all times. 'slm 'rz mkonm' (hello[lit., I offer peace]) is also frequently heard.

'slm 'lykm' is the standard response to the above greetings. Among friends amere 'slm' will do.

'slm z-bnd' (hello [lit., hello from this slave]) expresses humility on the part ofthe person responding. It also may indicate that the person responding is in a lower socialcategory.

'hle om etwre?' (How are you?) is the standard way to inquire about someone'shealth. This is, however, the colloquial or the informal way. A more formal way is 'hleom etwr st?'. The word "om" may be replaced by a number of honorific terms ofaddress to indicate the social status of the addressee. Thus greetings such as 'hl-e rfetwr st?' or 'hl-e jenb-e 'al etwr st?' or 'hl-e hzrt-e 'al etwr st?' are alsoheard. These latter terms of greeting, however, occur in conversations that are formal andthat take place at a high level of society.

Below the "om" level, if we can call it that, is 'to' (you singular, informal orfamiliar). 'hlet etwre?' (How are you?) is said to a ild, a close friend, a member of thefamily or to a servant.

2. With Company

There are certain terms of 't'arf' that have acquired "universal" usage. They maybe used in more than one situation. In each situation, however, the word is interpreteddifferently. One such word is 'bfrma'id'. Like its Turkish equivalent buyurun ,'bfrma'id' is an invitation to action. If it is said when pointing to a chair, for example, itmeans please take a seat; if it is used when entering or leaving a place, or in the course ofa conversation, it means please go ahead; if said when offering tea, sweets, fruit or otherfoodstuffs, it means please help yourself. In all such cases 'bfrma'id' is accompanied bya gesture indicating the action to be undertaken. Some of these gestures are facial; othersinvolve motion of the head, hand or hands.

If, when visiting a friend, he or she offers you something or, if he or she preparesfood, you say: 'dste om drd nkone' (Thank you! [lit., may your hand not ae!]); inreturn you hear:'sre om drd nkone' (Thank you! [lit., may your head not ae!]).

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When a friend offers to prepare food or drink for you or, if he or she offers to putyou up for the night, you say: 'nmixam beom zhmt bdm' (I don't want toinconvenience you) and, in return, you hear: 'xah mkonm, hi zhmti nst' (That'sall right; or, Please, that's all right [lit., I beg of you. It is no inconvenience at all]).

If you accidentally bump into someone, step on his or her toe in a dark place, or ifyou want to attract someone's attention, perhaps someone sitting directly behind you, yousay: 'm'zert mxam' (excuse me!). In return you will hear: 'xah mkonm' (that's allright [lit., I beg of you]).

Normally, if someone is sitting directly behind you, you may say: 'm'zert mxam(or, bbxid) ptm beomst' (Excuse me, I have my back towards you!). In returnyou might hear: 'xah mkonm, gol pto ru ndare' (please, don't bother. That's allright. [lit., I beg of you, a flower has no front or back!]).

If a guest enters your house you say: 'xyli xo mdid, bfrma'id tu' (You arevery welcome. Come in!). Your guest, in turn, will say: 'motkkrm' or 'mrsi,'(Thank you!). Sometimes the phrase: 'sf avrdid' (Welcome [lit., you brought serenitywith you!]) is added to: 'xo amdid'. To make your guest more comfortable, you say:'xunye xdetune' (Treat here as if it were your own house [lit., this is your own house!]).Your guest will say: 'sahbe zend be' (May its owner live [a long life]!).

If someone is wearing a new dress or a new suit, you say: 'mobark be' (May it beauspicious!) The wearer will answer with: 'slamt bid' (May you remain healthy!)and 'motkkrm' (Thank you!).

As a compliment to one who wears a new suit, you may say: 'in lebs xyli beom(or betn) myad' (This suit suits you very well!). The answer again is: 'motkkrm'or 'mers' (Thank you!).

A warning might be in order here with regard to what is usually known as 'pik'(gift). When you compliment a person on a nice tie or a nice watch, the chances are thathe or she might try to give the tie or the watch to you as a gift . The acceptance orrejection of such a gift depends on how close you feel you are to the person and whether,in similar circumstances, you would be ready and willing to respond in kind.

If someone is working hard at something, you say: 'xst nbaid' (Working hard![lit., don't be tired]). The answer is: 'slamt bid' (Thank you! [lit., May you remainhealthy!]).If a person sneezes, you say: 'affiyt be' (Bless you!) and the person will answer:'slamt bid' (Thank you!). The same phrase is used if you encounter someone leavinga bathhouse or when someone has just taken a shower or a swim. The answer remains thesame.

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3. Leave-taking

Leave taking can be as elaborate as greeting. When you are about to say good-bye,you say 'ba ejazye om mn morxxs mm' (With your permission, I now take myleave!), or: 'mn bayd zhmto km knm' (I should diminish the trouble). To bothof these elaborate ways of saying 'I have to leave,' the host says: 'koj trf mbrid?'(Why do you wish to leave? [lit., where are you going?]), and may also add: 'hal kezde' (It is still early [for you to leave]).

When the guest is on the way out, the host repeats the phrase used in greeting theguest, i.e.,: 'xyli xo mdid, sf avrdid', and adds: 'inall dobar trf byarid'(God willing, come back again!). The guest responds with: 'm, inall dobarxedmt mresim' (Of course, I [lit, we] will come to your service again).

The last remark before saying good-bye may be: 'xyli zhmt kedid' (You wentinto a lot of trouble!). The host answers: 'qabli ndare' (No trouble at all!). The finalleave taking is: 'xod hafz' and the response is either 'bslamt' or just a repetition of'xod hafz'.

The host may here, as a last remark, say: 'lotfn be-... slm brsunid' (Please sayhello to...). The guest responds with: 'm' (of course) and adds: 'omm slmbresunid' (you, too, say hello [to your family or whomever]).

The word "enallh" (also pronounced 'inalla' and 'ialla') is frequently used inconversation. It has many meanings among them "God willing". It is used at thebeginning or planning stage of an action, or as a wish for bliss for the present. 'inallhle om xbe?' (lit., God willing, are you feeling fine?) or 'iall key be-esfhnmrid?' (God willing, when are you going to Isfahan?).

A humorous way of asking about someone's health is: 'dmqe om qe?' (Howare you [lit., Is your nose fat?]).

The answer to all inquiries about one's health can be simply: 'xbm' (I am fine.);'xbm, mers' (I am fine, thank you!); 'xbm motkkrm' (I am fine, thank you!).And all these answers may be preceded by the Arabic phrase: 'lhmdolellh' (Praise beto God).

Other phrases such as: 'ltfe om ziyd' (Thank you! [lit., may your kindnessincrease!]); 'sayye om km ne' (Thank you! [ lit., may your shadow never decreaseor diminish!]); or the more formal 'sayye jenbe 'al km ne' or 'sayye hzrte 'alkm ne' are also heard frequently, albeit in very formal conversation.

Bashiri 50________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

If a friend receives a piece of good news, or if a relative returns from a journey, yousay: 'me om rown' (I heard the good news [ lit., may your eye be lighted!]). Asan answer you might hear: 'mo dle om rown' (Thank you! [lit., may your eyesand heart be lighted!]).

If you unexpectedly see someone far from home you say: 'om koj, inj koj?'(What are you doing in this neck of the woods? [lit., you where, here where?]). Theperson responds with an explanation of the circumstances that have brought him to theplace.

Repetition Drill


Example:

spoken written

teacher: slm bnm / q

teacher: tekrar

teacher: slam bnmstudent: tekrarteacher: slam bnmstudent: tekrarteacher: slam bnmstudent: tekrar

Please repeat:

spoken written

slm 'lykm, rez. / c q

hl-e om etwr-e? ? Z c pi p

bd nst, motkkrm. / q -

xod hafz. / Z

beslamt /

51 Tape Manual__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



spoken written

slm, bnm / q

teacher: Rezastudent: slam, reza

teacher: John, Bill, Mary, Tina, Ray



spoken written

slm 'lykom, rez / c q

teacher: Shabnamstudent: slam 'lykom, bnm

teacher: John, Bill, Mary, Tina, Ray



spoken written

hle om etwre? ? Z c pi p

teacher: ustudent: hale u etowre?

teacher: mn; ma; to

Bashiri 52________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



spoken written

bd nst. mot kkrm. / q

teacher: westudent: bd nist, motkkerim

teacher: you (pl.); I; you (sing.)

End of Unit Four

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Unit Five

Plural in Persian

Persian uses a number of suffixes to form the plural of a noun. Of these, only '-'is used on all nouns at all times. This marker is always stressed; the stress is shifted fromthe last syllable of the noun to this suffix.

Example:


ketb [ book

ketab- [ books

The full form of '-' is '-h'. When the noun ends in a vowel, the full form of theending is used:


xod Z God

xoda-h Z gods

For more details on the plural see Lessons One and Five.

This Unit also deals with the demonstrative adjectives 'in' (this) and 'un' (that). Adiscussion of these as well as a discussion of the pronouns 'in' and 'un' is found inLessons One and Five.

Basic Sentences

spoken written

n -ye ? Z Z

n mz-e / Z Z

in- -ye ? Z Z

in- mz-e / Z Z

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n ketb xb-e / Z [ [ Z

n ketab- xb-e / Z [ Z

n zn xb-e / Z [ rd r

n zn- xb-n / d r

n agrd xub nst / [ a Z

n agerd- xub nst-n / [ a Z

Translation:

What is this?This is a table.What are these?These are tables.This book is good.These books are good.That woman is good.Those women are good.This student is not good.These students are not good.

Repetition Drill


Example:

spoken written

teacher: n -ye? ? Z Z

teacher: tekrar

teacher: in i-ye?student: tekrarteacher: in i-ye?student: tekrarteacher: in i-ye?student: tekrar

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Please Repeat:

spoken written

in mize / Z Z

ina iye? ? Z Z

ina mize / Z Z

in ketab xube / Z [ [ Z

in ketaba xube / Z [ Z

un zn xube / Z [ rd r

un zna xubn / d r

in agerd xub nist / [ a Z

in agerda xub nistn / [ a Z

Drill

Contrast singular and plural:

singular plural

spoken written spoken written

ketb [ ketab-

hotl hotel-

drxt ca drxt- ca

sndl sndli-y

mz miz-

mrd a mrd- a

zn rd zn- d

televiziyn r televiziyon-

doxtr a doxtr- a

dr a dr- a

pedr c pedr- c

doktr a doktor- a

pesr pesr-

n Z in- Z

n r un-

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Transformation (1)

Transform singular into plural:

singular plural

spoken written spoken written

n ketb [ Z n ketab- Z

n hotl r n hotel- r

n drxt ca Z n drxt- ca Z

n sndl r n sndli-y r

n mz Z n miz- Z

n mrd a Z n mrd- a Z

n doxtr a r n doxtr- a r

n pedr c Z n pedr- c Z

n dr ca r n dr- ca r

Transformation (2)


singular plural

n ketbe in ketben mze in mzen drxte un drxten erq nst in erq nstn hotl nst un hotl nstn sndlye in sndlyen dr nst in dr nstn man nst un man nst

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Transformation (3)


singular plural

n mrde in mrdnn doxtre un doxtrnn doktr nst in doktr nstnn mo'llme un mo'llmnn agrd nst in agrd nstnn pedr nst un pedr nstnn madre in madrnn zne un znn



spoken written

in ketb nst / [ Z

teacher: ina ketab nist.student: tekrarteacher: ina ketab nist.student: tekrarteacher: ina ketab nist.student: tekrar

Please substitute:

teacher: tablestudent: ina miz nist

teacher: chair; telephone; television; hotel; door; tree

Bashiri 58________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



spoken written

n ma n xbe / Z [ Z

teacher: in main xube.student: tekrarteacher: in main xube.student: tekrarteacher: in main xube.student: tekrar

Please substitute:

teacher: televiziyonstudent: in televiziyon xube

teacher: eraq; hotel; miz; sndli; mrd; agerd; doxtr; doktor



spoken written

n agerd xub nstn / [ a Z

teacher: in agerda xub nistn.student: tekrarteacher: in agerda xub nistn.student: tekrarteacher: in agerda xub nistn.student: tekrar

59 Tape Manual__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Please substitute:

teacher: teacherstudent: in mo'llema xub nistn

teacher: woman; girl; father; boy; mother; doctor; man


Learn the pattern sentence then substitute the cues provided by the instructor forthe underlined forms:

spoken written

n ma in xbe / Z [ Z

teacher: in maina xube.student: tekrarteacher: in maina xube.student: tekrarteacher: in maina xube.student: tekrar

Please substitute:

teacher: televisionstudent: in televiziyona xube

teacher: lamp; hotel; table; chair; man; student; girl; doctor

End of Unit Five

Bashiri 60________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Unit Six

The Imperative

For a discussion of the imperative see Lesson Eight of the main text .

Vocabulary

Please repeat:


ltf kindness

lotfn please

g bdid/in f listen!

g knid/in f listen!

tekrr cZ repetition

tlffz pronunciation

jvb [Z answer

loqt word

y'ni ? fi what does it mean?

joml fipi sentence

b'd z mn dZ after me

Basic Sentences

spoken written

lotfn g bdid " f

lotfn g knid " f

lotfn tekrr knid " cZ

lotfn tlffz knid "

lotfn jvb bdid " [Z

in loqt y'ni ? ? fi Z

in joml y'ni ? ? fi fipi Z

61 Tape Manual__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Translation:

Please listen!Please listen!Please repeat!Please pronounce!Please answer!What does this word mean?What does this sentence mean?

Repetition Drill:


Example:

spoken written

teacher: lotfn g bdid " f

teacher: tekrar

teacher: lotfn gu bedidstudent: tekrarteacher: lotfn gu bedidstudent: tekrarteacher: lotfn gu bedidstudent: tekrar

Please repeat:

spoken written

lotfn g knid/in " f

lotfn tekrr knid/in " cZ

lotfn tlffz knid/in "

lotfn jvb bdid/in " [Z

in loqt yni ? ? fi Z

in joml y'ni ? ? fi fipi Z

End of Unit Six

Bashiri 62________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

UU

UU

nn

nn

ii

ii

tt

tt

SS

SS

ee

ee

vv

vv

ee

ee

nn

nn

TT

TT

hh

hh

ee

ee

PP

PP

rr

rr

ee

ee

ss

ss

ee

ee

nn

nn

tt

tt

//

//

FF

FF

uu

uu

tt

tt

uu

uu

rr

rr

ee

ee

TT

TT

ee

ee

nn

nn

ss

ss

ee

ee

To form the present/future of Persian verbs proceed as follows:

1. take the present stem of the verb

2. except for 'datn' (to have), prefix the present tense marker 'm-'

3. add the personal endings: '-m', '-i', '-e', '-im', '-id/in', '-n'.

Example:

m-r-m I go

m-r-i

m-r-e

m-r-im

m-r-id/in

m-r-n

With regard to the formation of the present tense, two points need to be

explained; the first concerns the present stem of verbs while the second relates to

the endings that indicate person.

TT

TT

hh

hh

ee

ee

PP

PP

rr

rr

ee

ee

ss

ss

ee

ee

nn

nn

tt

tt

SS

SS

tt

tt

ee

ee

mm

mm

Often the stem used in the spoken language is an abbreviated version of the

one used in the written/formal language. The majority of written and spoken

stems, however, are the same. Here is a list of the most frequently used present

stems:

spoken meaning

r go

g say

bin see

kon do

xor eat

gir take

d give

xun read

dun know (a thing)

for sell

xr buy

ns know (a person)

zn hit

dar have, own

63 Tape Manual__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

TT

TT

hh

hh

ee

ee

PP

PP

ee

ee

rr

rr

ss

ss

oo

oo

nn

nn

aa

aa

ll

ll

EE

EE

nn

nn

dd

dd

ii

ii

nn

nn

gg

gg

ss

ss

The personal endings are basically those used for the written except for the

use of '-e' for the written '-d' and minor changes for the second and third

persons plural, i.e., the use of '-id/-in' and '-n' in the spoken, discussed earlier.

For a complete study of the present tense, see Lesson Six of the main text.

II

II

mm

mm

pp

pp

oo

oo

rr

rr

tt

tt

aa

aa

nn

nn

tt

tt

NN

NN

oo

oo

tt

tt

ee

ee

The section called "Transition" taught us how to transform formal/written

Persian into informal/colloquial Persian. Transcription, i.e., rendering the

sounds of spoken Persian into Latin equivalents, helped us achieve that goal.

Units One through Six placed the spoken language at the side of the written

and allowed us to observe the rules of Transition at work. The differences were

minimal, not so the amount of effort needed to make those rules work smoothly.

Starting with this Unit, the use of Persian orthography is discontinued so

that we can concentrate all our efforts on learning the patterns introduced. The

student is urged to use the text only for the first time that he/she listens to the

tape. Thereafter, it is advantageous to refer to the text only when patterns become

too difficult to repeat after one exposure.

If the patterns cannot be repeated comfortably in this fashion, the chances

are that the student is not ready for the unit being studied. He/she must be advised

to backtrack to a more comfortable unit and start from there.

VV

VV

oo

oo

cc

cc

aa

aa

bb

bb

uu

uu

ll

ll

aa

aa

rr

rr

yy

yy

lotfn tekrar konid:

fars Farsi; Persian language

yd memory

yd mgirim we learn

drs lesson

drs mdid/in you (pl. or sg. polite) teach

dr in

bazr market

kr work

kr mkone he/she works

tehrn Tehran; capital of Iran

zendeg life

zendeg mkoni you (sg.) live

daneg university

mxunn they read; they sing

drs mxunn they study

k who (question word)

Bashiri 64________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

bank bank

koj where (question word)

kojst where is

key when (question word)

be- to; in the direction of

behotl to the hotel

SS

SS

pp

pp

ee

ee

cc

cc

ii

ii

aa

aa

ll

ll

VV

VV

oo

oo

cc

cc

aa

aa

bb

bb

uu

uu

ll

ll

aa

aa

rr

rr

yy

yy

spoken meaning

ingilis/engelestn English/England

frans/frans French/France

rus/rusiyy Russian/Russia

tork/torkiyy Turkish/Turkey

hend/hend(ustn) Hindi/India

alman/almn German/Germany

'rb/mesr, etc. Arabic/Egypt

fars/irn Persian/Iran

BB

BB

aa

aa

ss

ss

ii

ii

cc

cc

SS

SS

ee

ee

nn

nn

tt

tt

ee

ee

nn

nn

cc

cc

ee

ee

ss

ss

ma fars yad mgirim

oma fars drs mdid/in

u dr bazr kar mkone

to dr tehrn zendegi mkoni

una dr daneg drs mxunn

un mrd kye ?

bank kojst ?

ky behotl mri ?

TT

TT

rr

rr

aa

aa

nn

nn

ss

ss

ll

ll

aa

aa

tt

tt

ii

ii

oo

oo

nn

nn

We (are) learn(ing) Persian.

You (are) teach(ing) Persian.

He works in the market.

You (sing.) live in Tehran.

They study at the university.

Who is that man?

Where is the bank?

When are you going to the hotel?

65 Tape Manual__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

RR

RR

ee

ee

pp

pp

ee

ee

tt

tt

ii

ii

tt

tt

ii

ii

oo

oo

nn

nn

DD

DD

rr

rr

ii

ii

ll

ll

ll

ll

The instructor repeats the basic pattern two times. The students listen. The

students then repeat after the instructor's third and subsequent repetitions of the

basic pattern:

Example:

mo'llem: ma farsi yad migirim.

mo'llem: tekrar


agerd: tekrar


agerd: tekrar


agerd: tekrar

PP

PP

ll

ll

ee

ee

aa

aa

ss

ss

ee

ee

rr

rr

ee

ee

pp

pp

ee

ee

aa

aa

tt

tt

::

::

oma farsi drs midid.

u dr bazar kar mikone.

to dr tehran zendegi mikoni.

una dr danega drs mixunn.

un mrd kiye?

bank kojast?

key bebank miri?

SS

SS

uu

uu

bb

bb

ss

ss

tt

tt

ii

ii

tt

tt

uu

uu

tt

tt

ii

ii

oo

oo

nn

nn

DD

DD

rr

rr

ii

ii

ll

ll

ll

ll

((

((

11

11

))

))

Learn the pattern sentence then substitute the cues provided by the

instructor for the underlined form:

Example:

mo'llem: oma farsi drs midin.


agerd: tekrar


agerd: tekrar


agerd: tekrar

mo'llem: ingilisi

agerd: oma ingilisi drs midin.

mo'llem: franse

agerd: oma franse drs midin.

Bashiri 66________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

mo'llem: rusi

agerd: oma rusi drs midin.

mo'llem: torki

agerd: oma torki drs midin.

mo'llem: hendi

agerd: oma hendi drs midin.

mo'llem: almani

agerd: oma almani drs midin.

mo'llem: 'rbi

agerd: oma 'rbi drs midin.

SS

SS

uu

uu

bb

bb

ss

ss

tt

tt

ii

ii

tt

tt

uu

uu

tt

tt

ii

ii

oo

oo

nn

nn

DD

DD

rr

rr

ii

ii

ll

ll

ll

ll

((

((

22

22

))

))



Example:


mo'llem: to

agerd: to farsi yad migiri.

mo'llem: u

agerd: u farsi yad migire.

mo'llem: mn

agerd: mn farsi yad migirm.

mo'llem: una

agerd: una farsi yad migirn.

mo'llem: oma

agerd: oma farsi yad migirid.

mo'llem: un zn

agerd: un zn farsi yad migire.

mo'llem: in doxtra

agerd: in doxtra farsi yad migirn.

67 Tape Manual__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SS

SS

uu

uu

bb

bb

ss

ss

tt

tt

ii

ii

tt

tt

uu

uu

tt

tt

ii

ii

oo

oo

nn

nn

DD

DD

rr

rr

ii

ii

ll

ll

ll

ll

((

((

33

33

))

))



Example:

mo'llem: u dr bazar kar mikone.

mo'llem: alman

agerd: u dr alman kar mikone.

mo'llem: torkiyye

agerd: u dr torkiyye kar mikone.

mo'llem: engelestan

agerd: u dr engelestan kar mikone.

mo'llem: tehran

agerd: u dr tehran kar mikone.

mo'llem: mesr

agerd: u dr mesr kar mikone.

mo'llem: rusiyye

agerd: u dr rusiyye kar mikone.

mo'llem: franse

agerd: u dr franse kar mikone.

SS

SS

uu

uu

bb

bb

ss

ss

tt

tt

ii

ii

tt

tt

uu

uu

tt

tt

ii

ii

oo

oo

nn

nn

DD

DD

rr

rr

ii

ii

ll

ll

ll

ll

((

((

44

44

))

))



Example:

mo'llem: to dr tehran zendegi mikoni.

mo'llem: I

agerd: mn dr tehran zendegi mikonm.

mo'llem: they

agerd: una dr tehran zendegi mikonn.

mo'llem: we

agerd: ma dr tehran zendegi mikonim.

Bashiri 68________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

mo'llem: you (pl.)

agerd: oma dr tehran zendegi mikonid.

mo'llem: these girls

agerd: in doxtra dr tehran zendegi mikonn.

mo'llem: those doctors

agerd: un doktora dr tehran zendegi mikonn.

DD

DD

oo

oo

uu

uu

bb

bb

ll

ll

ee

ee

SS

SS

uu

uu

bb

bb

ss

ss

tt

Documents

Persian for Beginners