Intermediate course · Intermediate lesson 2
You have already used the Persian object marker without knowing it: ino mikhâm (I’ll take this) in the bazaar, and kuler ro rowshan konid in the taxi. That little -o or ro is the spoken form of را râ, and it tells the listener which word is the object of the verb. This lesson explains where it goes, when to use it and when to leave it out.
Getting ro right is one of the clearest signs that you are moving beyond phrasebook Persian, and Tehranis use it in almost every sentence.
Word order: the verb comes last
Persian sentences normally run subject, object, verb (SOV). Time words usually come early, and the verb almost always closes the sentence.
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| من چای می‌خورم. | Man châi mikhoram. | I drink tea. (I tea drink.) |
| سارا دیروز یه ماشین خرید. | Sârâ diruz ye mâshin kharid. | Sara bought a car yesterday. |
| ما فردا علی رو می‌بینیم. | Mâ fardâ Ali ro mibinim. | We’re seeing Ali tomorrow. |
Because the verb ending already shows who is acting, the subject is often dropped: Ali ro mibinim is a complete sentence.
When to use râ
Use râ after a direct object that is definite: a particular person or thing that you and the listener can identify. Compare:
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| یه کتاب خریدم. | Ye ketâb kharidam. | I bought a book. (any book: no râ) |
| کتابو خریدم. | Ketâbo kharidam. | I bought the book. (written: ketâb râ kharidam) |
| چای می‌خورم. | Châi mikhoram. | I drink tea. (tea in general: no râ) |
| چای رو خوردم. | Châi ro khordam. | I drank the tea. (that cup) |
Some objects are always definite, so they always take the marker:
- names of people and places: علی رو دیدم Ali ro didam (I saw Ali), تهرانو دوست دارم Tehrâno dust dâram (I love Tehran)
- pronouns, including in (this) and un (that): اینو می‌خوام ino mikhâm (I’ll take this)
- nouns with a possessive: کیفمو گم کردم kifamo gom kardam (I’ve lost my bag)
- plurals referring to specific things: بلیت‌ها رو گرفتی؟ belitâ ro gerefti? (did you get the tickets?)
Grammar note: Râ marks only the direct object. It never follows a word after a preposition: به سارا گفتم be Sârâ goftam (I told Sara) has no râ. It also never marks the subject. And it goes after the whole object phrase, adjectives and all: ماشین سفید رو دیدم mâshin-e sefid ro didam (I saw the white car).
Râ, ro or -o?
Written Persian always uses را râ, as a separate word. Tehranis say it two ways. After a consonant it usually shrinks to -o and attaches to the word: ketâbo, Tehrâno. After a vowel it is ro: châi ro, khune ro, metro ro. You will also hear ro after consonants (ketâb ro), and that is never wrong. In informal writing such as text messages, people spell it رو or join و to the word.
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| منو | mano (written: marâ) | me |
| تو رو | to ro (written: torâ) | you (informal) |
| اونو | uno (written: u râ) | him, her, it |
| ما رو | mâ ro (written: mâ râ) | us |
| شما رو | shomâ ro (written: shomâ râ) | you (polite) |
| اونا رو | unâ ro (written: ânhâ râ) | them |
| اینو | ino (written: in râ) | this (as object) |
You also met the marker in Lesson 6: راه رو بلد هستید؟ râh ro balad hastid? (do you know the way?), usually shortened in speech to راه رو بلدید؟ râh ro baladid?
Dialogue: a phone left in a taxi
Anna has just arrived back at her hotel and realises something is missing. She goes to the reception desk.
Anna: ببخشید، گوشیمو تو تاکسی جا گذاشتم.
Bebakhshid, gushimo tu tâksi jâ gozâshtam.
Excuse me, I’ve left my phone in the taxi.
Mehdi: اسنپ بود؟
Esnap bud?
Was it a Snapp?
Anna: بله، ولی شماره‌ی راننده رو ندارم.
Bale, vali shomâre-ye rânande ro nadâram.
Yes, but I don’t have the driver’s number.
Mehdi: ماشینو یادتونه؟
Mâshino yâdetune?
Do you remember the car?
Anna: آره، یه سمند سفید بود.
Âre, ye Samand-e sefid bud.
Yes, it was a white Samand.
Mehdi: اشکال نداره. الان به پشتیبانی اسنپ زنگ می‌زنم.
Eshkâl nadâre. Alân be poshtibâni-ye Esnap zang mizanam.
Don’t worry. I’ll ring Snapp support now.
Mehdi: راننده رو پیدا کردم! گوشیتونو میاره.
Rânande ro peydâ kardam! Gushituno miyâre.
I’ve found the driver! He’s bringing your phone.
Anna: وای، مرسی! شما رو خیلی اذیت کردم.
Vây, mersi! Shomâ ro kheyli aziyat kardam.
Oh, thank you! I’ve put you to a lot of trouble.
Mehdi: خواهش می‌کنم.
Khâhesh mikonam.
You’re welcome.
New words: گوشی gushi (mobile phone), جا گذاشتن jâ gozâshtan (to leave something behind), راننده rânande (driver), یادتونه yâdetune (you remember; yâdame is “I remember”), اشکال نداره eshkâl nadâre (no problem, never mind), زنگ زدن zang zadan (to phone), پیدا کردن peydâ kardan (to find) and میاره miyâre (he’s bringing; written: miâvarad). Every ro or -o in the dialogue marks a specific object: my phone, the driver’s number, the car, the driver, you.
Tehran tip: اسنپ Esnap (Snapp) is Tehran’s main ride-hailing app, and you can contact your driver or support through it after a trip. Anna’s last line is everyday taarof: after someone helps you, shomâ ro kheyli aziyat kardam is a warmer thank-you than mersi alone.
Practise
- Add ro or -o where needed: (a) Ye châi khordam. (b) Sârâ … didam. (c) In … mikhâm.
- Say “I bought the ticket” and “I bought a ticket”.
- Put the words in order: kharidam / diruz / ro / kif-e ghermez.
- Turn the written کتاب را دیدم ketâb râ didam into spoken Tehrani.
- Why is there no râ in be Ali goftam?
- Say “I’ve lost my phone”.
- Ask a passer-by politely whether they know the way to the metro.
Show answers
- (a) no marker: the tea is indefinite. (b) Sârâ ro didam. (c) Ino mikhâm.
- بلیتو خریدم Belito kharidam; یه بلیت خریدم Ye belit kharidam.
- Diruz kif-e ghermez ro kharidam. I bought the red bag yesterday.
- Ketâbo didam (or ketâb ro didam).
- Ali follows the preposition be, so he is not a direct object.
- گوشیمو گم کردم Gushimo gom kardam.
- Bebakhshid, râh-e metro ro baladid?
Flashcards
Test yourself
Summary
- Persian word order is subject, object, verb; the verb usually comes last.
- Râ follows a definite direct object: names, pronouns, possessed nouns and specific things.
- Indefinite or general objects (ye ketâb, châi) take no marker.
- In Tehran, râ is -o after a consonant and ro after a vowel: ino, mano, châi ro.
- Râ never follows a preposition and goes after the whole object phrase.