Lesson 11: Joining Words with the Ezafe
The ezafe is a short -e sound that links a noun to whatever describes it. It does the work of “of”, “‘s” and adjective order in English, and you have already met it in esm-e man (my name, literally “name of me”). It is almost never written, so you have to hear it.
Nouns and adjectives
In Persian the adjective comes after the noun, joined by the ezafe:
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| خانه بزرگ | khune-ye bozorg | big house |
| چای داغ | châi-ye dâgh | hot tea |
| ماشین سفید | mâshin-e sefid | white car |
| غذای ایرانی | ghazâ-ye irâni | Iranian food |
After a vowel, the ezafe becomes -ye: châi-ye dâgh, not châi-e dâgh.
Possession and place names
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| کتاب من | ketâb-e man | my book |
| خانه شما | khune-ye shomâ | your house |
| خیابان ولیعصر | khiâbân-e Valiasr | Valiasr Street |
| میدان آزادی | meydân-e Âzâdi | Azadi Square |
| بازار تجریش | bâzâr-e Tajrish | Tajrish Bazaar |
The quick way: possessive endings
Instead of ketâb-e man, you can add an ending directly: ketâbam (my book), ketâbet (your book, informal), ketâbesh (his/her book), ketâbemun (our book), ketâbetun (your book, polite), ketâbeshun (their book). Both are correct; the endings are more common in speech.
Practise
- Say “Iranian tea” and “my house”.
- How would you say “Enghelab Street” (Enghelâb)?
← Lesson 10: Asking Questions | All lessons | Lesson 12: Verbs in the Present Tense →