Table of Contents
Understanding Demonstratives in Persian
In this chapter you will learn how to say “this” and “that” in Persian, and how to use them with nouns in simple everyday sentences. We will focus on spoken standard Persian as used in Iran.
“This” and “That” in Persian
Persian has two basic demonstrative words that you will use all the time:
این = in = this
آن = ân = that
In everyday speech, especially in Iran, آن (ân) is very often pronounced and written as اون (un). You should understand both, but at A1 level it is enough to recognize that:
این (in) means “this”
اون / آن (un / ân) means “that”
Important rule:
Use این (in) for “this” and آن / اون (ân / un) for “that.
Demonstratives Alone: “This” and “That”
You can use این (in) and اون (un) alone, without a noun, when it is clear from the situation what you mean.
For example:
این چیه؟
in chie?
What is this?
اون چیه؟
un chie?
What is that?
Here, این (in) and اون (un) mean simply “this” and “that.”
Notice the question word:
چی = chi = what
چیه؟ = chie? = what is it?
You do not need to understand the grammar of the ending “ـه” yet. At this level, just remember the complete question pattern:
این چیه؟ = What is this?
اون چیه؟ = What is that?
Demonstratives with Nouns: “This book”, “That house”
Most of the time you will use “this” and “that” before a noun. In Persian, the demonstrative comes before the noun, like in English:
این + noun = this + noun
اون / آن + noun = that + noun
Examples:
این کتاب
in ketâb
this book
اون خونه
un rhune
that house
این ماشین
in mâshin
this car
اون در
un dar
that door
Important rule:
Structure: این / اون + noun = “this / that + noun.”
At this level we do not add any extra ending like “ـه” (e) or “ـِه” (e) after the noun yet. You will see the full noun phrase structure later when you learn possession and more detailed noun phrases. For now, it is enough to recognize and use the basic pattern “این + noun” and “اون + noun.”
“This is …” and “That is …”
You already have learned, or will soon learn, the verb “to be” (هستن “to be”) and its present forms, for example:
هستم = hastam = I am
هستی = hasti = you are (singular)
هست = hast = he / she / it is
In everyday spoken Persian, the form “هست” is often shortened and attached to the word before it. For demonstratives, you will very often hear and see:
اینِ … = ine … = this is …
اونِ … = une … = that is …
In very informal speech, people often drop “هست” completely and just use “این …ه” or “اون …ه”, but at this level, you only need to be able to understand and produce very simple, clear patterns. You can say:
این کتابه.
in ketâbe.
This is a book.
اون خونهست.
un rhunast.
That is a house.
Right now, you do not need to analyze the final endings. Just memorize whole patterns:
این …ه. = This is … .
اون …ه. = That is … .
For example:
این ماشینِ منه.
in mâshine mane.
This is my car.
اون دوستمِ.
un dustame.
That is my friend.
The detailed structure with possession will be explained in a later chapter on possession, so here you only use these as ready patterns.
“This one” and “That one”
Sometimes, you want to point to one item among several, for example in a shop. In very basic Persian, you can simply use:
این یکی
in yeki
this one
اون یکی
un yeki
that one
یِکی = yeki = one, someone, one of them
Again, do not worry yet about the deeper grammar of یِکی (yeki). Just remember:
این یکی = this one
اون یکی = that one
Sample mini dialogues:
A: کدوم کتاب؟
kodum ketâb?
Which book?
B: این یکی.
in yeki.
This one.
A: کدوم ماشین مال توئه؟
kodum mâshin mâl-e toe?
Which car is yours?
B: اون یکی.
un yeki.
That one.
Demonstratives and Distance
In Persian, the main idea is similar to English:
Use این (in) when the object is close to you.
Use اون (un) / آن (ân) when the object is farther away.
So if you are holding a cup in your hand, you can say:
این لیوان
in livân
this glass
If the glass is on the other side of the room, you can say:
اون لیوان
un livân
that glass
In real life, Persian speakers also use gesture and context. Sometimes they may say اون (un) for something emotionally or mentally “far” even if it is physically close, but that is more advanced and you will learn such nuances later.
Demonstratives with People
You can also use demonstratives when you talk about people. The structure is the same:
این آقا
in âqâ
this man
اون خانم
un khânom
that lady / that woman
این دوستم
in dustam
this friend of mine / this is my friend
Again, full forms of “to be” and possession will be developed more in later chapters, but here you can already recognize simple sentences like:
این دوستمِ.
in dustame.
This is my friend.
اون معلممِ.
un mo’allemame.
That is my teacher.
Short Practice Sentences
Read these simple sentences and match the meaning from context:
این چیه؟
in chie?
What is this?
این کتابه.
in ketâbe.
This is a book.
اون چیه؟
un chie?
What is that?
اون خونهست.
un rhunast.
That is a house.
این ماشین خوبه.
in mâshin khube.
This car is good.
اون در بستهست.
un dar bastast.
That door is closed.
Again, even if you do not understand every word yet, focus on recognizing این and اون as “this” and “that.”
Vocabulary Table
| Persian (script) | Transcription | English meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| این | in | this | demonstrative, near speaker |
| آن | ân | that | formal / written form |
| اون | un | that | common spoken form in Iran |
| چیه؟ | chie? | what is it? / what is …? | from چی + است, used in everyday speech |
| چی | chi | what | question word |
| کتاب | ketâb | book | |
| خونه | rhune | house, home | spoken form of خانه (khâne) |
| ماشین | mâshin | car | also “machine” |
| در | dar | door | also “in, at” as a preposition (later) |
| لیوان | livân | glass (drinking glass) | |
| آقا | âqâ | man, gentleman, Mr. | polite title |
| خانم | khânom | lady, Mrs., Ms. | polite title |
| دوست | dust | friend | |
| یکی | yeki | one, one (of them) | used in این یکی / اون یکی |
| کدوم | kodum | which | informal form of کدام (kodâm) |
| خوب | khub | good | adjective |
| بسته | baste | closed | adjective / past participle |
| معلم | mo’allem | teacher | |
| من | man | I, me | personal pronoun |
| تو | to | you (singular) | personal pronoun |