Table of Contents
Talking About Possession in Persian
In this chapter you learn how to say who has what in very simple Persian. You will see two very important tools: the word “of” (the ezafe link) and the word “to have.”
Remember that at A1 level we stay with short, clear sentences and the most common patterns.
The idea of “of”: my book, Ali’s house
In Persian, to say “X of Y” like “Ali’s book” or “my friend,” you put the owner first, then the thing, and connect them with a short “e” sound. This connection is called ezafe. You will see it in writing later. For now, focus on the order and the sound.
Ali’s book:
Ali’s name comes first, then “book,” and you add a short “e” sound after “Ali.”
Ali’s book = Ali + e + book
My friend:
First “friend,” then a short “e,” then “my.”
my friend = friend + e + my
Important rule:
In Persian, the owner comes before the thing.
Owner + e + thing
Ali’s book → Ali + e + book
my friend → friend + e + my
Compare:
خانهٔ علی
Ali’s house.
خودکارِ مریم
Maryam’s pen.
ماشینِ معلم
the teacher’s car.
The pattern is always the same: owner first, then the thing.
Possessive pronouns with nouns: my, your, his, her
To say “my book,” “your car,” “his house” and so on, Persian does not use a separate word like “my” in front of the noun. Instead, it adds a short ending to the noun.
Here are the basic forms with a very common noun “book.”
کتابم
my book
کتابت
your book (to one person, informal)
کتابش
his book
کتابش
her book
کتابمان
our book
کتابتان
your book (to more than one person, or polite)
کتابشان
their book
Pronoun + book gives one word in Persian. You will learn the exact spellings and endings in the script lessons, but here you should understand the idea: the noun comes first, and the “my / your / his / her…” part is attached to the end of the noun.
So when you want to say “my,” “your,” “his,” etc. in front of a noun, think “book-my,” “car-your,” “friend-his.”
Important rule:
In Persian, the noun comes first, then the possessive ending:
book-my, house-your, friend-his, mother-our.
This is the most natural way to speak about things that belong to someone.
Using names with possession: Ali’s book, Sara’s friend
Now combine what you know.
You can say “Ali’s book” with the owner first, then “book,” and then a possessive ending if you need it.
کتابِ علی
Ali’s book.
کتابِ علی نو است
Ali’s book is new.
دوستِ علی
Ali’s friend.
You can also add “my” or “your” after another person.
علی دوستِ من است
Ali is my friend.
سارا خواهرِ من است
Sara is my sister.
او معلمِ من است
He is my teacher.
Notice the difference:
Ali’s book → the book belongs to Ali.
my book → the book belongs to me.
Both are possession, but the structure is different.
The verb “to have” with people and things
To say “I have,” “you have,” “he has,” Persian uses a special verb “to have.”
من کتاب دارم
I have a book.
تو ماشین داری
You have a car.
او خانه دارد
He has a house.
ما گربه داریم
We have a cat.
آنها وقت دارند
They have time.
The subject comes first, then the object, then the verb.
Important rule:
Basic order with “have”:
Subject + Object + have
I book have.
You car have.
You can also combine possession with description:
من خانهٔ بزرگ دارم
I have a big house.
او ماشینِ کوچک دارد
She has a small car.
Saying what someone does not have
You already met negation in a separate chapter. Here you only see how it looks with “have.”
من ماشین ندارم
I do not have a car.
او کتاب ندارد
He does not have a book.
ما وقت نداریم
We do not have time.
Subject + Object + do-not-have:
من پول ندارم
I do not have money.
او پول ندارد
She does not have money.
You can answer simple questions this way:
ماشین داری؟
Do you have a car?
بله، دارم
Yes, I have.
نه، ندارم
No, I do not have.
Questions with “have”
You will study yes/no questions in detail in another chapter. Here, just see the common pattern with “have.”
خودکار داری؟
Do you have a pen?
وقت داری؟
Do you have time?
او ماشین دارد؟
Does he have a car?
You answer with yes or no, then repeat the verb.
Using possession in everyday phrases
Here are some very common everyday situations where you use possession.
Introducing your family:
او پدرِ من است
He is my father.
او مادرِ من است
She is my mother.
او برادرِ من است
He is my brother.
او خواهرِ من است
She is my sister.
آنها پدر و مادرِ من هستند
They are my parents.
Talking about your things:
این خانهٔ من است
This is my house.
آن ماشینِ من است
That is my car.
این تلفنِ من است
This is my phone.
آن کیفِ من است
That is my bag.
Talking about age (notice the possession pattern):
من بیست سال دارم
I am 20 years old.
او سی سال دارد
He is 30 years old.
Short review
You can now say:
کتابم، ماشینت، خانهاش، دوستش
my book, your car, his house, her friend
کتابِ علی، خانهٔ سارا
Ali’s book, Sara’s house
من کتاب دارم، تو ماشین داری، ما وقت داریم
I have a book, you have a car, we have time
من ماشین ندارم، او پول ندارد
I do not have a car, she does not have money
خودکار داری؟ بله، دارم. نه، ندارم.
Do you have a pen? Yes, I have. No, I do not have.
These patterns are enough to talk about your things, your family, and simple everyday needs in Persian.
Vocabulary List for This Section
| English meaning | Persian (transliteration) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| book | ketâb | very common noun |
| house, home | khune / khâne | “home, house” |
| car | mâshin | car |
| friend | doost | friend |
| father | pedar / bâbâ | father / dad (informal) |
| mother | mâdar / mâmi | mother / mom (informal) |
| brother | barâdar | brother |
| sister | khâhar | sister |
| parents | pedar o mâdar | literally “father and mother” |
| pen | qalam | pen |
| phone | telefon | phone |
| bag | kif | bag |
| cat | gorbe | cat |
| money | pol | money |
| time | vaght | time |
| my (attached to noun) | -am | as in “ketâb-am” = my book |
| your (singular, informal) | -et | as in “ketâb-et” = your book (1 person) |
| his / her (attached) | -esh | as in “ketâb-esh” = his / her book |
| our | -emân | as in “ketâb-emân” = our book |
| your (plural or polite) | -etân | as in “ketâb-etân” = your book (you all) |
| their | -eshân | as in “ketâb-eshân” = their book |
| to have | dâshtan | dictionary form “to have” |
| I have | dâram | e.g. “ketâb dâram” = I have a book |
| you have (singular, informal) | dâri | e.g. “ketâb dâri” |
| he / she has | dâre | e.g. “ketâb dâre” |
| we have | dârim | e.g. “ketâb dârim” |
| you have (plural / polite) | dârin | e.g. “ketâb dârin” |
| they have | dâran | e.g. “ketâb dâran” |
| I do not have | nadâram | “na” + dâram |
| you do not have (sg. informal) | nadâri | |
| he / she does not have | nadâre | |
| we do not have | nadârim | |
| you do not have (pl. / polite) | nadârin | |
| they do not have | nadâran | |
| of (linking owner and thing) | -e (ezâfe) | the short “e” sound after the owner |
| this | in | as in “in ketâb” = this book |
| that | un | as in “un ketâb” = that book |
| yes | bale / âre | bale is more neutral / polite |
| no | na | no |
| Ali | Ali | common male name |
| Sara | Sârâ | common female name |