Formal Writing Basics

What “Formal Writing” Means in Persian

In Persian, formal writing is called neveshtār-e rasmi or matn-e rasmi. It is used in contexts like official letters, academic texts, reports, news articles, and serious essays. At B2 level, you are expected to recognize and use a clear, polite, and relatively standard written style, usually close to the variety used in Tehran and in educated media.

Spoken, informal Persian often drops words, shortens forms, and uses colloquial vocabulary. Formal writing keeps full forms, avoids slang, and prefers neutral or literary choices. In this chapter we focus on these key features, not on detailed grammar explanations that you already know from previous levels.

Register: From Colloquial to Formal

A central skill at B2 is to move between sadé va sohbatī (simple, conversational) and rasmi (formal). Often the grammar is similar, but you choose different words and forms.

Compare these pairs. The meaning is the same, but the register changes.

Colloquial:

mersi ke umadi. kheili khoshal shodam didamet.
“Thanks for coming. I was very happy to see you.”

More standard written:

moteshakkeram ke amadid. az didār-e shomā besyār khoshhāl shodam.

Colloquial:

man emruz nemitonam biyam. saram kheili sholuqe.

Formal:

emruz nemitavānam biāyam. sar-e man besyār sholugh ast.

Notice the patterns in the formal versions. They often include:

The full verb forms like nemitavānam instead of nemitonam.
The verb ast instead of spoken e or deletion.
More elaborate adjectives and nouns like besyār, didār, sholugh.

Formal Pronouns and Address Forms

Formal writing very rarely uses to for “you”, except in literary or intimate contexts. Instead it uses shomā. For third person, it uses u, or ishān for very formal respect, especially for important people.

In many official texts and letters, writers prefer respectful phrases with jenāb, bānū, or sarkār.

Examples:

jenāb-e āqā-ye doktōr Ahmadi
“Mr. Doctor Ahmadi / Dr Ahmadi” (very respectful)

bānū-ye Gerāmi
“Dear Madam / Esteemed lady”

sarkār-e khānum-e Mohammadi
“Ms Mohammadi” with a respectful title

The verb agreement usually follows shomā when you are addressing one respected person in writing.

Colloquial email:

salām, khoobi?
“Hi, how are you?”

Formal email opening:

bā salām va ehterām
“With greetings and respect”

or

salām va ehtirām-e farāvān
“Many greetings and much respect”

Typical Sentence Style in Formal Writing

Formal written sentences in Persian tend to be longer and more explicit. They often use:

Abstract nouns instead of simple verbs.
Compound nouns and compound verbs.
Logical connectors taken from Arabic or literary Persian.
Full relative clauses instead of simple linking.

Compare:

Colloquial:

emruz kelas nadārim, ostād na-yumad.

Formal:

emruz kelas bargozār nemishavad, zirā ostād hazer nashodand.

More examples of formal equivalents:

Colloquial:
dars ro khoob nafahmidam.
Formal:
dars rā be dargāh-e kāfi darak nakonam.

Colloquial:
fekr mikonam in rahesh nist.
Formal:
gomān mikonam in rāh-e monāseb nabāshad.

This style uses more written-like verbs such as gomān dāshtan, darak kardan, elām kardan, bargozār shodan.

Formal Connectors and Discourse Markers

In essays, reports, and official letters, connectors give a logical structure. At B2 you should know both simple and more formal variants.

To add information:

dar zemn
“in addition, incidentally (formal)”

hamchenin
“also, likewise”

be ezāfe-ye in
“in addition to this”

az lahāz-e …
“in terms of …”

To contrast or oppose:

ammā
“but”

magar inke
“unless, except that”

bā vojūd-e in
“despite this, however”

az yek sū … az sū-ye digar …
“on one hand … on the other hand …”

To give reasons:

zirā
“because”

chunīn ke
“as, in that”

dar natije
“as a result”

be hamin dalil
“for this reason”

To conclude:

dar natije
“therefore, as a result”

be tore kolli
“in general”

natije gerefte mishavad ke …
“It is concluded that …”

Vocabulary Choices: Neutral, Arabic-Based, and Colloquial

A specific feature of formal Persian is the use of many Arabic-based words, especially in academic and official contexts. These are not “more correct” than pure Persian words, but they often sound more formal.

Some common contrasts:

Colloquial: fekr
Formal/academic synonym: andishe, tafakkor

Colloquial: dars
Formal: dars, dore, āmuzeš

Colloquial: kar
Formal: šoghl, fa’āliyat, vazife

Colloquial: moshkel
Formal: moshkel, chālesh, moshkelaat (plural)

Colloquial: dorost kardan
Formal: eslāh kardan, tas’hih kardan

Colloquial: befrest
Formal: ersāl konid

In serious writing you will often see words such as:

mas’ale, mataleb, moghe’iyat, moghayese, nezām, bonyād, sāzman, nahād, gozāresh, barnāme, siasat, rahbord, ravesh, pazhohesh, motāle’e, tahlil, natije, pishnehād.

You do not need to memorize all at once, but you should begin to recognize this “official” vocabulary and use some of it appropriately.

Politeness and Formulaic Expressions

Formal writing often includes fixed phrases that show respect. These appear especially in letters and emails, but also in prefaces, acknowledgments, and formal requests.

Openings:

bā salām va ehterām
“With greetings and respect”

bā arz-e salām
“With humble greetings”

ba ejāze-ye shomā
“With your permission”

Requests:

lotfan …
“please …”

este’dā dāram ke …
“I request that …”

az shomā khāheshmandam ke …
“I kindly ask you to …”

Closing formulas:

pishāpish az hamkāri-ye shomā sepāsgozāram.
“I thank you in advance for your cooperation.”

bā sepas va ehterām
“With thanks and respect”

bā arz-e ehterām
“With respect”

Sentence Length and Clarity

Persian formal writing allows long sentences, but long does not mean confused. Try to:

Keep the main idea clear.
Use one main verb per sentence, with subordinate clauses if needed.
Avoid chaining too many “va” and “ke” without structure.

A clear formal sentence:

agar che in barnāme dar sāl-hā-ye gozashte be tore movafagh ejrā nashode ast, ammā hamchenān mitavānad be ‘onvān-e yek rahbord-e mo’aser dar nazar gerefte shavad.

This sentence has one main structure and a clear connector agar che … ammā ….

If you are not sure, write two shorter sentences instead of one very long one. Clarity is more important than showing off.

Paragraph Structure in Formal Texts

At B2 you should think not only in sentences but in paragraphs. A good formal paragraph in Persian usually has:

A topic sentence that gives the main idea.
Some explanation, examples, or evidence.
A small conclusion or transition to the next point.

Example structure in English, with key Persian phrases you might use:

Topic idea:
dar in matn, be barresi-ye tasir-e internet bar ravābet-e ejtemā’i pardākhté mishavad.
“In this text, the effect of the internet on social relations will be examined.”

Development:
avvalan, you give the first point.
dowoman, you add a second point.
sevvoman, you bring another aspect.
You may use: az jānib-e digar, be ‘onvān-e mesāl, hamchenin.

Mini conclusion:
be tore kolli mitavān goft ke …
“In general it can be said that …”

This logical structure is what makes writing feel “formal” and “organized”.

Formal vs Informal Verb and Pronoun Choices

Some very common differences between informal and formal that you should control in writing:

1. “To be” verb:

Informal often omits it or uses clitics:

in ketāb jadide.
“This book is new.”

Formal usually writes it explicitly:

in ketāb jadid ast.

2. Future and intention:

Informal often uses mikhām + verb:
fardā mikhām beram Tehran.

In neutral or formal writing you can write:

fardā ‘asr ‘azm-e safar be Tehrān dāram.
or simply
fardā ‘asr be Tehrān khāham raft.

3. Second person forms:

In personal emails to friends you can write:

mituni barāyam befresti?

In formal emails it is better to write:

mitavānid barāyam ersāl konid?
or
lotfan barā-ye injā ersāl konid.

4. Past narration:

Informal:

dirooz raftim sinemā, kheili khosh gozasht.

Formal:

diruz be sinemā raftim va vaght besyār khoobi gozāsht.
or
diruz be sinemā raftim ke an tajrobeh-e basyar delpaziri bud.

Punctuation and Layout in Persian Formal Writing

At B2 you should be aware of basic layout conventions, even if you do not always type them perfectly in Persian script.

Persian uses a comma , and a period . much like English, though in native typography there are specific Persian shapes. In Latin transcription we keep the same punctuation.

Typical conventions in formal writing:

Commas separate clauses and items in a list:
avval, dovom, sevvom are often separated by commas.

A colon can introduce a list or explanation:
natije-ye motāle’e in ast: …

Quotation marks show direct speech or definitions:
kalame-ye “farhang” dar in matn be ma’ni-ye … ast.

Numbers in formal writing often appear in Arabic numerals (0 1 2) or Persian numerals in native script. Dates, statistics, and references must be written clearly.

Paragraphs are usually separated by a blank line or indentation, not by extra symbols. In this course we use headings and blank lines to make the structure visible.

Practice Strategy for B2 Formal Writing

To build your formal writing skill, it is helpful to work with short, controlled tasks:

Rewrite short spoken dialogues into formal written reports.
Summarize a news article in your own words, using connectors like dar natije, be tore kolli, az jānib-e digar.
Write short formal emails using formulas from this chapter.

Each time, ask yourself three questions:

Have I used shomā and appropriate verbs when addressing someone?
Are my verbs and vocabulary neutral or formal, not slang?
Did I organize the text with clear connectors and a beginning and an end?

If the answer is “yes” to these, you are already very close to a solid B2-level formal style.

Vocabulary List for This Chapter