Two plural suffixes
Persian nouns have no gender, and almost every noun forms its plural with one of two suffixes.
| Suffix | Used for | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| ـها (hā) | every noun: things, people, animals, ideas | کتابها (ketābhā) books, دوستها (dusthā) friends |
| ـان (ān) | mainly people and living beings, formal style | دوستان (dustān) friends, مردان (mardān) men |
ـها is always safe. ـان sounds more formal and literary and is typical of written Persian, speeches and set phrases (خانمها و آقایان, ladies and gentlemen).
Writing ـها
The standard spelling separates ـها from the noun with a half-space (نیمفاصله). After a silent ه the separation is obligatory:
- کتابها (ketābhā) — books
- خانهها (khānehā) — houses
- صندلیها (sandalihā) — chairs
In speech ـها is often reduced to ـا: کتابا (ketābā, colloquial).
Spelling changes with ـان
| Singular | Plural | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| زن (zan) | زنان (zanān) | add ـان |
| نویسنده (nevisande) | نویسندگان (nevisandegān) | final silent ه becomes ـگان |
| آقا (āghā) | آقایان (āghāyān) | after ا add ـیان |
No plural after numbers
A number, چند (several / how many) or هر (every) is followed by the singular noun:
- سه کتاب (se ketāb) — three books
- چند روز (chand ruz) — a few days
- هر هفته (har hafte) — every week
Plurals with ezafe and ـی
ـها ends in ا, so the ezafe is written ی and the indefinite suffix becomes ـیی:
- کتابهایِ من (ketābhā-ye man) — my books
- دوستهایِ خوب (dusthā-ye khub) — good friends
- کتابهایی خریدم. (ketābhāyi kharidam) — I bought some books.
Arabic plurals you will read
Many Arabic loanwords keep an Arabic plural in formal texts: کتب (kotob, books), اخبار (akhbār, news), اطلاعات (ettelāāt, information), معلمین (moallemin, teachers). Recognise them; in your own Persian, کتابها and معلمها are always correct.
Watch out as an English speaker
- English uses the plural after numbers. Persian does not: ✗ سه کتابها / ✓ سه کتاب.
- The same after چند: ✗ چند روزها / ✓ چند روز.
- Do not write ـها with a full space: ✗ کتاب ها / ✓ کتابها.
- ـان is not for things in everyday use. میزان is a different word ("amount"): ✗ میزان (for "tables") / ✓ میزها.
Example dialogue
چند بچه دارید؟ — How many children do you have?
دو بچه دارم، یک پسر و یک دختر. — I have two children, a boy and a girl.
بچهها به مدرسه میروند؟ — Do the children go to school?
بله، هر روز با دوستهایشان میروند. — Yes, they go with their friends every day.