Simple prepositions
Like English, a Persian preposition stands before its noun. The whole phrase stays in front of the verb.
| Preposition | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| به | to | به تهران میروم. — I am going to Tehran. |
| از | from, of | از ایران هستم. — I am from Iran. |
| در | in, at | در خانه هستم. — I am at home. |
| با | with | با دوستم میآیم. — I am coming with my friend. |
| برای | for | این برای توست. — This is for you. |
| تا | until, up to | تا فردا — until tomorrow. |
| بدون | without | بدون شکر — without sugar. |
بی means "without" too, but it attaches to the noun as a prefix: بیپول (penniless), بیکار (unemployed).
Compound prepositions take the ezafe
Many prepositions are really nouns, so they link to the following word with the ezafe (lesson 4):
- رویِ میز (ru-ye miz) — on the table.
- زیرِ صندلی — under the chair.
- کنارِ پنجره — next to the window.
- پیشِ دکتر — at the doctor's.
- بینِ دو خانه — between two houses.
- دربارهٔ این کتاب — about this book.
The kasra is usually not written, but it must be pronounced. After ا or و the ی is written: رویِ، جلویِ.
Prepositions with pronouns
- به من، از تو، با او، برای ما — to me, from you, with him/her, for us.
- به او has a literary form بدو; in speech you hear بهش (to him/her) and ازش (from him/her). Write the full forms.
در or توی
در is neutral and standard in writing. توی (and colloquial تو) means "inside" and dominates in speech: در اتاق / توی اتاق.
Watch out as an English speaker
- A preposition can never end a sentence: ✗ کجا میروی به؟ / ✓ به کجا میروی؟
- English "listen to" and "wait for" do not translate word for word: ✓ به موسیقی گوش میدهم. (listen to) but ✗ منتظر برای او هستم. / ✓ منتظرِ او هستم. (wait for)
- Location is در, destination is به: ✗ در مدرسه میروم. / ✓ به مدرسه میروم.
- Compound prepositions need the linking vowel: ✗ (ru miz) / ✓ رویِ میز (ru-ye miz).
Example dialogue
کجا زندگی میکنی؟ — Where do you live?
در اصفهان، نزدیکِ ایستگاه مترو. — In Isfahan, near the metro station.
با چه کسی به دانشگاه میروی؟ — Who do you go to university with?
با برادرم. از ساعت ۸ تا ۴ آنجا هستیم. — With my brother. We are there from eight until four.