Participle plus the short "to be"
Add ـه to the past stem and you have the participle: رفت → رفته, خورد → خورده, دید → دیده. Then attach the short forms of "to be".
| Person | Form | Say |
|---|---|---|
| من | رفتهام | rafte-am |
| تو | رفتهای | rafte-i |
| او | رفته است | rafte ast |
| ما | رفتهایم | rafte-im |
| شما | رفتهاید | rafte-id |
| آنها | رفتهاند | rafte-and |
All of them need the half-space. The third person keeps است as a separate word; in speech it shrinks to رفته.
The negative goes on the participle: نرفتهام، نخوردهایم، ندیده است.
Compound verbs: کار کردهام (I have worked), صحبت نکردهایم (we have not talked).
What it is for
An action with no stated time, whose result or relevance reaches into the present.
- تا حالا به ایران رفتهای؟ — Have you ever been to Iran?
- غذا خوردهام، گرسنه نیستم. — I have eaten, I am not hungry.
- هنوز نیامده است. — He has not arrived yet.
- این فیلم را سه بار دیدهام. — I have seen this film three times.
Against the simple past
| Persian | English |
|---|---|
| دیروز رفتم. | I went yesterday. (a fixed past time) |
| رفتهام. | I have been there. (no time, the experience counts) |
| کتاب را خواندم. | I read the book. |
| کتاب را خواندهام. | I have read the book. (so I know it) |
In conversation the simple past often takes over: فیلم را دیدم for دیدهام. The perfect stays obligatory with تا حالا and هنوز.
Watch out as an English speaker
- There is no auxiliary "have": ✗ دارم رفته. / ✓ رفتهام.
- With a definite past time such as دیروز, the simple past is the normal choice: دیروز رفتم. Unlike English, Persian can still use the perfect there when narrating or reporting, so دیروز رفتهام is not ungrammatical. Treat the English rule as a good default rather than a hard rule.
- "for / since" sentences about something still going on use the present in Persian: ✗ دو سال اینجا زندگی کردهام. (if you still live here) / ✓ دو سال است که اینجا زندگی میکنم. — I have lived here for two years.
- Write the half-space: ✗ رفتهام / ✓ رفتهام.
Example dialogue
تا حالا به اصفهان رفتهای؟ — Have you ever been to Isfahan?
نه، هیچوقت نرفتهام. — No, I have never been.
من سه بار رفتهام. خیلی قشنگ است. — I have been three times. It is very beautiful.
پس عکسهایت را هنوز به من نشان ندادهای. — And you still haven't shown me your photos.