How it is built
Every Persian verb has two stems, a past stem and a present stem. The present tense is:
می + present stem + personal ending
| Person | Ending | خوردن (to eat), stem خور | رفتن (to go), stem رو | دیدن (to see), stem بین |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| من | ـم | میخورم (mikhoram) | میروم (miravam) | میبینم (mibinam) |
| تو | ـی | میخوری (mikhori) | میروی (miravi) | میبینی (mibini) |
| او | ـد | میخورد (mikhorad) | میرود (miravad) | میبیند (mibinad) |
| ما | ـیم | میخوریم (mikhorim) | میرویم (miravim) | میبینیم (mibinim) |
| شما | ـید | میخورید (mikhorid) | میروید (miravid) | میبینید (mibinid) |
| آنها | ـند | میخورند (mikhorand) | میروند (miravand) | میبینند (mibinand) |
می is written with a half-space. The endings are almost the same as the short forms of "to be"; only the third person singular differs (ـد).
Stems ending in a vowel
When the present stem ends in ا or و (the vowel u), a ی is inserted before the ending:
| آمدن (to come), stem آ | گفتن (to say), stem گو |
|---|---|
| میآیم (mi-āyam) | میگویم (miguyam) |
| میآیی | میگویی |
| میآید | میگوید |
| میآییم | میگوییم |
| میآیید | میگویید |
| میآیند | میگویند |
Learn the present stem with the infinitive
The past stem comes from the infinitive (remove ـن), but the present stem often cannot be guessed. Learn both together (lesson 17):
| Infinitive | Present stem | "I ..." |
|---|---|---|
| کردن (to do) | کن | میکنم |
| نوشتن (to write) | نویس | مینویسم |
| خواندن (to read) | خوان | میخوانم |
| دانستن (to know) | دان | میدانم |
What it means
One form covers the English simple present, the present continuous and often the future:
- هر روز چای میخورم. — I drink tea every day.
- الان غذا میخورم. — I am eating now.
- فردا به شیراز میروم. — I am going to Shiraz tomorrow.
Two very common verbs take no می in the present: هستم (I am) and دارم (I have).
Colloquial forms
Spoken Persian shortens many stems and changes ـد to ـه: میروم → میرم (miram), میگوید → میگه (mige), میآیم → میام (miyām), میخورد → میخوره (mikhore). Details in lesson 32.
Watch out as an English speaker
- "I am eating" does not use "to be": ✗ من هستم میخورم. / ✓ (الان) میخورم.
- Do not build the present from the past stem: ✗ میدیدم (that means "I used to see") / ✓ میبینم (I see).
- English needs "will" for plans. Persian normally uses the present: فردا میآیم. — I will come tomorrow.
- Write می with a half-space: میخورم is common in typing, but the standard is میخورم.
Example dialogue
صبحها چه میخوری؟ — What do you eat in the mornings?
نان و پنیر میخورم و چای مینوشم. — I eat bread and cheese and drink tea.
با اتوبوس سرِ کار میروی؟ — Do you go to work by bus?
نه، با مترو میروم. — No, I go by metro.