A2 Verb System 5 min read Facile

Les impératifs en persan : dire aux gens quoi faire

Build commands with 'be-' + present stem, adding '-id' only for formal or plural situations.
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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

To give a command, use the verb stem plus the prefix 'be-' for affirmative or 'na-' for negative.

  • Add 'be-' to the stem for singular informal: 'برو' (Go!)
  • Add '-id' to the stem for plural/formal: 'بروید' (Go! - formal/plural)
  • Use 'na-' instead of 'be-' for negative commands: 'نرو' (Don't go!)
Prefix (be/na) + Verb Stem + Suffix (optional -id) = Command

Overview

Avez-vous déjà essayé de dire à un ami « regarde ça » sur Instagram sans connaître le verbe ? Les ordres sont le cœur de la vie quotidienne...

Formation Pattern

1
Identifiez le radical du présent...

When To Use It

Utilisez l'informel pour les amis...

Meanings

The imperative mood is used to give direct orders, make requests, or provide instructions.

1

Direct Command

A strong order given to someone.

“بخوان!”

“بنویس!”

2

Polite Request

A command softened by 'لطفاً' (please).

“لطفاً بیا.”

“لطفاً این را بخوانید.”

3

Negative Command

Prohibiting an action.

“نرو!”

“نخور!”

Imperative Conjugation Table

Verb Stem Informal (Singular) Formal (Plural)
رفتن رو برو بروید
آمدن آ بیا بیایید
خوردن خور بخور بخورید
نوشتن نویس بنویس بنویسید
خواندن خوان بخوان بخوانید
دیدن بین ببین ببینید
گفتن گو بگو بگویید
نشستن نشین بنشین بنشینید

Negative Imperative

Verb Informal Negative Formal Negative
رفتن نرو نروید
آمدن نیا نیایید
خوردن نخور نخورید

Reference Table

Reference table for Les impératifs en persan : dire aux gens quoi faire
Infinitive Present Stem Informal (Singular) Formal (Plural)
Khordan (Eat) khor Bokhor! Bokhorid!
Neveshtan (Write) nevis Benevis! Benevisid!
Khandan (Read) khan Bekhan! Bekhanid!
Amadan (Come) āy Biā! Biāyid!
Raftan (Go) rav Boro! Beravid!
Didan (See) bin Bebin! Bebinid!
Kardan (Do) kon Bokon! Bokonid!

Spectre de formalité

Formel
بیایید اینجا.

بیایید اینجا. (Asking someone to approach.)

Neutre
بیا اینجا.

بیا اینجا. (Asking someone to approach.)

Informel
بیا اینجا.

بیا اینجا. (Asking someone to approach.)

Argot
بیا دیگه!

بیا دیگه! (Asking someone to approach.)

The Anatomy of a Persian Command

Imperative

Prefixes

  • be- / bo- Positive
  • na- / ma- Negative

Endings

  • (None) Singular/Informal
  • -id Plural/Formal

Social Context: To vs. Shoma

Informal (To)
Bokhor! Eat! (Friend)
Boro! Go! (Sibling)
Formal (Shoma)
Bokhorid! Eat! (Boss/Group)
Beravid! Go! (Stranger)

How to Build the Verb

1

Is it a compound verb (e.g. Kar kardan)?

YES
Drop 'be-', use stem 'kon'
NO
Keep 'be-'
2

Is it for a friend?

YES
No ending
NO ↓

Common Irregular Commands

🚶

Movement

  • • Boro (Go)
  • • Biā (Come)
🗣️

Speech

  • • Begoo (Say)
  • • Bepors (Ask)
✨

Existence

  • • Bāsh (Be)
  • • Dāšte bāsh (Have)
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Examples by Level

1

برو!

Go!

2

بیا!

Come!

3

بخوان!

Read!

4

بنویس!

Write!

1

لطفاً بنشینید.

Please sit down.

2

نرو!

Don't go!

3

این را بخورید.

Eat this.

4

در را ببند.

Close the door.

1

لطفاً به من کمک کنید.

Please help me.

2

ننویسید.

Do not write.

3

کتاب را باز کنید.

Open the book.

4

سریع‌تر راه بروید.

Walk faster.

1

هرگز این حرف را نزن.

Never say this.

2

لطفاً مدارک را امضا کنید.

Please sign the documents.

3

به حرف‌های من گوش دهید.

Listen to my words.

4

این کار را انجام ندهید.

Do not do this.

1

با دقت نگاه کنید و تصمیم بگیرید.

Look carefully and decide.

2

هرگز تسلیم نشوید.

Never give up.

3

لطفاً در اسرع وقت پاسخ دهید.

Please respond as soon as possible.

4

به هیچ‌کس اعتماد نکن.

Do not trust anyone.

1

خویشتن‌دار باشید و با متانت رفتار کنید.

Be self-restrained and behave with dignity.

2

از این پس، این قانون را رعایت کنید.

From now on, observe this rule.

3

هرگز از حقیقت روی برنگردان.

Never turn away from the truth.

4

با دقت این متن را تحلیل کنید.

Analyze this text carefully.

Easily Confused

Persian Commands: Telling People What to Do (Imperatives) vs Subjunctive vs Imperative

Both use the present stem.

Persian Commands: Telling People What to Do (Imperatives) vs Informal vs Formal

Learners mix them up.

Persian Commands: Telling People What to Do (Imperatives) vs Negative vs Positive

Prefix confusion.

Erreurs courantes

✗

رو

✓

برو

Missing the 'be-' prefix.
✗

نروید (informal)

✓

نرو

Using formal for informal.
✗

بیا (formal)

✓

بیایید

Using informal for formal.
✗

بـنرو

✓

نرو

Combining prefixes.
✗

لطفاً برو

✓

لطفاً بروید

Politeness requires formal.
✗

بـنوشید

✓

بنویسید

Stem error.
✗

نـبـرو

✓

نرو

Double prefixing.
✗

باید برو

✓

باید بروی

Subjunctive needed after 'bāyad'.
✗

نـکنید

✓

نکنید

Spelling error.
✗

بـگویید

✓

بگویید

Stem confusion.
✗

بـروید (archaic)

✓

بروید

Incorrect prefix usage.
✗

نـکن

✓

نکن

Spelling.
✗

بـبینید

✓

ببینید

Stem error.
✗

نـروید

✓

نروید

Spelling.

Sentence Patterns

لطفاً ___ کنید.

___ نکن!

لطفاً به من ___ بدهید.

___ و ___!

Real World Usage

Restaurant constant

لطفاً منو را بیاورید.

Texting very common

بیا خونه!

Job Interview common

لطفاً رزومه را بررسی کنید.

Travel common

لطفاً تاکسی بگیرید.

Food Delivery common

لطفاً غذا را سریع بیاورید.

Social Media common

این پست را لایک کنید!

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🎯

The 'Compound' Shortcut

In modern Persian, almost all verbs are compound (Verb + Kardan/Zadan). You almost never use 'be-' with these. 'Kar bokon' sounds like a 13th-century poem; just say 'Kar kon'!
⚠️

Don't 'Boro' Your Boss

Using singular commands with elders or superiors is a major social faux pas. When in doubt, always add that '-id' ending.
💬

Tarof and Commands

Iranians use commands for hospitality. If someone says 'Bokhor!' (Eat!) ten times, they aren't being bossy; they're being a good host!

Smart Tips

Use 'لطفاً' + formal verb.

کمک کن. → لطفاً کمک کنید.

Use the formal '-id' suffix.

برو راست. → بروید راست.

Always use 'na-'.

بـنرو. → نرو.

Use informal forms.

بفرمایید بنشینید. → بنشین.

Prononciation

be-ROO

Prefix stress

The 'be-' prefix is usually unstressed.

Command

برو! ↘

Falling intonation for directness.

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Remember 'BE' for 'BE-gin' (affirmative) and 'NA' for 'NA-y' (negative).

Visual Association

Imagine a traffic light: Green 'BE-' light says 'Go!', Red 'NA-' light says 'Stop!'

Rhyme

For positive say 'be', for negative say 'na', that's how you command in Persian, ha!

Story

Ali tells his friend 'بیا' (Come). Then he tells his boss 'بیایید' (Come - formal). Finally, he tells his dog 'نیا' (Don't come).

Word Web

بروبیابخوربنویسبخوانبنشین

Défi

Write 5 commands you would give to a friend in 5 minutes.

Notes culturelles

In Tehran, the 'be-' prefix is often dropped in very casual speech.

Always use the formal '-id' suffix when speaking to elders.

Imperatives are often used in poetry for dramatic effect.

The Persian imperative stems from Middle Persian forms.

Conversation Starters

“

بیا اینجا.

“

لطفاً این را بخوانید.

“

چرا به من گوش نمی‌دهید؟

“

لطفاً در این مورد تصمیم بگیرید.

Journal Prompts

Write a list of 5 things you tell your friend to do.
Write a polite email to a teacher asking for help.
Describe a time you had to give a strong order.
Write a persuasive speech using imperatives.
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Test Yourself

Complete the informal command for 'to read' (khandan -> khan).

کتاب را ___! (Read the book!)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: بخوان
For an informal singular command, we use 'be-' + the present stem 'khan' with no ending.
Which is the correct formal way to say 'Come'? Choix multiple

Choose the formal command:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: بیایید
The present stem of 'āmadan' is 'āy'. Adding 'be-' (which becomes 'bi-') and the ending '-id' gives 'biāyid'.
Fix the mistake in this informal command for 'to go'. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

بروید به خانه! (Go home! - spoken to one friend)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: برو به خانه!
'Beravid' is formal/plural. For one friend, use the irregular singular form 'boro'.

Score: /3

Exercices pratiques

8 exercises
Fill in the blank.

___ (Go) به خانه!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Informal imperative.
Choose the correct form. Choix multiple

Which is formal?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: b
Formal uses -id.
Correct the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

بیا (to boss)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Formal needed.
Reorder. Sentence Reorder

لطفاً / کنید / کمک / به / من

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Correct word order.
Translate. Traduction

Don't go!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Negative informal.
Conjugate. Conjugation Drill

خوردن (formal)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Formal affirmative.
Match. Match Pairs

بنویس - بنویسید

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Correct mapping.
Complete. Dialogue Completion

A: کمک! B: ___ (Come)!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Logical response.

Score: /8

Practice Bank

10 exercises
Translate to Persian (informal): 'Don't write!' Traduction

Don't write!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ننویس
Reorder the words to say 'Please sit down' (formal). Sentence Reorder

بنشینید / لطفاً / اینجا

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: لطفاً اینجا بنشینید
Match the infinitive to its informal command. Match Pairs

Match the pairs:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Khardian:Bekhar
Turn 'kardan' into a formal negative command. Texte trous

این کار را ___! (Don't do this work!)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: نکنید
How do you say 'Listen!' to a group of friends? Choix multiple

Choose the correct form:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: گوش کنید
Correct the verb: 'Lotfan beman komak bokon.' Error Correction

لطفاً به من کمک بکن.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: لطفاً به من کمک کنید
Note: Use the singular form. Texte trous

صبر ___! (Have patience!)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: داشته باش
Translate: 'Stop the car!' (to a driver) Traduction

Stop the car!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: نگه دارید
Which command is used for 'Open the door' (informal)? Choix multiple

Open the door:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: در را باز کن
Order the words: 'Look at the photo.' (informal) Sentence Reorder

عکس / ببین / را

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: عکس را ببین

Score: /10

FAQ (8)

In very casual speech, yes, but avoid it in writing.

Yes, for all negative commands.

Use 'لطفاً' and the formal '-id' suffix.

Yes, like 'آمدن' -> 'بیا'.

No, it's for second person.

Use the formal '-id' form.

Yes, some dialects drop prefixes.

With strangers, elders, and bosses.

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In Other Languages

Spanish moderate

Imperativo

Spanish uses different verb endings.

French moderate

Impératif

French doesn't use prefixes.

German low

Imperativ

German is more rigid.

Japanese low

Meireikei

Japanese is highly contextual.

Arabic moderate

Amr

Arabic is gendered.

Chinese none

Imperative

Chinese has no conjugation.

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Les 4 préfixes verbaux essentiels (mi, be, na, nemi)

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