Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'اول' for first, 'دوم' for second, and always add 'نفر' for people or 'تا' for objects when counting.
- Ordinal numbers follow the noun: 'کتاب اول' (The first book).
- Use 'نفر' as a classifier for people: 'سه نفر' (Three people).
- Use 'تا' as a general classifier for countable objects: 'دو تا سیب' (Two apples).
Overview
Meanings
This rule covers how to order items (first, second) and how to quantify nouns using specific Persian classifiers.
Ordinal Numbers
Indicating the position of an item in a sequence.
“روز اول”
“کلاس دوم”
Human Classifier
Used specifically when counting human beings.
“دو نفر”
“پنج نفر دانشجو”
General Classifier
Used for counting inanimate objects or animals.
“سه تا مداد”
“ده تا کتاب”
Ordinal Number Formation
| Cardinal | Ordinal | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| یک (Yek) | اول (Avval) | First |
| دو (Do) | دوم (Dovom) | Second |
| سه (Se) | سوم (Sevvom) | Third |
| چهار (Chahar) | چهارم (Chaharom) | Fourth |
| پنج (Panj) | پنجم (Panjom) | Fifth |
| شش (Shesh) | ششم (Sheshom) | Sixth |
| هفت (Haft) | هفتم (Haftom) | Seventh |
| هشت (Hasht) | هشتم (Hashtom) | Eighth |
| نه (Noh) | نهم (Nohom) | Ninth |
| ده (Dah) | دهم (Dahom) | Tenth |
Classifier Usage
| Category | Classifier | Example |
|---|---|---|
| People | نفر (Nafar) | دو نفر (Two people) |
| Objects | تا (Tā) | سه تا (Three things) |
Reference Table
| Number | Counting Objects (tā) | Counting People (nafar) | Ordinal (Rank) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (Yek) | یه / یک (Ye/Yek) | یک نفر (Yek nafar) | اول / اولین (Avval/in) |
| 2 (Do) | دو تا (Do tā) | دو نفر (Do nafar) | دوم / دومین (Dovvom/in) |
| 3 (Se) | سه تا (Se tā) | سه نفر (Se nafar) | سوم / سومین (Sevvom/in) |
| 4 (Chahār) | چهار تا (Chahār tā) | چهار نفر (Chahār nafar) | چهارم (Chahārom) |
| 5 (Panj) | پنج تا (Panj tā) | پنج نفر (Panj nafar) | پنجم (Panjom) |
| 10 (Dah) | ده تا (Dah tā) | ده نفر (Dah nafar) | دهم (Dahom) |
フォーマル度スペクトル
من دو برادر دارم. (Family introduction)
من دو تا برادر دارم. (Family introduction)
دو تا داداش دارم. (Family introduction)
دو تا داداش دارم. (Family introduction)
Counting Classifiers in Persian
Objects
- تا (tā) General items
- دستگاه (dastgāh) Machines/Tech
People
- نفر (nafar) Individual people
- کس (kas) Formal/Literary
Ordinal Suffix Placement
How to Count in Persian
Are you counting people?
Is the noun plural?
Common Ordinal Numbers
Irregular
- • اول (1st)
- • نخست (1st - formal)
Regular (-om)
- • دوم (2nd)
- • سوم (3rd)
- • چهارم (4th)
レベル別の例文
یک کتاب
One book
دو تا سیب
Two apples
سه نفر
Three people
روز اول
First day
کلاس دوم کجاست؟
Where is the second class?
چند تا مداد داری؟
How many pencils do you have?
او نفر چهارم است.
He is the fourth person.
پنج تا دوست دارم.
I have five friends.
اولین باری که دیدمش...
The first time I saw him...
ده نفر در جلسه بودند.
Ten people were in the meeting.
طبقه سوم ساختمان.
The third floor of the building.
چند نفر در این شهر زندگی میکنند؟
How many people live in this city?
او نخستین کسی بود که آمد.
He was the first person who came.
صدها نفر در تظاهرات شرکت کردند.
Hundreds of people participated in the protest.
بخش دوم کتاب خیلی جالب است.
The second part of the book is very interesting.
چند تا از آنها را میخواهی؟
How many of them do you want?
در وهله اول باید دقت کرد.
In the first instance, one must be careful.
هزاران تن در این واقعه جان باختند.
Thousands of people (souls) died in this event.
او در رتبه دوم قرار گرفت.
He was placed in second rank.
چندین نفر اعتراض کردند.
Several people protested.
نخستین گام در مسیر موفقیت.
The first step on the path to success.
تعداد نفرات حاضر در جلسه.
The number of people present in the meeting.
او دومین فرزند خانواده است.
He is the second child of the family.
چند تایی از اینها را بردار.
Take a few of these.
間違えやすい
Learners often use 'تا' for people because it's the most common classifier.
Mixing up 'یک' (one) and 'اول' (first).
Placing the ordinal before the noun like in English.
よくある間違い
دو تا آدم
دو نفر
اول روز
روز اول
سه نفر کتاب
سه تا کتاب
یکوم
اول
چند نفر کتاب؟
چند تا کتاب؟
دوم کتاب
کتاب دوم
ده نفر سیب
ده تا سیب
اولین نفر
نفر اول
سه تا نفر
سه نفر
کتاب دومی
کتاب دوم
سه عدد نفر
سه نفر
文型パターン
من ___ تا ___ دارم.
او نفر ___ است.
___ نفر در اتاق هستند.
___ باری که او را دیدم...
Real World Usage
دو تا پیتزا لطفا.
او نفر اول است.
سه تا عکس جدید.
من نفر دوم هستم.
دو نفر هستیم.
سه تا ساندویچ.
The Plural Trap
Casual 'One'
Respecting People
Smart Tips
Always pair the number with 'نفر'.
Add 'تا' after the number.
Put the ordinal after the noun.
Use 'چند' + classifier.
発音
Ordinal Suffix
The '-om' suffix is pronounced clearly as a separate syllable.
Question
چند تا؟ ↑
Rising intonation for questions.
暗記しよう
記憶術
Remember: 'Nafar' is for 'Neighbors' (people), and 'Ta' is for 'Things'.
視覚的連想
Imagine a line of people (Nafar) and a pile of toys (Ta).
Rhyme
For people use Nafar, for things use Ta, counting in Persian is not very far!
Story
Ali is the first (Avval) person (Nafar) in line. He holds two (Do) things (Ta) in his hand. He is the second (Dovom) person to enter the shop.
Word Web
チャレンジ
Count 5 items in your room using 'تا' and 3 people you know using 'نفر'.
文化メモ
Using 'نفر' is a sign of respect for human subjects.
Similar usage, though 'تا' is sometimes replaced by 'دانه' (daneh) in formal speech.
Uses different classifiers, often omitting 'تا' in favor of direct counting.
The word 'نفر' comes from Arabic, meaning 'person' or 'individual'.
会話のきっかけ
چند تا خواهر و برادر داری؟
نفر اول کلاس کی بود؟
چند نفر در مهمانی بودند؟
اولین باری که به ایران آمدی کی بود؟
日記のテーマ
Test Yourself
ما چهار ___ هستیم.
Find and fix the mistake:
من سه تا سیبها خوردم.
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
Score: /3
練習問題
8 exercisesسه ___ کتاب
The second day is ___.
Find and fix the mistake:
دو تا آدم
اول / روز / است / این
Four people
سه تا نفر (True/False)
A: چند تا سیب میخواهی؟ B: ___
Which uses 'نفر'?
Score: /8
Practice Bank
10 exercisesTwo coffees
The second floor
نفر ___
من پنج تا دوست دارم.
Match the pairs:
خریدم / سه / تا / پیراهن
او فرزند ___ است.
How many people?
10 pieces of paper
روز بیست
Score: /10
よくある質問 (8)
No, it is considered rude. Always use 'نفر'.
In casual speech, 'تا' is the safest bet for objects.
Yes, most others follow the '-om' rule.
Yes, it is standard in Persian.
No, use 'تا' or no classifier for animals.
Persian adjectives and ordinals follow the noun.
Usually 'نفرات' is used in formal contexts.
Use 'چند تا' for objects and 'چند نفر' for people.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Ordinal adjectives
Word order is reversed.
Ordinals
Persian uses classifiers; French does not.
Zählwörter
Persian's 'تا' is much more universal.
Counters (josuushi)
Persian is much simpler with only two main counters.
Adad
Persian is gender-neutral.
Measure words
Persian 'تا' is a general-purpose measure word.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
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