Persian Causative Verbs: Making Things Happen (-ândan)
-ândan to a present stem to transform 'doing' into 'making someone do' in Persian.
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Turn an intransitive verb into a causative one by adding the suffix '-ândan' to the present stem.
- Find the present stem of the intransitive verb (e.g., 'tars' from 'tarsidan').
- Add '-ân' to the stem to create the new causative stem (e.g., 'tarsân').
- Add the infinitive ending '-dan' to form the causative verb (e.g., 'tarsândan' - to frighten).
Overview
In Persian, expressing that one entity causes another to perform an action is a fundamental aspect of advanced verb usage. This grammatical phenomenon, known as causative voice, allows you to extend the influence of a verb beyond its primary subject. While English often relies on auxiliary verbs like 'make' or 'let' (e.g., 'I made him run'), Persian frequently integrates this causal meaning directly into the verb itself, primarily through the suffix -ândan (ـاندن).
Mastering the causative form is crucial for C1-level learners, as it provides a precise and idiomatic way to describe actions initiated by an external agent, moving beyond simple statement of fact to intricate descriptions of influence and control.
The causative construction represents a significant shift in a verb's valency – its capacity to take arguments (subjects and objects). An intransitive verb, which typically requires only a subject (e.g., او دوید. / u david. – 'He ran.'), gains an additional argument, becoming transitive (e.g., من او را دواندم. / man u râ davândam. – 'I made him run.'). Similarly, a transitive verb, which already takes a subject and a direct object, can become a double transitive or ditransitive in its causative form, requiring a subject, a direct object, and an indirect object or causee (e.g., من غذا را به بچه خوراندم. / man ghazâ râ be bachche khorândam. – 'I fed the food to the child.').
This linguistic mechanism offers a sophisticated tool for nuanced communication, allowing you to articulate not just what happened, but who initiated it.
How This Grammar Works
-ândan suffix is to introduce an additional participant into the verbal action: the causer. This causer, grammatically the subject of the sentence, performs an action that results in another entity, the causee, executing the original verb's action. The causee typically appears as an object in the sentence, marked by either the direct object marker را (râ) or the preposition به (be) for the indirect object, depending on the verb's original transitivity and the specific context.دویدن (davidan – to run). Its basic structure involves a single agent performing the action: اسب دوید. (asb david. – 'The horse ran.'). When you apply the causative form, دواندن (davândan – to make run, to drive), the sentence structure expands.سوارکار اسب را دواند. (savârkâr asb râ davând. – 'The rider made the horse run.' or 'The rider drove the horse.'). Here, اسب (asb) becomes the direct object, marked by را (râ).خوردن (khordan – to eat), which is transitive: او غذا را خورد. (u ghazâ râ khord. – 'He ate the food.'). Its causative form is خوراندن (khorândan – to feed).غذا – food) remains, and the causee (the person being fed) is typically introduced with به (be), acting as an indirect object. For example: من به بچه غذا خوراندم. (man be bachche ghazâ khorândam. – 'I fed the child food.'). In this construction, بچه (bachche – child) is the causee, and غذا (ghazâ – food) is the direct object of the feeding action.را and به for the causee in ditransitive structures is nuanced; را is generally used for animate causees when there is no other direct object or when the direct object is inanimate, while به clarifies the indirect recipient of the action.Formation Pattern
-ândan suffix follows a remarkably consistent pattern, primarily attaching to the verb's present stem. Understanding this process is key to generating and recognizing these forms. The general rule is: Present Stem + -ân- + Infinitive Ending (ـدن) or Tense Endings.
خوردن (khordan – to eat) is خوَر (khor), and for دویدن (davidan – to run), it is دو (dav). Once you have the present stem, you append the causative infix -ân- (ـانـ) to it. Finally, you attach the appropriate infinitive ending (ـدن / -dan) to form the causative infinitive, or the personal endings for conjugated forms.
خوردن (khordan)| خوَر (khor)| ـانـ (-ân-) | خوراندن (khorândan) | To eat | To feed, to make eat |
دویدن (davidan)| دو (dav)| ـانـ (-ân-) | دواندن (davândan) | To run | To make run, to drive |
ترسیدن (tarsidan)| تَرس (tars)| ـانـ (-ân-) | ترساندن (tarsândan) | To be scared | To scare, to frighten |
خوابیدن (khâbidan)| خواب (khâb)| ـانـ (-ân-) | خواباندن (khâbândan) | To sleep | To put to sleep, to lay down|
-ân- infix more smoothly. A common instance involves a change from e to a in the present stem vowel.
رسیدن (residan – to arrive) has the present stem رَس (ras). When the causative infix is added, it forms رساندن (rasândan – to deliver, to make arrive), where the vowel remains a but the overall sound adapts. Similarly, verbs like آموختن (âmukhtan – to learn/teach) have an existing causative meaning, and their form آموزاندن (âmuzândan – to make learn/teach) shows a stem variation. However, آموزاندن is less common than آموزاندن (âmukhtan) itself meaning to teach, or یاد دادن (yâd dâdan).
خوراند / khorân), you conjugate it exactly like any other verb. Below is an example for خوراندن (khorândan) in the simple past and present progressive tenses:
گذشته ساده) | Present Progressive (حال استمراری) |
خوراندم (khorândam) | دارم میخورانم (dâram mi-khorânam)|
خوراندی (khorândi) | داری میخورانی (dâri mi-khorâni)|
خوراند (khorând) | دارد میخوراند (dârad mi-khorânad)|
خوراندیم (khorândim) | داریم میخورانیم (dârim mi-khorânim)|
خوراندید (khorândid) | دارید میخورانید (dârid mi-khorânid)|
خوراندند (khorândand) | دارند میخورانند (dârand mi-khorânand)|
ترسیداندن / tarsidândan) will result in an ungrammatical form. The stability of this formation pattern makes the causative an accessible yet powerful tool once the present stems are known.
When To Use It
-ândan serves several distinct purposes, primarily revolving around the idea of one entity influencing another to perform an action. This extends beyond simple physical causation to include aspects of delivery, management, and emotional manipulation. The application varies significantly depending on whether the base verb is intransitive or transitive.Causative Verb Conjugation (-ândan)
| Infinitive | Present Stem | Causative Stem | Past Stem |
|---|---|---|---|
|
خندیدن (to laugh)
|
خند
|
خنداند
|
خنداند
|
|
ترسیدن (to fear)
|
ترس
|
ترساند
|
ترساند
|
|
جوشیدن (to boil)
|
جوش
|
جوشاند
|
جوشاند
|
|
رنجیدن (to be offended)
|
رنج
|
رنجاند
|
رنجاند
|
|
گنجیدن (to fit)
|
گنج
|
گنجاند
|
گنجاند
|
|
لرزیدن (to tremble)
|
لرز
|
لرزاند
|
لرزاند
|
Meanings
The causative construction increases the valency of a verb, indicating that the subject causes someone or something else to perform an action or experience a state.
Direct Causation
The subject directly causes an object to undergo a state or action.
“بچه را خنداند (He made the child laugh.)”
“او مرا ترساند (He frightened me.)”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Subject + Object + Verb
|
او مرا خنداند
|
|
Negative
|
Subject + Object + na + Verb
|
او مرا نخنداند
|
|
Interrogative
|
Âyâ + Subject + Object + Verb?
|
آیا او مرا خنداند؟
|
|
Past Perfect
|
Subject + Object + Verb + bud
|
او مرا خندانده بود
|
|
Present Continuous
|
Subject + Object + dâshtan + Verb
|
او داشت مرا میخنداند
|
|
Passive
|
Object + Verb + shodan
|
من توسط او خندانده شدم
|
Formality Spectrum
او مرا خنداند. (Social)
او مرا خنداند. (Social)
خندوندم. (Social)
پکیدم از خنده. (Social)
Causative Derivation Flow
Step 1
- tars Present Stem
Step 2
- tars + ân Causative Stem
Step 3
- tarsândan Causative Infinitive
Examples by Level
او مرا خنداند.
He made me laugh.
او بچه را ترساند.
He frightened the child.
آب را جوشاند.
He boiled the water.
او مرا رنجاند.
He hurt/offended me.
معلم دانشآموزان را خنداند.
The teacher made the students laugh.
او گربه را ترساند.
He frightened the cat.
مادر شیر را جوشاند.
Mother boiled the milk.
او دوستش را رنجاند.
He offended his friend.
این فیلم همه را خنداند.
This movie made everyone laugh.
صدای بلند او را ترساند.
The loud noise frightened him.
او آب را برای چای جوشاند.
He boiled the water for tea.
رفتار او مرا رنجاند.
His behavior offended me.
شوخی او جمع را خنداند.
His joke made the group laugh.
سایه او را ترساند.
The shadow frightened him.
او روغن را در تابه جوشاند.
He boiled the oil in the pan.
سخنانش او را عمیقاً رنجاند.
His words offended him deeply.
او با طنز خود مخاطبان را خنداند.
He made the audience laugh with his humor.
این خبر ناگوار او را ترساند.
This unpleasant news frightened him.
او محلول را تا نقطه جوش جوشاند.
He boiled the solution to the boiling point.
او با بیتوجهیاش مرا رنجاند.
He offended me with his indifference.
او توانست با ظرافت جمع را خنداند.
He was able to make the group laugh with subtlety.
آن واقعه او را تا سر حد مرگ ترساند.
That event frightened him to death.
او عصاره را به آرامی جوشاند.
He boiled the extract slowly.
او با کلامش غرور مرا رنجاند.
He offended my pride with his words.
Easily Confused
Learners often confuse base transitive verbs with derived causative verbs.
Mixing up '-ândan' with 'majbur kardan'.
Using the past stem to form the causative.
Common Mistakes
tarsidan-ândan
tarsândan
tarsidândan
tarsândan
man târsi
man tarsândam
tarsândidan
tarsândan
khandidan-ândan
khandândan
jushidan-ândan
jushândan
ranjidan-ândan
ranjândan
tarsândan-kardan
tarsândan
tarsândam
tarsândam (transitive)
tarsândan-e
tarsândan
tarsândan-shodan
tarsândan
tarsândan-e-man
tarsândan
tarsândan-i
tarsândan
Sentence Patterns
او مرا ___.
آیا او تو را ___؟
آن اتفاق مرا ___.
او با کلامش مرا ___.
Real World Usage
این ویدیو منو خندوند!
آب رو بجوشون.
او همه رو ترسوند.
او مخاطبان را خنداند.
خندوندیم!
او پروژه را چرخاند.
Stem Check
Irregularity
Conciseness
Dialect
Smart Tips
Use the causative suffix instead of 'majbur kardan'.
Use 'jushândan' for boiling.
Use 'tarsândan' for frightening.
Use 'ranjândan' for offending.
Pronunciation
Suffix stress
The stress usually falls on the syllable before the suffix.
Statement
او مرا خنداند. ↓
Falling intonation for declarative sentences.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Think of 'ân' as the 'agent' suffix. It adds an agent to the action.
Visual Association
Imagine a person pushing a button labeled 'ân' on a machine, causing a gear (the verb) to spin faster.
Rhyme
Add the ân to make it spin, the causative action will begin.
Story
Ali was afraid (tarsidan). He saw a ghost. The ghost frightened (tarsândan) him. Now Ali is laughing (khandidan) because it was just a prank. The ghost made him laugh (khandândan).
Word Web
Challenge
Write 5 sentences using different causative verbs in 5 minutes.
Cultural Notes
In Tehrani dialect, the 'ân' often sounds like 'un' in casual speech.
The 'ân' is strictly preserved in formal writing and literature.
Causative verbs are used extensively in classical poetry to create rhythm.
The causative suffix '-ândan' is a development from Middle Persian causative forms.
Conversation Starters
چه چیزی شما را میخنداند؟
آیا تا به حال کسی شما را ترسانده است؟
آیا میتوانید آب را برای چای بجوشانید؟
چه رفتاری شما را رنجاند؟
Journal Prompts
Common Mistakes
Test Yourself
او مرا ___.
...
Find and fix the mistake:
او مرا ترسیداند.
او خندید. (He laughed.)
Causative verbs are formed by adding '-ândan' to the present stem.
A: چرا خندیدی؟ B: چون او مرا ___.
او / مرا / ترساند
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Score: /8
Practice Exercises
8 exercisesاو مرا ___.
...
Find and fix the mistake:
او مرا ترسیداند.
او خندید. (He laughed.)
Causative verbs are formed by adding '-ândan' to the present stem.
A: چرا خندیدی؟ B: چون او مرا ___.
او / مرا / ترساند
خندیدن - ?
Score: /8
Practice Bank
10 exercisesمادر به نوزاد شیر ___. (The mother fed/made the baby drink milk.)
من آخر هفتهام را در خانه ___.
رأ / خواباندم / من / گربه
Match the verbs:
To seat a guest:
فیلم من را گریید.
من تو را به فرودگاه ___. (I will get/deliver you to the airport.)
Spending time:
خبر مردم را ___.
او سگ را ___. (He scared the dog.)
Score: /10
FAQ (8)
No, only intransitive verbs can be made causative using this rule.
Yes, for the productive causative rule, it is.
You cannot use this rule. You must use other methods.
Yes, very commonly.
You must learn it for each verb.
It is neutral and used in all registers.
Yes, some verbs have irregular causative forms.
English uses 'make', Persian uses a suffix.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
hacer + infinitive
Persian is synthetic, Spanish is analytic.
faire + infinitive
Persian uses a suffix.
lassen + infinitive
Persian is morphological.
-seru/-saseru
Japanese suffixes are more complex.
Form IV (Af'ala)
Persian uses a suffix.
使 (shǐ) / 让 (ràng)
Persian is suffix-based.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
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