A1 Sentence Structure 4 min read Easy

Persian Numbers 1-100: Counting Like a Native (یک تا صد)

Place the number before a singular noun and use 'o' to connect tens and units like LEGOs.
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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Persian numbers 1-10 are unique, 11-19 are compound, and 20-90 follow a simple 'tens + units' pattern.

  • Numbers 1-10 are unique: 'یک' (yek), 'دو' (do), 'سه' (se), etc.
  • Numbers 11-19 end in '-ده' (dah): 'یازده' (yazdah) is 11.
  • Numbers 20-90 use 'tens + o + units': 'بیست و یک' (bist-o-yek) is 21.
Tens + و (o) + Units

Overview

Ever tried to give your phone number to a new friend in Tehran and suddenly forgot how to say 'seven'? Numbers are the heartbeat of every language. You need them for everything. Ordering three kebabs. Paying for a Snapp (the Persian Uber). Checking if your phone has 5% or 50% battery. In Persian, numbers are surprisingly logical. Once you learn the first ten, you've already won half the battle. Unlike English, where 'eleven' and 'twelve' feel like random words, Persian follows a very strict pattern. You just need the building blocks.
Counting in Persian is your first real superpower. It opens doors to markets, cafes, and making plans. The Persian number system is decimal. It works just like the one you use every day. We use the same digits (0-9), though the symbols look a bit different. In modern Iran, everyone uses Western digits on their phones and computers. But you'll still see Persian digits on street signs and paper menus. Learning to say them is the priority. Whether you are scrolling through Instagram likes or splitting a bill, these numbers are everywhere.

Word Order Rules

Here is the best news you’ll hear all day. In Persian, the number always comes before the noun. Even better? The noun stays singular. In English, we say 'five apples.' In Persian, you say panj sib (five apple). It’s like saying 'five piece of apple.' This makes your life so much easier. You don't have to worry about plural endings like -ha when you're counting. Just drop the number in front and you’re done. If you're talking about people, you might say se nafar (three persons). For objects, we often use a 'counter' word called ta. So, panj ta sib is how you'd actually say it to a friend.

How This Grammar Works

Think of Persian numbers like LEGO bricks. You have your base blocks (1-9). Then you have your 'ten' blocks (10, 20, 30...). To make a number like 25, you just snap them together with a tiny connector. That connector is the sound o (which means 'and'). So, 25 is literally 'twenty and five' (bist o panj). This rule applies to every number from 21 to 99. No weird exceptions. No 'seventy-twelve' like in French. Just pure, mathematical logic. It’s so consistent it almost feels like cheating.

Formation Pattern

1
To master 1-100, follow these three steps:
2
Memorize 1-10: yek, do, se, chahar, panj, shesh, haft, hasht, noh, dah.
3
Learn the 'teens' (11-19): These mostly end in -dah. For example, 13 is sizdah.
4
Learn the tens: bist (20), si (30), chehel (40), panjah (50), shast (60), haftad (70), hashtad (80), navad (90), and finally sad (100).
5
To combine them, take the ten, add o, and then the unit. Example: 42 is chehel o do.

Pattern Variations

Persian has a 'cool' version and a 'formal' version. In books, 15 is panzdah. On the street or in a WhatsApp voice note, people usually say punzdah. The an sound often turns into an un in spoken Persian. This happens with 17 (hefdah vs hifdah) and 19 (nuzdah vs nizdah) too. Don't stress about this yet. If you use the formal version, everyone will still understand you. You'll just sound like a very polite news anchor. Also, keep an eye on the number 1. When counting things, we often use ye instead of yek. Like ye qahve (one coffee) instead of yek qahve.

Real Conversations

Imagine you're at a trendy cafe in North Tehran.

W

Waiter

chi meyl darin? (What would you like?)
Y

You

do ta qahve, lotfan. (Two coffees, please.)
W

Waiter

shod haftad o panj toman. (That's 75 Tomans.)

Or imagine you're texting a friend about a party:

F

Friend

chand nafar miyan? (How many people are coming?)
Y

You

shast nafar! kheyli ziade! (60 people! It's a lot!)

In both cases, the numbers follow the 'Number + Noun' rule perfectly.

Common Mistakes

Don't pluralize the noun! This is the most common trap for English speakers. Never say panj sib-ha. It sounds like you're saying 'five appleses.' Just stay singular: panj sib. Another mistake is forgetting the o connector. bist panj is wrong; it must be bist o panj. Finally, be careful with the number 4 (chahar) and 6 (shesh). In fast speech, chahar often sounds like char. Don't let the speed scare you. Just keep your ears open for that 'o' connector, and you'll always know what the price is.

Quick FAQ

Q

Do I need to learn the Persian script for numbers?

Yes, eventually! They are used on prices in shops.

Q

What is ta?

It's a 'counter' word used for almost everything. Use it when counting objects.

Q

Is 1000 hard?

Not at all, it's hezar. But let's stick to 100 for today!

Q

Why does 17 sound different in movies?

That's the spoken accent! hefdah becomes hifdah. It's like saying 'gonna' instead of 'going to.'

Meanings

Cardinal numbers are used to quantify nouns and express amounts in Persian.

1

Counting

Sequential counting of objects or items.

“یک، دو، سه”

“ده، بیست، سی”

Persian Numbers 1-10

Digit Persian Transliteration
1 یک Yek
2 دو Do
3 سه Se
4 چهار Chahar
5 پنج Panj
6 شش Shesh
7 هفت Haft
8 هشت Hasht
9 نه Noh
10 ده Dah

Tens

Number Persian Transliteration
20 بیست Bist
30 سی Si
40 چهل Chehel
50 پنجاه Panjah
60 شصت Shast
70 هفتاد Haftad
80 هشتاد Hashtad
90 نود Navad

Reference Table

Reference table for Persian Numbers 1-100: Counting Like a Native (یک تا صد)
Digit Persian Word Pronunciation Type
1 یک yek Base
10 ده dah Base
11 یازده yazdah Teen
20 بیست bist Ten
21 بیست و یک bist o yek Combined
50 پنجاه panjah Ten
100 صد sad Base

Formality Spectrum

Formal
بیست و یک

بیست و یک (Standard)

Neutral
بیست و یک

بیست و یک (Standard)

Informal
بیست و یک

بیست و یک (Standard)

Slang
بیست و یک

بیست و یک (Standard)

Building Blocks of Persian Numbers

Numbers 1-100

Base (1-10)

  • yek 1
  • dah 10

Tens (20-90)

  • bist 20
  • si 30

Written vs. Spoken Pronunciation

Formal (Written)
panzdah 15
hefdah 17
Informal (Spoken)
punzdah 15
hifdah 17

How to Build a Number (21-99)

1

Pick a 'Ten' (e.g., 20, 30)?

YES
Write the Ten word (e.g., bist)
NO
Stop
2

Is there a unit (1-9)?

YES
Add 'o' + Unit word
NO ↓

Common Counting Units

📦

Objects (General)

  • • ta (تا)
👤

People

  • • nafar (نفر)
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Examples by Level

1

یک سیب

One apple

2

دو کتاب

Two books

3

سه نفر

Three people

4

چهار صندلی

Four chairs

1

بیست و پنج تومان

25 Tomans

2

سی و دو سال

32 years

3

چهل و هشت ساعت

48 hours

4

هفتاد و نه نفر

79 people

1

قیمت آن پنجاه و پنج هزار تومان است

The price is 55,000 Tomans

2

من در طبقه ششم زندگی می‌کنم

I live on the 6th floor

3

ساعت هشت و ده دقیقه است

It is 8:10

4

یازده نفر در جلسه هستند

11 people are in the meeting

1

او نود و نه درصد مطمئن است

He is 99% sure

2

این پروژه شصت و شش روز طول کشید

This project took 66 days

3

بیش از چهل و دو کشور

More than 42 countries

4

هشتاد و هشت درصد آرا

88% of the votes

1

تعداد شرکت‌کنندگان به نود و پنج نفر رسید

The number of participants reached 95

2

او در سن هفتاد و هفت سالگی درگذشت

He passed away at the age of 77

3

این کتاب شامل پنجاه و چهار فصل است

This book contains 54 chapters

4

سی و سه پل یکی از نمادهای اصفهان است

Si-o-se Pol is one of the symbols of Isfahan

1

تخمین زده می‌شود که نود و دو درصد منابع استفاده شده است

It is estimated that 92% of resources have been used

2

در قرن بیستم، تغییرات بسیاری رخ داد

In the 20th century, many changes occurred

3

او هشتاد و نه سال داشت

He was 89 years old

4

تعداد کل موارد ثبت شده چهل و نه است

The total number of registered cases is 49

Easily Confused

Persian Numbers 1-100: Counting Like a Native (یک تا صد) vs 3 vs 30

Both start with 's'.

Persian Numbers 1-100: Counting Like a Native (یک تا صد) vs 6 vs 60

Both start with 'sh'.

Persian Numbers 1-100: Counting Like a Native (یک تا صد) vs 11 vs 1

Both contain 'yek'.

Common Mistakes

✗

بیست یک

✓

بیست و یک

Missing the 'o' connector.
✗

سه ده

✓

سی

Literal translation of 3-10.
✗

یکده

✓

یازده

Incorrect formation of 11.
✗

دو ده

✓

بیست

Incorrect formation of 20.
✗

سی و هشت

✓

سی و هشت

Pronunciation error.
✗

چهل و دو تا

✓

چهل و دو

Adding 'ta' when not needed.
✗

هفتاد و نه

✓

هفتاد و نه

Mixing up 70 and 80.
✗

صد و یک

✓

صد و یک

Pronunciation of 'o'.
✗

نود و نه

✓

نود و نه

Confusion with 90.
✗

شصت و شش

✓

شصت و شش

Confusion with 60.
✗

هشتاد و هشت

✓

هشتاد و هشت

Formal vs informal.
✗

پنجاه و پنج

✓

پنجاه و پنج

Formal vs informal.
✗

چهل و چهار

✓

چهل و چهار

Formal vs informal.

Sentence Patterns

من ___ تا سیب دارم.

قیمت آن ___ تومان است.

او ___ سال دارد.

ساعت ___ و ___ دقیقه است.

Real World Usage

Bazaar constant

سه تا نان لطفا.

Phone Call very common

شماره من است...

Job Interview common

من پنج سال تجربه دارم.

Travel common

هتل در طبقه چهارم است.

Food Delivery common

دو تا پیتزا سفارش دادم.

Social Media occasional

من بیست و یک ساله هستم.

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🎯

The 'Ta' Secret

Always use 'ta' when counting things in conversation. 'Se ta sib' sounds much more natural than just 'se sib'.
⚠️

Singular Nouns Only!

Never use the plural suffix (-ha) after a number. It's '10 book', not '10 books'.
💬

Toman vs. Rial

Prices are often written in Rials but spoken in Tomans (1 Toman = 10 Rials). If a kebab is 50,000, they might just say 'panjah' (50).

Smart Tips

Always add 'ta' for informal counting.

سه سیب → سه تا سیب

Break them into tens and units.

بیستیک → بیست و یک

Use ordinal numbers instead.

روز بیست → روز بیستم

Use the 'Toman' currency unit.

این چند است؟ → این چند تومان است؟

Pronunciation

o

The 'o' connector

Pronounced like the 'o' in 'go'.

Rising

بیست و یک؟

Questioning the number.

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Think of 'Bist' (20) as 'Best'—twenty is the best number!

Visual Association

Imagine a giant '20' (بیست) wearing a crown, and a little '1' (یک) holding its hand with a 'و' (o) bridge between them.

Rhyme

Yek, do, se, counting is fun for me!

Story

Ali bought 20 (bist) apples. He gave 1 (yek) to his friend. Now he has 19 (noozdah).

Word Web

یکدوسهدهبیستسیچهل

Challenge

Count your fingers in Persian right now.

Cultural Notes

Numbers are used in bargaining at the bazaar.

Similar number system, slight dialect variations.

Uses Cyrillic script but similar roots.

Persian numbers are Indo-European, sharing roots with Sanskrit and Latin.

Conversation Starters

“

چند تا سیب داری؟

“

شماره تلفن شما چند است؟

“

قیمت این چقدر است؟

“

چند سال است که فارسی می‌خوانید؟

Journal Prompts

List 5 things you have in your bag using numbers.
Describe your daily routine using numbers (times).
Write about a shopping experience.
Discuss the importance of numbers in your life.
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Test Yourself

Fill in the number 23 in Persian using the 'o' connector.

بیست ___ سه (bist ___ se)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: و (o)
In Persian, we connect tens and units with 'o' (and).
Find the mistake in this sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Man se ta sib-ha dāram.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Man se ta sib dāram.
Nouns must remain singular after a number. 'Sib-ha' is plural and incorrect here.
Put the words in order to say 'I have four friends.' Sentence Reorder

Arrange the words in the correct order:

All words placed

Click words above to build the sentence

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: man chahār ta dust dāram
The order is Subject + Number + Counter + Noun + Verb.

Score: /3

Practice Exercises

8 exercises
Fill in the missing number: 20 + 1 = ___

بیست و ___

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: یک
21 is bist-o-yek.
Which is 30? Multiple Choice

کدام عدد سی است؟

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: سی
Si is 30.
Correct the sentence: بیست یک Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

بیست یک

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: بیست و یک
Needs 'o'.
Reorder: یک / و / بیست Sentence Reorder

یک / و / بیست

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: بیست و یک
Tens first.
Translate 45. Translation

45

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: چهل و پنج
Chehel-o-panj.
Match number to word. Match Pairs

10

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ده
Dah is 10.
Build: I have 2 apples. Sentence Building

من ___ سیب دارم.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: دو
Do is 2.
What is 90? Conjugation Drill

90

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: نود
Navad is 90.

Score: /8

Practice Bank

10 exercises
Translate 'Thirty-two' into Persian. Translation

Thirty-two

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: si o do
Which is the correct word for 70? Multiple Choice

How do you say 70?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: haftad
Match the Persian word to its number. Match Pairs

Match the pairs:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: dah:10, bist:20, sad:100, noh:9
Fill in the missing word: 15 (spoken). Fill in the Blank

___ ta (15 units)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: punzdah
Correct the number 85. Error Correction

hashtad panj

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: hashtad o panj
How do you say 'one' when ordering a coffee casually? Multiple Choice

___ qahve, lotfan.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ye
Translate '60' into Persian script/word. Translation

60

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: shast
Arrange to say: 'The price is 90 tomans.' Sentence Reorder

Arrange: [ast] [navad] [toman] [gheymat]

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: gheymat navad toman ast
What comes after 'davazdah' (12)? Fill in the Blank

yazdah, davazdah, ___

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: sizdah
Which number is 'chehel'? Multiple Choice

What is 'chehel'?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 40

Score: /10

FAQ (8)

It is 'sad'.

No, Persian numbers are gender-neutral.

It's the connector for compound numbers.

Yes, they use different symbols.

Use 'nafar' after the number.

Just say the digits.

13 is considered unlucky in some cultures, but not specifically in Persian.

It is 'sefr'.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

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In Other Languages

Spanish partial

Veintiuno

Persian uses a connector 'o'.

French high

Vingt-et-un

Pronunciation.

German low

Einundzwanzig

Word order.

Japanese low

Nijuuichi

Structure.

Arabic high

Wahid wa 'ishrun

Gender agreement.

Chinese low

Er shi yi

No connectors.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
Persian Greetings: Hello, Politeness & Respect (Salām, Khaste nabāshid)
Next
Persian Simple Past: I Did, He Went (-am, -i, -)

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