The word ja: the place that is given and taken
Ja — place — builds a whole family. Ja daashtan — to have room: in otaqh dah nafar ja daarad. Ja gereftan — to take room: in miz jaaye ziyaadi migirad. Ja daadan — to give room, to move over: kami ja bedeh. Ja-ye khaali — a free spot; jaadaar — roomy; ja-ye tang — tight. Then the idioms: bi-ja — out of place, said of words; hameja — every-place, everywhere. One syllable, and the whole geometry of the room is in it.…
How it works
Ja — place — builds a whole family. Ja daashtan — to have room: in otaqh dah nafar ja daarad. Ja gereftan — to take room: in miz jaaye ziyaadi migirad. Ja daadan — to give room, to move over: kami ja bedeh. Ja-ye khaali — a free spot; jaadaar — roomy; ja-ye tang — tight. Then the idioms: bi-ja — out of place, said of words; hameja — every-place, everywhere. One syllable, and the whole geometry of the room is in it.
Table
| meaning | phrase | reading | example |
|---|---|---|---|
| to hold | جا داشتن | ja daasht | in otaqh dah nafar ja daarad |
| to take room | جا گرفتن | ja gereft | in miz jaaye ziyaadi migirad |
| to move over | جا دادن | ja bedeh | kami ja bedeh |
| a free spot | جا خالی | ja-ye khaali | yek ja-ye khaali peydaa kardam |
| roomy | جادار | jaadaar | khooneshaan jaadaar ast |
| tight | جا تنگ | ja-ye tang | inja ja-ye tang ast |
| out of place | بیجا | bi-ja | harf-e bi-ja nazan |
| everywhere | همهجا | hameja | hameja por az aadam ast |
By example
- این میز جای زیادی میگیردin miz dzhâye ziyadi mi-giradThis table takes too much room
- کمی جا بده، سه نفریمkami dzhâ beda, se nafarimMove over a bit, we are three
- خانهشان روشن و جادار استkhâneshân râshân â dzhâdâr astTheir house is light and roomy
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
The word ja: how does it work in Persian?
Ja — place — builds a whole family. Ja daashtan — to have room: in otaqh dah nafar ja daarad. Ja gereftan — to take room: in miz jaaye ziyaadi migirad. Ja daadan — to give room, to move over: kami ja bedeh. Ja-ye khaali — a free spot; jaadaar — roomy; ja-ye tang — tight. Then the idioms: bi-ja…
What does it look like in a Persian example sentence?
“این میز جای زیادی میگیرد” (in miz dzhâye ziyadi mi-girad) — This table takes too much room. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.