Must, can, may not: bayad and mitunam
Obligation is impersonal: bayad never changes, and the person lives in the verb after it — bayad ghaza bepozam, I must cook. Ability is mitunam, I can, with its own persons: mitunam komak konam? — can I help? The refusal of permission is nemishe — it does not happen, may not — and it needs no subject either. Lazem nist lets you off: not necessary. And bashe — okay, fine — closes the deal. For example: “باید غذا…
How it works
Obligation is impersonal: bayad never changes, and the person lives in the verb after it — bayad ghaza bepozam, I must cook. Ability is mitunam, I can, with its own persons: mitunam komak konam? — can I help? The refusal of permission is nemishe — it does not happen, may not — and it needs no subject either. Lazem nist lets you off: not necessary. And bashe — okay, fine — closes the deal.
Table
| Meaning | Phrase | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| must | باید بپزم | bayad bepozam | I must cook |
| can | میتونم بپزم | mitunam bepozam | I can cook |
| may not | نمیشه | nemishe | not allowed, no way |
| need not | لازم نیست | lazem nist | not necessary |
| okay | باشه | bashe | fine, all right |
By example
- باید غذا بپزمbâyad ghaza bepâzâmI must cook the food
- میتونم کمک کنم؟mi-tunam kâmak kânâm؟Can I help?
- امشب نمیشهemshab nemisheNot today
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
Must, can, may not: how does it work in Persian?
Obligation is impersonal: bayad never changes, and the person lives in the verb after it — bayad ghaza bepozam, I must cook. Ability is mitunam, I can, with its own persons: mitunam komak konam? — can I help? The refusal of permission is nemishe — it does not happen, may not — and it needs no…
What does it look like in a Persian example sentence?
“باید غذا بپزم” (bâyad ghaza bepâzâm) — I must cook the food. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.