Known or some: yek and the -i of indefiniteness
There are no articles. "A room" is simply otaqh; "the room" is the same word, and the sentence decides. When "some ... or other" matters, two tools appear. One is yek in front: yek otaqh baraye yek shab, a room for a night. The other is the ending -i on the noun: beliti, some ticket; hotali, some hotel. In the negative the -i does the whole work: inja hotali nist — there is no hotel here at all. Otaq-e khaali…
How it works
There are no articles. "A room" is simply otaqh; "the room" is the same word, and the sentence decides. When "some ... or other" matters, two tools appear. One is yek in front: yek otaqh baraye yek shab, a room for a night. The other is the ending -i on the noun: beliti, some ticket; hotali, some hotel. In the negative the -i does the whole work: inja hotali nist — there is no hotel here at all. Otaq-e khaali daarid? — do you have a free room? — asks without either tool.
Table
| Meaning | Some | The very one |
|---|---|---|
| room | یک اتاق — yek otaqh | اتاق — otaqh |
| ticket | بلیطی — beliti | بلیط — belit |
| hotel | هتلی — hotali | هتل — hotel |
| flight | پروازی — parvaazi | پرواز — parvaaz |
By example
- یک اتاق برای یک شبyek âtâgh bârâye yek shabSome room for one night
- اینجا هتلی نیستindzhâ hateli nistThere is no hotel here at all
- اتاق خالی دارید؟âtâghe khâli dârid؟Do you have a free room?
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
How to say some in persian?
There are no articles. "A room" is simply otaqh; "the room" is the same word, and the sentence decides. When "some ... or other" matters, two tools appear. One is yek in front: yek otaqh baraye yek shab, a room for a night. The other is the ending -i on the noun: beliti, some ticket; hotali, some…
The indefinite suffix -i in persian?
There are no articles. "A room" is simply otaqh; "the room" is the same word, and the sentence decides. When "some ... or other" matters, two tools appear. One is yek in front: yek otaqh baraye yek shab, a room for a night. The other is the ending -i on the noun: beliti, some ticket; hotali, some…
Is there an article in persian?
There are no articles. "A room" is simply otaqh; "the room" is the same word, and the sentence decides. When "some ... or other" matters, two tools appear. One is yek in front: yek otaqh baraye yek shab, a room for a night. The other is the ending -i on the noun: beliti, some ticket; hotali, some…
What yek means before a word?
There are no articles. "A room" is simply otaqh; "the room" is the same word, and the sentence decides. When "some ... or other" matters, two tools appear. One is yek in front: yek otaqh baraye yek shab, a room for a night. The other is the ending -i on the noun: beliti, some ticket; hotali, some…
What does it look like in a Persian example sentence?
“یک اتاق برای یک شب” (yek âtâgh bârâye yek shab) — Some room for one night. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.