This and that, with the "is" on the end
Two pointers cover all distance: in — this, near; aan — that, far. They stand before the noun as-is: in telefon-e man, aan telefon-e to. In speech the "is" is the ending -e: in telefon-e — this is a phone; the full form adds ast: in telefon ast. Distance words grow from the same pair: inja here, aanja there. And kodoom? — which one? — asks the question that this and that answer. For example: “این تلفن من است, آن…
How it works
Two pointers cover all distance: in — this, near; aan — that, far. They stand before the noun as-is: in telefon-e man, aan telefon-e to. In speech the "is" is the ending -e: in telefon-e — this is a phone; the full form adds ast: in telefon ast. Distance words grow from the same pair: inja here, aanja there. And kodoom? — which one? — asks the question that this and that answer.
Table
| this (این) | that (آن) | |
|---|---|---|
| a thing | این تلفن — in telefon | آن تلفن — aan telefon |
| is (spoken) | این تلفنه — in telefone | اون تلفنه — un telefone |
| is (full) | این تلفن است | آن تلفن است |
| another thing | این کیف — in kif | آن کیف — aan kif |
| many | این کتاب‌ها — in ketaab-ha | آن کتاب‌ها — aan ketaab-ha |
| a place | اینجا — inja — here | آنجا — aanja — there |
| which? | کدام؟ — kodoom? | — |
By example
- این تلفن من است, آن تلفن توستin telefâne man ast, ân telefâne tâstThis phone is mine, that one is yours
- این کتاب خوب است, آن کتاب گران استin ketâb khub ast, ân ketâb gârân astThis book is good, and that one is expensive
- اون کیست؟ — اون مامور پلیس استun kist؟ — un mamâre pâlis astWho is that? — That is a police officer
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
This and that, with the "is" on the end: how does it work in Persian?
Two pointers cover all distance: in — this, near; aan — that, far. They stand before the noun as-is: in telefon-e man, aan telefon-e to. In speech the "is" is the ending -e: in telefon-e — this is a phone; the full form adds ast: in telefon ast. Distance words grow from the same pair: inja here…
What does it look like in a Persian example sentence?
“این تلفن من است, آن تلفن توست” (in telefâne man ast, ân telefâne tâst) — This phone is mine, that one is yours. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.