One root, two tenses: zadam and mi-zanam
The striker verb zadan shows the two-face pattern at its cleanest. Past face: zadam — I struck, I did it: diruz ghaza ra namak zadam — yesterday I salted the food. Present face: mi-zanam — I strike, I do: emrooz namak mizanam — today I salt. Negation goes inside the present: nemidaanam, farda migooyam — I do not know, tomorrow I will say. Sounds, strikes, phone calls, glue — all of them are "struck" with this one…
How it works
The striker verb zadan shows the two-face pattern at its cleanest. Past face: zadam — I struck, I did it: diruz ghaza ra namak zadam — yesterday I salted the food. Present face: mi-zanam — I strike, I do: emrooz namak mizanam — today I salt. Negation goes inside the present: nemidaanam, farda migooyam — I do not know, tomorrow I will say. Sounds, strikes, phone calls, glue — all of them are "struck" with this one verb.
Table
| Who | Past | Present | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | زدم | میزنم | I did / I do |
| you | زدی | میزنی | you did / you do |
| he, she | زد | میزند | he did / he does |
| we | زدیم | میزنیم | we did / we do |
| you (pl.) | زدید | میزنید | you did / you do |
| they | زد | میزنند | he did / they do |
By example
- دیروز غذا را نمک زدمdiruz ghaza râ namak zadamYesterday I salted the food
- امروز نمک میزنمemruz namak mi-zânamToday I am salting
- نمیدانم، فردا میگویمnemi-dânam, fardâ mi-gâmI do not know, tomorrow I will say
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
One root, two tenses: how does it work in Persian?
The striker verb zadan shows the two-face pattern at its cleanest. Past face: zadam — I struck, I did it: diruz ghaza ra namak zadam — yesterday I salted the food. Present face: mi-zanam — I strike, I do: emrooz namak mizanam — today I salt. Negation goes inside the present: nemidaanam, farda…
What does it look like in a Persian example sentence?
“دیروز غذا را نمک زدم” (diruz ghaza râ namak zadam) — Yesterday I salted 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.