Bildam and mitunam: know-how and can
Skill is something you "hold": shenaa bildam — I hold swimming, I can swim. Negation wraps it: raanandegi bild nistam — I do not know how to drive. Ability asks and acts: mitunam biaam farda? — may I come tomorrow?; nemitoonam biaam — I cannot come. And success has its own past: baalaakhare toonestam — finally it worked, I managed. Know-how is held, ability is done, success is managed: three verbs where English uses…
How it works
Skill is something you "hold": shenaa bildam — I hold swimming, I can swim. Negation wraps it: raanandegi bild nistam — I do not know how to drive. Ability asks and acts: mitunam biaam farda? — may I come tomorrow?; nemitoonam biaam — I cannot come. And success has its own past: baalaakhare toonestam — finally it worked, I managed. Know-how is held, ability is done, success is managed: three verbs where English uses one.
Table
| phrase | reading | meaning | example | reading of the example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| بلدم | bildam | I know how | شنا بلدم | shenaa bildam |
| بلدی | bildi | you know how | آشپزی بلدی | aashpazi bildi |
| بلد نیستم | bild nistam | I do not know how | رانندگی بلد نیستم | raanandegi bild nistam |
| میتونم | mitunam | I can | میتونم بیام | mitunam biaam |
| نمیتونم | nemitunam | I cannot | نمیتونم بیام | nemitunam biaam |
| تونستم | toonestam | I managed | بالاخره تونستم | baalaakhare toonestam |
By example
- شنا بلدم، ولی غواصی نهshânâ bildam vali gâvâsi neI can swim, but not dive
- میتونم بیام فردا؟mi-tunam biyam fardâ؟May I come tomorrow?
- بالاخره تونستمbâlâkhâre tunestamFinally it worked out
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
Bildam and mitunam: how does it work in Persian?
Skill is something you "hold": shenaa bildam — I hold swimming, I can swim. Negation wraps it: raanandegi bild nistam — I do not know how to drive. Ability asks and acts: mitunam biaam farda? — may I come tomorrow?; nemitoonam biaam — I cannot come. And success has its own past: baalaakhare…
What does it look like in a Persian example sentence?
“شنا بلدم، ولی غواصی نه” (shânâ bildam vali gâvâsi ne) — I can swim, but not dive. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.