Three tenses from one root: raftan
One verb carries the whole tense system. The past is the bare stem plus the person: raftam, rafti, raft. The present wraps the same stem in mi-: mi-ram, mi-ri, mi-rad. The bookish future puts a helper in front: khaaham raft — I shall go. You will hear it in songs and speeches; living speech itself says farda mi-ram. Negation slides inside: naraftam — I did not go; nemiram — I am not going. For example: “دیروز به…
How it works
One verb carries the whole tense system. The past is the bare stem plus the person: raftam, rafti, raft. The present wraps the same stem in mi-: mi-ram, mi-ri, mi-rad. The bookish future puts a helper in front: khaaham raft — I shall go. You will hear it in songs and speeches; living speech itself says farda mi-ram. Negation slides inside: naraftam — I did not go; nemiram — I am not going.
Table
| tense | scheme | I | reading | he | reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| past | stem + person | رفتم | raftam | رفت | raft |
| present | می- + stem | میروم | mi-raavam | میرود | mi-raavad |
| future | khaaham + stem | خواهم رفت | khaaham raft | خواهد رفت | khaahad raft |
| past, not | na- + past | نرفتم | naraftam | نرفت | naraft |
| present, not | نمی- + present | نمیروم | nemiraavam | نمیرود | nemiraavad |
By example
- دیروز به بازار رفتم، امروز میرومdiruz be bâzâr reftam emruz mi-râvamYesterday to the bazaar, today I go
- سال دیگر به شمال خواهیم رفتsâle digar be shâmâl khâhim reftamNext year we will go north
- این فیلم را ندیدمin film râ nâdidamThis film I did not watch
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
Three tenses from one root: how does it work in Persian?
One verb carries the whole tense system. The past is the bare stem plus the person: raftam, rafti, raft. The present wraps the same stem in mi-: mi-ram, mi-ri, mi-rad. The bookish future puts a helper in front: khaaham raft — I shall go. You will hear it in songs and speeches; living speech itself…
What does it look like in a Persian example sentence?
“دیروز به بازار رفتم، امروز میروم” (diruz be bâzâr reftam emruz mi-râvam) — Yesterday to the bazaar, today I go. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.