Free Lesson: Persian Verbs
Verbs Are the Engine of Persian
If nouns are the passengers of a sentence, verbs are the engine. Learn how Persian verbs work, and suddenly you can build hundreds of sentences — not by memorizing each one, but by understanding the system. That is how I teach: the system first, so you can create language yourself.
The Two Stems: The Key to Everything
Every Persian verb has an infinitive that ends in "-dan" or "-tan" — for example, "kardan" (to do) and "raftan" (to go). From each infinitive, Persian builds two stems:
The past stem — used for past tenses. For "kardan" it is "kard-"; for "raftan" it is "raft-".
The present stem — used for present and future tenses. For "kardan" it is "kon-"; for "raftan" it is "rav-".
Once you know a verb's two stems, you can build its tenses by adding regular endings. That is the whole secret: two stems, a set of endings, and you are speaking in the past, present, and future.
Endings Change With the Person
Persian verb endings tell you who is doing the action — I, you, he/she, we, you (plural), they. The endings are regular, so once you learn the pattern for one verb, it works for the others too. For example, with the present stem "kon-" (do), adding the ending for "I" gives "mikonam" (I do / I am doing). Change the ending, and the same stem gives you "you do," "we do," and "they do."
Start Small, Build Big
My advice for beginners: learn one verb completely — both stems, all the person endings — before rushing to the next verb. When the system clicks for one verb, it clicks for every verb. That is far more powerful than memorizing a list of translated verbs you cannot actually use in a sentence.
Go Further With a Teacher
Verbs are where Persian starts to feel alive, and a teacher can guide you through the system at exactly your pace — correcting gently, practicing in real conversation, and making sure the patterns truly stick. One term is four one-hour online sessions for $80, paid in advance via Venmo (@shadi-davarzani). Visit the "Book & Pay for Lessons" section on www.shadi-davarzani.com to reserve your term.