Farsi, a beautiful and complex language, can be challenging for non-native speakers to master. Here are 15 common mistakes often made and how to avoid them. You can also watch the video of this article to practice pronunciation in Persian.
Video of 15 common mistakes in Farsi
1. Incorrect Pronunciation of Vowels
- Example: Mispronouncing “آی باکلاه” (a:) as “الف” (e) in words like “آب” (water), اُردَک (or-dak) “duck”. This is because in Persian, short vowels or صداهای کوتاه like “-َ, -ِ, -ُ” are not written or spelled out, which makes it rather confusing for non-Persian speakers to pronounce Persian vocabulary with these vowels accurately.
- Wrong: ابر و ستاره (ebr va sa-ta:reh)
- Right: ابر و ستاره (abr va se-ta:reh)
- Tip: Practice the correct pronunciation with a native speaker or use online Persian resources like LELB Society with over 4,500 English and Persian lessons with videos and tutorials.
2. Misuse of Tenses
- Example: Saying “من میرم” (I go) instead of “من رفتم” (I went) to describe a past action.
- Wrong: من دیروز به دانشگاه می روم
- Right: من دیروز به دانشگاه رفتم
- Tip: Learn the different tenses and when to use them appropriately. At LELB Society, there are over 10 video lessons on different tenses in Farsi or انواع زمان ها در دستور زبان فارسی.
3.Pronunciation of Kasreh or -ِ between nouns
In Persian, the کسره (kasrah) is a vowel diacritical mark that functions as a liaison with an /e/ sound to connect nouns. It is written beneath a letter and indicates the presence of a short /e/ vowel.
- Wrong: در اتاق (dar o-ta:gh) – the door of the room
- Right: درِ اتاق (da-re o-ta:gh) – the door of the room
- Tip: Focus on the sound: The most important aspect of learning kasrah is to understand its sound. It represents a short /e/ sound, similar to the “e” in the English word “bed.” Listen to native Persian speakers pronounce words with kasrah and try to mimic the sound.
4. Confusing Verbs, especially compound verbs
- Example: Using “خوردن” (to eat) instead of “نوشیدن” (to drink) when talking about drinking water.
- Wrong: او از مغازه بیرون برد – Compound verb or فعل مرکب which means to exit or go out
- Right: او از مغازه بیرون آمد
- Tip: Practice using verbs in different contexts and tenses.
5. Incorrect Use of Prepositions
- Wrong: ما در حال قدم زدن روی قطار بودیم
- Right: ما در حال قدم زدن در داخل قطار بودیم
- Tip: Learn the correct usage of prepositions and their meanings.
6. Misusing Articles
- Example: Saying “یک آب” (a water) instead of “آب” (water) because water is an uncountable noun.
- Tip: Understand the rules for using articles in Farsi.
7. Incorrect Word Order
- Example: Saying “قرمز کتاب” (red book) instead of “کتاب قرمز” (red book) because the adjective usually comes after the noun in Farsi.
- Wrong: من خوردم بستنی
- Right: من بستنی را خوردم – In the Persian language, the word order in the standard sentence structure is Subject, Object, Verb or SOV. However, this word order in the English language is Subject, Verb, Object or SVO.
- Tip: Learn the correct word order in Persian sentences.
8. Using Colloquial Expressions
- Example: Saying “چشم” (okay) instead of “بله” (yes) in a formal setting.
- Wrong: در این دورهمی درباره مشکلات شرکت حرف می زنیم (formal setting)
- Right: در این جلسه، پیرامون مشکلات شرکت گفتگو می کنیم (formal setting)
- Tip: Be aware of the different registers of Farsi and use appropriate language.
9. Overusing English Loanwords
- Example: Saying “کپی” (copy) instead of “نسخه” (copy) when referring to a document.
- Tip: Try to use Farsi words or Persian vocabulary whenever possible.
10. Neglecting the use of “Ra:” for transitive verbs
- Wrong: کامران لباسش شست
- Right: کامران لباسش را شست
- Tip: As a general rule, in Persian sentences with transitive verbs or افعال گذرا that require an object, the particle, “Ra:” is added after the object and before the principal verb.
11. Forgetting to Conjugate Verbs
- Example: Saying “خوردن” (to eat) instead of “می‌خورم” (I eat) to express present tense.
- Wrong: خانواده من در مسافرت هستیم
- Right: خانواده من در مسافرت هستند
- Wrong: من غذا را پزیدم
- Right: من غذا را پختم
- Tip: Practice conjugating verbs in Farsi in different tenses and moods.
12. Misusing Plural Forms
- Wrong: من سه کتاب ها از کتابخانه به امانت گرفتم
- Right: من سه کتاب از کتابخانه به امانت گرفتم
- Tip: Learn the rules for forming plurals in Farsi.
13. Incorrect Use of Pronouns
- Example: Saying “او” (he/she) instead of “آن” (it) to refer to a non-human object.
- Wrong: او یک کامپیوتر بسیار پیشرفته است
- Right: آن یک کامپیوتر بسیار پیشرفته است
- Tip: Pay attention to the gender and number of pronouns in Farsi.
14. Mispronouncing Proper Nouns
- Example: Mispronouncing the name of the city “تهران” (Tehran) as “تیهران”.
- Tip: Practice pronouncing proper nouns correctly.
15. Not Practicing Regularly
- Example: Not speaking Farsi regularly with native speakers or using language learning apps, like LELB Society.
- Tip: The more you practice, the better you will become.
