Imperative Mood in Persian

In Brief

Persian normally forms a positive command with بـ be- plus the verb's present stem: برو boro “go!” Add ـید -id when addressing شما shomā (one person formally or several people): بروید beravid. For a negative command, replace بـ with نـ na- or næ-: نرو naro “don't go!”

Overview

The imperative mood is the verb form used to tell or ask someone to do something. Persian imperatives appear in commands, directions, instructions, invitations, warnings, recipes, and friendly advice. They can be forceful, as in تکان نخور! takān nakhor! “Don't move!”, but they are not automatically rude. Tone, the choice between تو to and شما shomā, and words such as لطفاً lotfan “please” determine how the sentence sounds.

This is introduced at B1 because it depends on the present stem (the part of a Persian verb used to build present-tense forms). For example, the infinitive رفتن raftan “to go” has the present stem رو rav-/ro-. That stem gives برو boro “go!” and بروید beravid “go!” The stem often cannot be predicted safely from the infinitive, so it is best learned with each new verb.

English speakers will recognize the basic communicative idea: English also uses a bare verb in “Go!” and adds “don't” in “Don't go!” Persian, however, marks a positive command with a prefix, changes that prefix in a negative command, and distinguishes informal singular from formal or plural address in the verb itself. Persian also makes frequent use of conventional polite forms, especially بفرمایید befarmāyid, rather than relying only on a direct command plus “please.”

How It Works

The two main forms

Persian imperatives are normally second-person forms: they address “you.” The informal singular form is used with تو to. The form in ـید -id is used with شما shomā, whether that means one person addressed respectfully or more than one person.

Persian	Romanization	English	Address
برو	boro	Go!	one person, informal
بروید	beravid	Go!	one person formal, or several people
نرو	naro	Don't go!	one person, informal
نروید	naravid	Don't go!	one person formal, or several people

The careful, written pattern is:

• positive informal singular: بـ + present stem
• positive formal/plural: بـ + present stem + ید
• negative informal singular: نـ + present stem
• negative formal/plural: نـ + present stem + ید

The subject pronoun is usually omitted because the command form already identifies the addressee. تو برو to boro is possible when “you” is being contrasted or emphasized, but plain برو is more neutral.

Start from the present stem

Do not remove ـن mechanically from the infinitive. Persian past and present stems may look quite different. Learn entries in useful sets such as رفتن — رو — برو “to go — present stem — go!”

Infinitive	Present stem	Informal command	Meaning
رفتن raftan	رو rav-/ro-	برو boro	go
خوردن khordan	خور khor-	بخور bekhor	eat
خواندن khāndan	خوان khān-	بخوان bekhān	read
نوشتن neveshtan	نویس nevis-	بنویس benevis	write
گرفتن gereftan	گیر gir-	بگیر begir	take; get
زدن zadan	زن zan-	بزن bezan	hit; play; make, depending on the compound

The vowel in بـ changes naturally in pronunciation according to the verb and established usage. This is why romanizations include forms such as boro, begir, and bekhān. Treat the written prefix بـ as the stable clue and learn the spoken form with the whole verb.

Important high-frequency forms

A few very common imperatives deserve to be learned as complete words:

Persian	Romanization	English	Comment
بیا / بیایید	biyā / biyāyid	Come!	from آمدن “to come”
باش / باشید	bāsh / bāshid	Be!; stay!	from بودن “to be”
بگو / بگویید	begu / beguyid	Say!; tell!	from گفتن “to say”
ببین / ببینید	bebin / bebinid	Look!; see!	from دیدن “to see”
بده / بدهید	bedeh / bedehid	Give!	from دادن “to give”
بفرما / بفرمایید	befarmā / befarmāyid	Please; go ahead	conventional polite form

بفرمایید is much broader than any single English translation. Depending on the situation, it can mean “please come in,” “please sit,” “go ahead,” “here you are,” or “what can I do for you?” Context supplies the missing action.

Compound verbs

Many Persian verbs are compound verbs: a noun, adjective, or other element combines with a short “light verb” such as کردن kardan “to do,” زدن zadan “to hit/do,” or گرفتن gereftan “to take.” Only the verbal part takes the imperative marking.

Persian command	Romanization	English	Structure
گوش کن	gush kon	Listen!	گوش + imperative of کردن
صبر کن	sabr kon	Wait!	صبر + imperative of کردن
حرف بزن	harf bezan	Speak!	حرف + imperative of زدن
تصمیم بگیر	tasmim begir	Decide!	تصمیم + imperative of گرفتن
مواظب باش	movāzeb bāsh	Be careful!	adjective + imperative of بودن

In the negative, the same principle applies: گوش نکن gush nakon “don't listen,” حرف نزن harf nazan “don't speak,” and نگران نباش negarān nabāsh “don't worry.” Do not attach نـ to the nonverbal element.

Prefixed verbs

Some verbs already contain a meaningful prefix. Their conventional imperative may not show an additional, clearly separate بـ. Common commands include برگرد bargard “come/go back,” بردار bardār “pick up,” and در بیاور dar biyāvar “take out.” These are best learned as complete forms rather than forced into an oversimplified formula.

Examples in Context

Persian	Romanization	English	Note
برو!	boro!	Go!	informal singular
لطفاً بنشینید.	lotfan beneshinid.	Please sit down.	polite/formal
بفرمایید داخل.	befarmāyid dākhel.	Please come in.	conventional hospitality
این متن را بخوان.	in matn rā bekhān.	Read this text.	informal instruction
اسمتان را اینجا بنویسید.	esmetān rā injā benevisid.	Write your name here.	formal instruction
یک لحظه صبر کن.	yek lahze sabr kon.	Wait a moment.	compound verb
خوب گوش کنید.	khub gush konid.	Listen carefully.	plural/formal
در را ببند.	dar rā beband.	Close the door.	direct but neutral in context
نرو!	naro!	Don't go!	negative, informal
نگران نباش.	negarān nabāsh.	Don't worry.	common reassurance
به این سیم دست نزنید.	be in sim dast nazanid.	Do not touch this wire.	warning/sign style
عجله نکن.	ajale nakon.	Don't hurry.	negative compound verb
اول دست‌هایت را بشوی.	avval dast-hāyat rā beshuy.	Wash your hands first.	sequence of instructions
لطفاً دوباره بگویید.	lotfan dobare beguyid.	Please say it again.	useful learner request

Notice that Persian object marker را rā remains in its normal place: در را ببند “close the door.” The imperative changes the verb form, not the basic placement of objects and complements.

Common Mistakes

Building the command from the past stem

• Wrong: برفت for “go!”
• Right: برو boro
• Why: The imperative uses the present stem رو, not the past stem رفت. Memorize the present stem alongside the infinitive.

Keeping بـ in a negative command

• Wrong: نبرو
• Right: نرو naro
• Why: In the ordinary negative imperative, نـ replaces the positive بـ; the two are not stacked together.

Forgetting the formal/plural ending

• Wrong: بنشین to a customer you address as شما
• Right: بنشینید beneshinid
• Why: Formal singular and plural commands take ـید. The informal form may sound overfamiliar when respect is expected.

Marking the wrong part of a compound verb

• Wrong: بگوش کن
• Right: گوش کن gush kon
• Why: The imperative prefix belongs to the light verb. With کردن, the command is کن kon; in standard usage it is not بکن in this compound.

Translating “please” too mechanically

• Awkward in a hospitable invitation: لطفاً داخل بروید “Please go inside.”
• More natural: بفرمایید داخل befarmāyid dākhel “Please come in.”
• Why: لطفاً is useful, but Persian often uses a conventional polite expression that fits the social situation better.

Using a direct command when a request would fit better

• Too blunt in many formal situations: پنجره را باز کنید. “Open the window.”
• Softer: لطفاً پنجره را باز کنید. “Please open the window.”
• Softer still: می‌شود پنجره را باز کنید؟ mishe panjare rā bāz konid? “Could you open the window?”
• Why: Correct grammar does not guarantee appropriate tone. Relationship and setting matter.

Usage Notes

Informal, formal, and plural address

Use the singular form with friends, close relatives, children, and anyone with whom تو is established. Use ـید with a person addressed as شما, and whenever speaking to more than one person. A parent may say بیا to one child but بیایید to several children; here the difference is number, not politeness.

In everyday Iranian Persian, the formal/plural ending ـید is often pronounced ـین -in. Thus careful بروید beravid may be heard as برین berin, and بنشینید as بشینین beshinin. These spoken forms are important for listening, but the standard ـید forms are safest in formal writing.

Making a command polite

لطفاً can come before a command: لطفاً منتظر بمانید “Please wait.” خواهش می‌کنم khāhesh mikonam literally has the sense “I request” and can also introduce a courteous request. بفرمایید is especially frequent when offering something, inviting someone to enter or sit, yielding the floor, or serving a customer.

Intonation matters. A short imperative with sharp stress can sound like an order; the same form said warmly among friends can sound helpful or encouraging. English “please” does not map to one obligatory Persian word in every context.

Instructions and public notices

Recipes, manuals, classroom directions, and public signs commonly use imperatives. Formal/plural forms are frequent because they address an unspecified reader respectfully: دکمه را فشار دهید dokme rā feshār dahid “Press the button.” Negative forms are common in warnings: وارد نشوید vāred nashavid “Do not enter.”

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

The link with the subjunctive

The imperative and the Persian subjunctive (a verb form used for desired, possible, or required actions) share much of their structure: both generally use the present stem and often بـ. Compare برو boro “go!” with می‌خواهم بروی mikhāham beravi “I want you to go.” The imperative has no ordinary second-person singular ending, while the subjunctive بروی has ـی -i.

This contrast helps prevent a common confusion:

Persian	Romanization	English	Form
برو.	boro.	Go.	imperative
باید بروی.	bāyad beravi.	You must go.	second-person singular subjunctive
بروید.	beravid.	Go.	formal/plural imperative
باید بروید.	bāyad beravid.	You must go.	formal/plural subjunctive; same visible form

The last two forms look identical; the surrounding sentence tells you whether the form is an independent command or part of a larger construction.

First- and third-person commands

Strictly speaking, the core imperative directly addresses the second person. English expressions such as “Let's go” or “Let him speak” require other Persian constructions. برویم beravim can express “let's go,” especially as a proposal or transition, while بگذار حرف بزند begozār harf bezanad means “let him/her speak.” These use subjunctive forms and related constructions rather than a new set of direct imperative endings.

Literary negative commands

In poetry, elevated prose, and fixed literary expressions, you may encounter مـ ma- instead of ordinary negative نـ, as in مرو maro “do not go.” This is not the normal productive choice for everyday conversation. Recognize it when reading, but use نرو in modern speech.

Prefix omission and lexicalized patterns

The beginner rule بـ + present stem is highly useful, but real Persian contains verbs whose established imperative behaves differently. باش “be,” commands built with کردن such as صبر کن, and prefixed verbs such as برگرد should not be “corrected” to fit the simplest formula. At an advanced level, accuracy comes from knowing both the productive pattern and the conventional form of each frequent verb.

Practice Tips

1. Learn verbs in triples. Record the infinitive, present stem, and informal imperative together: نوشتن — نویس — بنویس. Then add the formal/plural and negative forms: بنویسید، ننویس، ننویسید.
2. Transform real instructions. Take five everyday commands—“sit,” “wait,” “listen,” “don't worry,” “come in”—and say each to a friend, to a group, and in the negative. This forces you to alternate between the bare form and ـید.
3. Listen for register, not only endings. In Persian videos or conversations, note whether speakers use لطفاً, بفرمایید, an indirect question, or a plain imperative. Also train yourself to recognize spoken ـین as the conversational counterpart of standard ـید.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Subjunctive Mood — uses the same present stems and much of the same بـ pattern, with personal endings.