Adjectives and Agreement in Persian

Overview

Persian adjectives are refreshingly simple compared to many other languages. They do not change for gender, number, or case. A single adjective form works in every context — بزرگ (bozorg, big) stays the same whether you are describing a man, a woman, a book, or a hundred books. This makes using adjectives in Persian very learner-friendly at the A1 level.

The key rule to remember is word order: adjectives follow the noun, connected by the ezafe. Where English says "big house," Persian says خانهٔ بزرگ (khāne-ye bozorg, literally "house-of big"). This noun-first order is consistent throughout Persian and becomes natural quickly.

You can stack multiple adjectives using chained ezafe links: خانهٔ بزرگِ قرمز (khāne-ye bozorg-e ghermez, the big red house). The order of adjectives is more flexible in Persian than in English, though size typically comes before color, similar to English patterns.

How It Works

Basic pattern: Noun + ezafe (-e/-ye) + Adjective

Pattern	Example	Meaning
Noun-e Adjective	خانهٔ بزرگ khāne-ye bozorg	big house
Noun-e Adj-e Adj	خانهٔ بزرگِ قرمز	big red house
Noun-e Adj-e Possessor	خانهٔ بزرگِ من	my big house

Common A1 adjectives:

Persian	Transliteration	Meaning
بزرگ	bozorg	big
کوچک / کوچیک	kuchek / kuchik	small
خوب	khub	good
بد	bad	bad
زیبا	zibā	beautiful
جدید / نو	jadid / no	new
قدیمی	qadimi	old (things)
پیر	pir	old (people)
جوان	javān	young
گرم	garm	hot
سرد	sard	cold
قرمز	ghermez	red
آبی	ābi	blue
سفید	sefid	white
سیاه	siyāh	black

Key rules:

• No gender agreement: مرد خوب (good man) and زن خوب (good woman) use the same form
• No number agreement: کتاب خوب (good book) and کتاب‌های خوب (good books) use the same form
• Predicate adjectives (after "to be") do not use ezafe: این خانه بزرگ است (this house is big)

Examples in Context

Persian	English	Note
خانهٔ بزرگ	big house	Noun + ezafe + adjective
دخترِ زیبا	beautiful girl	Ezafe after consonant
غذای خوب	good food	Ezafe after ا vowel
ماشینِ قرمز	red car	Color adjective
آب سرد	cold water	Temperature
این کتاب خوب است.	This book is good.	Predicate: no ezafe
مرد پیر	old man	Age (people)
خانهٔ قدیمی	old house	Age (things)
هوای گرم	hot weather	Weather
دوست خوبِ من	my good friend	Triple chain

Common Mistakes

Putting the adjective before the noun

• Wrong: بزرگ خانه (big house)
• Right: خانهٔ بزرگ
• Why: Persian adjectives always follow the noun, connected by ezafe. This is the opposite of English.

Adding agreement markers to adjectives

• Wrong: Looking for feminine or plural forms of adjectives
• Right: بزرگ is always بزرگ regardless of the noun
• Why: Persian adjectives are invariable. No gender, number, or case changes needed.

Using ezafe with predicate adjectives

• Wrong: خانه‌ٔ بزرگ است (with ezafe before بزرگ as predicate)
• Right: خانه بزرگ است (no ezafe — بزرگ is predicate)
• Why: The ezafe connects modifiers within a noun phrase. When the adjective is a predicate (after "to be"), there is no ezafe.

Practice Tips

1. Describe five objects around you with adjectives: میزِ بزرگ (big table), کتابِ جدید (new book), صندلیِ کوچک (small chair). Practice saying the ezafe clearly.
2. Learn adjectives in opposite pairs: بزرگ/کوچک (big/small), خوب/بد (good/bad), گرم/سرد (hot/cold), جدید/قدیمی (new/old). Pairs are easier to remember.
3. Practice converting attributive to predicate: خانهٔ بزرگ (big house) → خانه بزرگ است (the house is big). Notice how the ezafe disappears.

Related Concepts

• Comparatives and Superlatives — how to say "bigger" and "biggest"