Basic Prepositions in Persian

Overview

Prepositions are the small words that show relationships between things — where something is, where it is going, or who it is with. In Persian, prepositions come before the noun they modify, just like in English. However, some Persian prepositions connect to the following noun through the ezafe construction, which gives them a slightly different feel.

At the A1 level, you need a core set of about seven prepositions that will cover most everyday situations. These are در dar (in/at), به be (to), از az (from), با bā (with), برای barāye (for), بدون bedun-e (without), and تا tā (until/to). With just these seven, you can describe locations, directions, companions, purposes, and time boundaries.

Persian prepositions are generally simpler than their English counterparts because each one covers a narrower range of meanings. Where English uses "in," "on," and "at" for different spatial relationships, Persian uses در (dar) for most of them, with context clarifying the specifics.

How It Works

Preposition	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example
در	dar	in, at	در خانه dar khāne (at home)
به	be	to, toward	به مدرسه be madrese (to school)
از	az	from, of, than	از ایران az irān (from Iran)
با	bā	with	با دوستم bā dustam (with my friend)
برای	barāye	for	برای تو barāye to (for you)
بدون	bedun-e	without	بدون شکر bedun-e shekar (without sugar)
تا	tā	until, to	تا فردا tā fardā (until tomorrow)

Additional common prepositions:

Preposition	Pronunciation	Meaning
روی	ru-ye	on, on top of
زیر	zir-e	under
پشت	posht-e	behind
جلوی	jelo-ye	in front of
کنار	kenār-e	beside, next to
بین	beyn-e	between

Note: Many spatial prepositions (روی، زیر، پشت، etc.) require the ezafe (-e / -ye) to connect to the following noun.

Examples in Context

Persian	English	Note
من در تهران زندگی می‌کنم.	I live in Tehran.	در for location
او به مدرسه می‌رود.	He/She goes to school.	به for direction
من از ایران هستم.	I am from Iran.	از for origin
با دوستم رفتم.	I went with my friend.	با for accompaniment
این برای شماست.	This is for you.	برای for purpose/recipient
قهوه بدون شکر لطفاً.	Coffee without sugar, please.	بدون for absence
تا ساعت پنج کار می‌کنم.	I work until five o'clock.	تا for time limit
کتاب روی میز است.	The book is on the table.	روی with ezafe
گربه زیر میز است.	The cat is under the table.	زیر with ezafe
از تهران تا اصفهان	from Tehran to Isfahan	از...تا for range

Common Mistakes

Confusing به and در for location vs direction

• Wrong: من به خانه هستم. (I am to home.)
• Right: من در خانه هستم. (I am at home.)
• Why: در is for being at a location (static). به is for moving toward a location (dynamic).

Forgetting ezafe after spatial prepositions

• Wrong: روی میز (said without ezafe)
• Right: روی‌ِ میز (ru-ye miz, on the table)
• Why: Prepositions like روی، زیر، پشت need the ezafe to link to the following noun.

Using از where English uses "of"

• Wrong: Always translating "of" as از
• Right: Often, Persian uses the ezafe instead: در خانه (door of the house = dar-e khāne, using ezafe, not از)
• Why: Possession and attribution use the ezafe construction, not از. The preposition از means "from" or is used in comparisons.

Practice Tips

1. Describe your room using prepositions: کتاب روی میز است (the book is on the table), گربه زیر صندلی است (the cat is under the chair). This builds spatial vocabulary naturally.
2. Practice the از...تا pattern for ranges: از دوشنبه تا جمعه (from Monday to Friday), از صبح تا شب (from morning to night).
3. Create a short paragraph about your daily movements using به and از: از خانه می‌روم (I leave home), به دانشگاه می‌روم (I go to university), از دانشگاه برمی‌گردم (I return from university).

Related Concepts

• Location and Direction Words — spatial vocabulary that works with these prepositions