Participles and Verbal Nouns in Persian

In Brief

Persian builds several useful words from verbs. The present stem plus ـنده (-ande) often names a person or thing that performs an action, while the past stem plus ـه (-e) forms the past participle: نویسنده “writer,” شکسته “broken.” The infinitive in ـن (-an) can act as a verbal noun, and ـگر (-gar) creates many occupation and agent nouns such as کارگر “worker.”

Overview

A participle is a verb-derived form that can do some of the work of an adjective or noun. A verbal noun is a noun that names an action or process, rather than a person or object. English has overlaps among these categories: broken is a participle used as an adjective, while writing can name an activity. Persian also lets verb forms cross into adjective and noun territory, but its patterns do not map neatly onto English -ing.

At C1, recognizing the patterns is especially useful for reading journalism, academic prose, instructions, and formal descriptions. Forms such as شرکت‌کننده “participant,” نوشته “written; writing,” and رفتن “to go; going” make long Persian noun phrases more compact. Many of these words are fully established vocabulary items, not forms that speakers freely invent in every situation.

This topic builds on compound verbs. With a compound verb, the nonverbal element normally remains visible and the light verb supplies the participial form: شرکت کردن “to participate” becomes شرکت‌کننده “participant,” and انتخاب کردن “to select” becomes انتخاب‌شده “selected.” Learning the whole compound is therefore more reliable than translating an English participle word by word.

How It Works

The present participle and agent pattern in ـنده

The traditional present participle is formed from the present stem—the part used in present-tense forms—plus ـنده (-ande). It commonly denotes an ongoing performer, a characteristic action, or something that produces an effect.

Verb	Present stem	Form in ـنده	Common meaning
رفتن (raftan, to go)	رو (rav)	رونده (ravande)	going; moving; goer
نوشتن (neveshtan, to write)	نویس (nevis)	نویسنده (nevisande)	writer
خواندن (khāndan, to read/sing)	خوان (khān)	خواننده (khānande)	reader; singer
گفتن (goftan, to say)	گو (gu)	گوینده (guyande)	speaker, announcer
آمدن (āmadan, to come)	آ (ā)	آینده (āyande)	coming; future

The spelling and sound changes in words such as رونده, گوینده, and آینده are conventional. Treat frequent forms as vocabulary rather than trying to derive their spelling solely from a formula.

A form in ـنده can have several jobs:

• Noun: نویسندهٔ کتاب “the author of the book.”
• Adjective: نیروی بازدارنده “a deterrent force,” literally “a restraining force.”
• Technical modifier: جریان رونده “a moving current.”
• Lexicalized noun: آینده “the future,” historically “that which is coming.”

English often uses -er for a person and -ing for an ongoing quality. Persian ـنده covers parts of both areas, but not every English -er or -ing word has a natural ـنده equivalent.

Compound verbs with ـکننده and other stems

For a compound verb, keep its nonverbal component and replace the light verb with the relevant present-stem participle. With کردن “to do,” this usually gives کننده:

Compound verb	Derived form	Meaning
شرکت کردن	شرکت‌کننده	participant
مصرف کردن	مصرف‌کننده	consumer
تولید کردن	تولیدکننده	producer, manufacturer
تعیین کردن	تعیین‌کننده	determining; decisive
تصمیم گرفتن	تصمیم‌گیرنده	decision-maker

The half-space in forms such as شرکت‌کننده and تصمیم‌گیرنده is standard Persian typography. Some compounds are lexicalized in less predictable ways, so dictionary evidence and real usage matter.

The past participle in ـه

The past participle is generally made from the past stem plus ـه (-e):

Infinitive	Past stem	Past participle	Meaning
رفتن (raftan)	رفت (raft)	رفته (rafte)	gone
شکستن (shekastan)	شکست (shekast)	شکسته (shekaste)	broken
نوشتن (neveshtan)	نوشت (nevesht)	نوشته (neveshte)	written; a piece of writing
بستن (bastan)	بست (bast)	بسته (baste)	closed; package
دیدن (didan)	دید (did)	دیده (dide)	seen

This form has three major roles. First, it builds perfect tenses: رفته‌ام “I have gone” and رفته بودم “I had gone.” Second, with شدن it helps form the passive: نوشته شد “it was written.” Third, it can function as an adjective or noun: شیشهٔ شکسته “broken glass,” نوشته‌های او “his or her writings.”

When the past participle is adjectival, it follows the noun and is linked by ezafe, the unstressed connector -e/-ye: درِ بسته (dar-e baste) “the closed door.” Like other Persian adjectives, it does not change for gender or number: درهای بسته “closed doors.”

For compound verbs, use the whole nonverbal element plus the past participle of the light verb: انتخاب‌شده “selected,” منتشرشده “published,” and ازبین‌رفته “lost, vanished.” In less tightly lexicalized phrases, spacing can vary according to editorial style and the structure of the compound.

The infinitive as a verbal noun

The Persian infinitive (the dictionary form of a verb) ends in ـن and is traditionally called مصدر (masdar). Forms such as رفتن “to go,” خواندن “to read,” and دیدن “to see” can also name the action itself. In that use, an English translation often uses an -ing noun:

• رفتن آسان بود. “Leaving was easy.”
• از زیاد حرف زدن خسته شدم. “I got tired of talking too much.”
• وقتِ خوابیدن است. “It is time to sleep.”

As a noun-like expression, an infinitive can be the subject of a sentence, follow a preposition, or enter an ezafe phrase. However, Persian often prefers a conventional abstract noun, especially in formal prose: آموزش “education/teaching” may be more idiomatic than a mechanically constructed phrase with آموختن. The infinitive is productive, but it is not the only way to name an action.

Do not confuse the full infinitive with the short infinitive, a label sometimes used for the bare past stem. The future construction خواهم رفت uses رفت, not the full infinitive رفتن.

Agent nouns in ـگر

The suffix ـگر (-gar) forms many nouns for a person associated with an activity, trade, field, or characteristic. It frequently attaches to a noun or other lexical base rather than directly to a verb stem.

Base	Agent noun	Meaning
کار (kār, work)	کارگر (kārgar)	worker
آهن (āhan, iron)	آهنگر (āhangar)	blacksmith
پژوهش (pazhuhesh, research)	پژوهشگر (pazhuheshgar)	researcher
داد (dād, justice)	دادگر (dādgar)	just person; dispenser of justice
ستم (setam, oppression)	ستمگر (setamgar)	oppressor

Unlike ـنده, ـگر is not a general present-participle ending. It creates established lexical items, and the relationship to the base may indicate occupation, habitual behavior, or association rather than the performer of one current action. For example, کارگر means “worker,” not simply “someone who is working at this moment.”

Examples in Context

Persian	Romanization	English	Note
نویسندهٔ این مقاله در تهران زندگی می‌کند.	nevisande-ye in maqāle dar Tehrān zendegi mikonad.	The author of this article lives in Tehran.	ـنده as an agent noun
آینده به تصمیم‌های امروز ما بستگی دارد.	āyande be tasmimhā-ye emruz-e mā bastegi dārad.	The future depends on our decisions today.	آینده is a lexicalized noun
تعداد شرکت‌کنندگان بیشتر از انتظار بود.	te‘dād-e sherkat-konandegān bishtar az entezār bud.	The number of participants was higher than expected.	Compound verb plus کننده; formal plural ـان
این دستگاه تولیدکنندهٔ برق است.	in dastgāh tolid-konande-ye barq ast.	This device generates electricity.	A nonhuman producer
درِ بسته را باز نکنید.	dar-e baste rā bāz nakonid.	Do not open the closed door.	Past participle as adjective
شیشه‌های شکسته را جمع کردند.	shishehā-ye shekaste rā jam‘ kardand.	They collected the broken glass.	The adjective does not agree in number
گزارشِ منتشرشده چند اشتباه داشت.	gozāresh-e montasher-shode chand eshtebāh dāsht.	The published report contained several mistakes.	Compound past participle
این نامه دیروز نوشته شده است.	in nāme diruz neveshte shode ast.	This letter was written yesterday.	Past participle in a passive perfect
زود بیدار شدن برایم سخت است.	zud bidār shodan barāyam sakht ast.	Waking up early is difficult for me.	Infinitive phrase as subject
از منتظر ماندن خسته شده‌ام.	az montazer māndan khaste shode-am.	I have become tired of waiting.	Infinitive after a preposition
وقتِ تصمیم گرفتن رسیده است.	vaqt-e tasmim gereftan reside ast.	The time to make a decision has come.	Compound infinitive in an ezafe phrase
او پژوهشگرِ زبان فارسی است.	u pazhuheshgar-e zabān-e fārsi ast.	He or she is a researcher of Persian.	Agent noun with ـگر
کارگران کارخانه جلسه داشتند.	kārgarān-e kārkhāne jalase dāshtand.	The factory workers had a meeting.	Established occupation noun

Common Mistakes

Building the ـنده form from the past stem

• Wrong: نوشتنده for “writer”
• Right: نویسنده
• Why: ـنده normally attaches to the present stem نویس, not the past stem نوشت. Because Persian present stems are often irregular, learn both stems with each verb.

Treating every ـنده word as an ongoing English “-ing” form

• Wrong: translating نویسنده as “writing” in نویسندهٔ کتاب
• Right: “the writer/author of the book”
• Why: Many ـنده forms are established nouns naming an agent. Context, not the suffix alone, determines whether the form is a noun or modifier.

Adding number or gender agreement to a participial adjective

• Wrong: inventing a plural adjective after درهای in “closed doors”
• Right: درهای بسته
• Why: Persian adjectives, including participial adjectives, do not change for gender or number. Only the noun carries the plural marker here.

Using the full infinitive in the formal future

• Wrong: خواهم رفتن
• Right: خواهم رفت “I will go”
• Why: The future auxiliary is followed by the past stem, sometimes called the short infinitive, not by the full ـن infinitive.

Adding ـگر freely to any English occupation

• Wrong: assuming every “person who does X” can be coined with ـگر
• Right: check the established Persian word, such as پژوهشگر “researcher” or نویسنده “writer”
• Why: ـگر is productive but lexical. Persian may prefer ـنده, ـکار, another suffix, or an unrelated noun.

Usage Notes

Forms in ـنده are particularly common in formal, technical, and administrative language: درخواست‌کننده “applicant,” مصرف‌کننده “consumer,” and تأمین‌کننده “supplier.” Everyday speech uses many established items such as راننده “driver” and خواننده “singer,” but may avoid a newly coined, heavy ـکننده form if a simpler noun or relative clause sounds more natural.

Past participles are extremely common in both speech and writing because they form perfect tenses and passives. Their independent adjectival use varies by word. بسته naturally means “closed” and also “package”; نوشته can mean “written” or “a text/writing.” A dictionary may list these lexicalized meanings separately even though their historical structure is transparent.

In careful writing, half-spaces help show the internal structure of derived and compound forms: شرکت‌کننده, انتخاب‌شده, رفته‌ام. Informal digital writing often omits them or uses ordinary spaces. Recognizing all three visual possibilities is useful, but standard spelling is preferable in your own formal writing.

Romanization can hide an important distinction: ـنده is conventionally represented here as -ande, while the past-participle ending ـه is pronounced -e in modern Iranian Persian. Learn the Persian script form rather than relying only on Latin letters.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

The boundaries among participle, adjective, and noun are gradual. A transparent participle may describe the result of an event, while a lexicalized descendant behaves like an ordinary word. بسته can be analyzed as “closed” in درِ بسته, but in یک بسته چای “a packet of tea” it is simply a countable noun. آینده no longer normally feels like a literal “comer” when it means “the future.”

Persian formal prose often uses past-participial modifiers to compress information that English would express with a relative clause:

• مدارکِ ارسال‌شده — “the documents that were sent”
• نتایجِ به‌دست‌آمده — “the results that were obtained”
• مشکلاتِ حل‌نشده — “the problems that have not been solved”

Negation is usually attached to the participial compound: حل‌نشده “unsolved,” ناشناخته “unknown,” or نوشته‌نشده “unwritten.” The choice between نـ and the derivational prefix ناـ is lexical and pattern-dependent; do not assume that they are freely interchangeable.

The present-participle pattern can also describe instruments, forces, or effects rather than people: مواد پاک‌کننده “cleaning substances,” عامل بازدارنده “deterrent factor,” and روند فزاینده “an increasing trend.” This is one reason ـنده is prominent in scientific and journalistic vocabulary.

Finally, Persian has other action-noun and agent-forming patterns beyond this article’s core scope, including ـش in words such as آموزش “education/teaching” and other agent suffixes found in established vocabulary. At an advanced level, the best strategy is to analyze recognizable parts while still learning the complete word and its register.

Practice Tips

1. Build a two-stem notebook. For each new verb, record its infinitive, past stem, present stem, one ـنده form if it is actually used, and the past participle. This prevents forms such as نوشتنده.
2. Mine formal texts. In a news article, underline words ending in ـنده and ـشده. Label each as person, thing, adjective, tense component, or passive component; the context matters more than the ending alone.
3. Rewrite clauses as noun phrases. Change مدارکی که ارسال شدند “documents that were sent” into مدارکِ ارسال‌شده. Then reverse the exercise. This develops the compact style needed for advanced reading and writing.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Advanced Compound Verbs — helps you preserve the nonverbal element and choose the correct light-verb stem in derived forms.