Dari Grammar List

Learn the Dari word first, and know the Iranian word so you recognize it in films, songs and apps from Iran.

After ا د ذ ر ز ژ و the next letter starts a new piece, so you see a small gap inside the word.

Verbs and adjectives stay the same for a man or a woman, and so do most nouns. او means he or she.

Start each line at the right. A number inside a line still reads from its left digit: ۲۵ is twenty-five.

Say who does it, then what it is done to, and finish with the verb: مریم کتاب می‌خواند.

Type it inside a word: after می and نمی before a verb, before ها, and between a silent ه and an ending like ـام.

Learn each word with its sound, because the letter alone does not show which sound the word has.

Learn the three short vowels a, i and u with each new word, because the page does not show them.

Use written Dari for reading and writing, and listen for the Kabul speech forms so you understand people at home and in the market.

Put یک in front of the noun: یک کتاب (a book), یک پیاله چای (a cup of tea).

Say the thing first and the owner second: کتاب من is my book, and کتاب احمد is Ahmad's book.

Put the adjective after the noun, and say the link without writing it: چای سبز is chāy-i sabz.

Say خوب استم for I am well. Keep the pronoun to stress who: من خسته استم، اما تو نیستی.

Learn یک، دو، سه، چهار، پنج، شش، هفت، هشت، نه، ده, and the digits ۱ to ۱۰.

Say شما to an older person, a stranger, a teacher, a customer or an official, and say تو to a close friend, a sibling or a child.

Say the sentence with a rising voice and write ؟ at the end. No extra word is needed.

Ask شما از کجا استید؟ and answer من از + place + استم.

Use از for from, به for to, در for in or at, and با for with.

Match the form to the person: من استم, تو استی, او است, ما استیم, شما استید and آن‌ها استند.

Put امروز, دیروز or فردا at the start of the sentence: امروز هوا گرم است.

Put این or آن before a noun, or use it alone: این کتاب (this book), آن کتاب (that book).

Say اینجا for the place near you and آنجا for a place away from you: دکان آنجا است.

Use این‌ها and آن‌ها alone for these and those. Before a noun, keep این or آن and add ـها to the noun: این کتاب‌ها.

Put بسیار or خیلی before an adjective for very: هوا بسیار سرد است.

Say بلی for yes and نه for no. Friends and family also say ها (yeah) and نی (nope).

Say تشکر for thank you and ببخشید for excuse me or sorry.

Say احمد جان to a friend or a family member, and داکتر صاحب to a doctor you respect.

Say سلام to greet and خداحافظ or به امان خدا to say goodbye.

Add ـها to the end of a noun, with a half-space between them: کتاب‌ها (books).

Pick the one for the person: من (I), تو (you), او (he or she), ما (we), شما (you) and آن‌ها (they).

Say نام من … است or اسم من … است, and ask نام شما چیست؟

Replace است with نیست and match the person: نیستم, نیستی, نیست, نیستیم, نیستید and نیستند.

Start with the place, then name the thing, then say هست or نیست: در یخچال شیر هست.

Put هم right after the word you add: من هم خوب استم (I am well too).

Use و for and, یا for or, and اما or ولی for but: چای و نان (tea and bread).

Ask چطور استید؟ to a guest or elder and جور استی؟ to a friend.

Ask with چه (what), کی (who) and کجا (where): خانهٔ شما کجا است؟

Add ـها to the noun and keep the adjective as it is: کتاب‌های نو (new books).

Put دیگر right after the noun: یک پیاله چای دیگر می‌خواهم. (I'd like another cup of tea.)

Learn each pair as one unit: کار کردن (to work), گپ زدن (to talk), درس خواندن (to study).

Learn the days from شنبه (Saturday) to جمعه (Friday), and put روز in front of a day when you want to be clear.

Always write است, and listen for the sound as at the end of a sentence: خوب است sounds like khūb as.

People in Kabul say این (this) as ī and آن (that) as ū, so این کتاب sounds like ī kitāb. The spelling stays the same.

Hear مه (ma) as the everyday sound of من, and write من in lessons, letters and exams.

Hear چی (chī) where writing has چه, and keep چه for lessons, letters and exams: چی گپ است؟ is چه گپ است؟ in writing.

After ا or و write ی, and after a silent ه these lessons write a small mark above it: دریای کابل, خانهٔ ما.

Drop the last ن of the infinitive to get the past stem: رفتن (to go) gives رفت.

Put the main noun first, then its adjective, then the owner: خانهٔ کلان کاکای من (my uncle's big house).

Put the plain noun right after the number: سه کتاب (three books), پنج روز (five days).

Learn eleven to nineteen as single words, then say the tens and join the ones with و: بیست و پنج (25).

Learn each verb together with its present stem, because the stem often cannot be worked out from the infinitive: رفتن (to go) has the stem رو.

Attach ن to the start of the past form: رفتم becomes نرفتم (I did not go).

Change می‌ to نمی‌ and keep the stem and the ending: می‌روم becomes نمی‌روم (I do not go).

Add ـی to a noun for a or some: کتاب خوبی خواندم (I read a good book).

Put می‌ before the present stem and add the person ending: چای می‌خورم (I drink tea).

Add the person ending to the past stem: رفت + م gives رفتم (I went).

Add ـم, ـی, ـد, ـیم, ـید or ـند to the stem for I, you, he or she, we, you (polite or plural) and they: می‌روم، می‌روی، می‌رود.

Put از before the start and تا before the end: از ساعت نه تا پنج (from nine to five).

Say اول for first, بعد for then and در آخر for finally: اول دست‌هایم را شستم، بعد نان خوردم.

Put با or همراه before the person you are with: با مادرم, همراه مادرم.

Put برای before a person to say who gets something, and before an action to say why you do it.

Add the ending to بود: بودم (I was), بودی (you were), بود (he or she was).

Put what you like first and then say خوش دارم or دوست دارم: چای سبز را خوش دارم.

Use دارم، داری، دارد، داریم، دارید and دارند for have, with no می‌ in front: من دو برادر دارم.

Use دانه for things and نفر for people: سه دانه سیب (three apples), پنج نفر (five people).

Say the number and the time word, then پیش, and finish with a past verb: سه ماه پیش به کابل آمدم.

Put را right after a specific object: کتاب را خواندم (I read the book).

Say ساعت هشت بجه for eight o'clock, and add و نیم for half past: ساعت دو و نیم.

Put the place word before the noun: سر میز (on the table), زیر کرسی (under the chair).

Add ـان to words for people and living things: شاگردان (students), درختان (trees).

Add ـم, ـت or ـش to a noun for my, your or his and her: کتابم, کتابت, کتابش.

Add ـمان, ـتان or ـشان to a noun for our, your and their: موترمان (our car).

Add a time word such as فردا (tomorrow) and use the normal present verb: فردا به کابل می‌روم. (I'm going to Kabul tomorrow.)

Put مال before the owner: این قلم مال من است (This pen is mine).

Use هستم … هستند, or add a short ending to the word, as in خسته‌ام.

Put the word before the verb, usually after the subject: من همیشه چای سبز می‌خورم. It can also open the sentence.

Put چرا or چطور where the answer would go and finish with the verb: چرا نان نمی‌خوری؟

Use چقدر for amounts you cannot count one by one, and for degrees: چقدر چای می‌خواهید؟

Put چند before a singular noun: چند برادر دارید؟ (How many brothers do you have?)

Name the thing and then ask چند افغانی است؟ Answer with a number and افغانی.

Ask چند ساله استید؟ and answer with a number, ساله and a form of is: من بیست ساله استم. (I am twenty years old.)

Ask چه وقت or کی before the verb: چه وقت به مکتب می‌روی؟

Put کدام before a singular noun to ask which: کدام موتر مال شما است؟

Put کمی or زیاد before a noun, an adjective or a verb to say how much: کمی شکر می‌خواهم.

Add ـی to a place or a noun for from there or made of it: کابلی, چوبی.

Say می‌توانم and then the second verb in the subjunctive: می‌توانم کمک کنم.

Use the Dari word when you speak and write Dari: موتر for a car, شفاخانه for a hospital and کچالو for a potato. Learn the Iranian word too, so you know it when you hear it in a film or a song.

Listen for میره and میکنه in Kabul speech, and write می‌رود and می‌کند yourself. میکنه is the speech form of می‌کند.

Listen for ده when friends in Kabul talk, and write در or به yourself. ده خانه استم is the speech form of در خانه استم.

Listen for ره after the object and write را yourself. کتاب ره خواندم is the speech form of کتاب را خواندم.

Say each phrase at its moment: خوش آمدید at the door, نوش جان at the table, مانده نباشید to someone who has traveled or worked.

Put شاید first and the subjunctive after it: شاید فردا برف ببارد.

Put باید or نباید before the subjunctive: باید پیش داکتر بروم.

Say نرو (don't go) to a friend, and add ـید for several people or for someone you respect: نروید.

Add ـش, ـت, ـشان or ـتان to the verb for him or her, you, them or you (polite): دیدمش.

Put می‌ before the past stem and add the person ending: می‌رفتم (I used to go).

Say بخور (eat) to a friend, and add ـید for several people or for someone you respect: بخورید.

Say بیایید and a we-verb with بـ: بیایید چای بخوریم. (Let's have tea.) The we-verb alone can also be a suggestion.

Learn the months from حمل to حوت, and say a date with the day first: اول حمل.

Add ـه to the past stem: رفتن gives رفته (gone) and نوشتن gives نوشته (written).

Add the short endings to the past participle: رفته‌ام (I have gone), رفته‌ای, رفته است.

Put بـ before the present stem and add the person ending: بروم، بروی، برود.

Say می‌خواهم and then the second verb in the subjunctive: می‌خواهم یک کتاب نو بخرم.

Start the question with آیا and end it with ؟, and leave the rest of the sentence as it is: آیا شما داکتر استید؟

Say امیدوارم که and then the subjunctive: امیدوارم که فردا هوا خوب باشد.

Add ـم to a number for second, third and so on, and ـمین to put it before a noun.

Use باشم for be and داشته باشم for have after words such as می‌خواهم, باید and شاید.

Say بفرمایید when you hand someone something or invite them in, and add لطفاً when you ask for something.

Say the skill or the place, then بلد and a form of be: آشپزی بلد استی؟

Ask about experience with تا حالا and the present perfect: تا حالا منتو خورده‌ای؟

Put تا or برای اینکه after the action and use the subjunctive for the purpose: به بازار رفتیم تا میوه بخریم.

Use زیادتر and کمتر before a noun or a verb to compare amounts: امروز زیادتر کار کردم.

Add ـم, ـت, ـش, ـمان, ـتان or ـشان to the feeling word, then use است or آمد: سردم است, خوشم آمد.

Put the number before صد, هزار or لک: دو لک افغانی.

Put طرف before a place, with a verb such as رفتن or روان شدن: موتر طرف پغمان روان شد.

Add ـتر to the adjective and put از before the second thing: کابل از هرات کلان‌تر است.

Add ـترین to the adjective and put it before the noun: بهترین منتو (the best mantu).

Put فقط right before the word it limits.

Say فکر می‌کنم که and then a full sentence.

Put the subjunctive verb after می‌خواستم or توانستم: می‌خواستم بروم، اما نتوانستم. (I wanted to go, but I couldn't.)

Put هر before a singular noun for every, and همهٔ before a plural noun for all of a group.

Say هم … هم for both, نه … نه for neither and یا … یا for either.

Use هنوز for still or yet, and دیگر with a negative verb for not anymore.

Put هیچ before a word and make the verb negative: هیچ کس نیامد.

Say the cause first, then add پس or به همین خاطر and the result.

Use پیش before a person, with verbs such as رفتن and آمدن: پیش داکتر رفتم.

Put چه before an adjective, or before a noun with its adjective, and end with !.

Say what happened, then add چون or زیرا and the reason, or put به خاطر before a noun.

Use کردن when someone does it, and شدن when it happens by itself or someone becomes something.

Use کسی for a person and چیزی for a thing: چیزی می‌خواهید؟ (Would you like something?)

Use یاد گرفتن with از for the teacher, and یاد دادن with به for the learner.

Put یکی از or بعضی از before the plural group, or put یک تعداد right before a plural noun.

Take the present stem and add ـاندن: ترسیدن (to be afraid) becomes ترساندن (to frighten).

Put the subjunctive after اگر and say the result in the main clause: اگر فردا باران ببارد، به میله نمی‌رویم.

Say the pronoun where the noun belongs in the clause: دوستی که با او گپ زدم (the friend I talked with) and مردی که پسرش داکتر است (the man whose son is a doctor).

Add ـی to the noun, then که and the description: کتابی که دیروز خریدم (the book I bought yesterday).

Put باید before a past verb with می‌: باید زودتر می‌آمدم. (I should have come earlier.)

Put می‌ before the past stem, and give the moment in the simple past: وقتی احمد آمد، ما نان چاشت می‌خوردیم. (When Ahmad came, we were having lunch.)

Write خواهم, خواهی, خواهد, خواهیم, خواهید or خواهند and then the past stem: خواهم رفت (I will go).

Join the past participle and بود with a person ending: رفته بودم (I had gone), نوشته بودی (you had written).

Join the past participle and باشم: امیدوارم که نامه به دستت رسیده باشد (I hope the letter has reached you).

Use the past with می‌ in both parts: اگر پول زیاد می‌داشتم، یک خانهٔ کلان می‌خریدم (if I had a lot of money, I would buy a big house).

Start the first clause with اگرچه or با اینکه and say the surprising result in the second: با اینکه باران می‌بارید، به میله رفتیم (although it was raining, we went on a picnic).

Say باز است for how the shop is now, and باز شده است when the shop opened a moment ago.

Write بدون اینکه and a subjunctive verb: بدون اینکه چیزی بگوید، رفت. (He left without saying anything.)

Use a past or present verb after بعد از اینکه: بعد از اینکه نان خوردیم، چای سبز نوشیدیم (after we ate, we drank green tea).

Put به اندازهٔ before the person or thing you compare with, and the adjective after it: فرید به اندازهٔ برادرش قد بلند دارد. (Farid is as tall as his brother.)

Put به جای before the thing that is replaced: به جای بس، با بایسکل به دفتر می‌روم. (In place of the bus, I go to the office by bicycle.)

Use به نظر می‌رسد که for a guess from what you see: به نظر می‌رسد که او مریض است. (It seems that she is ill.)

Use تا for until and تا وقتی که for until or as long as: تا وقتی که تو بیایی، ما صبر می‌کنیم (we wait until you come).

Use حتی اگر with the subjunctive: حتی اگر دیر شود، منتظر تو می‌مانم (even if it gets late, I wait for you).

Add the person ending to خود: خودم (myself), خودت (yourself), خودش (himself or herself). Say خودم این نامه را نوشتم for I wrote this letter myself.

Write در حال, then the infinitive, then a form of be: مادرم در حال نان پختن است. (My mother is baking bread.)

Put the subjunctive after قبل از اینکه or پیش از اینکه: قبل از اینکه بخوابم، کتاب می‌خوانم (before I sleep, I read a book).

Put مثل اینکه before a sentence: مثل اینکه امروز بازار بسته است. (It looks like the market is closed today.)

Use مجبور بودن for a duty you cannot avoid and لازم است که for a need: ما مجبور استیم در خانه بمانیم. (We have to stay at home.)

Start a sentence with مگر and end it with the mark ؟: مگر او هنوز نیامده است؟ (Hasn't he come yet?)

Write می‌خواهم که, then the other person, then the subjunctive: مادرم می‌خواهد که من داکتر شوم. (My mother wants me to become a doctor.)

Say می‌شود and then the subjunctive: می‌شود از تیلفون شما استفاده کنم؟ (May I use your phone?) Say نمی‌شود for it is not possible: امشب نمی‌شود بیایم.

Put the word before a clause: هرچه بخواهی، برایت می‌پزم. (Whatever you want, I'll cook it for you.)

Use همدیگر in everyday talk and یکدیگر in careful writing: ما همدیگر را هر هفته می‌بینیم (we see each other every week).

Put وقتی که or وقتی before a clause, usually end it with a comma, and then say what happens: وقتی که باران شروع شد، همه به خانه رفتند.

Use که آیا for a yes or no question and a question word for the rest: معلم پرسید که آیا همه آمده‌اند (the teacher asked whether everyone had come).

Use کاش with the subjunctive for a hope about later: کاش فردا برف ببارد! (I wish it would snow tomorrow!)

Use کسی که for the person who, چیزی که for the thing that and جایی که for the place where: جایی که کار می‌کنم دور نیست.

Write گفت که and then the words, with the person changed to fit: فرید گفت که دیروز به بازار رفت (Farid said he went to the bazaar yesterday).

Add ـی to an adjective for its quality (خوب becomes خوبی), and add ـش to a present stem for the act or its result (دان becomes دانش).

Join the past participle and a form of شدن: این مکتب ده سال پیش ساخته شد. (This school was built ten years ago.)

Put the past perfect after اگر and می‌ with the past stem in the result: اگر زودتر رسیده بودم، با شما چای می‌خوردم. (If I had arrived earlier, I would have had tea with you.)

Use آدم with a verb in the third person singular to state a rule that holds for everyone: آدم باید صبر داشته باشد.

Put احتمالاً or ظاهراً at the start of the sentence or before the verb, and keep an ordinary verb: احتمالاً فردا برف می‌بارد.

Use از طریق for a route or a channel (از طریق انترنت), and توسط for the doer in a passive sentence (توسط یک شاگرد کشیده شده است).

Open with از یک طرف, then give the second side with از طرف دیگر: از یک طرف می‌خواهم به هرات بروم، از طرف دیگر وقت ندارم. (On one hand I want to go to Herat; on the other hand I have no time.)

Join باید, a past participle and باشد: باید رسیده باشد means he or she must have arrived.

Put به حیث in front of a noun for in the role of: او به حیث معلم کار می‌کند.

Put the subjunctive after به شرطی که: به شرطی که باران نبارد، فردا به پغمان می‌رویم. (Provided it does not rain, we'll go to Paghman tomorrow.)

Put به محض اینکه before the first event and tell the second one in the main clause: به محض اینکه به کابل برسم، به تو تیلفون می‌کنم.

Open the sentence with به گفتهٔ and a name: به گفتهٔ داکتر صاحب، مریض باید روزی دو بار دوا بخورد. (According to the doctor, the patient should take the medicine twice a day.)

بی‌ means without, با means having, and پر means full of: بی‌خبر (unaware), باادب (polite), پرکار (hardworking).

Use در حالی که for "while": در حالی که چای می‌خوردیم، از میله گپ زدیم. (While we drank tea, we talked about the picnic.)

Start the added point with علاوه بر این: کابل شهر بزرگی است؛ علاوه بر این، تاریخ کهن هم دارد. (Kabul is a big city; in addition, it has an old history.)

Add ـانه to a noun or an adjective: دوست becomes دوستانه (friendly), and روز becomes روزانه (daily).

Add ـنده to the present stem: نویس becomes نویسنده (writer), and خوان becomes خواننده (singer).

Use می‌باشد in notices, letters and official forms: این دواخانه شبانه‌روزی باز می‌باشد. (This pharmacy is open day and night.)

Put نا in front of an adjective: ممکن (possible) becomes ناممکن (impossible), and راحت (comfortable) becomes ناراحت (upset).

Put نه‌تنها before the first thing and بلکه before the second: مادرم نه‌تنها قابلی پلو را بلکه منتو را هم خوب می‌پزد. (My mother cooks not only Kabuli palaw but also mantu well.)

Put چه before each choice, then say what stays true either way: چه باران ببارد چه نبارد، جمعه به پغمان می‌رویم.

Write the speaker, then گفته است که and the news: ادارهٔ هواشناسی گفته است که فردا برف می‌بارد. (The weather office has said that it will snow tomorrow.)

Use them as they are: اخبار (news), مسائل (issues), آثار (works). Do not add ـها to them.

After مطمئنم که or معلوم است که, say the fact as it is. After شک دارم که or بعید است که, switch to the subjunctive.

Use the infinitive where English says reading or to read: خواندن کتاب برای کودکان مهم است.

Say the verb once and let a comma stand in for it: احمد به هرات رفت، فرید به قندهار.

Put the participle and a comma before the main verb: نامه را خوانده، جواب داد.

Learn a few old forms, such as ز for از and گر for اگر, and a line like ما ز بالاییم و بالا می‌رویم becomes clear.

Put each report after its own که, keep each speaker’s tense, and change the pronouns: مدیر گفت که معلمان گفته‌اند که امتحان فردا است.

Put the word you want to stress right before the verb, or move a word to the front: این کتاب را مریم نوشت.

After اگر, put the participle and a form of باشد, and add تا with a time: اگر تا فردا کار را تمام کرده باشیم، به پغمان می‌رویم.

Put با وجود before the noun that did not stop the main event: با وجود باران، مردم به میله رفتند.

Use بنابراین for a result that follows from the last sentence, and با این حال for a result that goes the other way.