بی‌، با، پر

Adjectives with بی، با and پر

Level 5

Only بی‌ takes a half-space, because its last letter ی would otherwise join the next letter.

How It Works

These three prefixes say in one word what a phrase says otherwise. They fill Afghan books and news.

PrefixMeaningExamples
بی‌withoutبی‌خبر (unaware), بی‌ابر (cloudless), بی‌صبر (impatient)
باhavingباادب (polite), باتجربه (experienced), باهوش (clever)
پرfull ofپرکار (hardworking), پرازدحام (crowded), پرآب (full of water)

با and بی‌ come in pairs: باادب and بی‌ادب, باتجربه and بی‌تجربه. When the word after the prefix starts with ا, that ا is written in full: باادب, پرازدحام, بی‌ادب.

These prefixes join nouns. To turn an adjective into its opposite, use نا (see The Prefix نا).

The phrase پر از is separate and works with any noun: ظرف پر از آب است (the bowl is full of water).

Where to meet them: schoolbooks praise a شاگرد باهوش, notices describe a street as پرازدحام, and weather reports say هوای بی‌ابر. Each word can also describe a person or a thing: مرد باتجربه (an experienced man), خانهٔ پرنور (a house full of light). The new adjective joins a noun like any other (see Joining a Noun and an Adjective).

Examples (5)

  1. ما از این تغییر بی‌خبر بودیم.

    We did not know about this change.

    بی‌خبر means without news, so unaware.

  2. کارگر پرکار این دکان از صبح تا شام کار می‌کند.

    The hardworking worker in this shop works from morning to evening.

    پرکار means full of work, so hardworking.

  3. کودکان باادب به مهمان‌ها سلام می‌دهند.

    Polite children greet the guests.

    باادب means having manners.

  4. پیش از عید، بازار پرازدحام شهر نو تا نیمه‌شب باز می‌ماند.

    Before Eid, the crowded Shahr-e Naw market stays open until midnight.

    پرازدحام means full of crowds.

  5. روز بی‌ابر و آفتابی بود و ما به پغمان رفتیم.

    It was a cloudless, sunny day, and we went to Paghman.

    بی‌ابر means without clouds.

Common Mistakes

  • Writing بی as a separate word.

    ما از این تغییر بی خبر بودیم.
    ما از این تغییر بی‌خبر بودیم.

    بی joins the noun and takes a half-space, so it is one word: بی‌خبر.

  • Using نا to say without.

    ما از این تغییر ناخبر بودیم.
    ما از این تغییر بی‌خبر بودیم.

    نا makes the opposite of an adjective. For without a noun, use بی‌.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

بی‌، با، پرLevel 5Adjectives with بی، با and پر

Learn This First

These make adjectives like ـی.