من، تو، او، ما، شما، آن‌ها
Personal Pronouns
تو is for one close person, and شما is for anyone older and for more than one person.
How It Works
| Person | One | More than one |
|---|---|---|
| I, we | من | ما |
| you | تو (a close friend) | شما (polite, or more than one) |
| he or she, they | او | آن‌ها |
The pronoun and the verb ending go together: من خوب استم، تو خوب استی، او خوب است، ما خوب استیم، شما خوب استید، آن‌ها خوب استند.
ما means I and at least one other person. So من و تو دوست استیم (you and I are friends) takes the ending of ما: استیم.
شما is also the polite word for one person. In formal writing, ایشان is a respectful word for he, she or they. Use او for a person only. For a thing, say این or آن.
Examples (5)
- من و تو دوست استیم.
You and I are friends.
من and تو name the two friends, and the verb استیم matches we.
- او دوست من است.
She is my friend.
او means he or she, and the English meaning picks one.
- ما شاگرد استیم.
We are students.
ما is we, and the ending ـیم matches it.
- شما کجا استید؟
Where are you?
شما is the polite you, and the ending ـید matches it.
- آن‌ها در خانه استند.
They are at home.
آن‌ها is they, and the ending ـند matches it.
Common Mistakes
Using the I ending with we.
ما شاگرد استم.ما شاگرد استیم.ما is we, so the verb ends in ـیم. The ending ـم goes only with من.
How It Connects
Related Patterns
- Polite You With شما
Choose between تو and شما by how close you are to the other person.
Level 1 - استم، استی، است، استیم، استید، استندPresent Forms of Be
Each pronoun has its own form of be.
Level 1 - Leaving Out a Clear Pronoun
A clear pronoun can be left out.
Level 1 - Everyday Kabul Speech: مه for I
Kabul speech has its own word for I, taught in its own entry.
Level 2 - No Grammatical Gender
Dari pronouns have no gender, and او covers he and she.
Foundations
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice من، تو، او، ما، شما، آن‌ها in Bubblegum
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