سرِ، بالای، زیرِ، پهلوی

Place Words with Ezafe

Level 2

بالای and پهلوی already show the joining sound as ی, while سر and زیر leave it unwritten.

How It Works

Four place words answer most questions about where. Each one comes before its noun.

Place wordWith a nounMeaning
سرسر میزon the table
بالایبالای درختup in the tree
زیرزیر کرسیunder the chair
پهلویپهلوی دروازهbeside the door

The link sounds like -i after a consonant and like -yi after a vowel. That is why بالا needs a ی before a noun, and پهلو needs one too.

Both سر and بالای can mean on. بالای also means up high or on top of something tall: بالای درخت, بالای کوه.

The noun can be a person: پهلوی مادرم (beside my mother). Finish the sentence with است or استند: توپ زیر کرسی است. To ask where, use کجا: توپ کجاست؟

Examples (5)

  1. قلم سر میز است.

    The pen is on the table.

    سر joins میز, and the link is not written.

  2. موتر پهلوی دروازه است.

    The car is beside the gate.

    پهلو ends in و, so the link shows as ی.

  3. توپ زیر کرسی است.

    The ball is under the chair.

    زیر joins کرسی, and the link is not written.

  4. پرنده بالای درخت است.

    The bird is up in the tree.

    بالا ends in ا, so the link shows as ی.

  5. دکان کاکایم پهلوی مکتب است.

    My uncle's shop is beside the school.

    پهلوی comes before the noun مکتب.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving off the ی after پهلو.

    موتر پهلو دروازه است.
    موتر پهلوی دروازه است.

    Before a noun, پهلو needs its link: پهلوی دروازه.

  • Using بالا alone before a noun.

    پرنده بالا درخت است.
    پرنده بالای درخت است.

    بالا alone means up. Before a noun, say بالای.

How It Connects

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

سرِ، بالای، زیرِ، پهلویLevel 2Place Words with Ezafe

Learn This First

Place words use ezafe and sit with the small words for where.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

سربالازیرپهلو