Pronouns Inside Relative Clauses
Dari has no word for whose; the ending ـش on the owned noun does that job.
How It Works
A plain object usually disappears from a relative clause: کتابی که خریدم. A noun after a preposition cannot disappear, because the preposition needs something to stand next to. Dari keeps a pronoun there.
| Noun | Clause | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| دوست | دوستی که با او گپ زدم | the friend I talked with |
| دکان | دکانی که در آن کار می‌کنم | the shop I work in |
| شهر | شهری که از آن آمده‌ایم | the city we came from |
| دوستان | دوستانی که با آن‌ها رفتم | the friends I went with |
| مرد | مردی که پسرش داکتر است | the man whose son is a doctor |
The pronoun follows the preposition. Use او for one person, آن for a thing or a place, and آن‌ها for several people or things.
For whose, the owned noun takes a pronoun ending, as in پسرش (his son). The ending points back to the man.
When the noun is the subject, add no pronoun: دختری که درس می‌خواند (the girl who studies). When it is a plain object, you usually add none: کتابی که خریدم (the book I bought). A pronoun is needed after a preposition, and an owned noun needs a pronoun ending.
Examples (5)
- دوستی که با او گپ زدم از بامیان است.
The friend I talked with is from Bamiyan.
با او keeps a pronoun for the friend, because با needs a word after it.
- دکانی که در آن کار می‌کنم نزدیک بازار است.
The shop I work in is near the bazaar.
در آن keeps a pronoun for the shop.
- مردی که پسرش داکتر است همسایهٔ ما است.
The man whose son is a doctor is our neighbor.
The ending ـش in پسرش points back to the man and does the work of whose.
- شهری که از آن آمده‌ایم بسیار زیبا است.
The city we came from is very beautiful.
از آن keeps a pronoun for the city.
- دوستانی که با آن‌ها به میله رفتم همه از مکتب ما استند.
The friends I went on the picnic with are all from our school.
آن‌ها is the pronoun for several friends after با.
Common Mistakes
Leaving out the pronoun after the preposition.
دکانی که در کار می‌کنم نزدیک بازار است.دکانی که در آن کار می‌کنم نزدیک بازار است.در needs a word after it. Add آن for the shop.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The pronoun inside the clause is often a small ending.
Related Patterns
- از، به، در، باBasic Prepositions
از, به, در and با are the words that need a pronoun after them.
Level 1 - ـم، ـت، ـشMy, Your and His or Her Endings
The ending ـش is the same one that means his or her.
Level 2 - کسی که، چیزی که، جایی کهThe Person, Thing or Place That
کسی که, چیزی که and جایی که work in the same way, with no noun in front.
Level 4
Words in This Pattern
Practice Pronouns Inside Relative Clauses in Bubblegum
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