Connecting a Noun and Its Owner

Level 1

کتابِ سارا means Sara’s book. کتابِ من means my book. The thing named comes first.

How It Works

Thing, then owner. کتابِ سارا is ketāb-e Sārā, meaning “Sara’s book.” Unlike an English possessive name, سارا follows the thing possessed.

Use the same pattern with a pronoun. کتابِ من means “my book,” and کتابِ شما means “your book.” There is no new standalone Persian word replacing من with a separate “my” form in this construction.

Read relations beyond legal ownership. دوستِ من means “my friend.” Ezafe can connect people, relations and names without saying someone owns another person.

Keep the linker after the correct word. The first noun carries the connector; the final owner does not need another ezafe unless the phrase continues with a further required modifier. Ordinary کتاب سارا can have exactly the same spoken connector as marked کتابِ سارا.

Examples (4)

  1. کتابِ سارا

    Sara’s book

    The thing possessed comes before the owner.

  2. قلمِ من

    my pen

    من keeps its basic pronoun form.

  3. دوستِ شما

    your friend

    The relation is association, not literal ownership of a person.

  4. کیفِ برادرِ من

    my brother’s bag

    A longer chain first connects bag to brother, then brother to me.

How It Connects

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

Connecting a Noun and Its OwnerLevel 1

Learn This First

Name the thing or relation first, then connect it with ezafe to the owner or associated person.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.