Polite Address With شما

Level 1

شما can address one person politely or more than one person. Use a matching plural person ending.

How It Works

Who are you speaking to? Use تو in familiar relationships where that address is welcome. Use شما for respectful address or for a group. A stranger, an older person or a formal situation often calls for شما, but relationships and local habits matter.

Match the address in the verb. شما خوب هستید؟ can ask one person politely or a whole group. The ـید ending agrees with the respectful plural-shaped pronoun. Compare familiar تو خوب هستی؟ with the singular ـی ending.

Recognize everyday endings. In conversation, هستید often becomes هستین, giving شما خوب هستین؟ The address is still respectful. A spoken reduction is not the same as switching to تو.

Do not infer the size of a group from شما alone. Follow the situation and other details.

Examples (4)

  1. شما خوب هستید؟

    Are you well?

    Respectful address to one person or address to a group.

  2. تو خوب هستی؟

    Are you well?

    Familiar address to one person.

  3. شما کجا هستید؟

    Where are you?

    The verb retains the plural-shaped ـید ending.

  4. شما خوب هستین؟

    Are you well?

    Common everyday ـین corresponds to standard ـید.

How It Connects

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

Polite Address With شماLevel 1

Learn This First

Choose تو or شما according to the relationship, and keep the verb’s person form consistent with that choice.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.