Singular Possessive ـم / ـت / ـش

Singular Possessive Endings

Level 2

کتابم is my book, کتابت is your book, and کتابش is that person’s book. These endings identify the owner.

How It Works

FormOwner
کتابمmy book
کتابتyour book, familiar singular
کتابشhis or her book; that person’s book

کتابم and کتابِ من can describe the same owner. The attached form is a possessive clitic, not the short copula “I am.” The surrounding noun phrase tells you its job.

After a final pronounced /e/, standard writing commonly uses an alef before these singular clitics: خانه‌ام، خانه‌ات، خانه‌اش. The half-space keeps the ending attached while making its boundary clear.

After /ā/ or /u/, a connecting ی occurs in familiar forms such as صدایم and مویش. Do not delete a letter or attach an ending mechanically without knowing the stem’s reading.

ـش does not identify the owner’s gender. Use the person and context to decide an English pronoun. The same clitic family also has object uses on verbs; this entry concerns ownership on a noun phrase.

Examples (4)

  1. کتابم روی میز است.

    My book is on the table.

    The ending on کتاب identifies me as its owner.

  2. کتابت اینجاست.

    Your book is here.

    ـت identifies a familiar singular owner.

  3. خانه‌اش بزرگ است.

    That person’s house is big.

    After final /e/, the singular clitic is written ـاش.

  4. مویش بلند است.

    That person’s hair is long.

    ی links final /u/ in مو to the clitic; the owner’s gender is not encoded.

How It Connects

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Singular Possessive ـم / ـت / ـشLevel 2Singular Possessive Endings

Learn This First

Use ـم، ـت، ـش for a singular owner, and learn the linking spelling after the noun’s actual final sound.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.