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Ezafe, The Linker
A1·BeginnerThe little -e that links words together, the heart of Persian phrasing
Lesson Overview
10 exercises · Level 1
Grammar Explanation
Ezafe, The Linker
If you learn one thing about Persian phrase-building, make it ezafe. It's a tiny unstressed -e added to a word to link it to whatever follows: an owner, an adjective, another noun.
The Pattern
word + -e + [owner / adjective / noun]
After a vowel it becomes -ye.
| Use | Phonetic | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | ketaab-e man | my book (book-of me) |
| Noun + adjective | maashin-e ghermez | the red car |
| Noun + noun | dar-e khoone | the door of the house |
| Name + title | aaghaa-ye Ahmadi | Mr. Ahmadi |
| After a vowel | daaneshjoo-ye khoob | the good student |
Key Points
- Ezafe is not usually written in Persian script, you hear it, you don't see it. That's why phonetic spelling shows it as "-e".
- The order is backwards from English: thing first, then the describer. "ketaab-e man" is literally "book-of me".
- You can chain them: "ketaab-e jaded-e man" = my new book.
- Ezafe is never stressed. The stress stays on the main word.
- Words ending in a vowel (aa, oo, e) take -ye instead: "khoone-ye man" = my house.
Examples
| Phonetic | Translation |
|---|---|
| esm-e man Saaraa-st | My name is Sara |
| keshvar-e ghashang | a beautiful country |
| maadar-e man | my mother |
| kelid-e maashin | the car key |
| ruz-e khoob | a good day |