Raising-Like Expressions به نظر رسیدن | Farsi Grammar

Persian به نظر رسیدن covers several English seem/look patterns: به نظر می‌رسد که... “it seems that...,” خسته به نظر می‌رسد “looks tired,” and به نظرم می‌رسد که... “it seems to me that....” The surface pieces are similar, but the apparent subject, evaluator, and agreement pattern are not always the same.

The page title says “raising-like” deliberately. Some formal analyses treat an initial noun phrase as belonging semantically to the lower predicate even when it appears before به نظر می‌رسد. Linguists disagree about the exact structure of some variants, and speakers differ in how natural they find them. Learners should actively master the two robust modern frames first: an impersonal که clause and an agreeing adjective-plus-به نظر رسیدن predicate.

The two reliable production frames

Frame	Agreement	Meaning
به نظر می‌رسد (که) + clause	می‌رسد remains third singular	it seems that a proposition is true
NP + adjective + به نظر رسیدن	رسیدن follows ordinary subject agreement, including singular agreement with inanimate plurals	the NP looks/seems adjective
به نظرِ experiencer می‌رسد که...	third-singular impersonal predicate	the proposition seems so to an evaluator

به نظر می‌رسد که پرواز دوباره تأخیر دارد.

be nazar mi-rasad ke parvâz dobâre ta'khir dârad.

It seems that the flight is delayed again. (neutral standard; impersonal clausal frame)

این اتاق از عکس‌ها کوچک‌تر به نظر می‌رسد.

in otâq az aks-hâ kuchak-tar be nazar mi-rasad.

This room looks smaller than it does in the photos. (neutral; singular subject-property frame)

این دو گزینه منطقی به نظر می‌رسند.

in do gozine manteqi be nazar mi-rasand.

These two options seem reasonable. (neutral; plural agreement with گزینه)

In the first sentence, the entire clause after که supplies what seems true. No Persian equivalent of dummy English it is required. In the next two, اتاق and گزینه‌ها are overt subjects of an adjectival-seeming predicate. The plural می‌رسند presents the two options individually; because گزینه‌ها is inanimate, singular می‌رسد would also be grammatical with a more collective construal.

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Use an agreement diagnostic. If an overt NP directly “looks ADJECTIVE,” رسیدن follows ordinary Persian subject agreement: human plurals take plural marking, while inanimate plurals may take singular or plural. If the content is a whole که clause, use impersonal third-singular به نظر می‌رسد.

The evaluator is not the agreeing subject

An evaluator can appear as به نظر من “in my opinion” or in the clitic form به نظرم “to my mind.” With به نظرم می‌رسد که..., the clitic identifies whose assessment this is; it does not make the verb first singular.

به نظرم می‌رسد که این مسیر امن‌تر باشد.

be nazar-am mi-rasad ke in masir amn-tar bâshad.

It seems to me that this route may be safer. (neutral; first-person evaluator, third-singular می‌رسد)

به نظر ناهید، بودجه برای اجرای طرح کافی نیست.

be nazar-e Nâhid, budje barâ-ye ejrâ-ye tarh kâfi nist.

In Nahid’s opinion, the budget is not sufficient to carry out the plan. (formal-neutral; opinion phrase without رسیدن)

These are related but not interchangeable word for word. به نظر من، X presents an opinion directly. به نظرم می‌رسد که X frames X as an appearance or inference from the evaluator’s perspective. Everyday Tehran speech commonly has به نظرم می‌رسه که... (informal, regional: Tehran).

— به نظرت جلسه طول می‌کشه؟ — آره، به نظرم می‌رسه بحث بودجه وقت ببره.

— be nazar-et jalase tul mi-keshe? — âre, be nazar-am mi-rese bahs-e budje vaqt be-bare.

— Do you think the meeting will take long? — Yes, it seems to me the budget discussion may take time. (informal, regional: Tehran)

Indicative and subjunctive in the content clause

به نظر می‌رسد does not mechanically select one mood. An indicative presents the inferred situation as the speaker’s current assessment; a subjunctive can add distance, uncertainty, or a nonassertive reading. Both occur in standard Persian.

چراغ اتاق هنوز روشن است؛ به نظر می‌رسد کسی آنجاست.

cherâgh-e otâq hanuz rowshan ast; be nazar mi-rasad kasi ân-jâst.

The room light is still on; it seems someone is there. (neutral inference; indicative)

به نظر می‌رسید که مشکل جدی‌تر از چیزی باشد که اول فکر می‌کردیم.

be nazar mi-resid ke moshkel jeddi-tar az chizi bâshad ke avval fekr mi-kardim.

It seemed that the problem might be more serious than we first thought. (formal-neutral; distanced subjunctive)

The connector که introduces content; it does not choose mood by itself. Evidence, commitment, and the embedding predicate shape the choice, as explained on Supposition with انگار and گویا.

Why some patterns are called raising-like

Persian may place the understood subject of the lower predicate before به نظر می‌رسد:

این دستگاه به نظر می‌رسد که خراب شده باشد.

in dastgâh be nazar mi-rasad ke kharâb shode bâshad.

This device seems to have broken down. (formal-neutral; initial apparent subject linked to the lower predicate)

Semantically, این دستگاه is the thing that is broken, not an experiencer that performs “seeming.” That resembles English raising in this device seems to be broken. Unlike English, Persian can leave the NP inside a finite که clause: به نظر می‌رسد که این دستگاه خراب شده باشد. That full clausal pattern is usually the clearest choice.

With plural initial NPs, agreement judgments in this discontinuous pattern are less uniform in descriptions and speaker intuition. Some formal analyses report invariant matrix می‌رسد, because the initial NP belongs semantically to the lower clause; many speakers prefer either the full impersonal clause or the ordinary agreeing adjective frame. Do not use the disputed plural pattern as a learner shortcut.

به نظر می‌رسد که این دستگاه‌ها نیاز به تعمیر داشته باشند.

be nazar mi-rasad ke in dastgâh-hâ niyâz be ta'mir dâshte bâshand.

It seems that these devices may need repair. (formal-neutral; robust impersonal alternative)

این دستگاه‌ها فرسوده به نظر می‌رسند.

in dastgâh-hâ farsude be nazar mi-rasand.

These devices look worn out. (neutral; robust agreeing alternative)

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For active use, choose clarity over theoretical elegance: به نظر می‌رسد که NP... for a proposition, or NP + adjective + به نظر می‌رسد/می‌رسند for an apparent property.

English seem is not a template

English combines seem with an infinitive and sometimes inserts dummy it. Persian normally uses a finite clause whose verb marks its own subject, or an adjectival predicate. Translating the English surface order produces errors.

هوا ابری به نظر می‌رسد، اما باران نمی‌آید.

havâ abri be nazar mi-rasad, ammâ bârân nemi-âyad.

The weather looks cloudy, but it is not raining. (neutral; apparent property need not be true prediction)

The construction marks evidential stance: the speaker commits to an appearance, not automatically to the truth of its content. A later clause can confirm or overturn that appearance.

Common Mistakes

1. Applying one agreement rule to every plural noun

⚠️ این ساختمان‌ها خالی به نظر می‌رسد.

in sâkhtemân-hâ khâli be nazar mi-rasad.

Grammatical: an inanimate plural may take default singular agreement, especially under a collective construal.

✅ این دو کارشناس خسته به نظر می‌رسند.

in do kârshenâs khaste be nazar mi-rasand.

These two experts look tired. (human plural; plural agreement required)

2. Making the impersonal predicate agree with the evaluator

❌ به نظرم می‌رسم که راه بسته است.

Incorrect — ـم in نظرم marks the evaluator; impersonal می‌رسد remains third singular.

✅ به نظرم می‌رسد که راه اصلی بسته است.

be nazar-am mi-rasad ke râh-e asli baste ast.

It seems to me that the main road is closed.

3. Copying English seem plus infinitive

❌ قطار به نظر می‌رسد دیر رسیدن.

Incorrect — Persian does not place a bare infinitive after به نظر می‌رسد in this frame.

✅ به نظر می‌رسد که قطار دیر برسد.

be nazar mi-rasad ke qatâr dir be-rasad.

It seems that the train may arrive late.

4. Doubling the possessor of نظر

❌ به نظرم من این راه امن است.

Incorrect — ـم and من compete as possessors in this phrase.

✅ به نظر من، این راه در زمستان امن نیست.

be nazar-e man, in râh dar zemestân amn nist.

In my opinion, this road is not safe in winter.

Key Takeaways

Impersonal به نظر می‌رسد که... stays third singular; the embedded clause carries its own subject and agreement.
In NP + adjective + به نظر رسیدن, the verb follows Persian subject agreement, including the singular option for inanimate plurals.
به نظرم marks an evaluator, not first-person subject agreement on رسیدن.
Persian uses finite که clauses or adjectival predicates where English often uses seem + infinitive.
Treat discontinuous plural “raising” patterns as analysis-sensitive; use the two robust alternatives in active production.

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