Basic Relative Clauses with که | Farsi Grammar

A Persian relative clause follows the noun it identifies and begins with invariant که: کتابی که خریدم “the book that I bought.” The noun before the clause is the antecedent. Inside the relative clause, that antecedent corresponds to a subject gap, an object gap, or—under licensed conditions—an object resumptive.

English changes among who, which, and that and places the relative after its noun. Persian also places the clause after the noun, but که never changes for human/nonhuman, singular/plural, or grammatical role. Ambiguous attachment in longer noun phrases is treated in Relative-Clause Attachment.

Basic map

Role of antecedent inside relative	Pattern	Example	Signal
subject	noun + که + + predicate	دانشجویی که آمد	verb agrees with antecedent
object represented by a gap	noun + که + subject + + verb	کتابی که سارا خرید	common compact object relative
object represented by a resumptive	noun + که + subject + resumptive + verb	کتابی که آن را خواندم	آن را or an object clitic; more explicit

This page begins with simple subject and object relatives. More advanced prepositional and possessive resumption belongs to later syntax pages.

Subject relatives

When the antecedent is the understood subject of the relative verb, do not repeat a subject pronoun. The verb agrees with the antecedent.

دانشجویی که کنار پنجره نشسته خواهر من است.

dâneshju-yi ke kenâr-e panjare neshaste khâhar-e man ast.

The student sitting by the window is my sister. (neutral; antecedent is relative subject)

اتوبوسی که به فرودگاه می‌رود هر نیم ساعت حرکت می‌کند.

otobusi ke be forudgâh mi-ravad har nim sâ'at harekat mi-konad.

The bus that goes to the airport leaves every half hour. (neutral subject relative)

کسانی که ثبت‌نام کرده‌اند فردا ایمیل دریافت می‌کنند.

kasâni ke sabt-nâm karde-and fardâ imeyl daryâft mi-konand.

Those who registered will receive an email tomorrow. (formal-neutral; plural agreement)

💡

After که, leave a gap where the antecedent functions. In a subject relative, do not add او unless a special resumptive or contrastive structure genuinely requires it.

Object relatives

When the antecedent is the object, the relative clause normally has another subject. The object may be represented by a gap. Persian can also resume it with آن را or a clitic; definiteness, specificity, and clause complexity can favor the more explicit form, but they do not create a simple obligatory gap-versus-resumptive split.

کتابی که سارا پیشنهاد کرد خیلی جذاب بود.

ketâbi ke Sârâ pishnehâd kard kheyli jazzâb bud.

The book that Sara recommended was very engaging. (neutral object relative with a gap)

گزارشی که دیروز آن را فرستادی به دست مدیر رسید.

gozâreshi ke diruz ân râ ferestâdi be dast-e modir rasid.

The report that you sent yesterday reached the manager. (formal-neutral; resumptive آن را)

فیلمی که دیشب دیدیم پایان عجیبی داشت.

filmi ke dishab didim pâyân-e ajibi dâsht.

The film we saw last night had a strange ending. (neutral object gap)

Persian does not insert را after که by itself. را belongs to a nominal or pronominal object such as آن را; its presence depends on whether the relative uses a resumptive object and on that object’s discourse status.

Antecedent ـی

An antecedent introducing one member of a class commonly takes ـی: مردی که... “a/the man who...,” کتابی که... “a/the book that....” This ـی does not mean only English a. The relative clause identifies the referent, and discourse may yield a definite English translation.

دنبال کسی می‌گردم که بتواند این متن را ویرایش کند.

donbâl-e kasi mi-gardam ke be-tavânad in matn râ virâyesh konad.

I'm looking for someone who can edit this text. (neutral; non-specific antecedent and subjunctive relative)

همان پزشکی که هفته‌ی پیش دیدم امروز تماس گرفت.

hamân pezeshki ke hafte-ye pish didam emruz tamâs gereft.

The same doctor I saw last week called today. (definite antecedent still carries linking ـی)

This linking ـی is especially characteristic with restrictive relatives. Proper names and some already definite phrases may occur without it, and usage varies; do not treat it as an English article.

💡

The ـی before a restrictive relative helps present the noun as “the/a one that...”. It can coexist with a definite interpretation and should not be translated mechanically as a.

که does not inflect

Use the same که for a woman, man, object, singular, or plural. Agreement remains on the finite verb.

همکارانی که در شیراز کار می‌کنند هفته‌ی بعد می‌آیند.

hamkârâni ke dar Shirâz kâr mi-konand hafte-ye ba'd mi-âyand.

The colleagues who work in Shiraz are coming next week. (neutral standard; plural agreement on verbs, invariant که)

A short exchange

— کدام کیف را می‌گویی؟ — همان کیفی که روی صندلی است.

— kodâm kif râ mi-guyi? — hamân kifi ke ru-ye sandali ast.

— Which bag do you mean? — The one that's on the chair. (neutral conversation; relative identifies the referent)

Common Mistakes

❌ زنی که او را اینجا کار می‌کند همسایه‌ام است.

Incorrect — a subject relative needs a subject gap; او را wrongly marks the antecedent as an object of intransitive کار کردن.

✅ زنی که اینجا کار می‌کند همسایه‌ی ما است.

zani ke injâ kâr mi-konad hamsâye-ye mâ ast.

The woman who works here is our neighbor.

❌ کتاب که را دیروز خریدم گم شده است.

Incorrect — را cannot attach to complementizer که.

✅ کتابی که دیروز خریدم گم شده است.

ketâbi ke diruz kharidam gom shode ast.

The book I bought yesterday is missing.

❌ مردی کی به ما کمک کرد رفت.

Incorrect — relative clauses use invariant که, not interrogative کی.

✅ مردی که به ما کمک کرد زود رفت.

mardi ke be mâ komak kard zud raft.

The man who helped us left early.

❌ گزارشی که فرستادی آن را رسید.

Incorrect — رسیدن is intransitive; آن را cannot be its direct object.

✅ گزارشی که فرستادی امروز رسید.

gozâreshi ke ferestâdi emruz rasid.

The report you sent arrived today.

Key Takeaways

A Persian relative clause follows its antecedent and begins with invariant که.
Subject relatives leave a subject gap; object relatives leave a gap or use an appropriate resumptive object.
که never changes for person, number, animacy, or grammatical role.
Restrictive antecedents commonly take ـی, even when English translates them as definite.
را marks an object expression such as آن را; it does not attach to که.

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