Persian کردن forms hundreds of lexical predicates, but it is not a universal translation of English do or make. کار کردن، صحبت کردن، فکر کردن، سعی کردن، احساس کردن، اشتباه کردن، دعوت کردن، رزرو کردن must each be learned with its own subject, object, preposition, and complement type.
The light verb carries tense, negation, aspect, and agreement; the nonverbal element supplies much of the lexical meaning. Transitivity belongs to the whole compound. Nothing in the noun صحبت by itself tells you that the interlocutor takes با, and nothing in دعوت alone tells you that the invited person is a direct object.
The high-value selection map
| Compound | Meaning | Typical complement | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| کار کردن | work | در شرکت، روی طرح، با کسی | neutral |
| صحبت کردن | speak/talk | با کسی، دربارهی چیزی | neutral; more careful than حرف زدن |
| فکر کردن | think | به چیزی؛ فکر کردن که... | neutral |
| سعی کردن | try | finite subjunctive clause | neutral |
| احساس کردن | feel/sense | noun phrase or finite clause | neutral |
| اشتباه کردن | make a mistake | often در + domain | neutral |
| دعوت کردن | invite | person + را; destination with به | neutral |
| رزرو کردن | reserve/book | thing + را | neutral modern |
This selection is lexical. You can predict how کردن conjugates, but you must learn which noun combines with it and how the complete predicate licenses other phrases. The foundation is reviewed on Compound Verbs as Single Lexical Predicates.
کار کردن: activity without a direct object
کار کردن is normally intransitive “work.” A workplace takes در, a task or project often takes روی, and a collaborator takes با. A specific noun beside کار does not automatically become an object marked by را.
خواهرم در یک آزمایشگاه کوچک کار میکند.
khâhar-am dar yek âzmâyeshgâh-e kuchek kâr mi-konad.
My sister works in a small laboratory. (neutral)
تا آخر هفته روی نسخهی موبایل کار میکنیم.
tâ âkhar-e hafte ru-ye noskhe-ye mobâyl kâr mi-konim.
We'll be working on the mobile version through the end of the week. (neutral workplace speech)
For “do the task,” Persian can use کار را انجام دادن or name the task with a more specific predicate. کار کردن describes activity rather than taking کار as its own direct object.
صحبت کردن: interlocutor and topic occupy different slots
Use با کسی صحبت کردن for the person spoken with and دربارهی چیزی صحبت کردن for the topic. صحبت کردن is neutral and suitable in careful conversation; حرف زدن is often more conversational.
بعد از جلسه با مدیر دربارهی بودجه صحبت کردم.
ba'd az jalase bâ modir darbâre-ye budje sohbat kardam.
After the meeting I spoke with the manager about the budget. (neutral; person and topic both explicit)
میتونیم بعدا دربارهی این موضوع حرف بزنیم؟
mi-tunim ba'dan darbâre-ye in mowzu' harf bezanim?
Can we talk about this later? (informal, regional: Tehran; conversational alternative)
فکر کردن has two common structures
به چیزی فکر کردن means direct one's thoughts toward something. فکر کردن که... introduces a belief or judgment. English uses think about and think that; Persian makes the same distinction with به versus a clause.
هنوز به پیشنهاد شما فکر میکنم.
hanuz be pishnehâd-e shomâ fekr mi-konam.
I'm still thinking about your proposal. (neutral)
فکر میکنم این مسیر در زمستان بسته باشد.
fekr mi-konam in masir dar zemestân baste bâshad.
I think this route may be closed in winter. (neutral opinion with a clause)
The first به is selected by the “consider” sense. Do not insert it before a full که clause by English analogy. In ordinary speech and writing, که is often omitted after فکر کردن, as in the second example; the words that follow still form a finite clause.
سعی کردن selects an attempted event
The person who tries is the subject of سعی کردن. The attempted action normally appears as a finite subjunctive: سعی کردم زود برسم, not an infinitive copied from English tried to arrive.
سعی کردم بدون ایجاد سروصدا در را ببندم.
sa'y kardam bedun-e ijâd-e sar-o-sedâ dar râ bebandam.
I tried to close the door without making noise. (neutral; same subject controls the attempted action)
سعی کن قبل از شلوغی حرکت کنی.
sa'y kon qabl az sholughi harekat koni.
Try to leave before it gets crowded. (neutral singular advice)
احساس کردن: a sensation or a proposition
With a noun phrase, احساس کردن takes what is felt: خستگی احساس کردم. With a clause, it means “sense/feel that.” Everyday Persian often uses a simpler adjective or body-state construction for immediate physical sensations.
پس از چند ساعت کار، خستگی شدیدی احساس کردم.
pas az chand sâ'at kâr, khastegi-ye shadidi ehsâs kardam.
After working for several hours, I felt intense fatigue. (neutral/formal)
احساس کردم کسی پشت در منتظر است.
ehsâs kardam kasi posht-e dar montazer ast.
I sensed that someone was waiting behind the door. (neutral)
اشتباه کردن: the error-maker is the subject
اشتباه کردن is normally intransitive. The domain can appear with در, and the incorrect choice can be explained in a following clause.
در محاسبهی هزینهی حمل اشتباه کردیم.
dar mohâsebe-ye hazine-ye haml eshtebâh kardim.
We made a mistake in calculating the shipping cost. (neutral)
اشتباه کردم؛ جلسه سهشنبه است، نه دوشنبه.
eshtebâh kardam; jalase se-shanbe ast, na doshanbe.
I was mistaken; the meeting is Tuesday, not Monday. (neutral self-repair)
دعوت کردن and رزرو کردن are transitive
The invited person is a direct object and normally takes را when specific. The event or destination can take به. The reserved item is also a direct object.
همکاران جدید را به شام دعوت کردهایم.
hamkârân-e jadid râ be shâm da'vat karde-im.
We have invited the new colleagues to dinner. (neutral)
برای پنجشنبه یک میز کنار پنجره رزرو کردم.
barâ-ye panj-shanbe yek miz-e kenâr-e panjare rezerv kardam.
I reserved a table by the window for Thursday. (neutral modern usage)
اتاق رو رزرو کردی یا هنوز داری قیمتها رو مقایسه میکنی؟
otâq ro rezerv kardi yâ hanuz dâri qeymat-hâ ro moqâyese mi-koni?
Did you book the room, or are you still comparing prices? (informal conversation)
A short planning dialogue
— با رستوران صحبت کردی؟ — بله، میز رو رزرو کردم و نیما رو هم دعوت کردم. — عالیه؛ من سعی میکنم زودتر برسم.
— bâ restorân sohbat kardi? — bale, miz ro rezerv kardam va Nimâ ro ham da'vat kardam. — âliye; man sa'y mi-konam zudtar beresam.
— Did you speak with the restaurant? — Yes, I reserved the table and invited Nima too. — Great; I'll try to arrive earlier. (neutral conversational planning)
Common Mistakes
1. Treating کردن as universal “do”
⚠️ دیروز یک اشتباه انجام دادم.
diruz yek eshtebâh anjâm dâdam.
Yesterday I performed a mistake. (understandable words, but nonidiomatic selection for the everyday meaning)
✅ دیروز در ثبت شماره اشتباه کردم.
diruz dar sabt-e shomâre eshtebâh kardam.
Yesterday I made a mistake entering the number.
2. Making the interlocutor a direct object of صحبت کردن
❌ دوستم را دربارهی مشکل صحبت کردم.
Incorrect argument structure — use با for the interlocutor of صحبت کردن.
✅ با دوستم دربارهی مشکل صحبت کردم.
bâ dust-am darbâre-ye moshkel sohbat kardam.
I spoke with my friend about the problem.
3. Copying an English infinitive after سعی کردن
❌ سعی کردیم پیش از ظهر رسیدن.
Incorrect complement — the attempted event needs a finite subjunctive verb.
✅ سعی کردم پیش از بستهشدن درها برسم.
sa'y kardam pish az baste-shodan-e dar-hâ beresam.
I tried to arrive before the doors closed.
4. Marking the invitation destination as the invited person
❌ مهمانی را دوستم دعوت کردم.
Incorrect role marking — the person invited is the direct object; the event or destination takes به.
✅ دوستم را به مهمانی پایان دوره دعوت کردم.
dust-am râ be mehmâni-ye pâyân-e dowre da'vat kardam.
I invited my friend to the end-of-course party.
Key Takeaways
- Learn every کردن compound with its whole complement frame; the noun does not determine valency alone.
- کار کردن is usually intransitive; صحبت کردن selects با for a person and دربارهی for a topic.
- فکر کردن distinguishes به
- topic from a belief clause; سعی کردن selects a finite attempted event.
- اشتباه کردن is normally intransitive, while دعوت کردن and رزرو کردن are transitive.
- Conjugation is productive, but light-verb selection and argument structure are lexical.
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Start learning Farsi →Related Topics
- Compound Verbs as Single Lexical PredicatesA1 — Learn why Persian noun- or adjective-plus-verb combinations function as one predicate and must be stored with their light verb and complement pattern.
- Compound Verbs in the PresentA1 — Conjugate Persian compound verbs by keeping the nonverbal element stable and placing present-tense marking on the light verb.
- کردن kardan: to Do and MakeA1 — Reference guide to کردن as a lexical verb, a causative partner, and Persian’s most productive light verb.
- Light-Verb Choice and Meaning ChangeB1 — Understand how کردن، دادن، گرفتن، خوردن, and شدن contribute causation, acquisition, affectedness, or change without becoming interchangeable.
- Clitics inside Light Verb ConstructionsB1 — Understand why Persian object clitics often attach to the nonverbal element of a light-verb construction, as in نجاتش داد and دعوتش کردم.