To answer “Whose is this?”, Persian commonly uses مال mâl in the predicate: این کتاب مال من است in ketâb mâl-e man ast “This book is mine.” The item being identified is the subject; مال + possessor forms the predicate; and است supplies the copula. This differs from کتاب من “my book,” where the possessor sits inside the noun phrase.
Historically and independently, مال is a noun meaning “property, possessions, wealth.” In the possessive predicate, it has developed a broad relational use comparable to “belonging to.” It can mark literal ownership, allocation, origin, or association, but context decides which relation is plausible. Formal prose often chooses the more precise متعلق به “belonging to” or مربوط به “related to.” The broader family is compared on Having with داشتن versus Possessive Predicates.
Basic construction
| Possessor | Predicate | Meaning | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| من | مال من است | is mine | neutral standard |
| تو | مال تو است | is yours | neutral, singular familiar |
| او | مال او است | is his/hers | neutral standard |
| ما | مال ما است | is ours | neutral standard |
| شما | مال شما است | is yours | plural or polite |
| آنها | مال آنها است | is theirs | neutral standard |
Ezâfe links مال to the independent possessor. After consonant-final مال, the vowel -e is pronounced but normally unwritten. The copula agrees with the subject, though singular است is normal when a single item is being assigned to plural owners.
این چتر مال من است.
in chatr mâl-e man ast.
This umbrella is mine. (neutral standard)
آن صندلی مال شما است.
ân sandali mâl-e shomâ ast.
That chair is yours. (polite, careful standard)
این کیف مال سارا نیست.
in keyf mâl-e sârâ nist.
This bag isn't Sara's. (neutral standard)
Clitic forms: مالم, مالت, مالش
When the possessor is already accessible, a possessive clitic can attach directly to مال: مالم “mine,” مالت “yours,” مالش “his/hers,” مالمان “ours,” مالتان “yours,” مالشان “theirs.” These compact forms are ordinary in conversation and possible in writing when the antecedent is clear.
این خودکار مالم نیست.
in khodkâr mâl-am nist.
This pen isn't mine. (neutral spoken standard)
اگر شارژرت خراب است، مال من را بردار.
agar shârzher-at kharâb ast, mâl-e man râ bardâr.
If your charger is broken, take mine. (careful spoken standard; independent من is contrastive)
کلیدها را جدا بگذار؛ اینها مالشان است.
kelid-hâ râ jodâ begozâr; in-hâ mâl-eshân ast.
Keep the keys separate; these are theirs. (neutral standard)
مالم can also mean “my property/wealth” when مال retains its lexical noun meaning. Context and syntax distinguish “mine” from “my property”: مالم را دزدیدند can mean “They stole my property,” whereas این مالم است identifies an object as mine.
Ownership, allocation, and association
With a personal possessor and a transferable object, مال usually expresses ownership. With rooms, tasks, documents, or portions, it can instead mean allocation: the thing is assigned to someone for use.
اتاق کنار پنجره مال مهمانها است.
otâq-e kenâr-e panjare mâl-e mehmân-hâ ast.
The room by the window is for the guests. (neutral; allocation, not necessarily ownership)
این بخش از گزارش مال گروه ما است.
in bakhsh az gozâresh mâl-e goruh-e mâ ast.
This section of the report is our group's responsibility/contribution. (informal-neutral association)
The relation can extend to origin in speech: این صدا مال کولر است means that the noise comes from the air conditioner. This is natural conversational Persian, but an engineering report should use این صدا از کولر میآید or این صدا مربوط به کولر است for precision.
این صدا مال کولر است، نه یخچال.
in sedâ mâl-e kuler ast, na yakhchâl.
That noise is from the air conditioner, not the refrigerator. (informal-neutral association)
این سند متعلق به کتابخانهی ملی است.
in sanad mota'alleq be ketâbkhâne-ye melli ast.
This document belongs to the National Library. (formal/institutional)
The formal alternative narrows the relation to institutional ownership or custodianship. مال is not wrong in everyday speech, but register and precision determine the better predicate.
Colloquial copula
Everyday Tehran Persian attaches a reduced copula ـه to the final word: این مال منه in mâl-e mane “This is mine,” اون مال ساراست un mâl-e sârâ-st “That one's Sara's.” Colloquial pronouns may also change: اون for standard آن/او, اونا for آنها.
این کتاب مال منه.
in ketâb mâl-e mane.
This book is mine. (informal, regional: Tehran)
اون دوچرخه مال اونه، نه مال من.
un docharkhe mâl-e une, na mâl-e man.
That bicycle is his or hers, not mine. (informal, regional: Tehran)
Do not mix the colloquial copula into unmarked formal prose. Standard مال من است and colloquial مال منه express the same core ownership relation, but the latter also selects a conversational regional register.
A short dialogue
این لیوان مال کی است؟
in livân mâl-e ki ast?
Whose glass is this? (careful spoken standard)
فکر میکنم مال نادر است.
fekr mi-konam mâl-e nâder ast.
I think it's Nader's. (careful spoken standard)
نه، مال من نیست؛ لیوان من آبیه.
na, mâl-e man nist; livân-e man âbiye.
No, it isn't mine; my glass is blue. (informal, regional: Tehran; reduced copula in آبیه)
The question uses کی “who” as the possessor after ezâfe. The replies can omit the already visible subject and retain only the possessive predicate.
Common Mistakes
1. Omitting ezâfe after مال
❌ این کتاب مال من است.
in ketâb mâl man ast
Incorrect reading — مال and من require the audible linker -e.
✅ این دفتر مال من است.
in daftar mâl-e man ast.
This notebook is mine.
2. Spelling the invisible linker as ه
❌ این کتاب ماله من است.
Incorrect standard spelling — the ezâfe after مال is pronounced -e but is not written as ه.
✅ این کتاب مال من است.
in ketâb mâl-e man ast.
This book is mine.
3. Treating مال as an obligatory article-like word
❌ مال کتاب من روی میز است.
Incorrect for ‘my book’ as a noun phrase — مال is not a possessive article placed before کتاب.
✅ کتاب من روی میز است.
ketâb-e man ru-ye miz ast.
My book is on the table.
4. Dropping the standard copula
❌ این صندلی مال من.
Incorrect as a complete ownership statement — a copula is required.
✅ این صندلی مال من است.
in sandali mâl-e man ast.
This chair is mine. (standard)
Key Takeaways
- X مالِ Y است means “X belongs to Y / X is Y's,” with audible ezâfe after مال.
- The possessor can be a pronoun, name, noun phrase, or enclitic: مال من، مال سارا، مال گروه، مالم.
- Context broadens the relation from ownership to allocation, source, or association; formal prose may prefer متعلق به or مربوط به.
- Colloquial Tehran مال منه corresponds to standard مال من است.
- Keep predicate مال من است distinct from attributive کتاب من and the lexical noun مال “property/wealth.”
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