دادن versus گرفتن Perspective Pairs | Farsi Grammar

Persian frequently pairs a shared noun with دادن and گرفتن to describe opposite perspectives on one exchange. پیشنهاد دادن presents the proposer as subject; پیشنهاد گرفتن presents the recipient. اجازه دادن grants permission, while اجازه گرفتن obtains it. The light verb therefore changes who is grammatically central, not merely the direction of a literal object.

English sometimes uses a pair such as teach/learn, sometimes a preposition such as give/get information, and sometimes the same word from context. Persian packages the perspective directly into the whole compound predicate. Its object markers and prepositions follow that chosen perspective.

A map of exchange pairs

دادن: source perspective	Core frame	گرفتن: recipient perspective	Core frame
پیشنهاد دادن	به کسی پیشنهادی دادن	پیشنهاد گرفتن	از کسی پیشنهادی گرفتن
اجازه دادن	به کسی اجازه دادن	اجازه گرفتن	از کسی اجازه گرفتن
جواب دادن	به کسی / چیزی جواب دادن	جواب گرفتن	از کسی جواب گرفتن
اطلاعات دادن	به کسی اطلاعات دادن	اطلاعات گرفتن	از کسی / جایی اطلاعات گرفتن
یاد دادن	چیزی را به کسی یاد دادن	یاد گرفتن	چیزی را از کسی یاد گرفتن

The common direction pattern is به for a goal with دادن and از for a source with گرفتن. It is a strong learning aid, not a universal law. به سؤال جواب دادن selects the question with به, while از آزمون جواب گرفتن can mean “get a result from the test,” not simply receive an answer from a person. The lexical breadth of the source-side verb is mapped on the دادن reference page.

مدیر فروش یک راه‌حل موقت به مشتری پیشنهاد داد.

modir-e forush yek râh-hall-e movaqqat be moshtari pishnehâd dâd.

The sales manager proposed a temporary solution to the customer. (neutral formal; source perspective)

برای پایان‌نامه از دو استاد پیشنهادهای خوبی گرفتم.

barâ-ye pâyân-nâme az do ostâd pishnehâd-hâ-ye khubi gereftam.

I got some good suggestions for my thesis from two professors. (neutral standard; recipient perspective)

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First choose the viewpoint: source or recipient. Then build the frame around it—usually به with دادن, از with گرفتن, and را for a specific exchanged theme where that theme is expressed as a direct object.

Permission: two subjects, one event

In اجازه دادن, the authority who grants permission is subject and the permitted person follows به. In اجازه گرفتن, the person seeking or obtaining permission is subject and the authority follows از. A following action commonly uses a subjunctive clause.

پزشک به بیمار اجازه داد همان روز به خانه برگردد.

pezeshk be bimâr ejâze dâd hamân ruz be khâne bar-gardad.

The doctor allowed the patient to return home that day. (neutral standard)

پیش از انتشار عکس‌ها از صاحبانشان اجازه گرفتیم.

pish az enteshâr-e aks-hâ az sâhebân-eshân ejâze gereftim.

Before publishing the photos, we obtained permission from their owners. (neutral formal)

English “ask permission” emphasizes the request, whereas Persian اجازه گرفتن can name the attempt in a noncompleted setting such as رفتم اجازه بگیرم “I went to ask permission.” By contrast, completed اجازه گرفتم normally means that permission was obtained. Tense, aspect, and the surrounding construction therefore determine whether success is asserted.

Answers and information

جواب دادن takes the addressee or stimulus with به: به او جواب دادم, به ایمیل جواب دادم. جواب گرفتن از foregrounds the person or institution from whom a response is obtained. The answer itself can be a specific direct object, but it is often recoverable and omitted.

هنوز به پیام دیروزم جواب نداده‌اند.

hanuz be payâm-e diruz-am javâb nadâde-and.

They still have not replied to my message from yesterday. (neutral standard)

بعد از سه بار پیگیری بالاخره از بیمه جواب گرفتم.

ba'd az se bâr peygiri bâlâkhare az bime javâb gereftam.

After following up three times, I finally got an answer from the insurance company. (neutral standard)

With information, اطلاعات دادن is a broad, often (formal) way to supply information; اطلاعات گرفتن obtains or collects it. Everyday speech may choose گفتن “tell” or پرسیدن “ask” instead when no institutional exchange is intended.

کارشناس درباره‌ی شرایط وام به ما اطلاعات دقیقی داد.

kârshenâs darbâre-ye sharâyet-e vâm be mâ ettelâ'ât-e daqiq-i dâd.

The specialist gave us precise information about the loan terms. (formal-neutral)

قبل از سفر از مرکز هواشناسی اطلاعات تازه گرفتیم.

qabl az safar az markaz-e havâshenâsi ettelâ'ât-e tâze gereftim.

Before the trip, we obtained updated information from the weather center. (formal-neutral)

یاد دادن and یاد گرفتن

The lexical pair corresponding to English teach/learn uses the same perspective contrast. یاد دادن places the teacher as subject and the learner in a به phrase. یاد گرفتن places the learner as subject and can mark the teacher/source with از. The content learned is normally a direct object if specific.

پدربزرگم روش درست هرس کردن را به من یاد داد.

pedarbozorg-am ravesh-e dorost-e hars kardan râ be man yâd dâd.

My grandfather taught me the correct way to prune. (neutral standard)

این دستور غذا را از هم‌خانه‌ی سابقم یاد گرفتم.

in dastur-e ghazâ râ az ham-khâne-ye sâbeq-am yâd gereftam.

I learned this recipe from my former roommate. (neutral standard)

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دادن / گرفتن perspective pairs are not active and passive versions of one clause. Each has its own subject and complement frame: the teacher teaches; the learner learns.

Lexical gaps and near-pairs

Not every noun combines symmetrically. Persian has کمک گرفتن از کسی “get help from someone,” but the source-side predicate is normally به کسی کمک کردن, not کمک دادن. خبر دادن means “inform,” while خبر گرفتن often means “ask after someone/get news,” so the content and social situation differ. Store each whole predicate rather than inventing a mirror image.

— از بخش فنی جواب گرفتی؟ — بله، گفتند امروز مشکل را بررسی می‌کنند.

— az bakhsh-e fanni javâb gerefti? — bale, goftand emruz moshkel râ barrasi mi-konand.

— Did you get an answer from technical support? — Yes, they said they would examine the problem today. (neutral conversation)

In informal Tehran speech (informal, regional: Tehran), standard می‌دهم / می‌گیرم are often pronounced می‌دم / می‌گیرم, and preposition plus pronoun appears as بهش / ازش. These are register variants; the direction of the exchange remains unchanged.

Common Mistakes

1. Reversing source and goal prepositions

❌ از مدیر اجازه دادم که زودتر بروم.

Incorrect — the person seeking permission uses اجازه گرفتن از.

✅ از مدیر اجازه گرفتم که امروز زودتر بروم.

az modir ejâze gereftam ke emruz zud-tar beravam.

I got permission from the manager to leave earlier today.

2. Using گرفتن for the source perspective

❌ معلم این درس را به ما یاد گرفت.

Incorrect — the teacher as subject requires یاد دادن.

✅ معلم این روش ساده را به همه‌ی ما یاد داد.

mo'allem in ravesh-e sâde râ be hame-ye mâ yâd dâd.

The teacher taught this simple method to all of us.

3. Combining به and را on the same complement

❌ هنوز به ایمیل مشتری را جواب نداده‌ام.

Incorrect — the message cannot carry both preposition به and object marker را in this frame.

✅ هنوز به ایمیل تازه‌ی مشتری جواب نداده‌ام.

hanuz be imeyl-e tâze-ye moshtari javâb nadâde-am.

I still have not replied to the customer's new email.

4. Inventing a symmetrical pair

❌ پرستار به بیمار کمک داد.

Incorrect for ‘helped the patient’ — Persian uses کمک کردن به.

✅ پرستار در راه رفتن به بیمار کمک کرد.

parastâr dar râh raftan be bimâr komak kard.

The nurse helped the patient walk.

Key Takeaways

دادن normally selects the source/initiator as subject; گرفتن selects the recipient.
Record prepositions with the whole predicate: به کسی اجازه دادن, از کسی اجازه گرفتن.
Perspective pairs are separate lexical predicates, not active/passive forms.
Some pairs are asymmetrical: کمک کردن / کمک گرفتن, not automatic کمک دادن / گرفتن.

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