Iranian Persian readily turns borrowed words into predicates by pairing them with a native light verb: اسکن کردن “scan,” دانلود کردن “download,” زوم کردن “zoom,” آنلاین شدن “go online.” The borrowed element supplies the specialized concept; کردن or شدن supplies Persian inflection and argument structure.
This strategy lets the language absorb new technology without importing English verbal endings. A speaker does not conjugate download itself. Persian keeps دانلود stable and says دانلود کردم، دانلود میکنم، دانلود نشده است. The result is structurally Persian even when its vocabulary is international. The broader productive pattern begins with Core Compounds with کردن.
The productive templates
Two patterns dominate modern technical vocabulary:
| Template | Participant structure | Examples | Typical interpretation |
|---|---|---|---|
| loan + کردن | agent acts, often on an object | اسکن کردن، دانلود کردن، زوم کردن | perform/use the borrowed action |
| loan + شدن | theme changes state or undergoes an event | آنلاین شدن، آفلاین شدن، آپدیت شدن | enter a state or receive a result |
مدرک تازه را اسکن کردم و برای مسئول پرونده فرستادم.
madrak-e tâze râ eskan kardam-o barâ-ye mas'ul-e parvande ferestâdam.
I scanned the new document and sent it to the case officer. (neutral technical register; transitive کردن)
نقشهی شهر را روی گوشیام دانلود کردهام.
naqshe-ye shahr râ ru-ye gushi-am dânlod karde-am.
I have downloaded the city map onto my phone. (neutral technical register)
وقتی اینترنت وصل شد، دوباره آنلاین شدیم.
vaqti internet vasl shod, dobâre ânlâyn shodim.
When the internet connection returned, we went online again. (neutral technical conversation; change of state)
The familiar کردن/شدن contrast often remains visible: سیستم را آپدیت کردم “I updated the system” introduces an agent and object; سیستم آپدیت شد “the system was/got updated” presents the system as affected subject. The second can be passive-like or resultative depending on context.
Spacing and ZWNJ
The borrowed element and light verb are normally separate words: دانلود کردن، اسکن شدن، زوم کردن. Do not join them with a ZWNJ and do not insert a visible hyphen. Within the verbal word, ordinary Persian orthography still applies:
| Function | Correct shape | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| infinitive | دانلود کردن | ordinary space between lexical partners |
| present | دانلود میکنم | ZWNJ joins می to the light verb |
| negative present | دانلود نمیکنم | ZWNJ joins نمی to the light verb |
| perfect | دانلود کردهام | ZWNJ joins the copular ending to the participle |
این فایل روی گوشی من دانلود نمیشود.
in fâyl ru-ye gushi-ye man dânlod nemi-shavad.
This file will not download on my phone. (neutral technical register; correct spacing and ZWNJ)
لطفا روی پیوند ناشناس کلیک نکنید.
lotfan ru-ye peyvand-e nâshenâs kelik nakonid.
Please do not click an unknown link. (formal-neutral digital safety instruction; کلیک کردن روی)
The borrowed base is written in Persian script when it has an established Persian spelling: فایل، لینک، اسکن. Latin brand names and technical codes may remain Latin in real documents, but mixing scripts is not needed to form the verb itself.
Register is a scale, not a borrowed/native binary
Some loans are thoroughly established in technical speech and writing: اینترنت، فایل، اسکن. Others are strongly conversational: فوروارد کردن، بلاک کردن، لاگین کردن (informal technical). Formal institutions may prefer ارسال کردن “send,” مسدود کردن “block,” وارد شدن “log in/enter,” بارگیری کردن “download,” or بهروزرسانی کردن “update.”
These pairs are not always perfect synonyms. ارسال کردن means “send,” whereas فوروارد کردن specifically suggests forwarding material already received. مسدود کردن has a broad formal meaning beyond social media; بلاک کردن often evokes a platform feature. Register choice must preserve meaning.
نسخهی جدید نرمافزار را از وبگاه رسمی بارگیری کنید.
noskhe-ye jadid-e narm-afzâr râ az vebgâh-e rasmi bârgiri konid.
Download the new software version from the official website. (formal technical; native-derived بارگیری کردن)
فایل نهایی را در سامانه بارگذاری کردهایم.
fâyl-e nahâyi râ dar sâmâne bârgozâri karde-im.
We have uploaded the final file to the system. (formal technical; بارگذاری کردن)
لینک جلسه رو برام فوروارد میکنی؟
link-e jalase ro barâm forvârd mi-koni?
Will you forward me the meeting link? (informal: Tehran; everyday digital loan)
Calling every loan “slang” is inaccurate. Acceptability depends on professional community, genre, age, and how long the form has circulated. A technical support article can naturally use اسکن کردن; a legal document may favor a more Persian-derived alternative.
Acceptability and conventionalization
Because کردن is productive, speakers can understand a new combination at first encounter. Understanding does not prove that the combination is established or appropriate. A proposed form competes with existing compounds, simple verbs, and specialized terminology.
For example, ordinary Persian says عکس گرفتن “take a photo,” not automatically عکس کردن. It says پرینت گرفتن or چاپ کردن “print,” with register and context determining the choice. The presence of an English noun never guarantees کردن.
از صفحه عکس گرفتم تا شماره را فراموش نکنم.
az safhe aks gereftam tâ shomâre râ farâmush nakonam.
I took a photo of the screen so I would not forget the number. (neutral conversation; established عکس گرفتن, not free کردن)
از قرارداد دو نسخه پرینت گرفتم.
az qarârdâd do noskhe perint gereftam.
I printed two copies of the contract. (neutral conversation/office speech; پرینت گرفتن)
منشی دو نسخه از قرارداد را چاپ کرد.
monshi do noskhe az qarârdâd râ châp kard.
The secretary printed two copies of the contract. (formal-neutral; چاپ کردن)
The correct learning unit remains the whole infinitive plus frame: روی چیزی کلیک کردن, چیزی را دانلود کردن, وارد سامانه شدن. The productivity of the system is a memory aid, not a substitute for evidence.
Argument structure survives borrowing
A borrowed base does not decide its own Persian complements. The complete predicate does. روی پیوند کلیک کردن normally uses روی; فایل را دانلود کردن takes a direct object; در حساب کاربری لاگین کردن (informal technical) locates the login with در. Speakers may vary between platform-specific frames, but the variation is Persian syntax around a lexicalized predicate.
برای دیدن جزئیات روی تصویر زوم کردم.
barâ-ye didan-e joz'iyât ru-ye tasvir zum kardam.
I zoomed in on the image to see the details. (neutral technical conversation; complement with روی)
حسابم را موقتا بلاک کردند، چون رمز را چند بار اشتباه زدم.
hesâb-am râ movaqqatan belâk kardand, chun ramz râ chand bâr eshtebâh zadam.
They temporarily blocked my account because I entered the password incorrectly several times. (informal technical; بلاک کردن)
کردن versus شدن with loans
The familiar causer/affected contrast often extends to loans:
برنامه را آپدیت کردم، اما گوشی هنوز کند است.
barnâme râ âpdeyt kardam, ammâ gushi hanuz kond ast.
I updated the app, but the phone is still slow. (neutral/informal technical; agentive کردن)
برنامه دیشب خودکار آپدیت شد.
barnâme dishab khodkâr âpdeyt shod.
The app updated automatically last night. (neutral technical; affected subject with شدن)
The شدن form may mean that the system updated itself or that an unmentioned agent/process updated it. Context decides between anticausative, resultative, and passive-like readings—just as with inherited Persian vocabulary.
Common Mistakes
1. Conjugating the borrowed base
❌ من فایل را دانلودیدم.
Incorrect — Persian does not add a verbal ending to دانلود; it inflects کردن.
✅ من فایل راهنما را دانلود کردم.
man fâyl-e râhnamâ râ dânlod kardam.
I downloaded the guide file.
2. Joining the lexical partners with a ZWNJ
❌ رسید را اسکنکردم.
Incorrect standard spacing — the borrowed element and light verb are separate words.
✅ رسید را اسکن کردم و در پوشه گذاشتم.
resid râ eskan kardam-o dar pushe gozâshtam.
I scanned the receipt and put it in the folder.
3. Leaving می detached
❌ هر روز فایلها را دانلود می کنم.
Incorrect standard orthography — می attaches to کنم with a ZWNJ.
✅ هر روز گزارشها را دانلود میکنم.
har ruz gozâresh-hâ râ dânlod mi-konam.
I download the reports every day.
4. Using کردن where Persian has another established partner
❌ از صفحه یک عکس کردم.
Incorrect — the conventional predicate is عکس گرفتن.
✅ از صفحه یک عکس واضح گرفتم.
az safhe yek aks-e vâzeh gereftam.
I took a clear photo of the screen.
5. Stacking a borrowed infinitive under another verb
❌ متقاضی موظف است فایل را فوروارد کردن نماید.
Incorrect — فوروارد کردن is already an infinitive and cannot be placed as the complement of نماید in this structure.
✅ متقاضی باید فایل را برای واحد اداری ارسال کند.
motaqâzi bâyad fâyl râ barâ-ye vâhed-e edâri ersâl konad.
The applicant must send the file to the administrative unit. (formal)
Key Takeaways
- Borrowed bases remain stable; Persian کردن or شدن carries all verbal inflection.
- Write an ordinary space between the borrowed element and light verb, while preserving ZWNJ inside میکند، نمیشود، کردهام.
- Loans range from established technical vocabulary to informal platform language; borrowed does not automatically mean slang.
- Productive کردن does not override entrenched partners such as عکس گرفتن and پرینت گرفتن.
- Learn the whole predicate, its complement frame, and its register.
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