Answering Negative Questions | Farsi Grammar

After a negative question such as فردا نمی‌آیی؟ “Aren't you coming tomorrow?”, Persian has a particularly clear contrast. نه، نمی‌آیم confirms the negative proposition: “No, I am not coming.” چرا، می‌آیم rejects it and asserts the positive: “Yes, I am coming.” Corrective چرا here means “on the contrary,” not “why.”

The difficulty is deciding what a short response confirms. A speaker may respond to the real-world proposition, to the negative wording, or to the questioner's expectation. بله and informal آره can be understood from context, but alone they may leave the polarity unclear. Repeating the verb is the safest and most natural repair.

The Polarity Map

Question	Clear response	Proposition asserted
نمی‌آیی؟	نه، نمی‌آیم	I am not coming
نمی‌آیی؟	چرا، می‌آیم	I am coming
نفرستادی؟	نه، نفرستادم	I did not send it
نفرستادی؟	چرا، فرستادم	I did send it

Forming the questions themselves belongs on Negative Questions and Answers. This page concentrates on interaction after the question has been asked.

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After a negative question, do not trust a bare yes/no translation. State the proposition: نه + negative clause or چرا + positive clause.

نه Confirms the Negative Proposition

Use نه followed by a negative verb when the non-event or negative state is true. The repeated clause can be shortened when context is obvious, but retaining it prevents misunderstanding.

— امشب برای شام نمی‌مانی؟ — نه، باید زود برگردم.

— emshab barâ-ye shâm nemi-mâni? — na, bâyad zud bargardam.

— Aren't you staying for dinner tonight? — No, I have to return early. (neutral conversation; negative confirmed)

— هنوز جواب دانشگاه را نگرفته‌ای؟ — نه، هیچ ایمیلی نیامده است.

— hanuz javâb-e dâneshgâh râ nagerefte-i? — na, hich imeyli nayâmade ast.

— Haven't you received the university's reply yet? — No, no email has arrived. (careful standard)

— این فروشگاه جمعه‌ها باز نیست؟ — نه، جمعه کاملا تعطیل است.

— in forushgâh jom'e-hâ bâz nist? — na, jom'e kâmelan ta'til ast.

— Isn't this shop open on Fridays? — No, it is completely closed on Friday. (neutral; negative state confirmed)

نه can also reject an assumption without repeating exactly the same wording: نه، برنامه عوض شده “No, the plan has changed.” The follow-up must still make the resulting polarity recoverable.

چرا Rejects the Negative Assumption

Response چرا reverses the question's negative proposition. Follow it with a positive verb or clear positive evidence.

— فرم را تحویل ندادی؟ — چرا، صبح به مسئول پذیرش دادم.

— form râ tahvil nadâdi? — cherâ, sobh be mas'ul-e pazirosh dâdam.

— Didn't you submit the form? — Yes, I gave it to the receptionist this morning. (neutral; negative assumption reversed)

— امروز ماشین نداری؟ — چرا، توی پارکینگ است.

— emruz mâshin nadâri? — cherâ, tu-ye pârking ast.

— Don't you have a car today? — Yes, it's in the parking lot. (neutral conversation)

— قرار نیست سارا هم بیاید؟ — چرا، اسمش توی فهرست است.

— qarâr nist Sârâ ham biyâyad? — cherâ, esm-ash tu-ye fehrest ast.

— Isn't Sara supposed to come too? — Yes, her name is on the list. (neutral; positive expectation restored)

At the beginning of a full clause, چرا usually means “why?”: چرا نمی‌آیی؟ “Why aren't you coming?” As a standalone response followed by a positive claim, it is corrective. Turn position and intonation separate the two uses.

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Corrective چرا looks backward to a negative assumption. Interrogative چرا looks forward to a requested reason.

چرا اتفاقا: Emphatic Counterevidence

اتفاقا adds “actually/as it happens,” often because the speaker has direct counterevidence or finds the negative assumption surprising. چرا، اتفاقا... is stronger than plain چرا and can sound corrective or mildly defensive.

— این رستوران غذای گیاهی ندارد؟ — چرا، اتفاقا چند گزینه‌ی خوب دارد.

— in restorân ghazâ-ye giyâhi nadârad? — cherâ, ettefâqan chand gozine-ye khub dârad.

— Doesn't this restaurant have vegetarian food? — Yes, actually, it has several good options. (neutral; emphatic correction)

— از سخنرانی راضی نبودی؟ — چرا، اتفاقا بخش آخرش خیلی مفید بود.

— az sokhanrâni râzi nabudi? — cherâ, ettefâqan bakhsh-e âkhar-ash kheyli mofid bud.

— Weren't you satisfied with the talk? — I was, actually; its final part was very useful. (neutral conversation)

— کسی پیشنهادت را جدی نگرفت؟ — چرا، اتفاقا مدیر خواست جزئیاتش را بفرستم.

— kasi pishnehâd-at râ jeddi nagereft? — cherâ, ettefâqan modir khâst joz'iyyât-ash râ beferestam.

— Did nobody take your proposal seriously? — Actually, the manager asked me to send its details. (counterevidence)

Formal prose may use برعکس or an explicit contradiction instead. In conversation, چرا، اتفاقا is direct and idiomatic.

Proposition versus Wording

A short بله can be heard as “yes, that wording is correct,” while another listener may understand “yes, the positive event happened.” Informal آره has the same risk. Speakers often resolve this naturally by repeating polarity.

— هنوز قرارداد را امضا نکرده‌اید؟ — بله، هنوز امضا نکرده‌ام.

— hanuz qarârdâd râ emzâ nakarde-id? — bale, hanuz emzâ nakarde-am.

— You still haven't signed the contract? — Correct, I still haven't signed it. (careful standard; بله confirms the wording, repeated negative removes ambiguity)

— مگه بلیت نخریدی؟ — چرا، خریدم؛ توی کیفمه.

— mage belit nakharidi? — cherâ, kharidam; tu-ye kif-ame.

— Didn't you buy a ticket? — Yes, I did; it's in my bag. (informal, regional: Tehran; unambiguous reversal)

If the stakes are high—payment, consent, medicine, travel—never rely on بله/آره alone. State the event or state explicitly.

Minimal Contrast

Question: فایل را نفرستادی؟ “Didn't you send the file?”

نه، هنوز فایل را نفرستاده‌ام.

na, hanuz fâyl râ naferestâde-am.

No, I still haven't sent the file. (negative proposition maintained)

چرا، فایل را ساعت نه فرستادم.

cherâ, fâyl râ sâ'at-e noh ferestâdam.

Yes, I sent the file at nine. (negative proposition rejected)

چرا، اتفاقا رسید تحویلش را هم گرفته‌ام.

cherâ, ettefâqan resid-e tahvil-ash râ ham gerefte-am.

Yes, actually, I've even received its delivery receipt. (emphatic reversal with evidence)

Repairing a Misunderstanding

When the question itself is unclear, repair its scope before answering. منظورت این است که...؟ checks the intended proposition; نه، منظورم این نبود rejects a mistaken interpretation.

— امروز جلسه نداریم؟ — منظورت جلسه‌ی تیم فروش است؟ — بله. — چرا، آن جلسه ساعت سه است.

— emruz jalase nadârim? — manzur-at jalase-ye tim-e forush ast? — bale. — cherâ, ân jalase sâ'at-e se ast.

— Don't we have a meeting today? — Do you mean the sales-team meeting? — Yes. — We do; that meeting is at three. (careful clarification before polarity answer)

نه، منظورم این نبود که اصلا نمی‌آیم؛ گفتم دیر می‌رسم.

na, manzur-am in nabud ke aslan nemi-âyam; goftam dir mi-rasam.

No, I didn't mean that I'm not coming at all; I said I'll be late. (misunderstanding repair)

Common Mistakes

Answering with Bare بله When Polarity Matters

⚠️ — پول هنوز واریز نشده؟ — بله.

— pul hanuz vâriz nashode? — bale.

— Hasn't the money been deposited yet? — Yes. (grammatical but ambiguous: confirmation of the negative wording or positive deposit)

✅ نه، پول هنوز واریز نشده است.

na, pul hanuz vâriz nashode ast.

No, the money still hasn't been deposited.

Following Corrective چرا with a Negative Verb

❌ — فردا نمی‌آیی؟ — چرا، نمی‌آیم.

Internally contradictory for the intended correction — چرا reverses the negative assumption, but نمی‌آیم confirms it.

✅ — فردا نمی‌آیی؟ — چرا، بعد از کار می‌آیم.

— fardâ nemi-âyi? — cherâ, ba'd az kâr mi-âyam.

— Aren't you coming tomorrow? — Yes, I'll come after work.

Treating Response چرا as a Request for a Reason

⚠️ — ثبت‌نام نکردی؟ — چرا؟ چون سایت بسته بود.

— sabt-nâm nakardi? — cherâ? chun sâyt baste bud.

A possible request for a reason, but not the intended ‘No, because the site was down’: interrogative چرا؟ does not confirm non-registration.

✅ — ثبت‌نام نکردی؟ — نه، چون سایت از صبح بسته بود.

— sabt-nâm nakardi? — na, chun sâyt az sobh baste bud.

— Didn't you register? — No, because the site had been down since morning.

Using چرا اتفاقا for a Mild Neutral Confirmation

⚠️ — آدرس را داری؟ — چرا، اتفاقا دارم.

— âdres râ dâri? — cherâ, ettefâqan dâram.

— Do you have the address? — On the contrary, I actually do. (grammatical but over-corrective after a positive neutral question)

✅ — آدرس را داری؟ — بله، همین‌جا ذخیره کرده‌ام.

— âdres râ dâri? — bale, hamin-jâ zakhire karde-am.

— Do you have the address? — Yes, I've saved it right here.

Key Takeaways

نه + negative clause confirms that the negative proposition is true.
چرا + positive clause rejects the negative assumption.
چرا، اتفاقا... adds emphatic counterevidence and is stronger than a neutral yes.
بله/آره may confirm wording or proposition; repeat the verb when ambiguity matters.
Repair the question's scope with منظورت...؟ before answering complex or high-stakes negatives.

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