بر اساس and طبق | Farsi Grammar

بر اساس bar asâs-e means “on the basis of/based on.” طبق tebq-e means “according to/in accordance with.” Both are common in formal Persian, but they frame the source differently: بر اساس presents information or reasoning as a foundation; طبق presents a report, rule, schedule, or authority as what the statement follows.

Both take ezâfe before a nominal complement. It is heard after consonant-final اساس and طبق but not normally written with a vowel mark.

Core contrast

Form	Source relation	Typical complements	Register
بر اساس X	X is evidence, basis, or criterion	data, analysis, experience	formal/academic
طبق X	statement/action accords with X	law, report, schedule, instructions	formal/administrative
بر اساس آنچه ...	based on what...	clausal evidence	formal
طبق گفته‌ی X	according to X's statement	attributed report	formal/news

بر اساس داده‌های تازه، مصرف انرژی کاهش یافته است.

bar asâs-e dâde-hâ-ye tâze, masraf-e enerzhi kâhesh yâfte ast.

Based on the new data, energy consumption has decreased. (academic)

طبق برنامه، قطار ساعت هشت حرکت می‌کند.

tebq-e barnâme, qatâr sâ'at-e hasht harekat mi-konad.

According to the schedule, the train departs at eight. (formal-neutral)

💡

Use بر اساس when X supports a conclusion or method. Use طبق when a statement or action follows a source, rule, timetable, or reported authority.

Evidence and criteria with بر اساس

اساس means “foundation/basis.” The construction is natural with اطلاعات، شواهد، نتایج، تجربه، معیار and with decisions derived from them.

درخواست‌ها بر اساس سابقه‌ی کاری بررسی می‌شوند.

darkhâst-hâ bar asâs-e sâbeqe-ye kâri barrasi mi-shavand.

Applications are assessed on the basis of work experience. (formal/administrative)

بر اساس تجربه‌ی قبلی، دو روز برای این کار کافی نیست.

bar asâs-e tajrobe-ye qabli, do ruz barâ-ye in kâr kâfi nist.

Based on previous experience, two days is not enough for this work. (formal-neutral)

بر اساس does not guarantee that the conclusion is true. It identifies the stated foundation and can be challenged if that foundation is weak.

Accordance and attribution with طبق

طبق is compact and strongly associated with documents, instructions, rules, and reported information. It often translates under in legal English and according to in news writing.

طبق قانون، مالک موظف به تعمیر آسانسور است.

tebq-e qânun, mâlek movazzaf be ta'mir-e âsânsur ast.

Under the law, the owner is required to repair the elevator. (formal/legal)

طبق گزارش هواشناسی، فردا باران می‌بارد.

tebq-e gozâresh-e havâshenâsi, fardâ bârân mi-bârad.

According to the weather report, it will rain tomorrow. (formal-neutral)

کار را طبق دستورالعمل انجام دهید.

kâr râ tebq-e dastur-ol-amal anjâm dahid.

Carry out the work according to the instructions. (formal instruction)

Here طبق expresses conformity: the work should match the instructions. With a report, it marks attribution and distances the current speaker from direct evidence.

Evidential overtones

Neither form is a grammatical evidential marker, but both tell the reader where a claim comes from. طبق گزارش پلیس attributes the claim to the police report; بر اساس بررسی ما presents the speaker's analysis as the basis. The difference matters in careful reporting.

💡

طبق identifies whose report or which rule a statement follows; it does not endorse that source. بر اساس instead presents the source as the reasoning base. Either source can still be incomplete or mistaken.

Do not confuse this source relation with the comparison standards taught on نسبت به and در مقایسه با: a report can ground a claim without serving as the item against which another item is measured.

طبق گفته‌ی شاهدان، خودرو با سرعت حرکت می‌کرد.

tebq-e gofte-ye shâhedân, khodro bâ sor'at harekat mi-kard.

According to witnesses, the vehicle was moving quickly. (news/formal; attributed claim)

بر اساس بررسی ما، مشکل از کابل است.

bar asâs-e barrasi-ye mâ, moshkel az kâbel ast.

Based on our examination, the problem is the cable. (formal technical assessment)

Clausal sources

For a full proposition, بر اساس آنچه... is natural: “based on what....” طبق آنچه... also occurs when the clause supplies a reported instruction or account. The free relative packages the clause as a nominal source.

بر اساس آنچه توضیح دادید، قرارداد باید اصلاح شود.

bar asâs-e ânche towzih dâdid, qarârdâd bâyad eslâh shavad.

Based on what you explained, the contract must be revised. (formal)

A short exchange

چرا این سه نفر انتخاب شدند؟

cherâ in se nafar entekhâb shodand?

Why were these three people selected? (careful spoken standard)

بر اساس امتیازهای مصاحبه؛ طبق آیین‌نامه باید سه نفر برتر را انتخاب کنیم.

bar asâs-e emtiyâz-hâ-ye mosâhebe; tebq-e âyin-nâme bâyad se nafar-e bartar râ entekhâb konim.

On the basis of interview scores; under the regulations, we must select the top three candidates. (formal)

Common Mistakes

1. Omitting spoken ezâfe

❌ طبق قانون عمل کردیم.

tebq qânun amal kardim

Incorrect pronunciation — طبق carries ezâfe before its complement.

✅ طبق مقررات عمل کردیم.

tebq-e moqarrarât amal kardim.

We acted according to the regulations.

2. Adding با after طبق

❌ طبق با برنامه حرکت کردیم.

Incorrect — طبق directly takes its ezâfe-linked complement.

✅ طبق برنامه حرکت کردیم.

tebq-e barnâme harekat kardim.

We proceeded according to plan.

3. Adding از after اساس

❌ بر اساس از داده‌ها نتیجه گرفتیم.

Incorrect — بر اساس takes the evidence directly through ezâfe.

✅ بر اساس داده‌ها نتیجه گرفتیم.

bar asâs-e dâde-hâ natije gereftim.

We drew a conclusion based on the data.

4. Treating attribution as proof

❌ طبق این گزارش، خبر بی‌تردید درست است.

as a guarantee that the attributed claim is true

Incorrect reasoning — طبق attributes a claim but does not guarantee its truth.

✅ طبق این گزارش، خبر هنوز تأیید نشده است.

tebq-e in gozâresh, khabar hanuz ta'yid nashode ast.

According to this report, the news has not yet been confirmed.

Key Takeaways

بر اساس presents evidence, a foundation, or a criterion.
طبق presents accordance with or attribution to a rule, report, schedule, or authority.
Both take audible ezâfe before a nominal complement.
These phrases signal source relations, not certainty or guaranteed truth.
Use آنچه when a full clause supplies the basis.

Now practice Farsi

Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.

Start learning Farsi →