Source and Separation with از | Farsi Grammar

The core meaning of از is movement or orientation away from a source. Its most concrete use is “from”: از شیراز آمدم “I came from Shiraz.” Persian extends the same source logic to separation, comparison, causes, raw material, information sources, and complements selected by particular verbs.

English divides these uses among “from,” “of,” “than,” “because of,” and sometimes no preposition at all. Persian sees a shared starting point: a journey starts at Shiraz, a comparison measures outward from a standard, and a reaction arises from a cause. That logic helps, but verb government still has to be learned lexically.

Physical source and path away

With motion verbs, از + place identifies the starting point. It contrasts directly with goal به and location در.

قطار ساعت شش از قم حرکت می‌کند.

qatâr sâ'at-e shesh az qom harekat mi-konad.

The train leaves Qom at six. (neutral standard)

از خانه تا ایستگاه پیاده رفتم.

az khâne tâ istgâh piyâde raftam.

I walked from home to the station. (neutral standard)

بوی نان تازه از آشپزخانه می‌آید.

bu-ye nân-e tâze az âshpazkhâne mi-âyad.

The smell of fresh bread is coming from the kitchen. (neutral standard)

The source need not itself move. In the third example, the smell is perceived as originating in the kitchen. Compare the three-way map on Movement versus Location: به and در: از خانه، به ایستگاه، در ایستگاه “from home, to the station, at the station.”

💡

Picture از as the tail of a path. What follows it is the point from which movement, perception, or another relation is traced.

Separation, distance, and protection

Verbs and adjectives of separation naturally take از because one participant is kept or moved away from another. Common frames include از چیزی دور شدن “move away from something,” از چیزی فاصله گرفتن “keep one's distance from something,” and از چیزی محافظت کردن “protect/guard something.”

لطف می‌کنید از لبه‌ی سکو فاصله بگیرید؟

lotf mi-konid az labe-ye sakku fâsele be-girid?

Would you please stand back from the edge of the platform? (polite standard)

گلدان را از پنجره دور کن.

goldân râ az panjare dur kon.

Move the flowerpot away from the window. (neutral standard)

این کرم از پوست در برابر نور خورشید محافظت می‌کند.

in kerem az pust dar barâbar-e nur-e khorshid mohâfezat mi-konad.

This cream protects the skin against sunlight. (neutral standard)

The last sentence contains the fuller compound relation در برابر “against/in the face of.” از پوست محافظت کردن marks what is protected; در برابر آفتاب marks the danger. Verb frames can distribute roles more precisely than a single English “from.”

Comparison: the standard after از

Persian uses از before the standard of comparison and normally marks the adjective with ـتر: مریم از من بلندتر است “Maryam is taller than me.” The underlying image is a scale extending beyond a reference point.

این مسیر از راه قبلی کوتاه‌تر است.

in masir az râh-e qabli kutâh-tar ast.

This route is shorter than the previous one. (neutral standard)

امروز هوا از دیروز گرم‌تر است.

emruz havâ az diruz garm-tar ast.

The weather is warmer today than yesterday. (neutral standard)

English has a dedicated word “than”; Persian recruits its source preposition. Do not omit comparative ـتر merely because از is present. The detailed comparison system appears on Basic Comparative.

Cause and emotional source

An event or state can be conceptualized as arising from a cause: از سرما لرزیدن “to shiver from cold,” از خوشحالی گریه کردن “to cry from happiness.” This use is common in every register.

از خستگی روی مبل خوابم برد.

az khastegi ru-ye mobl khâb-am bord.

I fell asleep on the sofa from exhaustion. (neutral standard)

بچه از خوشحالی شروع به خندیدن کرد.

bachche az khoshhâli shoru' be khandidan kard.

The child started laughing with happiness. (neutral standard)

Do not assume that every English “because of” must be از. Persian also uses به‌خاطر and formal causal expressions. از is especially natural for an immediate physical or emotional trigger.

💡

The source extension is strongest when the effect seems to flow directly from the cause: trembling from cold, laughing from joy, or waking from noise.

Material and composition

With ساختن/ساخته شدن, از introduces raw material: از چوب ساخته شده است “is made of wood.” The original material is the source from which the object was produced.

این میز از چوب گردو ساخته شده است.

in miz az chub-e gerdu sâkhte shode ast.

This table is made of walnut wood. (neutral standard)

برای صبحانه غذایی از تخم‌مرغ و سبزی درست کرد.

barâ-ye sobhâne ghazâ-i az tokhm-morgh va sabzi dorost kard.

For breakfast, he/she made a dish from eggs and vegetables. (neutral standard)

A simple material adjective can package the idea differently: میز چوبی “wooden table.” از چوب ساخته شده explicitly profiles composition or production.

Information and institutional sources

Persian uses از with verbs of receiving, hearing, and learning to name a human or media source. This can look “passive-like” in translation because the source is more prominent than an agent performing an action.

خبر را از رادیو شنیدم.

khabar râ az râdio shenidam.

I heard the news on/from the radio. (neutral standard)

این نکته را از استادم یاد گرفتم.

in nokte râ az ostâd-am yâd gereftam.

I learned this point from my professor. (neutral standard)

Formal از طرف can name an institutional source or representative: نامه از طرف دانشگاه فرستاده شده است “The letter has been sent by/on behalf of the university.” It is not a general passive-agent marker; Persian also uses توسط or به‌دست when the agent itself is important.

این پیام از طرف کتابخانه فرستاده شده است.

in payâm az taraf-e ketâbkhâne ferestâde shode ast.

This message has been sent by/on behalf of the library. (formal)

Verb government must be learned

Several frequent predicates select از even where English uses no preposition or a different one: از کسی پرسیدن “ask someone,” از چیزی استفاده کردن “use something,” از چیزی ترسیدن “be afraid of something,” and از کسی تشکر کردن “thank someone.”

ساعت کار موزه را از نگهبان پرسیدم.

sâ'at-e kâr-e muze râ az negahbân porsidam.

I asked the guard about the museum's opening hours. (neutral standard)

می‌توانیم از این جعبه دوباره استفاده کنیم.

mi-tavânim az in ja'be dobâre estefâde konim.

We can use this box again. (neutral standard)

در این مدت خیلی کمکم کردی؛ ازت متشکرم.

dar in moddat kheyli komak-am kardi; az-at moteshakker-am.

You helped me a lot during this time; thank you. (careful conversational Persian)

The last example uses clitic ـت after از. The full standard alternative is از تو متشکرم. See Clitics on Prepositions for ازم، ازت، ازش, and the plural forms.

از does not automatically mark possession

English “of” often expresses possession, but Persian normally uses ezâfe: کتاب رضا ketâb-e rezâ “Reza's book.” کتابی از رضا means “a book from Reza”—perhaps a gift, message, or work by him—so it changes the relationship.

کتاب رضا روی میز من است.

ketâb-e rezâ ru-ye miz-e man ast.

Reza's book is on my desk.

Common Mistakes

1. Using از for ordinary possession

❌ ماشین از علی جلوی خانه است.

Incorrect for ‘Ali's car’ — ordinary possession uses ezâfe, not از.

✅ ماشین علی جلوی خانه است.

mâshin-e Ali jelow-ye khâne ast.

Ali's car is in front of the house.

2. Omitting از with a governed verb

❌ صدای بلند می‌ترسم.

Incorrect — ترسیدن introduces the feared source with از.

✅ از صداهای بلند می‌ترسم.

az sedâ-hâ-ye boland mi-tarsam.

I am afraid of loud noises.

3. Omitting the comparative suffix

❌ این اتاق از آن اتاق روشن است.

Incorrect for the intended comparison — the adjective needs ـتر.

✅ این اتاق از آن اتاق روشن‌تر است.

in otâq az ân otâq rowshan-tar ast.

This room is brighter than that room.

Key Takeaways

از begins with physical source and extends to separation, causes, comparison, material, and information sources.
A comparative standard follows از, while the adjective normally takes ـتر.
از is natural for immediate causes such as cold, exhaustion, and happiness, but it is not the only Persian causal expression.
Learn governed frames such as از کسی پرسیدن، از چیزی استفاده کردن، از چیزی ترسیدن as complete lexical units.
Possession normally uses ezâfe; کتابی از رضا means a book from Reza, not simply Reza's book.

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