Adjective-Preposition Valency | Farsi Grammar

Persian adjectives can select prepositional complements just as verbs do: از نتیجه خوشحال “happy about the result,” برای سفر آماده “ready for the trip,” با پیشنهاد مخالف “opposed to the proposal.” The preposition identifies the complement's semantic role, and its choice belongs to the lexical pattern of the adjective. The parallel system for predicates headed by verbs is developed on Verb-Preposition Valency.

English sometimes chooses the same preposition and sometimes does not. “Familiar with” matches آشنا با, but English “famous for” corresponds to معروف به. Learn the adjective together with its complement frame; translating only the preposition invites errors.

Core adjective frames

Frame	Meaning	Complement role	Register
از چیزی خوشحال بودن/شدن	be/become happy about something	cause of emotion	neutral
برای چیزی آماده بودن	be ready for something	anticipated event/task	neutral
با کسی/چیزی مخالف بودن	be opposed to someone/something	position rejected	neutral to formal
با چیزی آشنا بودن	be familiar with something	known domain	neutral
با چیزی سازگار بودن	be compatible with something	comparison/interface	formal/technical
به چیزی معروف بودن	be famous/known for something	recognized feature	neutral

از شنیدن خبر قبولی‌ات خیلی خوشحال شدم.

az shenidan-e khabar-e qabuli-at kheyli khoshhâl shodam.

I was very happy to hear that you had been accepted. (neutral standard)

برای مصاحبه‌ی فردا آماده‌ام.

barâ-ye mosâhebe-ye fardâ âmâde-am.

I am ready for tomorrow's interview. (neutral standard)

من با حذف این بخش مخالفم.

man bâ hazf-e in bakhsh mokhâlef-am.

I am opposed to removing this section. (formal-neutral)

این برنامه با نسخه‌ی قدیمی سیستم سازگار نیست.

in barnâme bâ noskhe-ye qadimi-ye sistem sâzgâr nist.

This program is not compatible with the old version of the system. (technical)

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Write lexical cards in both directions: خوشحال از prompts the form from the adjective, while “cause of happiness” reminds you why از fits.

The same adjective can take different roles

خوشحال از introduces the event or fact that causes happiness. برای کسی خوشحال بودن also occurs, especially in contemporary conversation, when a speaker shares that person's good fortune. Persian often prefers to name the cause explicitly—از موفقیت کسی خوشحال بودن—so English “happy for” should not be treated as a freely interchangeable core frame.

از نتیجه‌ی آزمایش خوشحالم.

az natije-ye âzmâyesh khoshhâl-am.

I am happy about the test result. (neutral standard)

برای خواهرت خوشحالم؛ بالاخره شغل دلخواهش را پیدا کرد.

barâ-ye khâhar-at khoshhâl-am; bâlâkhare shoghl-e delkhâh-ash râ peydâ kard.

I am happy for your sister; she finally found the job she wanted. (contemporary conversational Persian)

آماده برای likewise names an upcoming task or event. With an infinitive, برای رفتن آماده‌ام means “I am ready to leave.” Persian also permits the compact ezâfe phrase آماده‌ی رفتن. The first explicitly frames purpose/readiness; the second treats “leaving” as the adjective's nominal complement.

تیم برای شروع مرحله‌ی بعد آماده است.

tim barâ-ye shoru'-e marhale-ye ba'd âmâde ast.

The team is ready to begin the next stage. (formal-neutral)

همه آماده‌ی رفتن بودند، اما اتوبوس نیامد.

hame âmâde-ye raftan budand, ammâ otobus na-yâmad.

Everyone was ready to leave, but the bus did not come. (neutral standard)

These alternatives show why valency is not always a single immutable preposition. Persian may offer a prepositional frame and an ezâfe frame with overlapping meanings. Each attested construction still has its own syntax.

مخالف با and the shorter مخالفِ

با چیزی مخالف بودن is widespread and makes the opposed position explicit. Standard Persian also commonly uses مخالفِ چیزی بودن, with audible ezâfe and no با. The shorter form is especially frequent in formal prose and headlines.

بیشتر اعضا با این تغییر مخالف بودند.

bishtar-e a'zâ bâ in taghyir mokhâlef budand.

Most members were opposed to this change. (neutral standard)

شورا مخالف افزایش ناگهانی هزینه‌هاست.

shurâ mokhâlef-e afzâyesh-e nâgahâni-ye hazine-hâ-st.

The council opposes the sudden increase in costs. (formal, concise)

Do not combine the two analyses by adding ezâfe as a separate written element after با. In مخالف با این تغییر, با directly introduces its noun phrase. In مخالف افزایش, the adjective itself links to the complement through ezâfe.

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Two structures can be standard without being mechanically blendable. Recognize مخالف با X and مخالفِ X as separate frames.

Other high-value selections

آشنا با and سازگار با use با because the complement is a counterpart with which familiarity or compatibility holds. معروف به points toward the feature or name by which something is known.

آیا با قوانین جدید آشنا هستید؟

âyâ bâ qavânin-e jadid âshnâ hastid?

Are you familiar with the new regulations? (polite/formal)

این روستا به باغ‌های زردآلو معروف است.

in rustâ be bâgh-hâ-ye zardâlu ma'ruf ast.

This village is famous for its apricot orchards. (neutral standard)

Other adjectives select different structures: مطمئن از “certain of,” وابسته به “dependent on,” and مسئولِ “responsible for” with ezâfe. English “for” therefore cannot be copied after every adjective translated with for.

From noun complement to clause

When the cause or content is a proposition, Persian often uses اینکه after the selected preposition. Compare nominal از نتیجه خوشحالم with clausal از اینکه قبول شدی خوشحالم. A simple که clause can also follow خوشحالم directly and sounds especially natural in conversation.

از اینکه سالم رسیدید خوشحالم.

az inke sâlem residid khoshhâl-am.

I am glad that you arrived safely. (polite standard)

خوشحالم که حالت بهتر شده است.

khoshhâl-am ke hâl-at behtar shode ast.

I am glad that you are feeling better. (neutral standard)

The first explicitly nominalizes the fact as the source of emotion. The second simply supplies the content of the speaker's happiness. Neither pattern licenses a bare finite clause directly after از.

For opposed propositions, formal Persian often uses با این مخالف بودن که...:

من با این مخالفم که تصمیم بدون مشورت گرفته شود.

man bâ in mokhâlef-am ke tasmim bedun-e mashverat gerefte shavad.

I oppose the decision being made without consultation. (formal)

Here این fills the complement position after با, and the که clause specifies its content.

Common Mistakes

1. Selecting به after خوشحال for a cause

❌ به نتیجه‌ی خوب خوشحالم.

Incorrect for ‘happy about the good result’ — the cause is introduced by از.

✅ از نتیجه‌ی خوب خوشحالم.

az natije-ye khub khoshhâl-am.

I am happy about the good result.

2. Selecting از after آماده

❌ از جلسه‌ی فردا آماده‌ایم.

Incorrect — an anticipated task or event after آماده is introduced by برای.

✅ برای جلسه‌ی فردا آماده‌ایم.

barâ-ye jalse-ye fardâ âmâde-im.

We are ready for tomorrow's meeting.

3. Adding را to a prepositional complement

❌ من با این تصمیم را مخالفم.

Incorrect — این تصمیم is already governed by با and cannot also take object marker را.

✅ من با این تصمیم مخالفم.

man bâ in tasmim mokhâlef-am.

I am opposed to this decision.

4. Putting a finite clause directly after از

❌ از در آزمون قبول شدی خوشحالم.

Incorrect — a finite clause after از needs اینکه.

✅ از اینکه در آزمون قبول شدی خوشحالم.

az inke dar âzmun qabul shodi khoshhâl-am.

I am glad that you passed the exam.

Key Takeaways

Learn adjective frames lexically: خوشحال از، آماده برای، مخالف با، آشنا با، معروف به.
A changed preposition can change the complement's role: خوشحال از نتیجه versus برای خواهرت خوشحال.
Persian may offer both prepositional and ezâfe frames, as with مخالف با X and مخالفِ X.
Clause complements use اینکه, این است که, or a directly licensed که clause.
A prepositional adjective complement never takes object marker را.

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