Many Persian predicates select a particular preposition for one of their participants: به چیزی وابسته بودن “to depend on something,” دربارهی چیزی صحبت کردن “to talk about something,” از چیزی ترسیدن “to fear something.” This lexical requirement is called valency or government. The preposition is part of the predicate's argument pattern, not a freely translated extra word.
English is an unreliable guide. English “trust someone” has a direct object, but Persian says به کسی اعتماد کردن. English “use something” is also transitive, while Persian says از چیزی استفاده کردن. The only dependable solution is to learn the predicate and its complement frame together.
A core valency inventory
| Dictionary frame | Meaning | Complement's role | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| به چیزی وابسته بودن | depend on something | condition/basis | neutral to formal |
| به کسی/چیزی اعتماد کردن | trust someone/something | trusted entity | neutral |
| دربارهی چیزی صحبت کردن | talk about something | topic | neutral |
| با کسی صحبت کردن | talk with someone | interlocutor | neutral |
| از کسی/چیزی ترسیدن | be afraid of someone/something | source of fear | neutral |
| از چیزی استفاده کردن | use something | resource/instrument | neutral to formal |
| در رویدادی شرکت کردن | participate in an event | event | neutral |
| با کسی/چیزی موافقت کردن | agree with someone/something | person or proposal accepted | neutral to formal |
زمان تحویل پروژه به نتیجهی آزمایش وابسته است.
zamân-e tahvil-e porozhe be natije-ye âzmâyesh vâbaste ast.
The project's delivery date depends on the test result. (formal-neutral)
من به تجربهی این پزشک اعتماد دارم.
man be tajrobe-ye in pezeshk e'temâd dâram.
I trust this doctor's experience. (neutral standard)
کودک هنوز از صدای رعد میترسد.
kudak hanuz az sedâ-ye ra'd mi-tarsad.
The child is still afraid of thunder. (neutral standard)
لطف میکنید از نسخهی پشتیبان استفاده کنید؟
lotf mi-konid az noskhe-ye poshtibân estefâde konid?
Would you please use the backup copy? (polite standard)
One predicate can license different roles
The preposition identifies a participant's role. With صحبت کردن, با introduces the person addressed, while دربارهی introduces the topic. Either phrase can occur alone, and both can occur in the same clause.
با مدیر دربارهی زمانبندی تازه صحبت کردم.
bâ modir darbâre-ye zamân-bandi-ye tâze sohbat kardam.
I spoke with the manager about the new schedule. (neutral standard)
دربارهی مدیر صحبت کردیم، نه با او.
darbâre-ye modir sohbat kardim, na bâ u.
We talked about the manager, not with him/her. (contrastive standard)
English uses “about” and “with” here too, but that agreement is accidental; other predicates divide their arguments differently. The approved page on در مورد and دربارهی develops topic phrases and their ezâfe spelling.
Preposition choice can also shift the lexical perspective of فکر کردن. به چیزی فکر کردن is the usual “think of/about something,” often directing attention toward it. دربارهی چیزی فکر کردن more explicitly frames it as a topic for reflection.
هنوز به پیشنهادت فکر میکنم.
hanuz be pishnehâd-at fekr mi-konam.
I'm still thinking about your suggestion. (neutral standard)
باید دربارهی پیامدهای این تصمیم بیشتر فکر کنیم.
bâyad darbâre-ye payâmad-hâ-ye in tasmim bishtar fekr konim.
We need to think more about the consequences of this decision. (formal-neutral)
This is a semantic alternation, not free replacement in every sentence. Valency frames can preserve a family resemblance while directing attention to a different role.
Fixed does not mean meaningless
The selected preposition often reflects a conceptual relation: fear arises از a source, trust is directed به a person, and participation places someone در an event. That motivation helps memory, but it does not license invention. Persian speakers have conventionalized one frame, and a logically imaginable alternative may still be unidiomatic.
همهی اعضای تیم در کارگاه شرکت کردند.
hame-ye a'zâ-ye tim dar kârgâh sherkat kardand.
All the team members participated in the workshop. (neutral standard)
هیئت با پیشنهاد جدید موافقت نکرد.
hey'at bâ pishnehâd-e jadid movâfeqat na-kard.
The committee did not agree to the new proposal. (formal)
In موافقت کردن با, با may introduce either a person whose view is shared or a proposal accepted. Context supplies the exact English wording “agree with” or “agree to.”
How to record dictionary information
A useful dictionary entry includes four pieces:
- the full Persian infinitive, including the light verb;
- the selected preposition;
- whether the complement denotes a person, thing, event, or proposition;
- one contrastive example.
For example, record از کسی پرسیدن “ask someone” and دربارهی چیزی پرسیدن “ask about something.” These frames may combine:
از مسئول ثبتنام دربارهی مدارک لازم پرسیدم.
az mas'ul-e sabt-nâm darbâre-ye madârek-e lâzem porsidam.
I asked the registration officer about the required documents. (neutral standard)
از مسئول identifies the addressee/source of the answer; دربارهی مدارک identifies the question's topic. A bilingual dictionary that lists only “پرسیدن = ask” hides this essential argument structure.
Clause-sized complements
A governed position can contain a proposition, usually packaged with اینکه or این plus a following clause. وابسته به این است که... is a frequent formal frame meaning “depends on whether/how/that....”
موفقیت برنامه وابسته به این است که همه همکاری کنند.
movaffaqiyyat-e barnâme vâbaste be in ast ke hame hamkâri konand.
The program's success depends on everyone cooperating. (formal)
از اینکه دوباره اشتباه کنم میترسم.
az inke dobâre eshtebâh konam mi-tarsam.
I am afraid that I might make another mistake. (neutral standard)
The clause supplies its own subject or modality, but the governing preposition remains. Do not place a bare finite clause where the selected frame requires a nominalized complement.
Register and alternatives
The core frames above are standard. Conversation often replaces دربارهی with راجع به, while formal prose may prefer در خصوص or در مورد. These alternatives differ in register, but the learner's task is unchanged: record each multiword preposition as part of the predicate's frame.
راجع به قرارداد با سارا حرف زدی؟
râje' be qarârdâd bâ Sârâ harf zadi?
Did you talk with Sara about the contract? (informal conversation)
نه، هنوز باهاش حرف نزدم.
na, hanuz bâhâsh harf na-zadam.
No, I haven't talked with her yet. (informal: Tehran)
A direct transitive alternative may repackage the same event. دربارهی گزارش صحبت کردیم “we talked about the report” and گزارش را بررسی کردیم “we reviewed the report” do not share syntax or exact meaning. The first has a topic phrase; the second has a direct object with را.
Common Mistakes
1. Choosing a source preposition after وابسته
❌ نتیجه از وضعیت هوا وابسته است.
Incorrect — وابسته بودن selects به for the condition.
✅ نتیجه به وضعیت هوا وابسته است.
natije be vaz'iyyat-e havâ vâbaste ast.
The result depends on the weather.
2. Copying transitive English “trust”
❌ من این فروشنده را اعتماد دارم.
Incorrect — اعتماد داشتن/کردن introduces the trusted entity with به.
✅ من به این فروشنده اعتماد دارم.
man be in forushande e'temâd dâram.
I trust this seller.
3. Confusing an interlocutor with a topic
❌ با مشکل ترافیک صحبت کردیم.
Incorrect for ‘we discussed the traffic problem’ — an inanimate topic requires دربارهی/در مورد, not interlocutor با.
✅ دربارهی مشکل ترافیک صحبت کردیم.
darbâre-ye moshkel-e terâfik sohbat kardim.
We talked about the traffic problem.
4. Giving شرکت کردن the source marker
❌ دانشجوها از نشست شرکت کردند.
Incorrect — the event participated in is introduced by در.
✅ دانشجوها در نشست شرکت کردند.
dâneshju-hâ dar neshast sherkat kardand.
The students participated in the meeting.
Key Takeaways
- Valency is lexical: learn predicate + selected preposition + complement type.
- English direct objects often correspond to Persian prepositional complements: به کسی اعتماد کردن، از چیزی استفاده کردن.
- Different prepositions distinguish roles: با کسی صحبت کردن versus دربارهی چیزی صحبت کردن.
- Conceptual motivation helps memory but cannot replace dictionary verification.
- Clause-sized complements usually retain the governing preposition and use اینکه or این است که.
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Start learning Farsi →Related Topics
- در، به، از، با، برایA1 — Use the five core Persian prepositions for location, destination, source, accompaniment, and beneficiary, with clear standard and colloquial contrasts.
- Source and Separation with ازA2 — Use از for physical sources, separation, comparison, cause, material, information sources, and common verb-governed complements.
- در مورد and دربارهیB1 — Choose در مورد and دربارهی for topics and concerning relations, with correct ezâfe spelling, register, and verb collocations.
- Adjective-Preposition ValencyB2 — Learn which Persian prepositions complete adjectives such as خوشحال از, آماده برای, مخالف با, آشنا با, and وابسته به.
- Preposition plus InfinitiveB2 — Use the Persian infinitive as a verbal noun after برای, قبل از, بدون, and related prepositions, while managing shared subjects and finite-clause alternatives.
- Objects and را with Compound VerbsA2 — Separate a compound verb's nonverbal element from its true direct object, then place را, complements, and clitics according to specificity and argument structure.