Persian normally leaves a question word in the position where the answer belongs. مینا کجا کار میکند؟ asks for the place in the ordinary place slot; مینا با کی کار میکند؟ keeps کی after the preposition با. Linguists call this pattern wh in situ.
English usually fronts who, what, and where and adds or moves an auxiliary. Persian normally does neither. Replace the unknown constituent with the appropriate question word and keep the rest of the clause in the order explained under Position of Direct Objects and را.
The core question words
| Word | Asks for | Neutral position | Register note |
|---|---|---|---|
| کی | who (ki); also when (key) in conversation | person or time slot | neutral spoken; چه کسی more formal for “who” |
| چی | what | subject, object, or predicate slot | neutral spoken; چه چیزی formal |
| کجا | where | place slot, often after a preposition | all registers |
| چرا | why | often early, before the focused clause | all registers |
| چطور | how; in what manner | manner/predicate slot | neutral; چگونه formal |
چرا is a partial exception to a simple “same slot” picture because reasons can be expressed in several positions. It commonly occurs near the beginning of the clause. The useful generalization is not “never front anything”; it is “do not apply automatic English wh-fronting.”
Who and when with کی
The two words have the same spelling but different usual readings: person کی is ki, while time کی is key. Romanization and pronunciation distinguish them even though ordinary Persian writing does not; agreement and surrounding words further clarify the intended meaning.
امشب کی شام درست میکند؟
emshab ki shâm dorost mi-konad?
Who is making dinner tonight? (neutral conversation; کی is the subject)
جلسه کی تمام میشود؟
jalase key tamâm mi-shavad?
When does the meeting end? (neutral conversation; کی is time)
In careful formal prose, use چه کسی for a person and چه زمانی for time when ambiguity is possible.
چه کسی این گزارش را امضا کرده است؟
che kasi in gozâresh râ emzâ karde ast?
Who has signed this report? (formal; human subject)
What stays where the object belongs
As a non-specific object, چی normally appears before the verb without را. A particular identifiable choice can take را, especially formal چه چیزی را or colloquial چی رو.
برای صبحانه چی میخوری؟
barâ-ye sobhâne chi mi-khori?
What do you eat for breakfast? (neutral conversation; non-specific object)
از بین این سه کتاب، کدام را میخواهی؟
az beyn-e in se ketâb, kodâm râ mi-khâhi?
Which of these three books do you want? (neutral; identifiable choice takes را)
دیروز چی رو از فروشگاه خریدی؟
diruz chi ro az forushgâh kharidi?
What did you buy from the shop yesterday? (informal, regional: Tehran; specific object with رو)
The colloquial object marker رو belongs only to the explicitly informal example. Standard writing uses را.
Keep the preposition with the question word
If the answer is با سارا، از شیراز، به اداره, replace the noun with the human or place question word but retain the preposition: با کی، از کجا، به کجا.
این بسته را برای چه کسی فرستادی؟
in baste râ barâ-ye che kasi ferestâdi?
Who did you send this package to? (formal-neutral; preposition retained)
بعد از کار به کجا میروید؟
ba'd az kâr be kojâ mi-ravid?
Where are you going after work? (polite standard; goal with به)
با کی دربارهی این موضوع صحبت کردی؟
bâ ki darbâre-ye in mowzu' sohbat kardi?
Who did you speak with about this subject? (neutral conversation)
English can strand the preposition at the end—“Who did you speak with?” Neutral Persian keeps it before کی.
Why and how
چرا asks for a cause or reason and commonly precedes the clause. چطور asks about manner, method, or state. In greeting-like حالت چطور است؟, it asks “how.”
چرا امروز با ماشین نیامدی؟
cherâ emruz bâ mâshin na-yâmadi?
Why didn't you come by car today? (neutral conversation)
این دستگاه را چطور روشن میکنیم؟
in dastgâh râ chetor rowshan mi-konim?
How do we turn this device on? (neutral; manner before the predicate)
امروز حالت چطور است؟
emruz hâl-at chetor ast?
How are you today? (neutral careful speech)
A short exchange
— فردا کجا همدیگر را ببینیم؟ — جلوی سینما. — چه ساعتی؟ — حدود هفت.
— fardâ kojâ hamdigar râ be-binim? — jelow-ye sinamâ. — che sâ'ati? — hodud-e haft.
— Where should we meet tomorrow? — In front of the cinema. — What time? — Around seven. (neutral conversation; short answers occupy the questioned slots)
Common Mistakes
1. Fronting every question word like English
❌ کجا مینا کار میکند در؟
Incorrect — در cannot be stranded, and the place question belongs in its normal phrase.
✅ مینا در کجا کار میکند؟
Minâ dar kojâ kâr mi-konad?
Where does Mina work? (careful; colloquial speech often omits در)
2. Leaving a preposition at the end
❌ تو با دربارهی این مسئله صحبت کردی کی؟
Incorrect — each preposition must introduce its own complement; کی belongs directly after با.
✅ تو با کی دربارهی این مسئله صحبت کردی؟
to bâ ki darbâre-ye in mas'ale sohbat kardi?
Who did you speak with about this issue?
3. Giving a non-specific چی unnecessary را
❌ معمولا برای ناهار چی را میخوری است؟
Incorrect — است is an extra copula, and generic چی does not need را here.
✅ معمولا برای ناهار چی میخوری؟
ma'mulan barâ-ye nâhâr chi mi-khori?
What do you usually eat for lunch?
4. Adding آیا to a wh-question
❌ آیا چرا جلسه لغو شد؟
Incorrect — آیا marks a yes-no question, while چرا requests a reason.
✅ چرا جلسهی امروز لغو شد؟
cherâ jalase-ye emruz laghv shod?
Why was today's meeting cancelled?
Key Takeaways
- Replace the missing answer with کی، چی، کجا، چرا, or چطور instead of rebuilding the clause.
- Keep Persian SOV order and do not add an English-style auxiliary.
- Keep prepositions directly before their question word: با کی، از کجا، به کجا.
- کی can mean “who” or “when”; formal چه کسی/چه زمانی removes ambiguity.
- Use را/رو only when the questioned object is appropriately identifiable or specific.
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Start learning Farsi →Related Topics
- Yes-No Questions by IntonationA1 — Turn ordinary Persian statements into natural yes-no questions without changing word order, using intonation, context, punctuation, and short answers.
- Basic SOV Word OrderA1 — Build neutral Persian clauses in subject–object–verb order while placing time, place, prepositional phrases, and compound predicates naturally.
- Position of Direct Objects and راA2 — Place bare, indefinite, and specific Persian direct objects before the verb, and attach را to the complete object phrase.
- Movement versus Location: به and درA2 — Choose به for a destination and در for a static setting, while recognizing motion verbs that omit به and colloquial توی for location.