Copular Sentence Order | Farsi Grammar

A basic Persian copular sentence has subject + noun/adjective predicate + copula: مریم پزشک است “Maryam is a doctor,” هوا سرد است “the weather is cold.” The predicate comes before “be,” keeping the copula at the right edge of the clause just as other Persian verbs normally come last.

English places am/is/are before the description or identity. Persian reverses those two parts. It also frequently attaches the present copula to the predicate: خسته‌ام “I am tired,” دانشجوییم “we are students.” The copula, not the noun or adjective, carries person and number.

The basic pattern

Part	Persian	Function
subject	مریم	the person or thing described
predicate noun/adjective	پزشک / خسته	identity, class, or property
copula	است	third-singular present “is”

مریم پزشک است و در درمانگاه کار می‌کند.

Maryam pezeshk ast va dar darmângâh kâr mi-konad.

Maryam is a doctor and works at a clinic. (neutral standard; noun predicate)

امروز هوا سرد و ابری است.

emruz havâ sard va abri ast.

Today the weather is cold and cloudy. (neutral standard; coordinated adjective predicates)

There is no indefinite article before a profession: پزشک است, not an equivalent of English is a doctor. A predicate noun is not a direct object and does not take را. The sentence identifies or classifies the subject rather than acting on an object.

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Use the frame subject + description/identity + copula. If the middle phrase says what the subject is or how it is, it is a predicate—not a را-marked object.

The six present copulas

After a predicate, Persian distinguishes six persons. With silent final ه, the written forms show their boundaries clearly:

Person	With آماده	Reading	Meaning
I	آماده‌ام	âmâde-am	I am ready
you (sg.)	آماده‌ای	âmâde-i	you are ready
he/she/it	آماده است	âmâde ast	is ready
we	آماده‌ایم	âmâde-im	we are ready
you (pl./polite)	آماده‌اید	âmâde-id	you are ready
they	آماده‌اند	âmâde-and	they are ready

Standard است is normally a separate word. The other forms attach to their predicate host. After silent ه, standard spelling uses the visible half-space in آماده‌ام and آماده‌اند and writes آماده‌ای، آماده‌ایم، آماده‌اید with ی. The full attachment rules appear on The Enclitic Present Copula.

برای امتحان آماده‌ام، ولی هنوز کمی نگرانم.

barâ-ye emtehân âmâde-am, vali hanuz kami negarân-am.

I am ready for the exam, but I am still a little worried. (neutral standard; subject omitted)

شما مسئول این بخش هستید یا همکارتان؟

shomâ mas'ul-e in bakhsh hastid yâ hamkâr-etân?

Are you in charge of this section, or is your colleague? (polite standard; independent هستید)

The independent forms هستم، هستی، هست، هستیم، هستید، هستند overlap with the enclitic series. They can serve as audible full-word copulas, especially with emphasis or when attachment would be awkward; the same forms also occur in presence and existence constructions. At A1, both دانشجو هستم and compact دانشجویم can express “I am a student”; the first makes the copula easier to hear.

Noun predicates and adjective predicates

A noun predicate classifies or identifies: این ساختمان کتابخانه است. An adjective predicate describes: کتابخانه بزرگ است. Persian adjectives do not change for gender or number, so agreement appears only on the copula.

این ساختمان کتابخانه‌ی جدید محله است.

in sâkhtemân ketâbkhâne-ye jadid-e mahalle ast.

This building is the neighborhood's new library. (neutral standard; noun predicate)

کلاس‌ها کوچک‌اند، اما نور خوبی دارند.

kelâs-hâ kuchek-and, ammâ nur-e khubi dârand.

The classrooms are small, but they have good light. (neutral standard; plural copula, unchanged adjective)

Compare attributive خانه‌ی بزرگ “a big house” with predicative خانه بزرگ است “the house is big.” The attributive phrase uses ezafe and is not a complete assertion. The predicative sentence has a copula and does not insert ezafe between the subject noun and its predicate adjective.

خانه‌ی بزرگ کنار پارک است.

khâne-ye bozorg kenâr-e pârk ast.

The big house is next to the park. (neutral standard; بزرگ modifies خانه)

خانه بزرگ است، ولی حیاط کوچکی دارد.

khâne bozorg ast, vali hayât-e kuchek-i dârad.

The house is big, but it has a small yard. (neutral standard; بزرگ is the predicate)

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Listen for the boundary: خانه‌ی بزرگ is one noun phrase, “the big house”; خانه بزرگ است makes a full claim, “the house is big.” Ezafe and the copula do different jobs.

Negation with نیست

The negative copula is the نیست series: نیستم، نیستی، نیست، نیستیم، نیستید، نیستند. It follows the predicate. Persian does not normally prefix نـ directly to an adjective or noun, and it does not build the negative by adding نه before positive است.

امروز خسته نیستم؛ فقط کمی خواب‌آلودم.

emruz khaste nistam; faqat kami khâb-âlud-am.

I am not tired today; I am just a little sleepy. (neutral standard)

این صندلی خالی نیست؛ کیف کسی روی آن است.

in sandali khâli nist; kif-e kasi ru-ye ân ast.

This chair is not free; someone's bag is on it. (neutral standard)

The complete paradigm and the distinction between نیست and lexical nonexistence appear on Negative Copula نیست.

Colloquial Tehran order and forms

Everyday Tehran keeps the predicate before the copula but reduces the endings (informal, regional: Tehran): خوبم، خوبی، خوبه، خوبیم، خوبین، خوبن. Third singular ـه attaches directly; plural/polite ـین and third plural ـن replace standard endings in coherent informal speech.

— اینجا همیشه این‌قدر شلوغه؟ — نه، امروز تعطیله و همه خونه‌ان.

— injâ hamishe in-qadr sholughe? — na, emruz ta'tile va hame khune-an.

— Is it always this crowded here? — No, today is a holiday and everyone is home. (informal, regional: Tehran)

Standard writing would use شلوغ است، تعطیل است، خانه‌اند. Both are grammatical in their own registers. Do not “correct” a consistent colloquial dialogue merely because it differs from formal spelling.

Word order and emphasis

Neutral order puts the subject before the predicate. In advanced discourse a predicate can be fronted ahead of the subject for contrast—roughly “Tired, I'm not”—but that is marked. Beginner production should keep subject + predicate + copula, while recognizing that the subject itself may be omitted when the ending makes it clear.

— آماده‌ای؟ — بله، آماده‌ام؛ علی هنوز آماده نیست.

— âmâde-i? — bale, âmâde-am; Ali hanuz âmâde nist.

— Are you ready? — Yes, I am; Ali is not ready yet. (neutral conversation; omitted and overt subjects)

Common Mistakes

1. Copying English copula order

❌ مریم است پزشک.

Incorrect as neutral Persian order — the noun predicate precedes the copula.

✅ مریم پزشک کودکان است.

Maryam pezeshk-e kudakân ast.

Maryam is a pediatrician.

2. Marking a predicate noun with را

❌ برادرم مهندس را است.

Incorrect — مهندس identifies the subject; it is not a direct object.

✅ برادرم مهندس برق است.

barâdar-am mohandes-e barq ast.

My brother is an electrical engineer.

3. Omitting the copula in a neutral assertion

❌ این چای خیلی داغ.

Incorrect as a complete neutral statement — an adjective predicate needs a copula.

✅ این چای هنوز خیلی داغ است.

in chây hanuz kheyli dâgh ast.

This tea is still very hot.

4. Building negation as نه plus است

❌ امروز اداره باز نه است.

Incorrect — present copular negation uses نیست after the predicate.

✅ امروز اداره باز نیست.

emruz edâre bâz nist.

The office is not open today.

5. Mixing standard and colloquial endings

❌ شما هنوز خسته‌ایدین؟

Incorrect — this stacks two second-plural copular endings on one predicate.

✅ شما هنوز از سفر خسته‌اید؟

shomâ hanuz az safar khaste-id?

Are you still tired from the trip? (polite standard)

Key Takeaways

Neutral order is subject + noun/adjective predicate + copula.
Predicate nouns identify or classify; they do not take object marker را.
Standard است is separate, while most other present copulas attach to the predicate.
Negation uses نیست after the predicate.
Tehran ـه، ـین، ـن preserve the same order but belong to an informal register.

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