به شمار رفتن be shomâr raftan: to Be Considered | Farsi Grammar

به شمار رفتن is a formal lexical predicate meaning “to be considered, be regarded, count as.” It classifies a subject as a member, example, or instance of a category: این بنا یکی از آثار مهم دوره‌ی صفوی به شمار می‌رود “This building is considered one of the important works of the Safavid period.”

The expression is passive-like in meaning but contains intransitive رفتن, not the productive passive auxiliary شدن. Its subject is the entity being classified; a category phrase normally precedes به شمار رفتن. The whole predicate inherits past stem رفتـ and present stem روـ, pronounced rav- before standard endings.

Principal parts and register

Form	Persian	Romanization	Use/register
infinitive	به شمار رفتن	be shomâr raftan	to be considered; formal
past base	به شمار رفت	be shomâr raft	به شمار رفتیم
present base	به شمار رو	be shomâr rav	به شمار می‌رود
past participle	به شمار رفته	be shomâr rafte	به شمار رفته است
subjunctive	به شمار برود	be shomâr be-ravad	that it be considered
imperative	—	—	no ordinary command in the passive-like reading

A literal imperative “be considered!” is normally pragmatically unavailable. When a speaker wants an evaluator to perform the classification, formal Persian can use active به شمار آوردن: او را عضو گروه به شمار آورید “regard him as a member of the group.” That is a related but distinct transitive predicate.

این دستاورد نقطه‌ی عطفی در تاریخ پزشکی به شمار می‌رود.

in dastâvard noqte-ye atfi dar târikh-e pezeshki be shomâr mi-ravad.

This achievement is considered a turning point in the history of medicine. (academic/formal)

بعید است این تخلف جزو موارد جزئی به شمار برود.

ba'id ast in takhallof jozv-e mavâred-e joz'i be shomâr be-ravad.

This violation is unlikely to be regarded as a minor case. (formal/legal; subjunctive)

Six-person paradigm

The expression is most frequent with third-person subjects, but personal forms are grammatical in formal self-classification: من عضو این گروه به شمار می‌روم. Such forms sound institutional or analytical, not conversational.

Person	Present	Simple past	Present perfect	Present subjunctive
I	به شمار می‌روم	به شمار رفتم	به شمار رفته‌ام	به شمار بروم
you (sg.)	به شمار می‌روی	به شمار رفتی	به شمار رفته‌ای	به شمار بروی
he/she/it	به شمار می‌رود	به شمار رفت	به شمار رفته است	به شمار برود
we	به شمار می‌رویم	به شمار رفتیم	به شمار رفته‌ایم	به شمار برویم
you (pl./polite)	به شمار می‌روید	به شمار رفتید	به شمار رفته‌اید	به شمار بروید
they	به شمار می‌روند	به شمار رفتند	به شمار رفته‌اند	به شمار بروند

Negatives are به شمار نمی‌روم، به شمار نرفتم، به شمار نرفته‌ام، به شمار نروم. Standard می‌رود is pronounced mi-ravad; Tehran میره belongs to informal speech. The inherited morphology is explained on رفتن raftan: to Go.

این دو نسخه معتبرترین منابع موجود به شمار می‌روند.

in do noskhe mo'tabar-tarin manâbe'-e mowjud be shomâr mi-ravand.

These two editions are considered the most authoritative available sources. (academic/formal; plural subject)

The classification complement

The category commonly appears as a bare predicate noun phrase immediately before به شمار رفتن: نمونه‌ای موفق به شمار می‌رود “is considered a successful example.” Ezafe and modifiers build the category internally. Unlike a direct object, the classification phrase does not take را.

این طرح نمونه‌ی موفقی از همکاری محلی به شمار می‌رود.

in tarh nemune-ye movaffaqi az hamkâri-ye mahalli be shomâr mi-ravad.

This project is regarded as a successful example of local cooperation. (formal-neutral)

او از چهره‌های برجسته‌ی موسیقی معاصر به شمار می‌رفت.

u az chehre-hâ-ye barjaste-ye musiqi-ye mo'âser be shomâr mi-raft.

He was regarded as one of the leading figures in contemporary music. (formal biographical prose)

یکی از + plural noun and از جمله‌ی + noun explicitly locate the subject inside a set: یکی از علل اصلی به شمار می‌رود. Bare جزو + noun is also common, though combining several classification markers can become redundant.

دسترسی برابر یکی از اصول اساسی این سیاست به شمار می‌رود.

dastresi-ye barâbar yeki az osul-e asâsi-ye in siyâsat be shomâr mi-ravad.

Equal access is considered one of the fundamental principles of this policy. (formal/institutional)

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The subject comes first, then the category, then به شمار رفتن: این اثر شاهکاری ادبی به شمار می‌رود. The category is not a را object.

Passive-like meaning without a productive passive

English often translates the expression with passive be considered. Persian does not contain an overt agent or passive participle here. رفتن forms an intransitive lexical predicate, so این روش... به شمار می‌رود presents a standing classification without saying who performs it.

An evaluator can be supplied with از نظر + person/standard, در این گزارش, or در پژوهش‌های جدید. Formal از سوی کارشناسان is possible, but piling an agent phrase onto an already agentless classification often produces heavy prose. If the evaluator matters, active کارشناسان این روش را... به شمار می‌آورند is clearer.

این رفتار از نظر قانون تخلف اداری به شمار می‌رود.

in raftâr az nazar-e qânun takhallof-e edâri be shomâr mi-ravad.

Under the law, this conduct is considered an administrative violation. (formal/legal)

پژوهشگران این تغییر را نشانه‌ی بهبود به شمار می‌آورند.

pazhuheshgarân in taghyir râ neshâne-ye behbud be shomâr mi-âvarand.

Researchers regard this change as a sign of improvement. (academic/formal; active به شمار آوردن)

The active version changes the argument structure: the evaluator becomes subject and the classified entity becomes a را-marked object. This is not simply a different tense of به شمار رفتن.

محسوب شدن and other alternatives

محسوب شدن is a highly current formal-neutral alternative: غیبت محسوب می‌شود “it counts as an absence.” It is morphologically closer to a result/passive construction and is especially frequent in regulations, accounting, and administrative criteria. به شمار رفتن can sound more elevated or expository.

ارسال پس از مهلت مقرر ناقص محسوب می‌شود.

ersâl pas az mohlat-e moqarrar nâqes mahsub mi-shavad.

A submission after the deadline is considered incomplete. (formal/administrative; محسوب شدن)

به حساب آمدن can express “count/matter” in less formal contexts, while حساب شدن is conversational and administrative depending on the noun. Ordinary numerical counting uses شمردن / شمارش کردن, not به شمار رفتن.

Tense and viewpoint

Present به شمار می‌رود states a current classification. Past به شمار می‌رفت often describes a classification current at some past reference time without asserting whether it remains valid. Simple past به شمار رفت packages the classification as a bounded historical judgment, while perfect به شمار رفته است connects it to current relevance.

این منطقه سال‌ها مرکز اصلی تجارت به شمار می‌رفت.

in mantaqe sâl-hâ markaz-e asli-ye tejârat be shomâr mi-raft.

For years, this area was regarded as the main center of trade. (formal historical description)

این یافته تاکنون مهم‌ترین نتیجه‌ی پژوهش به شمار رفته است.

in yâfte tâkonun mohem-tarin natije-ye pazhuhesh be shomâr rafte ast.

This finding has so far been regarded as the study's most important result. (academic/formal)

Tehran conversational forms

The predicate is uncommon in relaxed conversation because its lexical register is formal. If quoted in Tehran speech (informal, regional: Tehran), standard به شمار می‌رود becomes به شمار میره. More naturally, speakers often choose حساب میشه or جزو ... حساب میشه.

این دیگه اشتباه کوچیک حساب نمیشه.

in dige eshtebâh-e kuchik hesâb nemishe.

This no longer counts as a small mistake. (informal, regional: Tehran)

این بنا جزو قدیمی‌ترین خونه‌های محله حساب میشه.

in banâ jozv-e qadimi-tarin khune-hâ-ye mahalle hesâb mishe.

This building is considered one of the neighborhood's oldest houses. (informal, regional: Tehran)

Common Mistakes

1. Marking the classification complement with را

❌ این کتاب یک مرجع معتبر را به شمار می‌رود.

Incorrect — the category is a predicate complement, not a direct object.

✅ این کتاب مرجعی معتبر در این حوزه به شمار می‌رود.

in ketâb marja'i mo'tabar dar in howze be shomâr mi-ravad.

This book is considered an authoritative reference in this field.

2. Using the past stem in a present form

❌ این بنا اثری مهم به شمار می‌رفتد.

Incorrect — present رفتن uses رو, pronounced rav- before the ending.

✅ این بنا اثری مهم از دوره‌ی قاجار به شمار می‌رود.

in banâ asari mohem az dowre-ye qâjâr be shomâr mi-ravad.

This building is considered an important work from the Qajar period.

3. Treating the expression as literal counting

❌ لطفا مهمان‌ها را به شمار برو.

Incorrect — numerical counting uses شمردن, not classification predicate به شمار رفتن.

✅ لطفا مهمان‌ها را دوباره بشمار.

lotfan mehmân-hâ râ dobâre be-shomâr.

Please count the guests again.

4. Adding a passive auxiliary to the passive-like predicate

❌ این اقدام ضروری به شمار رفته می‌شود.

Incorrect hybrid — use either به شمار می‌رود or ضروری محسوب می‌شود.

✅ این اقدام برای حفظ ایمنی ضروری به شمار می‌رود.

in eqdâm barâ-ye hefz-e imeni zaruri be shomâr mi-ravad.

This measure is considered necessary for maintaining safety.

Key Takeaways

به شمار رفتن is a formal, passive-like lexical predicate, not the productive passive of another verb.
Memorize به شمار رفتن — به شمار رفت — به شمار رو, with subjunctive به شمار برود.
The classified entity is the subject; the category is a predicate complement without را.
Active به شمار آوردن introduces an evaluator and makes the classified entity a direct object.
محسوب شدن is a current formal alternative; everyday Tehran speech usually prefers حساب شدن.

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