ادامه دادن means “continue, carry on, pursue further.” Its subject actively carries an already established event, activity, route, or discourse forward: بحث را ادامه دادیم “we continued the discussion.” ادامه supplies the phase meaning, while irregular دادن carries tense, person, negation, and mood.
The predicate has two central complement patterns. A bounded event or content can be a direct object, normally with را when definite: سفر را ادامه داد. An activity can follow به: به خواندن ادامه داد “she continued reading.” Both presuppose that the event was already under way. Intransitive ادامه داشتن instead makes the event itself the subject: جلسه ادامه داشت “the meeting continued.”
Principal parts
| Form | Persian | Romanization | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | ادامه دادن | edâme dâdan | to continue something/an activity |
| past base | ادامه داد | edâme dâd | ادامه دادم |
| present base | ادامه ده | edâme dah | ادامه میدهم |
| past participle | ادامه داده | edâme dâde | ادامه دادهاند |
| imperative | ادامه بده / ادامه بدهید | edâme bede / edâme bedahid | continue |
| negative imperative | ادامه نده / ادامه ندهید | edâme nade / edâme nadahid | do not continue |
The light verb has past stem دادـ and present stem دهـ. Affirmative subjunctive and imperative have بـ: ادامه بدهم، ادامه بده. Negation replaces it: ادامه ندهم، ادامه نده. The nonverbal element never receives می, a person ending, or negation.
Core paradigm
| Person | Present indicative | Simple past | Present perfect | Present subjunctive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | ادامه میدهم | ادامه دادم | ادامه دادهام | ادامه بدهم |
| you (sg.) | ادامه میدهی | ادامه دادی | ادامه دادهای | ادامه بدهی |
| he/she/it | ادامه میدهد | ادامه داد | ادامه داده است | ادامه بدهد |
| we | ادامه میدهیم | ادامه دادیم | ادامه دادهایم | ادامه بدهیم |
| you (pl./polite) | ادامه میدهید | ادامه دادید | ادامه دادهاید | ادامه بدهید |
| they | ادامه میدهند | ادامه دادند | ادامه دادهاند | ادامه بدهند |
پس از استراحت کوتاهی، جلسه را ادامه دادیم.
pas az esterâhat-e kutâhi, jalse râ edâme dâdim.
After a short break, we continued the meeting. (neutral standard)
قرار شد بررسی پرونده را فردا ادامه بدهند.
qarâr shod barrasi-ye parvande râ fardâ edâme be-dahand.
It was agreed that they would continue reviewing the file tomorrow. (formal-neutral; subjunctive)
اگر خستهای، لازم نیست تمرین را ادامه بدهی.
agar khaste-i, lâzem nist tamrin râ edâme be-dahi.
If you are tired, you do not have to continue the exercise. (neutral standard)
A direct object: carrying an event or content forward
With a definite event, discourse, route, investigation, or piece of work, ادامه دادن is transitive: صحبت را، سفر را، پژوهش را، مسیر را ادامه دادن. The subject retains control over the continuation. An indefinite object may lack را, but named or recoverable content normally takes it.
نویسنده پس از یک سال وقفه پژوهش خود را ادامه داد.
nevisande pas az yek sâl vaqfe pazhuhesh-e khod râ edâme dâd.
After a one-year interruption, the author resumed her research. (academic/formal)
اگر موافق باشید، بحث را از همین نکته ادامه میدهیم.
agar movâfeq bâshid, bahs râ az hamin nokte edâme mi-dahim.
If you agree, we will continue the discussion from this very point. (formal meeting register)
پس از بسته شدن جادهی اصلی، مسیر را از راه کوهستان ادامه دادند.
pas az baste shodan-e jâdde-ye asli, masir râ az râh-e kuhestân edâme dâdand.
After the main road was closed, they continued the route through the mountains. (neutral standard)
The English translation may be “resume” when a pause intervenes. Persian does not require a different verb: a time phrase such as پس از وقفه supplies the resumption meaning.
An activity with به
به + noun or long infinitive + ادامه دادن means “continue with/continue doing.” Common nouns include کار، راه، تحصیل، فعالیت; long infinitives specify an action: به خواندن ادامه دادن، به صحبت کردن ادامه دادن. The preposition makes the activity a dependent nominal complement.
با وجود سروصدای خیابان به خواندن ادامه دادم.
bâ vojud-e sar-o-sedâ-ye khiyâbân be khândan edâme dâdam.
Despite the street noise, I continued reading. (neutral standard)
دانشجویان تا غروب به اندازهگیری نمونهها ادامه دادند.
dâneshjuyân tâ ghorub be andâze-giri-ye nemune-hâ edâme dâdand.
The students continued measuring the samples until sunset. (academic context)
با وجود نتیجهی ضعیف، شرکت به سرمایهگذاری در طرح ادامه داده است.
bâ vojud-e natije-ye za'if, sherkat be sarmâye-gozâri dar tarh edâme dâde ast.
Despite the weak result, the company has continued investing in the plan. (formal business register)
The direct-object and به patterns can describe the same real-world activity from different angles. نوشتن کتاب را ادامه داد treats the writing project as bounded material; به نوشتن کتاب ادامه داد profiles continued participation in the activity. The contrast is one of construal, not truth conditions.
For the complete phase-verb comparison, see Phase Verbs شروع کردن and ادامه دادن.
Subject control
In لیلا به نوشتن ادامه داد, Leila is automatically understood as the writer. The subject of finite ادامه داد controls the unexpressed subject of the infinitive. A different performer cannot simply be inserted as a bare subject inside that phrase.
پزشک با وجود خستگی به معاینهی بیماران ادامه داد.
pezeshk bâ vojud-e khastegi be mo'âyene-ye bimârân edâme dâd.
Despite being tired, the doctor continued examining patients. (formal-neutral; subject control)
If another person continues, give that person an independent finite clause or make them the subject of ادامه دادن:
مدیر جلسه را ترک کرد، اما کارشناسان بحث را ادامه دادند.
modir jalse râ tark kard, ammâ kârshenâsân bahs râ edâme dâdand.
The manager left the meeting, but the experts continued the discussion. (formal-neutral; separate subjects)
English continued for them to work and similar infinitival structures do not map directly onto Persian. Finite syntax must make the performer clear.
Aspect: continuing does not mean completing
ادامه دادن presupposes an earlier phase and asserts movement beyond a possible stopping point. Simple past ادامه داد packages the act of carrying on as bounded, but does not entail that the underlying work finished. Present perfect can report continuation up to a relevant point; imperfective ادامه میداد can describe backgrounded, repeated, or habitual continuation.
او پس از اعتراض کوتاهی کار را ادامه داد، اما آن را تمام نکرد.
u pas az e'terâz-e kutâhi kâr râ edâme dâd, ammâ ân râ tamâm na-kard.
After a brief objection, he continued the work but did not finish it. (neutral standard)
هر بار تلفن زنگ میزد، بعد از پاسخ دادن درسش را ادامه میداد.
har bâr telefon zang mi-zad, ba'd az pâsokh dâdan dars-ash râ edâme mi-dâd.
Whenever the phone rang, she would continue studying after answering it. (neutral; repeated continuation)
Progressive دارم ادامه میدهم highlights an agent’s active persistence, often against resistance. A plain ongoing event usually needs no such layering and may be better expressed with its own imperfective verb or ادامه داشتن.
با اینکه سرعت کم شده، داریم به اجرای برنامه ادامه میدهیم.
bâ in-ke sor'at kam shode, dârim be ejrâ-ye barnâme edâme mi-dahim.
Although progress has slowed, we are continuing to implement the program. (formal-neutral; active persistence)
ادامه داشتن and continuation without an agent
ادامه داشتن presents the event or state itself as continuing: باران ادامه داشت، جلسه ادامه دارد. It is stative and does not take an agentive direct object. Present ادامه دارد normally appears without می because داشتن here expresses an ongoing state rather than a repeated action.
بارندگی شدید تا صبح ادامه داشت.
bârandegi-ye shadid tâ sobh edâme dâsht.
The heavy rain continued until morning. (neutral standard; intransitive state)
تعمیر خط مترو تا پایان هفته ادامه دارد.
ta'mir-e khatt-e metro tâ pâyân-e hafte edâme dârad.
Repairs to the metro line continue through the end of the week. (formal public notice)
ادامه یافتن is an intransitive alternative common in formal and journalistic prose (formal): مذاکرات ادامه یافت. ادامه پیدا کردن is neutral but somewhat more conversational. None of these introduces a controller in the way ادامه دادن does.
مذاکرات پس از وقفهای کوتاه پشت درهای بسته ادامه یافت.
mozâkerât pas az vaqfe-i kutâh posht-e dar-hâ-ye baste edâme yâft.
After a brief pause, the negotiations continued behind closed doors. (formal/news register)
Object clitics
An accessible direct object can attach to vowel-final ادامه with ـاش: ادامهاش دادم، ادامهاش میدهیم. The clitic represents the object of the entire compound. Standard spelling uses a ZWNJ before اش after final ه.
صحبت نیمهکاره ماند؛ فردا ادامهاش میدهیم.
sohbat nime-kâre mând; fardâ edâme-ash mi-dahim.
The discussion was left unfinished; we will continue it tomorrow. (neutral spoken standard; internal clitic)
Do not add را after this internal object: ادامهاش دادیم, not *ادامهاش را دادیم for “we continued it.”
Tehran speech
Everyday Tehran reduces دادن to میدم، میدی، میده، میدیم، میدین، میدن (informal, regional: Tehran). The imperative remains ادامه بده, plural ادامه بدین, and object را becomes رو. ادامه دادن itself is fully conversational despite its abstract noun.
داستان رو ادامه بده؛ میخوام بدونم آخرش چی شد.
dâstân ro edâme bede; mi-khâm be-dunam âkhar-esh chi shod.
Keep telling the story; I want to know what happened in the end. (informal, regional: Tehran)
Common Mistakes
1. Using ادامه داشتن with an agentive object
❌ پژوهشگر آزمایش را ادامه داشت.
Incorrect — an agent carrying an object forward requires ادامه دادن.
✅ پژوهشگر آزمایش را تا پایان هفته ادامه داد.
pazhuheshgar âzmâyesh râ tâ pâyân-e hafte edâme dâd.
The researcher continued the experiment through the end of the week.
2. Dropping به before a controlled infinitive
❌ سخنران ادامه داد شرح دادن جزئیات.
Incorrect as the neutral controlled pattern — a long-infinitive complement requires به.
✅ او به توضیح دادن جزئیات روش ادامه داد.
u be towzih dâdan-e joz'iyyât-e ravesh edâme dâd.
She continued explaining the details of the method.
3. Giving the infinitive a different overt subject
❌ مدیر کارمندان را به نوشتن گزارش ادامه داد.
Incorrect — ادامه دادن cannot take کارمندان را as the controller of its infinitive.
✅ مدیر رفت، اما کارمندان به نوشتن گزارش ادامه دادند.
modir raft, ammâ kârmandân be neveshtan-e gozâresh edâme dâdand.
The manager left, but the employees continued writing the report.
4. Building present tense from داد
❌ او بحث را ادامه میدادد.
Incorrect — present دادن uses stem ده; داد belongs to the past system.
✅ او بحث اصلی را با آرامش ادامه میدهد.
u bahs-e asli râ bâ ârâmesh edâme mi-dahad.
She continues the main discussion calmly.
5. Joining the compound
❌ جلسه را ادامهدادیم.
Incorrect standard spacing — ادامه and دادن remain separate words.
✅ جلسهی بررسی را بعد از ناهار ادامه دادیم.
jalse-ye barrasi râ ba'd az nâhâr edâme dâdim.
We continued the review meeting after lunch.
Key Takeaways
- Inflect دادن: ادامه میدهم، ادامه دادم، ادامه دادهام، ادامه بدهم.
- A definite event or content can be a را-marked object; an activity commonly follows به as a noun or long infinitive.
- The finite subject normally controls the understood subject of the infinitive.
- ادامه دادن profiles an actor carrying something on; ادامه داشتن / یافتن profiles the continuing event itself.
- Continuation presupposes an earlier phase but does not entail completion.
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