تمام کردن tamâm kardan: to Finish | Farsi Grammar

تمام کردن means “finish, complete, use up, or bring to an end.” It is a transitive compound verb: an agent completes a task or consumes a bounded resource, and the completed entity is its object. تمام شدن is the intransitive partner: the task ends or the resource runs out without an overt causer.

The nonverbal element تمام contributes the endpoint, while light verb کردن carries tense, agreement, negation, and mood. English lets “finish” appear in both “I finished the report” and “the meeting finished”; Persian normally makes the argument structure visible through کردن versus شدن.

Principal parts of the compound

Form	Persian	Romanization	Use
infinitive	تمام کردن	tamâm kardan	to finish something
past base	تمام کرد	tamâm kard	تمام کردم
present base	تمام کن	tamâm kon	تمام می‌کنم
past participle	تمام کرده	tamâm karde	تمام کرده‌اند
imperative	تمام کن / تمام کنید	tamâm kon / tamâm konid	finish
negative imperative	تمام نکن / تمام نکنید	tamâm nakon / tamâm nakonid	do not finish/use up

As with other current کردن compounds, the neutral subjunctive is تمام کنم and the imperative is تمام کن. An affirmative بـ on the light verb is possible with emphatic بکن in some conversational contexts, but it is not part of the default citation paradigm.

گزارش مالی را تا فردا تمام کنید.

gozâresh-e mâli râ tâ fardâ tamâm konid.

Please finish the financial report by tomorrow. (polite standard)

همه‌ی شیر را تمام نکن؛ برای صبحانه لازم داریم.

hame-ye shir râ tamâm nakon; barâ-ye sobhâne lâzem dârim.

Don't use up all the milk; we need some for breakfast. (familiar singular; neutral standard)

Core paradigm

Person	Present	Simple past	Present perfect	Present subjunctive
I	تمام می‌کنم	تمام کردم	تمام کرده‌ام	تمام کنم
you (sg.)	تمام می‌کنی	تمام کردی	تمام کرده‌ای	تمام کنی
he/she/it	تمام می‌کند	تمام کرد	تمام کرده است	تمام کند
we	تمام می‌کنیم	تمام کردیم	تمام کرده‌ایم	تمام کنیم
you (pl./polite)	تمام می‌کنید	تمام کردید	تمام کرده‌اید	تمام کنید
they	تمام می‌کنند	تمام کردند	تمام کرده‌اند	تمام کنند

Negatives are تمام نمی‌کنم، تمام نکردم، تمام نکرده‌ام، تمام نکنم. The negative prefix attaches to the light verb, while تمام stays unchanged and separate.

می‌خواهم این فصل را امشب تمام کنم.

mi-khâham in fasl râ emshab tamâm konam.

I want to finish this chapter tonight. (neutral standard; subjunctive complement)

تا حالا سه بخش از دوره را تمام کرده‌ام.

tâ hâlâ se bakhsh az dowre râ tamâm karde-am.

So far, I have completed three sections of the course. (neutral standard)

What counts as a finishable object?

تمام کردن naturally selects something with a contextually identifiable endpoint: کار، تکلیف، گزارش، غذا، کتاب، مسیر. A specific completed item normally takes را. With a mass resource such as milk, paper, credit, or patience, the verb means “use up/exhaust.”

قبل از ناهار ویرایش مقاله را تمام کردم.

qabl az nâhâr virâyesh-e maqâle râ tamâm kardam.

I finished editing the article before lunch. (neutral standard)

بچه‌ها آب بطری‌هایشان را در راه تمام کردند.

bachche-hâ âb-e botri-hâ-yashân râ dar râh tamâm kardand.

The children used up the water in their bottles on the way. (neutral standard)

An activity itself can be nominalized: خواندن کتاب را تمام کردم unambiguously means “I finished reading the book.” Bare کتاب را تمام کردم is perfectly natural when context supplies whether reading, writing, editing, or another bounded activity is meant.

نوشتن درخواست را تمام کردم و حالا باید بازبینی‌اش کنم.

neveshtan-e darkhâst râ tamâm kardam va hâlâ bâyad bâzbini-ash konam.

I finished writing the application, and now I need to review it. (neutral standard)

💡

تمام کردن needs a bounded object. If the activity has no obvious endpoint, name its bounded portion: finish a route, a session, a chapter, or an assigned amount—not unlimited “walking” in the abstract.

Agentive تمام کردن versus intransitive تمام شدن

With تمام کردن, the completer is the subject and the completed item is the object. With تمام شدن, that item becomes the subject: من جلسه را تمام کردم “I ended the meeting” versus جلسه تمام شد “the meeting ended.” A depleted resource also uses شدن when no consumer is foregrounded: بنزین تمام شد “the petrol ran out.”

مسئول سالن برنامه را زودتر تمام کرد.

mas'ul-e sâlon barnâme râ zud-tar tamâm kard.

The hall manager ended the program early. (neutral; transitive)

جلسه‌ی دوم نزدیک غروب تمام شد.

jalse-ye dovvom nazdik-e ghorub tamâm shod.

The second meeting ended near sunset. (neutral; intransitive)

جوهر چاپگر وسط کار تمام شده است.

jowhar-e châpgar vasat-e kâr tamâm shode ast.

The printer ink has run out in the middle of the job. (neutral standard)

The intransitive is not simply an English-style passive. کار تمام شد leaves the causer unprofiled; if the responsible person matters, use an active transitive clause. The complete valency system is mapped on Completion with تمام کردن، تمام شدن، به پایان رسیدن.

Tense and aspect at the endpoint

Simple past تمام کردم asserts that the endpoint was reached. Imperfective تمام می‌کردم can be habitual—“I would finish”—or view the final phase from inside. Progressive داشتم تمام می‌کردم specifically presents completion as underway and does not entail success. Perfect تمام کرده‌ام links a completed act to the present.

داشتم آخرین صفحه را تمام می‌کردم که برق رفت.

dâshtam âkharin safhe râ tamâm mi-kardam ke barq raft.

I was finishing the last page when the power went out. (neutral; endpoint not asserted)

این هفته کار را تمام می‌کنیم و تحویل می‌دهیم.

in hafte kâr râ tamâm mi-konim va tahvil mi-dahim.

We will finish the work this week and deliver it. (neutral; present for scheduled future)

English progressive “was finishing” can tempt learners to infer that the work was finished. Persian makes no such guarantee: only the surrounding clause or a perfective form establishes the endpoint.

💡

Simple past تمام کرد packages a completed boundary. داشت تمام می‌کرد shows the approach to that boundary; an interruption may prevent completion.

Formal and colloquial alternatives

به پایان رساندن is a formal transitive alternative used in reports and prepared speech: پروژه را به پایان رساندند. Everyday Persian prefers تمام کردن. Tehran conversation (informal, regional: Tehran) regularly pronounces and writes تموم کردن / تموم شدن when speech is represented: تمومش کردم “I finished it,” تموم شد “it's over.”

بالاخره تکلیفامو تموم کردم؛ بریم بیرون؟

bâlâkhare taklifâmo tamum kardam; berim birun?

I finally finished my homework; shall we go out? (informal, regional: Tehran)

Object clitic ـش commonly attaches to nonverbal تموم: تمومش کردم. Standard prose uses تمامش کردم or expands the object: آن را تمام کردم. Do not mix colloquial تموم with formal می‌نماید or other elevated forms in the same voice.

Common Mistakes

1. Using تمام شدن with a direct object

❌ من مقاله را تمام شدم.

Incorrect — تمام شدن is intransitive; an agent completing an object requires کردن.

✅ من پیش‌نویس مقاله را دیشب تمام کردم.

man pish-nevis-e maqâle râ dishab tamâm kardam.

I finished the article draft last night.

2. Marking the subject of تمام شدن with را

❌ کنسرت را ساعت یازده تمام شد.

Incorrect — the concert is the subject of intransitive تمام شدن.

✅ کنسرت کمی پیش از ساعت یازده تمام شد.

konsert kami pish az sâ'at-e yâzdah tamâm shod.

The concert ended shortly before eleven.

3. Putting negation on تمام

❌ گزارش نتمام کردم.

Incorrect — negation belongs on the light verb کردن.

✅ گزارش را تمام نکردم چون یک جدول ناقص بود.

gozâresh râ tamâm nakardam chun yek jadval nâqes bud.

I didn't finish the report because one table was incomplete.

4. Joining the compound with ZWNJ

❌ شام را تمام‌کردم.

Incorrect standard spacing — تمام and the light verb are separate words.

✅ شامم را زود تمام کردم تا به قطار برسم.

shâm-am râ zud tamâm kardam tâ be qatâr beresam.

I finished my dinner early so I could catch the train.

Key Takeaways

تمام کردن is a two-word transitive predicate; tense and negation appear on کردن.
Specific completed items take را; context must supply a meaningful endpoint.
تمام شدن makes the ended event or exhausted resource its subject.
Perfective forms assert completion; a progressive only shows the final process underway.
Tehran تموم کردن / تموم شدن is informal; standard writing keeps تمام.

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