نمودن namudan: to Show or Perform | Farsi Grammar

نمودن has past stem نمودـ and present stem نماـ. Historically and in literary Persian it can mean “show, reveal” and, in an intransitive construction, “seem, appear.” In modern bureaucratic prose it is also used as a formal light verb in combinations such as اعلام نمودن and بررسی نمودن, often where plainer writing would use کردن, دادن, or a more specific verb.

These uses must not be collapsed. Literal راه را نمود “showed the way,” impersonal چنین می‌نماید که... “it appears that...,” and administrative ارسال نمایید “please send” belong to different constructions. English show, seem, and do happen to overlap in this Persian lexeme; syntax and register identify the intended meaning.

Principal parts and full paradigm

Form	Persian	Reading	Register/use
infinitive	نمودن	namudan	show; seem; formal light verb
past stem	نمودـ	namud-	نمودم
present stem	نماـ	namâ-	می‌نمایم
participle	نموده	namude	نموده است
simple imperative	بنما / بنمایید	benamâ / benamâyid	literary “show”
compound imperative	اعلام نمایید	e'lâm namâyid	formal/bureaucratic; بـ normally absent

Person	Present	Simple past	Present perfect	Subjunctive
I	می‌نمایم	نمودم	نموده‌ام	بنمایم
you (sg.)	می‌نمایی	نمودی	نموده‌ای	بنمایی
he/she/it	می‌نماید	نمود	نموده است	بنماید
we	می‌نماییم	نمودیم	نموده‌ایم	بنماییم
you (pl./polite)	می‌نمایید	نمودید	نموده‌اید	بنمایید
they	می‌نمایند	نمودند	نموده‌اند	بنمایند

Negatives are نمی‌نمایم، ننمودم، ننموده‌ام، ننمایم. In compounds, the affirmative subjunctive and imperative commonly omit بـ: خواهشمند است اعلام نمایید and لازم است مراجعه نماید. That pattern is not evidence that نماـ lacks a subjunctive; it reflects the broader tendency for affirmative بـ to be absent on light verbs. Simple literary “show” more readily has بنما.

راهنما راه باریک کنار رود را به مسافران نمود.

râhnomâ râh-e bârik-e kenâr-e rud râ be mosâferân namud.

The guide showed the travelers the narrow path beside the river. (constructed literary-style example)

خواهشمند است تغییر نشانی خود را تا پایان هفته اعلام نمایید.

khâheshmand ast taghyir-e neshâni-ye khod râ tâ pâyân-e hafte e'lâm namâyid.

Please report your change of address by the end of the week. (formal/bureaucratic)

Literal “show, display, reveal”

In its older transitive use, نمودن selects something shown and often a recipient introduced by به. Modern neutral Persian ordinarily uses نشان دادن: راه را به من نشان داد. Literal نمودن survives in literary narration, set elevated combinations, and derivatives such as نمودار “diagram/chart,” but it should not be presented as everyday speech.

نامه را گشود و مهر پنهان آن را به حاضران نمود.

nâme râ goshud va mohr-e penhân-e ân râ be hâzerân namud.

He opened the letter and showed its hidden seal to those present. (constructed literary-style example)

کارت شناسایی‌تان را به مسئول پذیرش نشان دهید.

kârt-e shenâsâyi-tân râ be mas'ul-e paziresh neshân dahid.

Please show your identification to the receptionist. (neutral modern alternative)

The two verbs are not merely register variants in every lexicalized expression. Modern Persian says واکنش نشان دادن “show/react,” علاقه نشان دادن “show interest,” and نشان دادنِ نمودار “display the chart.” Replacing نشان دادن mechanically with نمودن can sound archaizing or produce a nonstandard collocation.

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For productive modern “show,” begin with نشان دادن. Read literal نمودن confidently in elevated texts, but use it actively only when the literary voice is intentional.

Impersonal “seem, appear”

The pattern چنین می‌نماید که... means “it appears that...” (literary/formal). The third singular does not point to a concrete agent who performs an act of showing; it evaluates the evidence available to the speaker. A dative experiencer can occur in older or elevated constructions, but contemporary analytical prose more often chooses به نظر می‌رسد که....

چنین می‌نماید که نویسنده فصل پایانی را بعدها افزوده است.

chonin mi-namâyad ke nevisande fasl-e pâyâni râ ba'd-hâ afzude ast.

It appears that the author added the final chapter later. (constructed literary/academic example)

به نظر می‌رسد که سامانه از نیمه‌شب دوباره فعال شده است.

be nazar mi-rasad ke sâmâne az nime-shab do-bâre fa'âl shode ast.

It seems that the system has been active again since midnight. (neutral formal modern alternative)

Do not confuse this with نمایان شدن “become visible” or به نمایش درآمدن “go on display.” Those predicates describe appearance in the physical or presentational sense, not an evidential judgment.

Formal light verb—and its limits

Administrative Persian has long used نمودن in place of کردن or another light verb: اقدام نمودن، بررسی نمودن، اعلام نمودن، ارسال نمودن. These are active predicates. Their subject must still be an entity capable of the action: اداره نتیجه را اعلام نمود. When the patient becomes subject, modern Persian needs a passive with شدن: نتیجه اعلام شد.

کمیته درخواست متقاضی را بررسی نمود و پاسخ را همان روز ارسال کرد.

komite darkhâst-e moteqâzi râ barrasi namud va pâsokh râ hamân ruz ersâl kard.

The committee reviewed the applicant's request and sent the response that same day. (formal administrative; deliberate style contrast)

مدارک پس از تأیید هویت برای واحد مالی ارسال می‌شوند.

madârek pas az ta'yid-e hoviyyat barâ-ye vâhed-e mâli ersâl mi-shavand.

After identity verification, the documents are sent to the finance unit. (formal neutral; genuine passive)

نمودن is not a universal prestige substitute. تصمیم گرفتن, گوش دادن, and پاسخ دادن do not become better Persian by replacing their light verb with نمودن. Even established administrative compounds can make prose heavier. Clear contemporary style often prefers بررسی کردن and ارسال کردن, or a precise simple verb.

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Formal vocabulary does not create passive voice. ارسال می‌نماید is active “sends”; ارسال می‌شود is passive “is sent.” Identify the grammatical subject before choosing the construction.

Modern speech and philological reading

There is no useful everyday Tehran paradigm to memorize because speakers normally replace the marked lexeme rather than regularly colloquialize it. They say نشون می‌ده “shows,” به نظر می‌رسه “seems,” or بررسی می‌کنه “reviews” (informal, regional: Tehran). A colloquial pronunciation of a bureaucratic sentence may occur, but that mixture is stylistically conspicuous.

از لحنش معلومه که نتیجه رو از قبل می‌دونسته.

az lahn-esh ma'lume ke natije ro az qabl mi-duneste.

You can tell from the way he or she spoke that they already knew the result. (informal, regional: Tehran; natural replacement for an evidential نمودن construction)

Common Mistakes

1. Using the past stem in the present

❌ گزارش چنین می‌نمودد که هزینه‌ها کاهش یافته است.

Incorrect — present forms use stem نماـ.

✅ گزارش چنین می‌نماید که هزینه‌ها کاهش یافته است.

gozâresh chonin mi-namâyad ke hazine-hâ kâhesh yâfte ast.

The report makes it appear that costs have decreased. (formal/literary)

2. Treating an active formal compound as passive

❌ نامه دیروز به بخش حقوقی ارسال نمود.

Incorrect — نامه is the sent patient, but ارسال نمود is active.

✅ نامه دیروز به بخش حقوقی ارسال شد.

nâme diruz be bakhsh-e hoquqi ersâl shod.

The letter was sent to the legal department yesterday.

3. Adding بـ inside the usual administrative command

❌ شماره‌ی پرونده را اعلام می‌بنمایید.

Incorrect — imperfective می‌ and subjunctive/imperative بـ cannot be stacked on the same verb.

✅ شماره‌ی پرونده را در ابتدای پیام اعلام نمایید.

shomâre-ye parvande râ dar ebtedâ-ye payâm e'lâm namâyid.

Please state the case number at the beginning of the message. (formal/bureaucratic)

4. Separating می‌ in standard spelling

❌ این نقش در نسخه‌ی دوم آشکارتر می نماید.

Incorrect standard orthography — write می‌ with a ZWNJ.

✅ این نقش در نسخه‌ی دوم آشکارتر می‌نماید.

in naqsh dar noskhe-ye dovvom âshkâr-tar mi-namâyad.

This motif appears more clearly in the second version. (literary/critical prose)

Key Takeaways

Memorize نمودن — نمود — نما — نموده; می‌نماید and بنماید use the present stem.
Literal “show” and evidential “seem” are literary or formal; modern defaults are نشان دادن and به نظر رسیدن.
Administrative اعلام نمودن is an active light-verb predicate, not a passive.
In compounds, affirmative بـ is usually absent: اعلام نمایید; plain اعلام کنید is often stylistically better.

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