عادت کردن âdat kardan: to Get Used To | Farsi Grammar

عادت کردن means “get used to, become accustomed to, acquire a habit.” It is an inchoative compound: the subject enters a new state of familiarity or habitual behavior. The target of adaptation normally follows به: به هوای سرد عادت کردم “I got used to the cold weather.”

English uses used to for two unrelated ideas: present familiarity (I am used to the noise) and a discontinued past habit (I used to live here). Persian عادت کردن belongs to the first family and describes the transition. A current result is often عادت کرده‌ام “I have become/am accustomed,” while a past habitual action normally uses an imperfective verb such as قبلاً اینجا زندگی می‌کردم.

Principal parts

Form	Persian	Romanization	Use
infinitive	عادت کردن	âdat kardan	to get used to
past base	عادت کرد	âdat kard	عادت کردم
present base	عادت کن	âdat kon	عادت می‌کنم
past participle	عادت کرده	âdat karde	عادت کرده‌ام
imperative	عادت کن / عادت کنید	âdat kon / âdat konid	get used to; often blunt
negative imperative	عادت نکن / عادت نکنید	âdat nakon / âdat nakonid	do not get accustomed

As in many کردن compounds, the neutral subjunctive and command normally omit affirmative بـ: عادت کنم، عادت کن. عادت بکن is possible (informal, emphatic). Negation attaches to the light verb: عادت نمی‌کنم، عادت نکردم، عادت نکنم.

Core paradigm

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

بعد از چند هفته به مسیر طولانی محل کار عادت کردم.

ba'd az chand hafte be masir-e tulâni-ye mahall-e kâr âdat kardam.

After a few weeks, I got used to the long commute to work. (neutral standard)

هنوز به رطوبت این شهر عادت نکرده‌ام.

hanuz be rotubat-e in shahr âdat na-karde-am.

I still have not got used to this city’s humidity. (neutral standard; current result)

کمی زمان لازم است تا به برنامه‌ی تازه عادت کنیم.

kami zamân lâzem ast tâ be barnâme-ye tâze âdat konim.

We need a little time to get used to the new schedule. (neutral standard; subjunctive)

The target of adaptation: به + noun phrase

The person, environment, sensation, object, or routine that becomes familiar follows به. It is not a direct object and therefore does not take را in the same phrase: به سر و صدا عادت کردن، به همکاران تازه عادت کردن.

بچه‌ها زودتر از ما به خانه‌ی جدید عادت کردند.

bachche-hâ zud-tar az mâ be khâne-ye jadid âdat kardand.

The children got used to the new house sooner than we did. (neutral standard)

به صدای قطار‌هایی که شب رد می‌شوند عادت کرده‌ای؟

be sedâ-ye qatâr-hâyi ke shab rad mi-shavand âdat karde-i?

Have you got used to the sound of the trains that pass at night? (neutral spoken standard)

With a pronoun, careful standard Persian uses به آن، به این، به او. Conversation commonly uses بهش، بهشون. The clitic belongs to the preposition, not to عادت.

اول از این روش خوشم نمی‌آمد، ولی کم‌کم بهش عادت کردم.

avval az in ravesh khosh-am nemi-âmad, vali kam-kam beh-esh âdat kardam.

At first I did not like this method, but gradually I got used to it. (informal Iranian Persian)

💡

Memorize به چیزی عادت کردن as one frame. The experiencer is the subject; the familiarized target follows به, never an English-style direct object.

Actions as noun-like complements

An action can follow به as a noun or long infinitive: به رانندگی در ترافیک عادت کردن، به زود بیدار شدن عادت کردن. Persian long infinitives behave like nouns after prepositions, so شدن remains an infinitive rather than receiving person agreement.

کم‌کم به تنها غذا خوردن عادت کرده بود.

kam-kam be tanhâ ghazâ khordan âdat karde bud.

He had gradually got used to eating alone. (neutral standard; به plus long infinitive)

چشم‌هایم به کار کردن با این صفحه‌ی روشن عادت نمی‌کنند.

cheshm-hâ-yam be kâr kardan bâ in safhe-ye rowshan âdat nemi-konand.

My eyes do not get used to working with this bright screen. (neutral standard)

For the nominal syntax of the action, see Long Infinitives as Verbal Nouns.

Finite subjunctive complements

Persian can also state the habitual action with a finite subjunctive: عادت کرده‌ام صبح زود بیدار شوم. که may introduce the clause in careful prose, but it is often omitted. This pattern foregrounds a recurring proposition, while به + long infinitive packages the activity more compactly as the target of adaptation.

عادت کرده‌ام پیش از شروع کار فهرست کوتاهی بنویسم.

âdat karde-am pish az shoru'-e kâr fehrest-e kutâhi be-nevisam.

I have got into the habit of writing a short list before starting work. (neutral standard; finite subjunctive)

او عادت کرده بود که هر تصمیم را چند بار بررسی کند.

u âdat karde bud ke har tasmim râ chand bâr barrasi konad.

She had developed the habit of reviewing every decision several times. (careful standard; که plus subjunctive)

The finite complement normally shares its understood subject with عادت کردن. If another person performs the action, the sentence needs a causative such as عادت دادن or an independent clause.

Process, result, and عادت داشتن

Simple past عادت کردم locates the change; present perfect عادت کرده‌ام commonly describes its current result, much like English “I am used to.” Present عادت می‌کنم often predicts a future adjustment or describes repeated adaptation rather than a stable present state.

نگران نباش؛ بعد از چند روز به ساعت جدید عادت می‌کنی.

negarân na-bâsh; ba'd az chand ruz be sâ'at-e jadid âdat mi-koni.

Don’t worry; after a few days you will get used to the new time. (neutral spoken standard; predicted process)

عادت داشتن means “have the habit of” and profiles an established behavioral tendency. It can take به + noun or a subjunctive action: عادت دارم بعد از شام قدم بزنم. It is not always interchangeable with عادت کرده‌ام: the latter presents a habit or tolerance as acquired, while عادت دارم simply states that it characterizes the person.

عادت دارم پیش از خواب چند صفحه کتاب بخوانم.

âdat dâram pish az khâb chand safhe ketâb be-khânam.

I have a habit of reading a few pages before bed. (neutral standard; established habit)

به سکوت این محله عادت کرده‌ام، اما عادت ندارم شب‌ها زود بخوابم.

be sokut-e in mahalle âdat karde-am, ammâ âdat na-dâram shab-hâ zud be-khâbam.

I have got used to this neighborhood’s quiet, but I am not in the habit of sleeping early. (neutral standard; acquired tolerance versus habit)

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For current familiarity, the perfect عادت کرده‌ام is often more idiomatic than simple present عادت می‌کنم. Persian conceptualizes the present state as the result of an earlier adjustment.

Causative عادت دادن

عادت دادن means “accustom, train someone into a habit.” The causer is the subject, the person or animal accustomed is the direct object, and the new target still follows به: کودک را به نظم عادت دادند. It uses the irregular داد/ده paradigm and subjunctive بدهد.

سعی می‌کنیم بچه را به خوردن غذای سالم عادت بدهیم.

sa'y mi-konim bachche râ be khordan-e ghazâ-ye sâlem âdat be-dahim.

We are trying to get the child accustomed to eating healthy food. (neutral standard; causative)

او خودش را به یادداشت کردن هزینه‌ها عادت داده است.

u khod-ash râ be yâddâsht kardan-e hazine-hâ âdat dâde ast.

She has trained herself to record her expenses. (neutral standard; reflexive causative)

Imperative force and Tehran speech

عادت کن! is grammatically regular but can sound dismissive: “Get used to it!” A supportive speaker normally adds context such as کم‌کم عادت می‌کنی. Everyday Tehran uses می‌کنه، می‌کنین، می‌کنن and often places the به phrase after the finite verb (informal, regional: Tehran).

سخته، ولی کم‌کم عادت می‌کنی به این رفت‌وآمد.

sakhte, vali kam-kam âdat mi-koni be in raft-o-âmad.

It’s hard, but little by little you’ll get used to this commute. (informal, regional: Tehran)

Common Mistakes

1. Omitting به before the target

❌ هنوز هوای خشک اینجا عادت نکرده‌ام.

Incorrect — the target of adaptation requires به.

✅ هنوز به هوای خشک این منطقه عادت نکرده‌ام.

hanuz be havâ-ye khoshk-e in mantaqe âdat na-karde-am.

I still have not got used to this region’s dry climate.

2. Adding را to the به complement

❌ به برنامه‌ی جدید را عادت کردیم.

Incorrect — a prepositional complement does not also take را.

✅ پس از یک ماه به برنامه‌ی جدید عادت کردیم.

pas az yek mâh be barnâme-ye jadid âdat kardim.

After a month, we got used to the new schedule.

3. Translating past-habit “used to” with عادت کردن

❌ در گذشته عادت بودم اینجا زندگی کنم.

Incorrect — Persian does not use a copular عادت بودم to calque past-habit ‘used to.’

✅ در گذشته نزدیک همین میدان زندگی می‌کردم.

dar gozashte nazdik-e hamin meydân zendegi mi-kardam.

I used to live near this same square.

4. Using simple present for an already achieved state

❌ حالا به سروصدای خیابان عادت کرده می‌کنم.

Incorrect — do not stack resultative کرده with finite می‌کنم; use the perfect کرده‌ام for the achieved current state.

✅ حالا دیگر به سروصدای خیابان عادت کرده‌ام.

hâlâ digar be sar-o-sedâ-ye khiyâbân âdat karde-am.

By now I am used to the street noise.

5. Joining the compound

❌ به این ساعت کاری عادت‌کرده‌ام.

Incorrect standard spacing — عادت and کردن remain separate words.

✅ به این ساعت کاری تازه عادت کرده‌ام.

be in sâ'at-e kâri-ye tâze âdat karde-am.

I have got used to this new work schedule.

Key Takeaways

Inflect کردن and keep the target in به + noun/action: به سرما عادت کردم.
Simple past profiles adjustment; perfect عادت کرده‌ام often expresses the resulting current familiarity.
An action can be a به + long infinitive phrase or a controlled finite subjunctive clause.
عادت داشتن states an established habit; عادت دادن causatively accustoms someone.
English past-habit used to normally requires a Persian imperfective past, not عادت کردن.

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