Third-person singular میشود can function impersonally, without a lexical subject, to mean “it is possible,” “one can,” or—in a question—“may I/we...?” اینجا میشود نشست means “One can sit here,” and میشود من هم بیایم؟ asks “May I come too?” The form remains singular because no following noun phrase controls its agreement.
The same surface word also appears in passives and ordinary “become” predicates. To interpret it, ask what follows: a short infinitive, a finite subjunctive clause, or a noun phrase that serves as subject.
Three structures with the same surface verb
| Structure | Example | Analysis |
|---|---|---|
| impersonal + short infinitive | میشود اینجا نشست | one can sit here |
| impersonal + subjunctive clause | میشود من هم بنشینم؟ | may I sit too? |
| subject + passive/change predicate | صندلی تعمیر میشود | the chair is repaired |
| subject + lexical شدن | هوا سرد میشود | the weather becomes cold |
The first two uses keep میشود in third-person singular regardless of who might act. The last two have grammatical subjects and can show plural agreement: صندلیها تعمیر میشوند، روزها سردتر میشوند. Human plurals normally agree; inanimate plurals also permit singular collective agreement in formal Persian.
Possibility with a short infinitive
An impersonal possibility statement commonly takes the “short infinitive,” the bare past stem also found after the formal future auxiliary: رفت، نشست، خورد، پیدا کرد. It does not take personal endings and normally leaves the actor generic.
از این مسیر میشود سریعتر به ایستگاه رسید.
az in masir mi-shavad sari'-tar be istgâh resid.
One can reach the station faster by this route. (neutral standard; generic possibility)
در این فروشگاه میشود با کارت پرداخت کرد.
dar in forushgâh mi-shavad bâ kârt pardâkht kard.
You can pay by card in this shop. (neutral standard; generic actor)
از پنجرهی طبقهی بالا میشود دریا را دید.
az panjare-ye tabaqe-ye bâlâ mi-shavad daryâ râ did.
The sea can be seen from the upstairs window. (neutral standard; generic possibility)
English may translate the actor as one, you, we, or a passive. Persian leaves it unexpressed. The object can still take را, as دریا را does; that is evidence that دریا has not become a passive subject.
The full infinitive in ن is not used in this frame. میشود رفت is the normal modern form, not میشود رفتن.
Permission and proposals with a finite subjunctive
When the intended actor matters, میشود can introduce a finite subjunctive. The embedded ending identifies that actor:
میشود من هم در جلسه شرکت کنم؟
mi-shavad man ham dar jalase sherkat konam?
May I take part in the meeting too? (polite careful speech; first-person subjunctive)
میشود پنجره را کمی باز کنید؟
mi-shavad panjare râ kami bâz konid?
Could you open the window a little? (polite standard request; second-person plural/polite subjunctive)
میشود فردا زودتر شروع کنیم؟
mi-shavad fardâ zud-tar shoru' konim?
Could we start earlier tomorrow? (careful conversation; first-person plural proposal)
The complementizer که may occur—میشود که...—but short requests normally omit it. The crucial feature is the present subjunctive, not the presence of که.
In Tehran speech (informal, regional: Tehran), میشود reduces to میشه or میشه in representations of speech:
میشه امشب ماشینتو قرض بگیرم؟
mishe emshab mâshin-eto qarz begiram?
Can I borrow your car tonight? (informal, regional: Tehran)
Negative نمیشود
Impersonal نمیشود expresses impossibility, prohibition, or a strong practical refusal: “it cannot be done / one cannot.” Context determines whether the obstacle is physical, procedural, or social.
بدون رمز ورود نمیشود حساب را باز کرد.
bedun-e ramz-e vorud nemi-shavad hesâb râ bâz kard.
The account cannot be opened without the password. (formal-neutral impossibility)
اینجا نمیشود ماشین را پارک کرد.
injâ nemi-shavad mâshin râ pârk kard.
You can't park a car here. (neutral rule/prohibition)
الان نمیشود تصمیم گرفت؛ اطلاعات کافی نداریم.
alân nemi-shavad tasmim gereft; ettelâ'ât-e kâfi na-dârim.
We can't decide now; we don't have enough information. (neutral conversation; practical impossibility)
Negative نمیشود is indicative morphology on the impersonal predicate. A following finite clause can still contain its own subjunctive marking.
Impersonal versus passive
These two patterns differ in case and agreement:
| Impersonal generic | Passive |
|---|---|
| میشود این فرم را آنلاین پر کرد. | این فرم آنلاین پر میشود. |
| میشود فرمها را آنلاین پر کرد. | فرمها آنلاین پر میشوند. |
In the impersonal column, فرم/فرمها remains a را-marked object and میشود stays singular. In the passive column, it is subject and lacks را. The table uses میشوند because the forms are construed as separate items; a collectively construed inanimate plural can instead take singular agreement.
میشود همهی فایلها را یکجا بارگیری کرد.
mi-shavad hame-ye fâyl-hâ râ yek-jâ bârgiri kard.
All the files can be downloaded together. (impersonal generic; plural object, singular میشود)
فایلها جداگانه بارگیری میشوند.
fâyl-hâ jodâgâne bârgiri mi-shavand.
The files are downloaded separately. (formal passive; plural subject and agreement)
See Passive in Present and Past for the complete agreeing paradigm.
Lexical “become” and contextual disambiguation
When شدن has an overt subject and a property complement, it keeps its lexical change-of-state meaning: هوا سرد میشود، بچه خسته میشود. This is neither impersonal possibility nor necessarily passive.
شبها هوا کنار دریا سرد میشود.
shab-hâ havâ kenâr-e daryâ sard mi-shavad.
At night the weather gets cold by the sea. (neutral standard; lexical change of state)
با نزدیک شدن پاییز، روزها کوتاهتر میشوند.
bâ nazdik shodan-e pâyiz, ruz-hâ kutâh-tar mi-shavand.
As autumn approaches, the days become shorter. (neutral standard; plural lexical subject)
Word order alone is not enough: Persian permits motivated reordering. Combine agreement, را, complement type, and discourse meaning to decide among readings.
A short dialogue
— میشه اینجا منتظر موند؟ — نه، این بخش ساعت شش بسته میشه.
— mishe injâ montazer mund? — na, in bakhsh sâ'at-e shesh baste mishe.
— Can we wait here? — No, this section closes at six. (informal, regional: Tehran; impersonal possibility followed by change/passive-like شدن)
The first میشه is subjectless and modal; the second has subject این بخش and describes its scheduled transition to closed status.
Common Mistakes
1. Using the full infinitive after impersonal میشود
❌ اینجا میشود نشستن.
Incorrect in the modern impersonal construction — use short infinitive نشست.
✅ کنار پنجره میشود نشست.
kenâr-e panjare mi-shavad neshast.
One can sit beside the window.
2. Making impersonal میشود plural
❌ میشوند همه با هم وارد شد.
Incorrect — subjectless possibility stays third-person singular میشود.
✅ میشود همه با هم وارد شد.
mi-shavad hame bâ ham vâred shod.
Everyone can enter together.
3. Keeping indicative morphology in a permission clause
❌ میشود من هم میآیم؟
Incorrect for asking permission — the embedded first-person verb must be subjunctive بیایم.
✅ میشود من هم فردا بیایم؟
mi-shavad man ham fardâ biyâyam?
May I come tomorrow too?
4. Mixing an impersonal object with passive agreement
❌ این فرمها را آنلاین پر میشوند.
Incorrect — را marks فرمها as an object, while میشوند requires a plural subject.
✅ این فرمها آنلاین پر میشوند.
in form-hâ ânlâyn por mi-shavand.
These forms are filled out online. (formal passive)
Key Takeaways
- Frozen third-singular میشود expresses generic possibility, feasibility, or permission.
- It takes either a short infinitive with generic agency or a finite subjunctive whose ending identifies the actor.
- نمیشود can express impossibility, prohibition, or practical infeasibility.
- A passive has a patient subject and follows Persian's ordinary agreement options; an impersonal clause can retain a را-marked object.
- Lexical شدن with an overt subject means “become/change,” so context and agreement distinguish the readings.
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