When discussing life experiences, you will often need to turn descriptive words into abstract concepts—like turning "dark" into "darkness" or "kind" into "kindness".
The Abstract Noun Suffix -ی
To form an abstract noun from an adjective, simply add the suffix -ی to the end of the word. For example, تاریک (dark) becomes تاریکی (darkness), and سخت (hard) becomes سختی (hardship).
| I am afraid of the darkness of this room. | من از تاریکی این اتاق میترسم.man az târikiye in otâgh mitarsam. |
| Hardship in life is natural, but we must have patience. | سختی در زندگی طبیعی است، اما ما باید صبوری داشته باشیم.sakhti dar zendegi tabi'i ast, ammâ mâ bâyad sabouri dâshte bâshim |
Linking Abstract Nouns
These new words function exactly like regular nouns. You can use them as subjects, objects, or connect them to other words using the ezâfe (e.g., "the kindness of someone").
| Your kindness brings happiness to our family. | مهربانی تو برای خانوادهی ما شادی میآورد.mehrabâni-ye to barâye khânevâde-ye mâ shâdi mi'âvarad. |
| Because of the cleanliness of this hotel, all the travelers choose it. | به خاطر تمیزی این هتل، همهی مسافرها آن را انتخاب میکنند.be khâter-e tamizi-ye in hotel, hame-ye mosâferhâ ân râ entekhâb mikonand. |
Adjectives Ending in Vowels
If an adjective ends in a long vowel like ا, adding the suffix requires a buffer letter to make it easy to pronounce. In writing, this is spelled with a double letter: -یی. For instance, زیبا (beautiful) becomes زیبایی (beauty).
| They saw the beauty of the sea. | آنها زیبایی دریا را دیدند.ânhâ zibâyi daryâ râ didand. |
Describing Conditions
You can apply this simple pattern to describe nearly any condition, from physical traits and emotions to economic states like turning گران (expensive) into گرانی (expensiveness or high prices).
| You know that laziness is a big problem. | شما میدانید که تنبلی یک مشکل بزرگ است.shomâ midânid ke tanbali yek moshkel bozorg ast. |
| Because of high prices, we are forced to repair the old car. | به دلیل گرانی، ما مجبور هستیم که ماشین قدیمی را تعمیر کنیم.be dalil-e gerâni, mâ majbur hastim ke mâshin-e qadimi râ ta'mir konim. |