In a philosophy class, you often discuss abstract concepts like "goodness," "beauty," and "freedom." In Farsi, turning an adjective into an abstract noun is straightforward: simply add the stressed suffix ی to the end of the word.
Forming Abstract Nouns
For most adjectives ending in a consonant, attach ی directly.
| Adjective | Abstract Noun (ی) |
|---|---|
| خوب (good) | خوبی (goodness) |
| بد (bad) | بدی (evil) |
| جوان (young) | جوانی (youth) |
| برابر (equal) | برابری (equality) |
| Goodness and beauty are in human nature. | خوبی و زیبایی در طبیعت انسان است.khubi va zibâyi dar tabi'at ensân ast. |
| No one in this class chose evil. | هیچکس در این کلاس بدی را انتخاب نکرد.hich-kas dar in kelâs badi râ entekhâb nakard. |
Adjectives Ending in Vowels
If the base adjective ends in a long vowel like ا (such as زیبا or تنها), add a glide to smoothly connect the sounds, writing the suffix as یی.
| Adjective | Abstract Noun (یی) |
|---|---|
| زیبا (beautiful) | زیبایی (beauty) |
| تنها (alone) | تنهایی (loneliness) |
| Beauty is not only in youth, it is also in old age. | زیبایی فقط در جوانی نیست، در پیری هم هست.zibâyi faqat dar javâni nist, dar piri ham hast. |
| Nothing is worse than loneliness in illness. | هیچچیز بدتر از تنهایی در بیماری نیست.hich-chiz badtar az tanhâyi dar bimâri nist. |
These newly formed nouns act exactly like standard nouns in Farsi. You can easily use them as subjects, direct objects, or objects of prepositions.
| We discuss freedom in the philosophy class. | ما در کلاس فلسفه دربارهی آزادی بحث میکنیم.mâ dar kelâs-e falsafe darbâre-ye âzâdi bahs mikonim |
| The professor said that equality is a beautiful concept. | استاد گفت که برابری یک مفهوم زیبا است.ostâd goft ke barâbari yek mafhum zibâ ast. |
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