In previous lessons, we saw how Farsi builds regular plurals by adding suffixes like ها, ان, and the formal ات. However, Farsi has also inherited a system of irregular plurals from Arabic known as "broken plurals."
Instead of adding a suffix, broken plurals change the internal structure of the singular noun by altering its vowels or adding new consonants. While conversational Farsi often replaces these with the standard ها, broken plurals are heavily used in journalism, literature, and formal speech.
Internal Vowel Changes
One of the most frequent patterns involves adding an ا at the beginning and in the middle of the word. For example, the singular words for "person" (شخص) or "goal" (هدف) break and expand to form their plurals (اشخاص and اهداف).
| Important persons support the goals of the government. | اشخاص مهم از اهداف دولت حمایت میکنند.ashkhâs mohem az ahdâf dowlat hemâyat mikonand. |
| These individuals no longer have interesting thoughts. | این اشخاص دیگر افکار جالب ندارند.in ashkhâs digar afkâr jâleb nadârand. |
Places, Institutions, and Concepts
Another common pattern applies to locations and abstract concepts. Many words starting with م shift their internal vowels (like مرکز to مراکز). Rather than memorizing the Arabic root rules, it is easiest to learn these high-frequency plurals as standard vocabulary items.
| The commercial centers must obey the new laws. | مراکز تجاری باید قوانین جدید را رعایت کنند.marâkez-e tejâri bâyad qavânin-e jadid râ re'âyat konand. |
| The manager explained the reasons and the goals of the project. | مدیر دلایل و اهداف پروژه را توضیح داد.modir dalâyel o ahdâfe poroje râ towzih dâd. |
| Public places and important centers are closed today. | اماکن عمومی و مراکز مهم امروز بسته هستند.amâken omumi va marâkez mohem emruz baste hastand. |
Broken Plurals in the News
If you read a Farsi newspaper, listen to a broadcast, or visit a museum, you will immediately encounter these irregular forms. Even the word for "news" (اخبار) is a broken plural (the singular is خبر). Familiarizing yourself with these common broken plurals will drastically improve your reading comprehension for official and journalistic Farsi.
| The effects of the earthquake were in the news. | آثار زلزله در اخبار بود.âsâr zelzele dar akhbâr bud. |
| Most times, he reads magazines. | او بیشتر اوقات مجله میخواند.u bishtar owqât majalle mikhânad. |
| If you read the news, you understand the new laws. | اگه اخبار رو بخونی، قوانین جدید رو میفهمی.age akhbâr ro bekhoni, qavânin-e jadid ro mifahmi. |