Persian likes a small counting word between a number and its noun. You already know نفر (person); this lesson turns it into a counter and adds the all-purpose تا.
Counting People: نفر
For people, the number is followed by نفر:
| Three people are in the room. | سه نفر در اتاق هستند.se nafar dar otâgh hastand. |
| How many people are coming? | چند نفر میآیند؟chand nafar mi-âyand? |
| Two people are here. | دو نفر اینجا هستند.do nafar injâ hastand. |
Counting Things: تا
For everything else, everyday Persian slips تا between the number and the noun:
| I have two apples. | دو تا سیب دارم.do tâ sib dâram. |
| How many books do you have? | چند تا کتاب داری؟chand tâ ketâb dâri? |
| There are four chairs in the room. | چهار تا صندلی در اتاق است.chahâr tâ sandali dar otâq ast. |
Two Rules
- The counted noun stays singular: دو تا سیب, never دو تا سیبها.
- تا is not slang. It is the neutral way to count in speech and ordinary writing alike; only very formal prose drops it (دو سیب). With نفر you do not add تا — سه نفر, not سه تا نفر.
You have already met تا as "so that" and as "until" — the counting تا is a third, unrelated use.
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