Enclitics on vowel prepositions (barâ-y-ash)

Pronominal Enclitics on Vowel-Ending Prepositions

In Farsi, pronominal enclitics (such as ـَم، ـَت، ـَش) can attach directly to the ends of prepositions to show who is receiving an action or who is being discussed. However, when a preposition ends in a vowel, like برای ("for"), you cannot simply stick a vowel-starting enclitic onto it.

To make the pronunciation flow smoothly, a glide (ی) is inserted between the vowels. For example, برای plus the enclitic ـَش becomes برایش ("for him/her/it"). The same applies to plurals, creating forms like برایشان ("for them").

Prepositions Ending in a Silent "h"

The same phonetic rule applies to prepositions ending in a silent ه, such as درباره ("about"). When adding a vowel-starting enclitic like ـَش, a glide is heard in speech.

Because of the silent ه, this is written with a half-space and a placeholder ا for singular enclitics (درباره‌اش).

When adding plural enclitics like ـِشان to these words, the enclitic's initial vowel is usually dropped. Since there are no longer two vowels clashing, no glide is needed, and the enclitic simply attaches after a half-space (درباره‌شان).

Discussing Community Support

You will frequently use these enclitic forms when talking about social work, advocacy, or providing grants (کمک‌هزینه) to those in need. Notice how seamlessly the enclitics attach to prepositions in fluent sentences to explain who receives support or what a legal right (حق) is about.