In English, we usually express physical and psychological feelings by saying "I am [feeling]" or "I [feel] a certain way." Farsi often approaches these states differently, using what are known as experiencer verbs.
Instead of being the subject who actively "does" the feeling, you become the receiver of the experience. The literal structure translates to something like "Cold is to me" or "Sleep comes to me."
To build these, you attach a pronominal enclitic (representing the person experiencing the feeling) to the noun or adjective describing the state. This is then followed by a third-person singular verb, regardless of who is experiencing the feeling.
| Person | Pronominal Enclitic |
|---|---|
| I | م |
| You (singular) | ت |
| He / She / It | ش |
| We | مان |
| You (plural) | تان |
| They | شان |
Temperature and States with است (is)
For basic physical states like being hot (گرم) or cold (سرد), attach the enclitic to the adjective and follow it with است.
- I am cold: سرد
- م
- است (Cold-my is)
- م
- She is warm: گرم
- ش
- است (Warm-her is)
- ش
| I am cold in the jacuzzi, but she is warm. | در جکوزی سردم است، اما او گرمش است.dar jakuzi sardam ast, ammâ u garmash ast. |
| Did you sweat in the sauna? Yes, I am very hot! | آیا در سونا عرق کردی؟ بله، خیلی گرمم است!âyâ dar sônâ araq kardi? bale, kheyli garmam ast! |
Liking and Disliking
To express that you like or dislike something, Farsi uses the words خوش (pleasant/good) and بد (bad) paired with the third-person singular verb میآید (comes).
Crucially, you must use the preposition از (from) before the thing you are evaluating. The literal translation is "From [thing], pleasantness comes to me."
| The massage is relaxing and I like it. | ماساژ آرامبخش است و من از آن خوشم میآید.mâsâzh ârâm-bakhsh ast va man az ân khosham mi-âyad. |
| We dislike the cold water of the bathtub. | ما از آب سرد وان بدمان میآید.mâ az âb-e sard-e vân bademân mi-âyad. |
Other Feelings with میآید
This same structure using میآید is applied to several other bodily and psychological experiences, such as being sleepy (خواب, sleep) or experiencing pain (درد, pain). No preposition is needed for these internal states.
| He cannot go to the sauna because he is sleepy. | او نمیتواند به سونا برود چون خوابش میآید.u nemitavânad be sonâ beravad chon khâbash miâyad. |
| I cannot wear slippers because it hurts. | من نمیتوانم دمپایی بپوشم چون دردم میآید.man nemitavânam dampâyi bepusham chon dardam mi âyad. |
Memory and Forgetting
To express that you forgot something, use the word یاد (memory). Instead of the verb "comes," you use the past tense third-person verb رفت (went). Thus, یادم رفت literally means "my memory went."
| Where are my slippers? I forgot! | دمپایی من کجاست؟ یادم رفت!dampâyi man kojâst? yâdam raft! |