Expressing Likes
In Persian, expressing that you like something uses a unique, impersonal structure. Instead of a direct "I like X," you say something closer to "From X, it comes pleasing to me."
| to like / to be pleasing (used with 'az' and pronominal enclitics) | خوش آمدنkhosh âmadan |
To build this, use the preposition از (from) followed by the thing you like, then the word خوش (pleasing/good) attached to a pronominal enclitic, and finally the 3rd-person singular form of the verb آمدن (to come).
از [noun] + خوش + [enclitic] + میآید
| I like this perfume. | از این عطر خوشم میآید.az in etr khosham mi-âyad. |
| Do you like mild scents? | آیا از رایحهی ملایم خوشت میآید؟âyâ az râyehe-ye malâyem khoshat mi-âyad? |
Who Likes It?
Because the verb is impersonal (it is usually the 3rd-person singular "it comes"), the verb conjugation does not change based on who is doing the liking. Instead, you change the pronominal enclitic attached to خوش:
| Person | Enclitic | Structure |
|---|---|---|
| I | ـَم | خوشم میآید |
| You (sg.) | ـَت | خوشت میآید |
| He/She/It | ـَش | خوشش میآید |
| We | ـِمان | خوشمان میآید |
| You (pl.) | ـِتان | خوشتان میآید |
| They | ـِشان | خوششان میآید |
To make the sentence negative, simply negate the final verb (نمیآید).
| Although this perfume is sweet, my mother does not like it. | با اینکه این عطر شیرین است، مادر من از آن خوشش نمیآید.bâ in-ke in atr shirin ast, mâdar man az ân khoshash nemi-âyad. |
Changing Tenses
When you want to say you liked something in the past, or you hope to like something, the enclitic remains exactly the same. Only the final verb (آمدن) changes its tense.
For the simple past tense, use آمد:
| When I smelled that masculine scent, I liked it. | وقتی آن رایحهی مردانه را بوییدم، از آن خوشم آمد.vaghti ân râyehe-ye mardâne râ buidam, az ân khosham âmad. |
For the present subjunctive (for example, after verbs of hoping), use بیاید:
| I hope that you like this mild scent. | امیدوارم که از این رایحهی ملایم خوشت بیاید.omidvâram ke az in râyeheye malâyem khoshat biâyad. |