Expressing Hope
In Persian, to say you hope for something, use the compound verb امیدوار بودن (literally "to be hopeful"). Because you are hoping for an event that hasn't happened yet, the second verb must be in the Present Subjunctive.
Connect the two clauses with که (that):
[امیدوار بودن conjugated] + که + [Present Subjunctive]
| The fisherman hopes that he catches a big fish today. | ماهیگیر امیدوار است که امروز یک ماهی بزرگ صید کند.mâhigir omidvâr ast ke emrooz yek mâhi bozorg seyd konad. |
| I hope that you are patient next to the river. | من امیدوارم که کنار رودخانه صبور باشید.man omidvâram ke kenâr-e rudkhâne sabur bâshid. |
Short and Long Forms
You will often see the verb بودن (to be) conjugated as a short suffix attached directly to امیدوار (for example, امیدوارم for "I hope", or امیدواریم for "We hope"). You can also write it out with the full form of the verb (امیدوار هستم). Both are correct and interchangeable.
| I hope that we release the small fish. | من امیدوار هستم که ما ماهی کوچک را رها کنیم.man omidvâr hastam ke mâ mâhi kuchak râ rahâ konim. |
| We hope to grill the fish for dinner. | ما امیدواریم که ماهی را برای شام کباب کنیم.mâ omidvârim ke mâhi râ barâye shâm kabâb konim. |
Negative Hopes
To hope that something doesn't happen, keep امیدوار بودن positive and make the subjunctive verb negative by replacing its بـ prefix with a نـ.
| We hope that the fish do not eat the bait quickly. | ما امیدواریم که ماهیها طعمه را سریع نخورند.mâ omidvârim ke mâhihâ ta'me râ sari' nakhorand. |
The Patience of a Fisherman
In this lesson's vocabulary, notice the difference between the noun صبر (patience) and the adjective صبور (patient). Also observe how other verbs, like باید (must), trigger the subjunctive.
| A good fisherman must be very patient. | یک ماهیگیر خوب باید خیلی صبور باشد.yek mâhigir khub bâyad kheyli sabur bâshad. |
| The old fisherman has a lot of patience. | ماهیگیر پیر صبر زیادی دارد.mâhigir-e pir sabr-e ziyâdi dârad. |