Plural pronouns and copula (mâ, -im)

The Alphabet

Before we jump into plurals, let's learn the new letters used in this lesson:

• پ (Pe): Sounds like 'p'.
• ش (Shin): Sounds like 'sh'.
• گ (Gaaf): Sounds like a hard 'g', as in 'go'.
• ف (Fe): Sounds like 'f'.
• ق (Ghaaf): A guttural 'gh' sound made in the back of the throat, similar to a French 'r'.

Plural Pronouns

Now let's expand our sentences to talk about groups of people.

• ما : We
• شما : You (plural, or singular formal)
• آنها : They (informal)
• ایشان : They (formal)

The Plural Verb "To Be"

Just like the singular forms, the plural present tense of "to be" attaches directly to the end of a noun or adjective as a suffix.

When attaching to words ending in consonants, the suffix connects directly. If a word ends in a silent ه or the vowel ی (common in nationality words), we add an Alef (ا) before the suffix so the sounds remain distinct.

Let's see these rules in action:

For "they", you can use آنها for everyday speech:

For a more respectful or formal "they", use ایشان:

You can link sentences together with و (and) to talk about multiple subjects at once: