Expressing Possession
In the previous lesson, you learned how to use the Ezafe particle to connect a noun to its adjective. Good news: this exact same particle is used to show ownership!
To link an object to its owner, Farsi places the item being owned first, followed by the Ezafe link, and then the owner. Just like with adjectives, if the noun ends in a consonant, the Ezafe is a short, invisible "e" sound.
| The teacher's umbrella is big. | چتر معلم بزرگ است.chatr-e mo'allem bozorg ast. |
| Father's bag is heavy. | کیف پدر سنگین است.kif-e pedar sangin ast. |
| The mechanic's tool is inside the car. | ابزار مکانیک داخل ماشین است.abzâr-e mekânik dâkhel-e mâshin ast |
Nouns Ending in a Vowel (-ye)
The rules for pronunciation and spelling remain exactly the same for possession as they do for descriptions. If the first noun (the item being owned) ends in a vowel, the Ezafe becomes a "ye" sound. You show this in writing by adding a ی to the end of the noun.
| The boy's bicycle is new. | دوچرخهی پسر جدید است.docharkhe-ye pesar jadid ast. |
| My passport is inside the bag. | گذرنامهی من داخل کیف است.gozarnâme-ye man dâkhel-e kif ast. |
| This man's cat is hungry. | گربهی این مرد گرسنه است.gorbe-ye in mard gorosne ast. |
Chaining Possession
You can string multiple Ezafe connections together to express more complex relationships, like links in a chain. For example, to say "my brother's phone", you link "phone" to "brother", and then "brother" to "me".
| My brother's phone is on the table. | گوشی برادر من روی میز است.gooshi-ye baradar-e man rooye miz ast |
| My friend's sister is very young. | خواهر دوست من خیلی جوان است.khâhar-e dust-e man kheyli javân ast |