Expressing "Whose" with که
Farsi does not have a single word that directly translates to the English relative pronoun "whose". Instead, it builds this meaning by combining the versatile relative pronoun که (that/who) with a possessive suffix on the owned object.
To construct a possessive relative clause, follow this formula: [Antecedent] + که + [Owned Object] + [Possessive Enclitic]
Literally, a phrase like "the man whose book" is constructed as "the man that his book" (مردی که کتابش). Because you are often identifying a specific but previously unknown person (like a claimant at a lost and found), the antecedent usually ends with the indefinite suffix ی.
| The passenger whose bag is lost must describe it. | مسافری که ساکش گمشده است، باید آن را توصیف کند.mosâferi ke sâkash gomshode ast, bâyad ân râ tosif konad. |
| The passenger whose suitcase is lost is waiting. | مسافری که چمدانش گمشده است، منتظر است.mosâferi ke chamedânash gomshode ast, montazer ast. |
| The lady whose watch is valuable must describe its details. | خانمی که ساعتش ارزشمند است، باید مشخصات آن را توصیف کند.khânomi ke sâ'atash arzeshmand ast, bâyad moshakhkhasât ân râ towsif konad. |
When the Person is the Direct Object
If the person you are describing (the antecedent) is the specific direct object of the main sentence, the object marker را (or its spoken equivalent رو) attaches directly to the person. This places the object marker right before که.
| Because of the exact details, we can find the passenger whose phone is here. | به دلیل مشخصات دقیق، ما میتوانیم مسافری را که گوشیاش اینجا است پیدا کنیم.be dalil-e moshakhkhasât-e daqiq, mâ mitavânim mosâferi râ ke gushi-ash injâ ast peydâ konim. |
| I can't see the woman whose bag is in that booth. | من نمیتونم زنی رو که کیفش تو اون باجهست ببینم.man nemitunam zani ro ke kifash tu un bâjast bebinam. |
When the Belonging is the Direct Object
Sometimes, the belongings themselves are the specific target of the action inside the relative clause (for example, "the woman whose ID card we found"). In these cases, the object marker را attaches directly to the owned noun and its possessive suffix.
| The woman whose ID card we found wrote her details on the form. | زنی که شناسنامهاش را پیدا کردیم، مشخصات خود را در فرم نوشت.zani ke shenâsnâme-ash râ peydâ kardim, moshakhkhasât khod râ dar form nevesht. |
| The man whose passport they had stolen returned to the hotel. | مردی که گذرنامهاش را دزدیده بودند، به هتل برگشت.mardi ke gozarnâme-ash râ dozdide budand, be hotel bargasht. |