When discussing clinical psychology, you often need to talk about abstract actions directed at a patient, such as "evaluating him" or "understanding them." In Farsi, infinitives double as verbal nouns (gerunds), allowing you to attach object pronouns directly to them to seamlessly express who or what is receiving the action.
Object Pronouns on Infinitives
To express the direct object of a verbal noun, attach a possessive enclitic (like ـش for him/her/it) directly to the end of the infinitive.
Because all long infinitives in Farsi end in the consonant ن, the enclitic attaches perfectly without any extra phonetic connectors. For instance, ترساندن (frightening) simply becomes ترساندنش (frightening him).
| Frightening him increases the child's anxiety and hyperactivity. | ترساندنش اضطراب و بیشفعالی کودک را بیشتر میکند.tarsândanash ezterâb va bish-fa'ali kudak râ bishtar mikonad. |
Compound Verbs
When turning a compound verb into a verbal noun with a pronominal object, the enclitic attaches to the infinitive portion of the compound (most commonly کردن or دادن).
| Evaluating him is by far more difficult for the clinical psychologist. | ارزیابی کردنش برای روانشناس بالینی به مراتب سختتر است.arzyâbi kardanash barâye ravânshenâs-e bâlini be marâteb sakht-tar ast. |
| For changing him, we prefer positive reinforcement to punishment. | برای تغییر دادنش، ما تقویت مثبت را به تنبیه کردن ترجیح میدهیم.barâye taghyir dâdanash, mâ taqviyat-e mosbat râ be tanbih kardan tarjih midahim. |
This structure is extremely useful for referring back to something just mentioned. Notice how the attached pronoun seamlessly translates to "it":
| Understanding the child's cognitive problem is hard, but solving it is possible. | فهمیدن مشکل شناختی کودک سخت است، اما حل کردنش ممکن است.fahmidan-e moshkel-e shenâkhti-ye kudak sakht ast, ammâ hal kardanash momken ast. |
These verbal nouns are treated exactly like regular nouns. If they function as the specific direct object of the main verb, they take the object marker را after the attached pronoun:
| How do you explain treating him to the anxious mother? | درمان کردنش را چطور به مادر مضطرب توضیح میدهید؟darmân kardanash râ chetor be mâdar-e moztarib towzih midahid? |
Plural Objects
The exact same rule applies to plural enclitics. If you are discussing multiple children or behaviors, you attach ـشان (them) to the infinitive. دیدن (seeing) becomes دیدنشان (seeing them).
| Why is seeing them beside peers important? | چرا دیدنشان کنار همسالان مهم است؟cherâ didaneshân kenâr hamsâlân mohem ast? |
| Understanding them requires cognitive and emotional intervention. | درک کردنشان به مداخلهی شناختی و عاطفی نیاز دارد.darke kardaneshân be modâkhele-ye shenâkhti va âtefi niâz dârad. |
