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One of the most recognizable features of conversational Persian is a simple vowel shift. In the standard Tehran accent—which serves as the everyday spoken register across the country—the long **ا** sound almost always shifts to a **و** sound when it comes directly before a nasal consonant like **ن** or **م**.

### The Shift Before Nasals

This rule applies to some of the most common words in the language. Notice how colloquial written Persian swaps the standard **ا** for a **و** to reflect the spoken pronunciation.

| Written | Spoken |
|---|---|
| نان | نون |
| آن | اون |
| خانه | خونه |
| بادام | بادوم |

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### Longer Words and Suffixes

The shift is extremely consistent, especially for words ending in **-ان** or **-ام**. When navigating the city, buying food, or talking about the seasons, you will hear this reduction everywhere. 

| Written | Spoken |
|---|---|
| تابستان | تابستون |
| نانوایی | نونوایی |
| هندوانه | هندونه |
| دکان | دکون |
| فنجان | فنجون |

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Spoken Persian: vowel shifts (نون, خونه)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

phrase

prefix

preposition

pronoun

sentence

suffix

verb

Singular pronouns and copula (man, -am)

Plural pronouns and copula (mâ, -im)

Subject pronoun omission

Singular demonstratives (in, ân)

Plural demonstratives (inhâ, ânhâ)

Independent copula (hastam, hast)

Negative present copula (nistam, nist)

Yes/No questions (âyâ)

Regular plurals (-hâ)

Animate plurals (-ân)

Indefiniteness (yek)

Indefinite marker (-i)

Describing nouns (-e / -ye)

Possession (-e / -ye)

Singular possessives (-am, -at, -ash)

Plural possessives (-emân, -etân, -eshân)

Basic prepositions (dar, be, az, bâ)

Spatial prepositions (ru-ye, zir-e...)

Numbers 1 to 10 (yek, do, se...)

Numbers and singular nouns

Numbers 11 to 20 (yâzdah, davâzdah...)

Counting by tens to 100

Telling time (sâ'at)

The verb to have (dâram)

Negative to have (nadâram)

Basic word order (SOV)

Infinitives and present stems (-an)

Present indicative (mi-)

Negative present indicative (nemi-)

Compound verbs

Question words (che, kojâ)

How many (chand)

The definite object marker (râ)

Object pronouns (man râ, to râ)

Singular commands (be-)

Formal and plural commands (be- ... -id)

Negative commands (na-)

The present subjunctive (be-)

The negative present subjunctive (na-)

Must (bâyad)

Might (shâyad)

Wanting to do something (khâstan)

Being able to do something (tavânestan)

Forming the past stem

The simple past of to be (budan)

The simple past tense

Negative simple past (na-)

Attached object pronouns on verbs (-am, -at, -ash)

Comparative adjectives (-tar)

Basic conjunctions (va, ammâ, yâ)

Giving reasons (chon)

Adverbs of frequency and degree (hamishe, hargez, kheyli, kam)

Everyday actions (kâr kardan, bâz kardan)

Non-human plural subjects

Indefinite pronouns (kasi, chizi, jâyi)

Negative indefinite pronouns (hich-kas, hich-chiz, hich-jâ)

Reciprocal pronouns (hamdigar, yekdigar)

Reflexive pronouns (khod-)

Reflexive direct objects (khod râ)

Emphatic pronouns (khod)

The quantifier every (har)

The quantifier all (hame)

The quantifier some (ba'zi)

Another and other (-i digar)

Which (kodâm)

How much (cheghadr)

Comparisons of equality (mesl-e)

Superlative adjectives (-tarin)

Irregular comparatives and superlatives

Ordinal numbers (-om)

Pre-nominal ordinal numbers (-omin)

Fractions and percentages

Prepositions of theme (dar mored-e)

Prepositions of time (ghabl az, ba'd az)

Preposition of exclusion (bedun-e)

Resultative conjunctions (banâbarin, pas)

Hortative construction (biyâ, biyâyid)

The present progressive tense (dâram mi-)

The past continuous tense (mi-)

Negative past continuous (ne-mi-)

Past continuous of to have (dâshtam)

The past progressive tense (dâshtam mi-)

The past participle (-e)

Present perfect tense (-e-am, -e-ast)

Negative present perfect (na-)

Question	Answer
summer	تابستانtâbestân
bakery	نانواییnânvâyi
In summer, this bakery is very crowded.	تابستون این نونوایی خیلی شلوغه.tâbestoon in noonvâyi kheyli sholooghe.
market	بازارbâzâr
watermelon	هندوانهhendevâne
I am buying a watermelon from the market.	دارم از بازار هندونه می‌خرم.dâram az bâzâr hendune mikharam.
small shop	دکانdokân
onion	پیازpiyâz
Does that shop have onions?	آیا اون دکون پیاز داره؟âyâ un dokun piyâz dâre?
basil	ریحانreyhân
Are you eating basil and onions with bread?	آیا داری ریحون و پیاز با نون می‌خوری؟âyâ dâri reyhun o piyâz bâ nun mikhori?
porch / balcony	ایوانeyvân
cup (for tea or coffee)	فنجانfenjân
I am drinking a cup of tea on the porch.	دارم روی ایوون یک فنجون چای می‌خورم.dâram ruye eyvun yek fenjun chây mikhoram.
In summer, he drinks a cup of cold water on the porch.	تابستون او روی ایوون یک فنجون آب سرد می‌خوره.tâbestun u ruye eyvun yek fenjun âb sard mikhore.
almond	بادامbâdâm
Did anyone buy almonds from this shop?	آیا کسی از این دکون بادوم خرید؟âyâ kasi az in dokun bâdum kharid?
My sister is buying almonds and watermelon from the market.	خواهرم داره از بازار بادوم و هندونه می‌خره.khâharam dâre az bâzâr bâdum o hendune mikhare.
The bakery is near the market, but they do not have basil.	نونوایی نزدیک بازاره، اما ریحون ندارن.nunvâyi nazdik bâzâre, ammâ reyhun nadâran.
We have bread and onions at home.	ما خونه نون و پیاز داریم.mâ khoone noon o piyâz dârim.
address	نشانیneshâni
Where is the address of this shop?	نشونی این دکون کجاست؟neshuni in dokun kojâst?
This address is for a watermelon shop.	این نشونی برای یک دکون هندونه‌ست.in neshâni barâye yek dokân hendune-st.
oh no!, wow (spoken)	وایvây
Oh no, we have no bread!	وای، نون نداریم!vây, nun nadârim!
Oh, sorry!	وای، ببخشید!vây, bebakhshid!
ah, oh (sigh)	آهâh
Ah, the house is cold!	آه، خونه سرده!âh, khune sarde!
Ah, today I am very tired.	آه، امروز خیلی خسته‌ام.âh, emruz kheyli khaste-am.