Stative Verbs and Continuous States
In English, we use the present continuous tense to say someone "is sitting" or "is standing." In Farsi, verbs describing physical posture or condition are treated as states. To express a current, ongoing state, Farsi uses the Present Perfect tense.
The logic is that an action was completed in the past (a person sat down), and they are currently residing in the resulting state (they are seated). You form this by taking the past stem, adding ه, and attaching the present endings for "to be" (such as است for "he/she/it").
For example, "to sit" is نشستن, so "he is sitting" becomes نشسته است. Let's observe some people's postures in a waiting room (اتاق انتظار).
| The waiting room is crowded and a young man is sitting on the sofa. | اتاق انتظار شلوغ است و یک مرد جوان روی مبل نشسته است.otâq-e entezâr shulugh ast o yek mard javân ru-ye mobl neshaste ast. |
| The restless boy is standing in the waiting room. | پسر بیقرار در اتاق انتظار ایستاده است.pesar-e bi-gharâr dar otâgh-e entezâr istâde ast. |
Describing What People Are Wearing
This same grammatical rule applies to clothing. To say someone "is wearing" a jacket or boots right now, use the Present Perfect of the verb "to wear" (پوشیدن), which gives us پوشیده است.
Note that while most clothing uses پوشیدن, wearing a tie (کراوات) uses the verb زدن, giving us کراوات زده است.
| The woman who is standing near the door is wearing a brown overcoat and black boots. | زنی که کنار در ایستاده است، پالتوی قهوهای و چکمهی سیاه پوشیده است.zani ke kenâre dar istâde ast, pâltoye ghahve-i va chakme-ye siyâh pushide ast. |
| The old man wearing a red tie is frowning. | مرد پیری که کراوات قرمز زده است، اخم کرده است.mard-e piri ke kerâvât-e qermez zade ast, akhm karde ast. |
Expressions and Positions
Conditions like frowning (اخم کردن), staring (خیره شدن), or lying down (دراز کشیدن) also use this stative pattern to describe an ongoing state.
Notice how Farsi contrasts a state with an active action in the same sentence. In the second example below, "lying down" is an ongoing physical state (Present Perfect: دراز کشیده است), while "drinking water" is an active, ongoing action (Present Continuous: دارد آب میخورد).
| The patient is staring at the receptionist. | بیمار به منشی خیره شده است.bimâr be monshi khire shode ast. |
| The sick child is lying down on the sofa and is drinking water. | بچهی بیمار روی مبل دراز کشیده است و دارد آب میخورد.bache-ye bimâr ruye mobl derâz kešide ast va dârad âb mikhorad. |
Combining States
You can string multiple stative verbs together to fully describe someone's position, expression, and clothing.
| He is sitting on the chair and is frowning. | او روی صندلی نشسته است و اخم کرده است.u ruye sandali neshaste ast va akhm karde ast. |
| The young woman is wearing a green skirt and is standing next to the window. | زن جوان دامن سبز پوشیده است و کنار پنجره ایستاده است.zan-e javân dâman-e sabz pushide ast o kenâr-e panjere istâde ast. |