The Definite Direct Object Marker
When a direct object in a sentence is specific and definite, Persian uses a special marker word: را.
| definite direct object marker | راrâ |
A direct object is the noun that receives the action of the verb. If the object is general (like "fruit" in general), you do not use را. But if it is a specific item ("the fruit", "this fruit", "my fruit"), you place را immediately after the noun.
| I like fruit. | من میوه دوست دارم.man mive dust dâram. |
| I like this fruit. | من این میوه را دوست دارم.man in mive râ doost dâram. |
Notice how adding words like "this" (این) makes the object specific, requiring را. Let's look at another comparison to see how the marker changes the meaning from general to specific:
| He washes cars every day. | او هر روز ماشین میشوید.u har ruz mâshin mishuyad. |
| The man washes the car. | مرد ماشین را میشوید.mard mâshin râ mishuyad. |
"A" vs. "The"
When you use یک (a/one) to mean "a [noun]", the object is indefinite and usually does not take را. When you want to specify "the [noun]", the noun stands on its own and is followed by را.
| He reads a story. | او یک داستان میخواند.u yek dâstân mikhânad. |
| He reads the story. | او داستان را میخواند.u dâstân râ mikhânad. |
| You bring a flower. | تو یک گل میآوری.to yek gol mi'âvari. |
| You bring the flower for the teacher. | تو گل را برای معلم میآوری.to gol râ barâye mo'allem mi'âvari. |
People and Possessives
Some things are inherently specific. For example, proper names, pronouns, people pointed out with "this" or "that", and objects that belong to someone (possessives) are always definite. When these are the direct object of your sentence, they must take را.
| We know that woman. | ما آن زن را میشناسیم.mâ ân zan râ mishenâsim. |
| I do not know your brother. | من برادرت را نمیشناسم.man barâdarat râ nemishenâsam. |