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In modern Farsi, we usually express wishes with the subjunctive mood. However, in formal speech, literature, blessings, and traditional toasts, Farsi preserves an older form known as the optative mood.

### Expressing "May it be"

The word **باد** means "may it be". It is a historical third-person verb that does not change its form (it is invariant). You place it at the end of a sentence to offer a formal blessing or well-wish.

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### Expressing "May it not be"

To express a negative wish ("may it not be" or "let it not be"), use **مباد**. Like its positive counterpart, it sits at the end of the phrase and never changes form. You will often see it paired with positive wishes to emphasize a blessing.

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### Traditional Toasts and Blessings

These optative verbs are extremely common in specific cultural contexts, such as holidays, formal ceremonies, or when wishing someone health and longevity. They pair frequently with adjectives like **پاینده** (enduring), **مستدام** (continuous), and **گوارا** (refreshing).

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The optative mood (bâd, mabâd)

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
times / era / days (fate, the world)	روزگارruzgâr
auspicious / happy (occasions)	خجستهkhojaste
may it be (optative)	بادbâd
May your days be auspicious!	روزگار شما خجسته باد!ruzgâr-e shomâ khojaste bâd!
blessed / auspicious	فرخندهfarkhondeh
May this union be blessed!	این پیوند فرخنده باد!in peyvand farkhonde bâd!
always / continually (formal)	هموارهhamvâre
may it not be	مبادmabâd
May their days always be bright, and may they not be dark!	روزگار آنان همواره روشن باد و تاریک مباد!ruzgâr-e ânân hamvâre rowshan bâd va târik mabâd!
refreshing / pleasant	گواراgovârâ
May this water be refreshing to you!	این آب برای شما گوارا باد!in âb barâye shomâ gavârâ bâd!
enduring / eternal (remaining firm)	پایندهpâyande
established / lasting (in effect)	برقرارbargharâr
May Iran be enduring and established!	ایران پاینده و برقرار باد!irân pâyande o bargharâr bâd!
continuous / permanent (often in blessings)	مستدامmostadâm
May his shadow endure, and may he not be sick!	سایه‌ی او مستدام باد و بیمار مباد!sâye-ye u mostadâm bâd o bimâr mabâd!
May this celebration be blessed for everyone!	این جشن برای همه فرخنده باد!in jashn barâye hame farkhonde bâd!
Despite the fact that the enemy is strong, may this country always be enduring!	با وجود اینکه دشمن قوی است، این کشور همواره پاینده باد!bâ vojud-e in-ke doshman qavi ast, in keshvar hamvâre pâyande bâd!
May his health be enduring, and may his days also be bright!	سلامتی او مستدام باد و روزگار او نیز روشن باد!salâmati-ye u mostadâm bâd o ruzgâr-e u niz roshan bâd!
May the success of these people endure, and may there be no defeat!	موفقیت اینان برقرار باد و شکست مباد!movaffaqiyat-e inân barqarâr bâd va shekast mabâd!
May the days of the oppressor not endure!	روزگار ظالم پایدار مباد!ruzgâr-e zâlem pâydâr mabâd!
It is said that true love is always eternal; may it be eternal!	گفته می‌شود که عشق واقعی همواره پاینده است، پاینده باد!gofte mishavad ke eshgh-e vâghe'i hamvâre pâyande ast, pâyande bâd!
May the new year be auspicious.	سال نو خجسته باد.sâl-e no khojaste bâd.
May this drink be refreshing.	این نوشیدنی گوارا باد.in nushidani govârâ bâd