Learn Farsi: تند بنویس!

The infinitive for 'to write' is نوشتن (neveshtan). To make a singular command, we take its present stem, which is نویس (nevis), and add the imperative prefix ب (be-). Together, this makes بنویس (benevis).

Why do I sometimes hear بنویس pronounced as 'benvis' instead of 'benevis'?

In everyday spoken Farsi, short vowel sounds are often dropped or shortened when speaking quickly. The full pronunciation is 'benevis', but native speakers often naturally blend it into 'benvis'.

Doesn't the word تند (tond) mean 'spicy'?

Yes! تند is a very useful word that means both 'spicy' (when talking about food) and 'fast' or 'quick' (when talking about speed). Here, since it describes how to write, it means 'fast'.

Why does the word for 'fast' come before the verb?

In Farsi, verbs almost always go at the very end of the sentence. Adverbs like تند that describe how an action is done are placed directly before the verb they modify.