Counting Words

There are numerous counting words in Persian, such as جلد jeld ‘volume’ (for books, etc.), رأس ra’s ‘head’ (for animals), دستگاه dastgāh ‘apparatus; machine’ (for machines of any sort, in addition to buildings), and many more.

In colloquial Persian, however, there is the generic counting word تا (originally means ‘one of a pair’), which can replace any of the other counting words. However, while all counting words are used with all numbers, including yek ‘one’, تا is never used with yek.

Examples:

a man yek mard یک مرد
two men dó mard (formal) دو مرد
dó tā mard (colloquial) دو تا مرد
three men sé mard (formal) سه مرد
sé tā mard (colloquial) سه تا مرد
A counting word as دانه dāne ‘grain’ is used formally only with small particles, such as grains of legumes, etc.; but in colloquial dialect it is used interchangeably with تا as a generic counting word, especially with a single item. As such, unlike تا, دانه (colloquial دونه) is used with یک (colloquial یه) as well:

یه دونه سیب
ye dune sib (colloquial)
‘an apple’

یه دونه گوسفند
ye dune gusfand
‘a sheep’

Usually with more than one item these two generic counting words are combined in the colloquial dialect:

دو تا دونه سیب
do tā dune sib
‘two apples’ (literally, “two single units of apple”).

Numbers are invariably followed by a singular noun: یک کتاب yek ketāb ‘a/one book,’ ده کتاب dah ketāb ‘ten books,’ etc. In other words, the noun کتاب is invariably in singular.

Some of the counting words in Persian are as follows:

Counting Word Example
تخته
taxte
board
(for carpets, rugs, etc.)
یک تخته فرش
yek taxte farš
a (single count of) carpet
جلد
jeld
volume, a bound item
(for books, etc.)
سه جلد کتاب
sé jeld ketāb
three volumes of books
دانه
dāne
grain
(for small items, especially a single one)
یک دانه برنج
yek dāne berenj
a single grain of rice
دستگاه
dastgāh
apparatus
(for machines of any sort and buildings)
دو دستگاه اتومبیل
dó dastgāh otomobil
two cars

سه دستگاه آپارتمان
sé dastgāh āpārtemān
three apartments

رأس
ras
head
(for almost all stock animals)
پنج رأس گوسفند
panj ras gusfand
five (heads of) sheep
فروند
farvand
(for ships, airplanes and spaceships)
یک فروند هواپیما
yek farvand havāpeymā
an airplane
قالب
qāleb
bar, mold
(for soap, butter, cheese, etc.)
دو قالب صابون
dó qāleb-e sābun
two bars of soap
نفر
nafar
person, individual
(for people and camels)
چهار نفر ایتالیایی
cahār nafar itāliyāyi
four Italians

دو نفر می آیند
dó nafar mi āyand
two individuals come, are coming, will come