In phonetics, stress is a term used to refer to the “degree of force used in producing a syllable.” It may also concern the emphatic articulation of a word within a sentence, as in: “I must go!”

In dealing with words, it may concern a verb or one of the following grammatical units: noun, adjective, preposition, etc. Technically, stress might concern more than one syllable, and a sentence or word may get a primary—as well as a secondary—stress. For the sake of simplicity, here only primary stress is discussed.

NOTE: In the following discussions, ^| = stress.

1. In nouns, adjectives, prepositions, adverbs, etc., the stress is invariably on the last syllable of the word, for example, [tag resources Stress_1-07a]خانه[/tag] xāneˈ ‘house, home,’ [tag resources Stress_1-07b]مدرسه[/tag]madreseˈ ‘school,’ [tag resources Stress_1-07c]بزرگ[/tag] bozoˈrg ‘big, great,’ [tag resources Stress_1-08a]خراب[/tag]xarāˈb ‘broken, dysfunctional,’ [tag resources Stress_1-08b]از[/tag]aˈz ‘of, from,’ [tag resources Stress_1-08c]با[/tag]bā ‘with’ (in monosyllabic words the vowel takes the stress, anyway), [tag resources Stress_1-08d]بالا[/tag]bālāˈ ‘up, over, above,’ [tag resources Stress_1-09a]پایین[/tag]pāyiˈn ‘down, below.’If an enclitic is added at the end of any of these words, the stress remains on the word, for example, [tag resources Stress_1-12a]خانه ام[/tag]
   xāne ˈ- am ‘my house,’ [tag resources Stress_1-12b]کتابی[/tag] ketāˈbi‘a book,’ [tag resources Stress_1-12c]حسن را دیدم[/tag]hasaˈn rā diˈdam ‘I saw Hasan,’
   [tag resources Stress_1-13a]کشور ایران[/tag] kešvaˈr-e irāˈn‘(the country of) Iran’ (this form does not exist in English; but it may be compared with “the city of Berkeley” vs. “Berkeley”).

   If a suffix is added, the suffix takes the stress, for example, [tag resources Stress_1-14a]حیوان خانگی[/tag] heyvāˈn-e xāne-giˈ ‘a house pet,’ [tag resources Stress_1-15a]نصیحت پدرانه[/tag] nasihaˈt-e pedarāneˈ ‘a fatherly advice,’ [tag resources Stress_1-15b]آبشارها[/tag] ābšār hāˈ ‘(the) waterfalls,’ [tag resources Stress_1-16a]درختان[/tag]da/eraxtā ˈn ‘trees.’

2. In verbs, the infinitives of all forms (simple, complex, compound) the stress is on the last syllable, for example,[tag resources Stress_1-21a]دیدن [/tag]dīdaˈn ‘to see,’ [tag resources Stress_1-21b]رفتن[/tag]raftaˈn ‘to go,’[tag resources Stress_1-21c] برداشتن [/tag]bar.dāštaˈn ‘to pick up,’ [tag resources Stress_1-21d]گوش دادن [/tag]guš dādaˈn or [tag resources Stress_1-22a]گوش کردن [/tag] guš kardaˈn‘to listen.’ The[tag resources Stress_1-23a] می [/tag] mī particle takes the stress, for example, [tag resources Stress_1-23b]می روم [/tag]mīˈ ravam ‘I go,’ [tag resources Stress_1-23c] می رفت[/tag] mīˈ raft ‘(s)he, it was going, used to go.’

   In the progressive variation with the auxiliary verb [tag resources Stress_1-25a] داشتن[/tag]dāštan, still [mī] takes the stress, for example,[tag resources Stress_1-26a] دارم می روم[/tag]dāram mīˈ ravam ‘I am going,’ [tag resources Stress_1-26b]داشتم می رفتم[/tag] dāštam mīˈ raftam ‘I was going.’

   The negative/preventive [tag resources Stress_1-27a] ﻨﹶ[/tag]na– prefix takes the stress, for example,[tag resources Stress_1-27b] نمی روم [/tag]naˈmī ravam ‘I do not go,’ [tag resources Stress_1-28a]نمی رفت[/tag]naˈ mī raft ‘(s)he, it was not going, was not used to go, used not to go’; [tag resources Stress_1-28b]!نرو [/tag]naˈro ‘don’t go!’.

   The imperative/subjunctive prefix [tag resources Stress_1-30a] ﺒ[/tag]be– takes the stress, for example, [tag resources Stress_1-30b] !بگو[/tag]beˈgū! ‘say! tell!’;[tag resources Stress_1-31a] باید بروم [/tag]bāyad beˈravam ‘I must go.’

   In the past tense, the stress is on the vowel of the last syllable of the verbal stem, for example, [tag resources Stress_1-33a] رفتم[/tag]raˈftam ‘I went,’ [tag resources Stress_1-33b]برگشتم[/tag]bargaˈštam ‘I returned.’

   In compound verbs the stress is invariably on the last syllable of the non-verbal element of the compound, for example, [tag resources Stress_1-35a] !پاشو[/tag]pāˈ šo ‘get up!’ [tag resources Stress_1-35b] لازم دارم[/tag]lāzeˈm dāram ‘I need,’ [tag resources Stress_1-36a]ساعتم خراب شد [/tag]sā’atam xarāˈb šod ‘my watch got broken,’ [tag resources Stress_1-36b]زمین خوردم [/tag]zamīˈn xordam ‘I fell (down).’

   In the present and past perfect the past participle takes the stress, for example, [tag resources Stress_1-44a]رفته ام [/tag]rafteˈam ‘I have gone,’ [tag resources Stress_1-45a]رفته بودم [/tag]rafteˈ budam ‘I had gone’; [tag resources Stress_1-41a] مدرسه را بسته اند، اما می شود از کتابخانه اش استفاده کرد [/tag]madrese rā basteˈ and, ammā mī šavad az ketābxāne-aš estefāde kard ‘they have closed the school, but it is still possible to use its library’; [tag resources Stress_1-39a] خانه را خراب کرده بودند، اما هنوز هم قابل استفاده بود[/tag]xāne rā xarāˈb karde būdand, ammā hanūz ham qābel-e estefāde būd ‘they had ruined the house, but it was still useful.’

   In the classic/formal variation of the future tense, the auxiliary verb [tag resources Stress_1-46a]خواستن[/tag]xāstaˈn takes the stress on its last syllable, for example, [tag resources Stress_1-47a]خواهم رفت [/tag]xāhaˈm raft ‘I shall go,’ [tag resources Stress_1-47b]خواهید آمد[/tag]xāhīˈd āmad plural, ‘you will come.’ (With a stronger stress [as in “I definitely will…”] definitiveness and inevitability is expressed, for example, [tag resources Stress_1-48a] خواهید آمد[/tag]xāhiˈˈd āmad ‘you shall (definitely) come,’ [tag resources Stress_1-49a]خواهیم آمد [/tag]xāhīˈˈm āmad ‘we will positively come.’