In some cases there are pauses between each adjective (indicated by placing commas between them), and the conjunction و is used only before the last adjective. The pauses (and commas) are used to prevent the redundancy of using the conjunction between all the adjectives.
[tag resources adjective_conjunctives_01]خانهٔ بزرگ، زیبا، نوساز و سفید[/tag]
xāne-ye bozorg, zibā, nowsāz va sefid
‘the big, beautiful, (and) newly-built white house’
Note that in English the conjunction is optional.
As is explained in the section dealing with determiners i.e., the indefinite enclitic ـی , this suffix may be added to the noun or the attributive adjective:
a big house | xāne-ye bozorg-i | [tag resources adjective_conjunctives_02]خانهٔ بزرگی[/tag] |
a big house | xāne-yi bozorg | [tag resources adjective_conjunctives_03]خانه ای بزرگ[/tag] |
In the addition of the indefinite enclitic to a noun modified by a chain of adjectives, the suffix is either attached to the noun or the last adjective:
[tag resources adjective_conjunctives_04]خانهٔ بزرگ، زیبا، نوساز و سفیدی[/tag]
xāne-ye bozorg, zibā, nowsāz va sefid-i
‘a big, beautiful, (and) newly-built white house’
[tag resources adjective_conjunctives_05]خانه ای بزرگ، زیبا، نوساز و سفید[/tag]
xāne-yi bozorg, zibā, nowsāz va sefid
‘a big, beautiful, (and) newly-built white house’
An adjective may also be a (part of the) predicate. In this case it does not immediately follow the noun, but immediately precedes the verb (which is normally at the end of the sentence):
[tag resources adjective_conjunctives_06]این خانه بزرگ است[/tag]
in xāne bozorg ast
“This house is big.”
[tag resources adjective_conjunctives_07]آن دانش آموز زرنگ است[/tag]
ān dāneš-āmuz zerang ast
“That student is (a) hardworking (student).”
[tag resources adjective_conjunctives_08]آن دانشجو تنبل است[/tag]
ān dānešju tambal ast
“That (college) student is (a) lazy (student).”
Note that in this context زرنگ ‘hardworking, nimble, shifty’ is used as antonymous to تنبل ‘lazy.’ These two are particularly common expressions used in regards with a hardworking or lazy student. To translate the word زرنگ as ‘clever’ (as some scholars have done) is not really accurate; although historically this word is related to another Persian word, namely, زیرک (~ Middle Persian), which does mean ‘clever, wise.’ Remember that a ‘lazy’ student may be ‘clever,’ but he or she just does not work hard enough. These two expressions have to do with this aspect of the person’s performance as a student. Moreover, one may never make the following remark:
[tag resources adjective_conjunctives_09]آن دانشجوی زرنگ تنبل است[/tag]
ān dānešju-ye zerang tanbal ast
Hoping that it would mean, ‘that clever student is lazy,’ because it does not. The only meaning is contradictorily—
“That hardworking student is lazy.”
Some compound nouns or adjectives have an adjective as one of their components. Normally, in these cases the adjective precedes the noun:
Nouns:
[tag resources adjective_conjunctives_10]پیر مرد[/tag]
pir-mard (colloquial: pir-e-mard)
‘(an/the) old man’
[tag resources adjective_conjunctives_11]ترشرو[/tag]
torš-ru
‘morose, having a sour face’
[tag resources adjective_conjunctives_12]تند خو[/tag]
tond-xu
‘hot-tempered’
[tag resources adjective_conjunctives_13]خوش زبان[/tag]
xoš-zabān
‘well-spoken, one who speaks pleasantly’
Adjectives:
[tag resources adjective_conjunctives_14]خوشحال[/tag]
xoš-hāl
‘happy’
[tag resources adjective_conjunctives_15]شکسته دل[/tag]
šekaste-del (also: del šekaste)
‘broken-hearted’
[tag resources adjective_conjunctives_16]سخت دل[/tag]
saxt-del
‘cruel, hard-hearted’
[tag resources adjective_conjunctives_17]روشن ضمیر[/tag]
rowšan-zamir
‘(an) enlightened (person)’