{"id":105,"date":"2008-07-03T11:57:12","date_gmt":"2008-07-03T16:57:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.la.utexas.edu\/persian_online_resources\/?page_id=105"},"modified":"2009-03-28T20:12:16","modified_gmt":"2009-03-29T02:12:16","slug":"sgl-verb-for-pl-inanimate","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.la.utexas.edu\/persian_online_resources\/verbs\/sgl-verb-for-pl-inanimate\/","title":{"rendered":"Inanimate Plurals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although there is always agreement between the subject of the sentence and the verb in Persian, a rather peculiar characteristic is that under normal circumstances, if the subject is inanimate<\/strong>, a singular verb \u201cto be\u201d or \u201cto become\u201d is used even with a plural<\/strong> subject.<\/p>\n

Compare and contrast these examples with English:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
This man is great\/big.<\/td>\nin mard bozorg ast<\/em><\/td>\n[tag resources inanimateplurals_01]\u0627\u06cc\u0646 \u0645\u0631\u062f \u0628\u0632\u0631\u06af \u0627\u0633\u062a[\/tag]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
These men are great\/big.<\/td>\nin mardh\u0101 (mard\u0101n) bozorg hastand<\/em><\/td>\n[tag resources inanimateplurals_02]\u0627\u06cc\u0646 \u0645\u0631\u062f\u0647\u0627 (\u0645\u0631\u062f\u0627\u0646) \u0628\u0632\u0631\u06af \u0647\u0633\u062a\u0646\u062f[\/tag]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
This table is big\/large.<\/td>\nin miz bozorg ast<\/em><\/td>\n[tag resources inanimateplurals_03]\u0627\u06cc\u0646 \u0645\u06cc\u0632 \u0628\u0632\u0631\u06af \u0627\u0633\u062a[\/tag]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
These tables are big\/large.<\/td>\nin miz h\u0101 bozorg ast<\/em><\/td>\n[tag resources inanimateplurals_04]\u0627\u06cc\u0646 \u0645\u06cc\u0632\u0647\u0627 \u0628\u0632\u0631\u06af \u0627\u0633\u062a[\/tag]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The clocks were broken.<\/td>\ns\u0101\u2019at h\u0101 xar\u0101b \u0161od<\/em><\/td>\n[tag resources inanimateplurals_05]\u0633\u0627\u0639\u062a\u0647\u0627 \u062e\u0631\u0627\u0628 \u0634\u062f[\/tag]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

There are exceptions, however. For instance, if the words \u0634\u0647\u0631 \u0161\u0101hr<\/em> \u2018city\u2019, \u06a9\u0634\u0648\u0631 ke\u0161var <\/em>\u2018country\u2019, etc. are specified by the addition of the demonstrative adjectives \u0627\u06cc\u0646 \u2018this\u2019 and \u0622\u0646 \u2018that\u2019, then a plural verb is used with the plural subject.<\/p>\n

Compare and contrast the following sentences:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
There were some large cities there.<\/td>\n\u0161ahr h\u0101-ye bozorgi dar \u0101nj\u0101 bud<\/em><\/td>\n[tag resources inanimateplurals_06]\u0634\u0647\u0631\u0647\u0627\u06cc \u0628\u0632\u0631\u06af\u06cc \u062f\u0631 \u0622\u0646\u062c\u0627 \u0628\u0648\u062f[\/tag]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Those countries are very old\/ancient.<\/td>\n\u0101n keshvar h\u0101 xeyli qadimi hastand<\/em><\/td>\n[tag resources inanimateplurals_07]\u0622\u0646 \u06a9\u0634\u0648\u0631\u0647\u0627 \u062e\u06cc\u0644\u06cc \u0642\u062f\u06cc\u0645\u06cc \u0647\u0633\u062a\u0646\u062f[\/tag]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The rule stays constant with the negative, that is, \u201cnot to be\u201d, \u201cdid not become\u201d, as well:<\/p>\n

[tag resources inanimateplurals_08]\u06af\u0627\u0648\u0647\u0627\u06cc \u0627\u06cc\u0646 \u062f\u0647 \u062e\u06cc\u0644\u06cc \u0628\u0632\u0631\u06af \u0646\u06cc\u0633\u062a\u0646\u062f[\/tag]
\ng\u0101v h\u0101-ye in deh xeyli| bozorg nistand<\/em>
\n\u201cThe cows in this village are not really too big.\u201d<\/h5>\n
[tag resources inanimateplurals_09]\u0627\u06cc\u0646 \u06a9\u062a\u0627\u0628 \u0647\u0627 \u0645\u0627\u0644 \u0645\u0646 \u0646\u06cc\u0633\u062a[\/tag]
\nin ket\u0101b h\u0101 m\u0101l-e man nist!<\/em>
\n\u201c[but] These books are not mine!\u201d<\/h5>\n
[tag resources inanimateplurals_10]\u06a9\u0627\u0631\u0647\u0627\u06cc \u0645\u0627 \u062f\u0631\u0633\u062a \u0646\u0634\u062f[\/tag]
\nk\u0101r h\u0101-ye m\u0101 dorost na\u0161od<\/em>
\n\u201cOur affairs did not result favorably.\u201d<\/h5>\n

In colloquial Persian usually the verb agrees with the inanimate subject, if the subject is kinetic and an adjective defines it. Compare and contrast the following sentences:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
These tables are very big\/large.<\/td>\nin miz h\u0101 xeyli bozorge<\/em><\/td>\n[tag resources inanimateplurals_11]\u0627\u06cc\u0646 \u0645\u06cc\u0632\u0647\u0627 \u062e\u06cc\u0644\u06cc \u0628\u0632\u0631\u06af\u0647[\/tag]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
These airplanes are very beautiful.<\/td>\nin hav\u0101peym\u0101 h\u0101 xeyli qa\u0161angan<\/em><\/td>\n[tag resources inanimateplurals_12]\u0627\u06cc\u0646 \u0647\u0648\u0627\u067e\u06cc\u0645\u0627\u0647\u0627 \u062e\u06cc\u0644\u06cc \u0642\u0634\u0646\u06af\u0646[\/tag]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
These trains are not made here.<\/td>\nin qat\u0101r\u0101 saxt-e inj\u0101 niss<\/em><\/td>\n[tag resources inanimateplurals_13]\u0627\u06cc\u0646 \u0642\u0637\u0627\u0631\u0627 \u0633\u0627\u062e\u062a \u0627\u06cc\u0646\u062c\u0627 \u0646\u06cc\u0633[\/tag]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

In the Persian culture, \u201ctrees\u201d are revered and treated as animate beings. For instance, while the plural suffix [-\u0101n] is only for animate nouns (next to [h\u0101]), it is exceptionally used with the word \u062f\u0631\u062e\u062a deraxt<\/em> \u2018tree\u2019 as well: \u0645\u0631\u062f\u0647\u0627 \/ \u0645\u0631\u062f\u0627\u0646, \u0632\u0646 \u0647\u0627 \/ \u0632\u0646\u0627\u0646, \u062f\u0631\u062e\u062a \u0647\u0627 \/ \u062f\u0631\u062e\u062a\u0627\u0646; while, for instance, we have \u06af\u0644 \u0647\u0627, but never \u06af\u0644\u0627\u0646, \u0645\u06cc\u0632\u0647\u0627, but never \u0645\u06cc\u0632\u0627\u0646. Hence, in dealing with the word \u062f\u0631\u062e\u062a, although the singular verb is used occasionally, the usage of the plural verb is more common. Therefore both of the following forms are acceptable:<\/p>\n

\u0627\u06cc\u0646 \u062f\u0631\u062e\u062a \u0647\u0627 \u0642\u0634\u0646\u06af \u0627\u0633\u062a.
\n\u0627\u06cc\u0646 \u062f\u0631\u062e\u062a \u0647\u0627 \u0642\u0634\u0646\u06af \u0647\u0633\u062a\u0646\u062f.<\/h5>\n

Both of these would translate in English as, \u2018These trees are beautiful.\u2019<\/p>\n

In the past tense the same rule applies:[tag resources inanimateplurals_15]\u06a9\u0627\u0631\u0647\u0627\u06cc\u0645\u0627\u0646 \u062f\u0631\u0633\u062a \u0646\u0634\u062f.[\/tag]<\/p>\n

Many verbs follow the same rule, provided they have to do with state of being or condition, especially if the plural noun represents a unit. In the following two sentences the plural nouns \u06a9\u0627\u0631\u0647\u0627 and \u0644\u0628\u0627\u0633 \u0647\u0627 both represent a unit or a set:<\/p>\n

[tag resources inanimateplurals_16]\u06a9\u0627\u0631\u0647\u0627\u06cc\u0645\u0627\u0646 \u062e\u0648\u0628 \u067e\u06cc\u0634 \u0631\u0641\u062a[\/tag]
\nk\u0101r h\u0101yem\u0101n xub pi\u0161 raft<\/em>
\n\u201cOur affairs progressed well.\u201d<\/h5>\n
[tag resources inanimateplurals_17]\u0627\u06cc\u0646 \u0644\u0628\u0627\u0633 \u0647\u0627 \u0628\u0647 \u0634\u0645\u0627 \u0645\u06cc \u0622\u06cc\u062f[\/tag]
\nin leb\u0101s h\u0101 be \u0161om\u0101 mi \u0101yad<\/em>
\n\u201cThese clothes [you are wearing] are very becoming.\u201d<\/h5>\n

The singular Arabic loanword \u0645\u06cc\u0632\u0627\u0646 miz\u0101n <\/em>\u2018scale\u2019 is a different word. It is from the Arabic root \u0648\u0632\u0646 wazn <\/em>\u2018weight\u2019 from the verbal root wazana<\/em> \u2018to weigh\u2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Although there is always agreement between the subject of the sentence and the verb in Persian, a rather peculiar characteristic is that under normal circumstances, if the subject is inanimate, a singular verb \u201cto be\u201d or \u201cto become\u201d is used even with a plural subject. Compare and contrast these examples with English: This man is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":289,"featured_media":0,"parent":46,"menu_order":12,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-105","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.la.utexas.edu\/persian_online_resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.la.utexas.edu\/persian_online_resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.la.utexas.edu\/persian_online_resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.la.utexas.edu\/persian_online_resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/289"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.la.utexas.edu\/persian_online_resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/sites.la.utexas.edu\/persian_online_resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/105\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3180,"href":"https:\/\/sites.la.utexas.edu\/persian_online_resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/105\/revisions\/3180"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.la.utexas.edu\/persian_online_resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/46"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.la.utexas.edu\/persian_online_resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}