- ‘to be’ > ( هست hast)
and show all of the personal verb endings highlighted in red. You will be familiar with this word if you have been listening to the Audio Lessons ( 1, 2, 3, 4) that accompany this course.
to be هست
Note:
The verb ‘to be’ does not follow the normal grammatical rules.
3rd person singular (‘he is’) is not using the personal ending, but uses the word است
Not to be نیست
Note:
The verb ‘not to be’ does not follow the normal grammatical rules.3 rd person singular (‘he is not’) does not use the personal ending.
Note the difference between
هست and است
No need to stress over it - but because many keen students have asked – “What's the
difference?” - We will try to answer them:
است (derived from بودن to be ) conveys the same meaning as ' is '
Example: God’s name is Jehovah. نام خدا یهوه است
The verb هست (from the Infinitive هستن ) indicates presence & existence conveying the meaning : ' there is, exists'.
Example: There is a Bible on the table روي ميز يك كتاب مقدس هست
(As there will sometimes be exceptions to the rule the explanation given may not always be consistent with how these two words appear in every situation you encounter.)
3.1 Exercise
How do you say the following in Farsi:
YOU are (formal) ………….
He is …………..
They are not …………
We are ………
you are (informal) …………
I am not …………
It is not ………………
3.2 Exercise
Circle or highlight the personal pronoun in English that has the correct personal verbal ending written in Farsi. Perhaps use a pencil so you can do the exercise again later.
3.3 Exercise
To try Supplementary Exercise 10 click here.
To try Supplementary Exercise 11 click here.
The supplement document includes a review of the personal pronouns with the verbal endings using the sentence:
I am good, you are good in both formal & everyday speech
Expand on Exercise 3.1 by repeating the exercise & this time add the word good as used in Farsi - Step by Step Supplementary Exercise 11.