The Present Tense

Remember that all infinitives end either in دن- or تن-, and that each has a stem which can be used to form tenses.

There are no strict rules for the formation of the present stem. It has to be learned together with the individual infinitives. Almost all infinitives ending in تن- are irregular.

Among those with دن-, there are a number of infinitives which form the present stem by omitting the suffix. These ones are considered as regular and therefore not additionally mentioned in dictionaries.

Infinitives ending in -idan, with a few exceptions, form the present stem regularly.

The present corresponds in Persian both to the English present simple and present progressive. It can refer to the future as well.

For the present tense, add می before the verb's stem, and then add the respective personal ending: The prefix می carries the stress. According to orthographical rules it is to be written separately, although it is often joined as well.

If the present stem ends in a vowel, the glide ی is inserted before the ending to bridge the two vowels next to each other. (The sound sequence یی is often written as ءی as well.) If the present stem begins with a vowel, the ی is not inserted, indicating that a glottal plosive exists before it. If the present stem ends in و (ow), this dipthong changes to و (av).

The negative is formed in the present with the addition of the prefix -ن. The negative prefix always carries the stress. In cases where the prefix می is missing (as with داشتن), it is pronounced na-. (This is the original pronunciation and is still common in some regions, even in cases where the prefix می is used.) For instance: It is also important to note that the verb داشتن (to have) does not take the prefix می when forming the present tense. Therefore: