The English word "it" is one of the most fundamental pronouns in the language, and understanding its Persian equivalents is essential for effective communication. In Persian, "it" is primarily translated as آن (ān) when referring to something distant or previously mentioned, and این (in) when referring to something near or being introduced. Unlike English, which uses a single form regardless of distance or context, Persian makes this important distinction.
Definition: "It" is a third-person singular neuter pronoun used to refer to things, animals, situations, or ideas without specifying gender. In Persian, this concept is expressed through demonstrative pronouns that also indicate proximity.
Q: What does "it" mean in Persian? A: "It" in Persian is expressed as آن (ān) for distant objects or این (in) for near objects. Persian doesn't have a direct equivalent of the English neuter pronoun "it" but uses demonstrative pronouns instead.
Throughout this lesson, you'll encounter "it" in various contexts and sentence positions. We'll explore how Persian handles this pronoun differently from English, including: -
Subject position (It is beautiful) -
Object position (I see it) -
With linking verbs (It seems difficult) -
In weather expressions (It is raining) -
As a dummy subject (It is important to study)
Course: Persian for English Speakers Level: Beginner to Intermediate Topic: Pronouns - "it" Learning Objectives: -
Understand the Persian equivalents of "it" -
Learn when to use آن vs این -
Master Persian sentence structures involving these pronouns -
Recognize cultural and grammatical differences
-
Persian uses demonstrative pronouns (آن/این) instead of a neuter pronoun -
Distance and context determine which form to use -
Persian often omits the pronoun when the subject is clear -
Weather and time expressions have unique patterns -
Word order flexibility allows for emphasis and style variations
10.1 It آن (ān) is است (ast) a یک (yek) beautiful زیبا (zibā) day روز (ruz) today امروز (emruz)
10.2 The - cat گربه (gorbe) drank نوشید (nushid) it آنرا (ān-rā) quickly سریع (sari')
10.3 Is آیا (āyā) it این (in) your تو (to) book کتاب (ketāb)?
10.4 She او (u) said گفت (goft) it آن (ān) was بود (bud) difficult دشوار (doshvār)
10.5 It - rains باران (bārān) میبارد (mi-bārad) often اغلب (aghlab) here اینجا (injā)
10.6 Take بردار (bardār) it آنرا (ān-rā) with با (bā) you خودت (khodat)
10.7 When وقتی (vaghti) it آن (ān) arrives برسد (beresad), tell بگو (begu) me بهمن (be-man)
10.8 It این (in) seems بهنظر (be-nazar) میرسد (mi-resad) impossible غیرممکن (gheyr-e-momken)
10.9 The - child بچه (bachche) found پیداکرد (peydā-kard) it آنرا (ān-rā) under زیر (zir) the - table میز (miz)
10.10 It - is - important مهم (mohem) است (ast) to که (ke) learn یادبگیریم (yād-begirim)
10.11 They آنها (ānhā) painted رنگکردند (rang-kardand) it آنرا (ān-rā) blue آبی (ābi)
10.12 It آن (ān) became شد (shod) dark تاریک (tārik) suddenly ناگهان (nāgahān)
10.13 Where کجا (kojā) is است (ast) it آن (ān) now حالا (hālā)?
10.14 It - takes - time وقت (vaght) میبرد (mi-barad) to تا (tā) understand بفهمیم (befahmim)
10.15 Without بدون (bedun-e) it آن (ān), nothing هیچچیز (hich-chiz) works کارنمیکند (kār-nemi-konad)
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10.1 آن یک روز زیبای امروز است. It is a beautiful day today.
10.2 گربه آنرا سریع نوشید. The cat drank it quickly.
10.3 آیا این کتاب توست؟ Is it your book?
10.4 او گفت آن دشوار بود. She said it was difficult.
10.5 اینجا اغلب باران میبارد. It rains often here.
10.6 آنرا با خودت ببر. Take it with you.
10.7 وقتی آن برسد، به من بگو. When it arrives, tell me.
10.8 این غیرممکن به نظر میرسد. It seems impossible.
10.9 بچه آنرا زیر میز پیدا کرد. The child found it under the table.
10.10 مهم است که یاد بگیریم. It is important to learn.
10.11 آنها آنرا آبی رنگ کردند. They painted it blue.
10.12 ناگهان تاریک شد. It became dark suddenly.
10.13 آن حالا کجاست؟ Where is it now?
10.14 وقت میبرد تا بفهمیم. It takes time to understand.
10.15 بدون آن، هیچ چیز کار نمیکند. Without it, nothing works.
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10.1 آن یک روز زیبای امروز است.
10.2 گربه آنرا سریع نوشید.
10.3 آیا این کتاب توست؟
10.4 او گفت آن دشوار بود.
10.5 اینجا اغلب باران میبارد.
10.6 آنرا با خودت ببر.
10.7 وقتی آن برسد، به من بگو.
10.8 این غیرممکن به نظر میرسد.
10.9 بچه آنرا زیر میز پیدا کرد.
10.10 مهم است که یاد بگیریم.
10.11 آنها آنرا آبی رنگ کردند.
10.12 ناگهان تاریک شد.
10.13 آن حالا کجاست؟
10.14 وقت میبرد تا بفهمیم.
10.15 بدون آن، هیچ چیز کار نمیکند.
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The English pronoun "it" doesn't have a direct equivalent in Persian. Instead, Persian uses demonstrative pronouns and often omits the pronoun entirely when the context is clear.
Primary Forms: -
آن (ān) - "that/it" (for distant or previously mentioned items) -
این (in) - "this/it" (for near or newly introduced items)
Object Marker: When "it" is a direct object, Persian adds the suffix را (-rā): -
آنرا (ān-rā) - "it" as direct object -
اینرا (in-rā) - "this" as direct object
Subject Omission: Persian frequently drops the subject pronoun when it's clear from context: -
"It is cold" = سرد است (sard ast) - literally "cold is" -
"It seems good" = خوب به نظر میرسد (khub be nazar mi-resad)
-
Overusing pronouns: English speakers often include آن/این where Persian would omit it -
Wrong: آن باران میبارد (ān bārān mi-bārad) -
Right: باران میبارد (bārān mi-bārad) - "It's raining" -
Forgetting را with direct objects: -
Wrong: من آن دیدم (man ān didam) -
Right: من آنرا دیدم (man ān-rā didam) - "I saw it" -
Using wrong demonstrative: -
این for immediate/visible things -
آن for distant/abstract things -
Word order confusion: Persian is more flexible than English -
آنرا دیدم (ān-rā didam) - "I saw it" (pronoun dropped) -
من آنرا دیدم (man ān-rā didam) - "I saw it" (emphasis on "I")
-
Identify the function: Is "it" a subject, object, or dummy pronoun? -
Consider proximity: Is the referent near (این) or far (آن)? -
Check for direct object: Add را if needed -
Evaluate omission: Can the pronoun be dropped without losing clarity? -
Adjust word order: Place emphasis where needed
Subject position: آن/این + verb (often omitted) Object position: آنرا/اینرا After prepositions: از آن (az ān), با آن (bā ān) Possessive: آن (ān) + noun (its book = کتاب آن) Weather/time: No pronoun needed (باران میبارد)
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Persian culture and language reflect a different conceptualization of pronouns compared to English. The absence of a direct equivalent to "it" reveals several cultural and linguistic features:
Contextual Communication: Persian speakers rely heavily on context, making explicit pronouns less necessary. This reflects a high-context culture where shared understanding is assumed.
Distance Sensitivity: The distinction between این (near) and آن (far) shows Persian's attention to spatial and temporal relationships, reflecting cultural awareness of proximity and distance in social interactions.
Animate/Inanimate Distinction: Unlike English, Persian doesn't distinguish between "he/she/it" based on gender or animacy. This creates a more unified approach to third-person reference.
Poetic Flexibility: The ability to omit pronouns allows for more poetic and flowing expression, highly valued in Persian literature and everyday speech.
Formal vs. Informal: In formal Persian, pronouns may be retained for clarity, while informal speech drops them liberally, showing social register awareness.
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From Sohrab Sepehri's "آب را گل نکنیم" (Let's Not Muddy the Water):
Let's بیا (biyā) not - muddy گل (gel) نکنیم (nakonim) the - water آب (āb) را (rā): Perhaps شاید (shāyad) a یک (yek) dove کبوتری (kabutari) has - descended فرود (forud) آمده (āmade) to که (ke) drink بنوشد (benushad). Or یا (yā) in در (dar) the - thicket بیشه (bishe), a یک (yek) finch سهرهای (sohre-i) is دارد (dārad) washing - its خود (khod) را (rā) میشوید (mi-shuyad).
آب را گل نکنیم: شاید کبوتری فرود آمده که بنوشد. یا در بیشه، سهرهای دارد خود را میشوید.
Let's not muddy the water: Perhaps a dove has descended to drink. Or in the thicket, a finch is washing itself.
آب را گل نکنیم: شاید کبوتری فرود آمده که بنوشد. یا در بیشه، سهرهای دارد خود را میشوید.
This excerpt demonstrates several uses of pronouns and pronoun omission: -
را as object marker: "آب را" (the water - as direct object) -
Pronoun omission: The subject "we" is implied in "نکنیم" (let's not do) -
خود: Reflexive pronoun meaning "itself/himself/herself" -
Poetic word order: The natural flow places emphasis on the action -
که: Functions as "to" (in order to) rather than "that"
The poem shows how Persian achieves elegance through minimal pronoun use, letting verbs and context carry meaning.
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10.16 It آن (ān) connects وصل (vasl) میکند (mi-konad) to به (be) the - internet اینترنت (internet) automatically خودکار (khodkār)
10.17 Click کلیککن (click-kon) it آنرا (ān-rā) twice دوبار (do-bār) to تا (tā) open بازشود (bāz-shavad) the - file فایل (file)
10.18 It این (in) requires نیاز (niyāz) دارد (dārad) a یک (yek) password رمزعبور (ramz-obur) to برای (barāye) access دسترسی (dastresi)
10.19 When وقتی (vaghti) it آن (ān) crashes خراب (kharāb) میشود (mi-shavad), restart دوباره (dobāre) راهاندازیکن (rāh-andāzi-kon) the - system سیستم (system)
10.20 It - downloads دانلود (download) میکند (mi-konad) files فایلها (file-hā) quickly سریع (sari') with با (bā) this این (in) connection اتصال (ettesāl)
10.21 Save ذخیرهکن (zakhire-kon) it آنرا (ān-rā) before قبلاز (ghabl-az) closing بستن (bastan) the - program برنامه (barnāme)
10.22 It این (in) uses استفاده (estefāde) میکند (mi-konad) artificial هوش (hush) intelligence مصنوعی (masnu'i) for برای (barāye) translation ترجمه (tarjome)
10.23 The - app اپلیکیشن (application) updated بهروزشد (be-ruz-shod) it خودش (khodash) automatically خودکار (khodkār) yesterday دیروز (diruz)
10.24 It آن (ān) stores ذخیره (zakhire) میکند (mi-konad) data دادهها (dāde-hā) in در (dar) the - cloud ابر (abr)
10.25 Install نصبکن (nasb-kon) it آنرا (ān-rā) on روی (ru-ye) your - device دستگاهت (dastgāh-at) first اول (avval)
10.26 It - needs نیاز (niyāz) دارد (dārad) charging شارژ (shārzh) every هر (har) night شب (shab)
10.27 When هنگامیکه (hengāmi-ke) it آن (ān) freezes هنگ (hang) میکند (mi-konad), force اجباری (ejbāri) quit ببند (beband)
10.28 It این (in) recognizes تشخیص (tashkhis) میدهد (mi-dahad) your - voice صدایترا (sedāyat-rā) accurately دقیق (daghigh)
10.29 Update بهروزرسانیکن (be-ruz-resāni-kon) it آنرا (ān-rā) regularly منظم (monazzam) for برای (barāye) security امنیت (amniyat)
10.30 It آن (ān) synchronizes همگامسازی (hamgām-sāzi) میکند (mi-konad) across درسراسر (dar-sarāsar) all همه (hame) devices دستگاهها (dastgāh-hā)
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10.16 آن خودکار به اینترنت وصل میکند. It connects to the internet automatically.
10.17 آنرا دوبار کلیک کن تا فایل باز شود. Click it twice to open the file.
10.18 این نیاز به یک رمزعبور برای دسترسی دارد. It requires a password to access.
10.19 وقتی آن خراب میشود، سیستم را دوباره راهاندازی کن. When it crashes, restart the system.
10.20 با این اتصال سریع فایلها را دانلود میکند. It downloads files quickly with this connection.
10.21 آنرا قبل از بستن برنامه ذخیره کن. Save it before closing the program.
10.22 این از هوش مصنوعی برای ترجمه استفاده میکند. It uses artificial intelligence for translation.
10.23 اپلیکیشن دیروز خودش را خودکار بهروز کرد. The app updated itself automatically yesterday.
10.24 آن دادهها را در ابر ذخیره میکند. It stores data in the cloud.
10.25 اول آنرا روی دستگاهت نصب کن. Install it on your device first.
10.26 هر شب نیاز به شارژ دارد. It needs charging every night.
10.27 هنگامی که آن هنگ میکند، اجباری ببند. When it freezes, force quit.
10.28 این صدایت را دقیق تشخیص میدهد. It recognizes your voice accurately.
10.29 آنرا منظم برای امنیت بهروزرسانی کن. Update it regularly for security.
10.30 آن در سراسر همه دستگاهها همگامسازی میکند. It synchronizes across all devices.
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10.16 آن خودکار به اینترنت وصل میکند.
10.17 آنرا دوبار کلیک کن تا فایل باز شود.
10.18 این نیاز به یک رمزعبور برای دسترسی دارد.
10.19 وقتی آن خراب میشود، سیستم را دوباره راهاندازی کن.
10.20 با این اتصال سریع فایلها را دانلود میکند.
10.21 آنرا قبل از بستن برنامه ذخیره کن.
10.22 این از هوش مصنوعی برای ترجمه استفاده میکند.
10.23 اپلیکیشن دیروز خودش را خودکار بهروز کرد.
10.24 آن دادهها را در ابر ذخیره میکند.
10.25 اول آنرا روی دستگاهت نصب کن.
10.26 هر شب نیاز به شارژ دارد.
10.27 هنگامی که آن هنگ میکند، اجباری ببند.
10.28 این صدایت را دقیق تشخیص میدهد.
10.29 آنرا منظم برای امنیت بهروزرسانی کن.
10.30 آن در سراسر همه دستگاهها همگامسازی میکند.
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Borrowed Terms: Many technology terms in Persian are borrowed from English but follow Persian grammar: -
فایل (file) + را = فایلرا (the file as object) -
اپلیکیشن (application) takes Persian verb conjugations
Compound Verbs: Technology actions often use compound verbs: -
دانلود کردن (download doing) = to download -
کلیک کردن (click doing) = to click -
نصب کردن (install doing) = to install
Reflexive Usage: -
خودش (khodash) = itself (automated actions) -
خودکار (khodkār) = automatic(ally)
Object Pronoun Attachment: In tech contexts, را often attaches directly: -
صدایترا (your voice-را) as one unit -
آنرا (it-را) written together
Common Technology Patterns: -
Device/software as implicit subject (pronoun dropped) -
Imperative forms for instructions -
Present tense for habitual actions -
Subjunctive for purpose clauses (تا باز شود)
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This lesson is part of a comprehensive language learning series developed by the Latinum Institute, designed specifically for autodidacts learning through the construed text method. This pedagogical approach, refined since 2006, breaks down target language texts into their smallest meaningful components, allowing learners to build understanding systematically.
The method employed in these lessons draws from classical language pedagogy, where each word is glossed individually to create a clear correspondence between source and target languages. This granular approach, as demonstrated in the detailed interlinear texts of Section A, enables learners to: -
Build vocabulary naturally through repeated exposure -
Understand grammatical structures through pattern recognition -
Develop reading fluency without constant dictionary consultation -
Learn authentic language use through literary excerpts
Curator Evan der Millner BA MA (Cantab. NZ, London) has been creating online language learning materials since 2006, bringing classical pedagogy into the digital age. The Latinum Institute's approach emphasizes: -
Complete, untruncated lessons suitable for immediate self-study -
Progressive difficulty from basic sentences to complex literary texts -
Cultural context integrated with language learning -
Multiple learning modalities (interlinear, parallel text, grammar explanations) -
Genre variety to expose learners to different registers and contexts
These lessons are particularly valuable for: -
Self-directed learners who prefer structured materials -
Those with experience in classical languages -
Learners who appreciate detailed grammatical explanations -
Students seeking authentic literary and cultural content
For more information about the method and additional resources, visit: -
Method explanation: https://latinum.substack.com/p/method -
Main website: https://latinum.org.uk -
Reviews: https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/latinum.org.uk
Access the complete course index and additional lessons at: https://latinum.substack.com/p/index
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