Farsi Lesson 99 – Might + Have + Past Participle in Persian

/Sala:m beh hæmegi/!! (Hello everyone!)

Did you survive my lullaby song? /Khoda ra: shokr/! (Thanks God!)

Actually, I want to thank you for your compliments on this song. I didn’t know your taste is so bad! Anyway, thank you very much for all your praise. Be honest with me, did you really mean it or you just wanted to make me happy?!! (A close friend told me compliments do not need to be always true!!)

Before we start today, I have got something to share with you. I appreciate your efforts. I am happy that many of you have found this site a suitable place to express themselves.

As you probably know, Hafez, our greatest Persian poet, lived some eight hundred years ago. Fortunately, his work and idea are still alive among people of different nations. A nice guy from New Zealand has been touched by Hafez. He has sent me the following message. I hope such works will be your inspiration for your creativity.

Here is the message:

Dear Hussan,

I went to read Hafez, and do like the wisdom/insights, I read in Nahmeh, although not the way translation, seeking  English meter (?ryhme) seemed to render clumbsily, some of  his sentiments. (But I can only read basic Farsi so perhaps I speak as the “be savid” ? right word for ignorant persons. Certainly I am not well-learned anyway! :)

So here is what Hafez said, “One for his work, may pick up the sword, another’s business only deals with the word” from this  inspiration, I constructed this poem…

One in search of freedom wields a sword,
Which so unkindly flings the bearer forward;
To certain death in fields of tears and blood,
There to drown, yet thirst within the flood.

Another labours to produce a word,
To bring to mind what war would leave unheard,
Yet kings may choose to leave these texts unread,
Scorning missives history begs be said.

Then when the bearer’s song fades in the dark,
Like petulant children they cry,  Come back lark!
Come back and bring the summer: take this night!
So we can bask again in innocent Light.

Oh Hussan do you like it at all? It is all my own work except Hafiz inspired it with one line of his! I suppose he did not have enough time to say everything that could be said.

I do not know which is the summer bird of Iran though, so I made an alternative ending, in case parastou is more correct to herald summer for Iran ? It is..

Then when the bearer’s song fades in the night,
Like petulant children we all crave the Light,
Everyone, though stumbling, tries to follow,
Crying, Come back Spring and come back joyful little Swallow.

I do not know much about birds ? orthinology, so perhaps a Swallow is a lark? But anyway I hope I keep this good sentiment of Hafez alive, by giving birth to it in a new way.

I hope you are well and prosper in good spirits! I leave you in peace. Khoda Hafez, your grateful student, Debby.

You may reach Debby at [email protected]

All right,

Today we have one more structure on what we learned during the past couple of lessons.

I still remember we had an English teacher who almost killed himself to teach us concepts such as ‘possibilities’ in English; and of course in vain! Until now, I am not sure which ‘possible’ is more ‘possible’ than the other possible!! Or which possibilities are less possible than other possibilities!!

I am telling you this because of two reasons:

1- To show the native English the difficulties we have gone through to learn their language! Now, it is your turn to experience some of them! (You know that I have made your job much easier because A: I love you all; B: I don’t like my teacher’s system although I love and respect him a lot)

2- What seems easy in your local language maybe very difficult to other people. Conclusion: look at everything you have (in this case, your language) from a different person’s point of view.

My poor teacher! “No, you have made the same mistake!” he would tell us this sentence almost every week, “’Might’ shows a weaker possibility than ‘May’”. Apparently, he was not very happy with us.

Today, it’s my turn to follow my teacher! But for sure, I am not going through the tough time my teacher had with us! You and I are both lucky! I cannot see you and you cannot reach me! (Have you seen this cartoon: The Tortoise and the Hare?! So, You’ll never touch me!!)

Let me give you some examples:

1- I might have told you.

2- You might have seen her.

3- They might have gone.

That’s right! This is the structure we want to learn today.

Let me simplify your job.

For all kinds of possibilities in English, use /sha:yæd/ in Persian. Of course, we have some other words. But, this is the easiest and the most common one. You may use it under your invisible teacher’s guarantee!

As you see in this structure, we have a kind of Present Perfect Tense (Have told – Have seen – Have gone)

All you need to do with the Present Perfect Tense in this structure is to follow the pattern below:

I have told = /gofteh ba:shæm/

You have told = /gofteh ba:shi/

She/he/it has told = /gofteh ba:shæd/

We have told = /gofteh ba:shim/

You have told = /gofteh ba:shid/

They have told = /gofteh ba:shænd/

Did you get it? The first part of the main verb is unchanged ( gofteh).

The same is true with other verbs.

You have 40 seconds to try these two in the same way: Have seen – Have gone

Finished? Not sure? Let me help you.

I have seen = /dideh ba:shæm/

You have seen = /dideh ba:shi/

She/he/it has seen = /dideh ba:shæd/

(You continue)

I have gone = /ræfteh ba:shæm/

You have gone = /ræfteh ba:shi/

She/he/it has gone = /ræfteh ba:shæd/

(You continue)

BIG NOTE: In this structure we translate Present Perfect Tense like this.

Was it really difficult? Of course it was! (I mean for me to teach!)

All right, the job is done!

Put the word /sha:yæd/ in the beginning of the above phrases. Finished! (That’s why this site is called Easy Persian!!)

Result:

1- I might have told you = /sha:yæd beh shoma: gofteh ba:shæm/.

2- You might have seen her = /sha:yæd u: ra: dideh ba:shi/.

3- They might have gone = /sha:yæd ræfteh ba:shænd/.

All right,

Please do the quiz first. Then go to Useful Drills page to do your homework.

Khoda Hafez!

Quiz:

1- Listen to the audio files first (preferably once). Repeat it for a couple of times. Write it down on a paper. Find their English equivalents. (Seen)

One

Two

Three

2- Find the Persian equivalent for the following words and make four sentences with each of them (in different tenses).

Spring

Summer

Autumn

Winter

3- Say these numbers in Persian:

11 – 111 – 211 – 112 – 191 – 119 – 141 – 411 – 114

4- Follow the examples, combine the letters, and make words using the given letters. You’ll have to change the big letters into the small ones whenever needed.

Friend <= /du:st/ < ==

Book <= /keta:b/ < ==

Farvardin

Khordad

Aban

Mehr

Esfand

See you next week!

Lesson 99

• Let’s Write 99
• Useful Drills 99