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Cardinal, ordinal and fractional numbers

Cardinal numbers less than 100 are written in the solid form. While the bound conjunction “o” stands for “and”, the suffix “-om” or “-omin” are used to form the ordinals depending on whether the number occurs before or after a noun:

radif e bistopanjom

=

bistopanjomin radif

the twenty-fifth row

The following table provides an overview of the structure of cardinal and ordinal numbers:

Cardinal	Cardinal	Ordinal (after a noun))	Ordinal (before a noun)
1	yek	yekom/avval/noxost	yekomin/avvalin/noxostin
2	do	dovvom	dovvomin
3	se	sevvom	sevvomin
4	câhâr	câhârom	câhâromin
5	panj	panjom	panjomin
6	ŝeŝ	ŝeŝom	ŝeŝomin
7	haft	haftom	haftomin
8	haŝt	haŝtom	haŝtomin
9	noh	nohom	nohomin
10	dah	dahom	dahomin
11	yâzdah	yâzdahom	yâzdahomin
12	davâzdah	davâzdahom	davâzdahomin
13	sizdah	sizdahom	sizdahomin
14	câhârdah	câhârdahom	câhârdahomin
15	pânzdah	pânzdahom	pânzdahomin
16	ŝânzdah	ŝânzdahom	ŝânzdahomin
17	hefdah	hefdahom	hefdahomin
18	hejdah	hejdahom	hejdahomin
19	nuzdah	nuzdahom	nuzdahomin
20	bist	bistom	bistomin
21	bistoyek	bistoyekom	bistoyekomin
	bisto………	bisto………	bisto………
30	si	siom	siomin
31	sioyek	sioyekom	sioyekomin
	sio………	sio………	sio………
40	cehel	cehelom	cehelomin
41	ceheloyek	ceheloyekom	ceheloyekomin
	cehelo………	cehelo………	cehelo………
50	panjâh	panjâhom	panjâhomin
51	panjâhoyek	panjâhoyekom	panjâhoyekomin
	panjâho………	panjâho………	panjâho………
60	ŝast	ŝastom	ŝastomin
61	ŝastoyek	ŝastoyekom	ŝastoyekomin
	ŝasto………	ŝasto………	ŝasto………
70	haftâd	haftâdom	haftâdomin
71	haftâdoyek	haftâdoyekom	haftâdoyekomin
	haftâdo………	haftâdo………	haftâdo………
80	haŝtâd	haŝtâdom	haŝtâdomin
81	haŝtâdoyek	haŝtâdoyekom	haŝtâdoyekomin
	haŝtâdo………	haŝtâdo………	haŝtâdo………
90	navad	navadom	navadomin
91	navadoyek	navadoyekom	navadoyekomin
	navado………	navado………	navado………
100	sad	sadom	sadomin
125	sad o bistopanj	sadobistopanjom	sadobistopanjomin
200	devist	devistom	devistomin
300	sisad	sisadom	sisadomin
400	câhârsad	câhârsadom	câhârsadomin
500	pânsad	pânsadom	pânsadomin
600	ŝeŝsad	ŝeŝsadom	ŝeŝsadomin
700	haftsad	haftsadom	haftsadomin
800	haŝtsad	haŝtsadom	haŝtsadomin
900	nohsad	nohsadom	nohsadomin
999	nohsad o navadonoh	nohsadonavadonohom	nohsadonavadonohomin
1.000	hezâr	hezârom	hezâromin
2.000	do hezâr	dohezârom	dohezâromin
9.000	noh hezâr	nohhezârom	nohhezâromin
1.000.000	yek milyun	yekmilyunom	yekmilyunomin
1.000.000.000	yek milyârd	yekmilyârdom	yekmilyârdomin

After the numbers 2 and 3, “vv” is inserted before “om”:

dovvom

2nd

sevvom

3th

The corresponding questions, whose answer includes a cardinal or an ordinal number, are formed ​​using cand (how many) or candom/candomin (umpteenth). Like all other ordinals numbers, candom is used before the noun, which is followed by the bound conjunction “-e”. In constrast, candomin is used after the noun:

Cand (tâ) gol dâri?	How many flowers do you have?
Se tâ.	Three.
Nasrin dar radif e candom neŝast?	In the umpteenth series die Nasrin sit?
Dar radif e panjom.	In the fifth row.
Nasrin dar candomin radif neŝast?	In the umpteenth series die Nasrin sit?
Dar panjomin radif.	In the fifth row.

However, cand can also be used with the meaning “a few”, “a couple of” or “some”:

(Man) cand (tâ) gol dâram.

I have a few flowers.

If you want to emphasize the uncertainty of a statement, you use an indefinite noun or category word, which is formed by the postposition “i”:

(Man) cand mâh i dar Tehrân mimânam.

I stay for a couple of months in Tehran.

While the numerator of a fraction is a cardinal number, the denominator is an ordinal number:

yekdovvom

1/2

dosevvom

2/3

secâhârom

3/4

In addition the following fractions are also used:

nim/nesf

1/2

sols

1/3

rob’

1/4

Counting

Depending on what category the noun is, different category words are used, whereby the category word tâ (piece) plays a special role and can almost always be used from 2 pieces on:

Category Word	Category	Example	Meaning
dast	clothes, dishes, furniture	do dast kotŝalvâr	two suits
dâne	fruit, bread, eggs	se dâne toxmemorq	three eggs
farvand	aircrafts	panj farvand havâpeymâ	five aircrafts
jeld	books	yek jeld ketâb	a book
joft	objective couples	câhâr joft kafŝ	four pairs of shoes
tan / nafar	people	haŝt tan / nafar	eight people
ra‘s	animals	do ra’s gâv	two cows
tâ	general	se tâ toxmemorq	three eggs

As you can see from the above examples, the noun stays always in singular after a category word.

Category words can be omitted:

do (farvand) havâpeymâ

two airplanes

If you omit the noun, then you have to use a category word for numbers from 2. yeki is used for 1 instead of yek:

do havâpeymâ	two airplanes	>	do tâ
se docarxe	three bikes	>	se tâ
yek nafar	one person	>	yeki

Percentages and decimals

Percentages are expressed using darsad (in hundred):

do darsad

2%

bistopanj darsad

25%

The decimal places of a decimal number are expressed in dahom (tenth), sadom (hundredths), hezârom (thousandths) …:

bistopanjsadom

0.25

bisto panjsadom

20.05

Calculations

The arithmetic operations can be expressed as follows:

3 + 5 = 8	Se be alâve / ezâfe ye panj miŝavad hasht.
8 – 3 = 5	Hasht menhâ ye se miŝavad panj.
4 × 4 = 16	cahâr (zarb) dar cahâr miŝavad shânzdah.
8 : 4 = 2	Hasht taqsim bar câhâr miŝavad do.

Instead of miŝavad (gets) you can also use barâbar ast bâ or mosâvi ‘st bâ (is equal to).

Times

Sâ’at (hour, clock) can be dropped in time expressions. Daqiqe (minute) is given only after a cardinal number. To refer to a specific time, the bound conjunction “e” is used:

(Sâ’at e) do qazâ mixorim.

We eat at two o’clock.

The bound conjunction “e” is not used if you want to tell what time it is:

(Sâ’at) câhâr ast.	It’s four o‘clock.
(Sâ’at) panj o nim ast.	It’s half past five.
(Sâ’at) panj o si daqiqe ast.	It’s five thirty.
(Sâ’at) haft o rob’ ast.	It’s a quarter past seven.
(Sâ’at) haft o 15 daqiqe ast.	It’s seven fifteen.
(Sâ’at) haft o panj daqiqe ast.	It’s five past seven.
(Sâ’at) yek rob’ be hasht ast.	It’s a quarter to eight.
(Sâ’at) haft o cehelopanj daqiqe ast.	It’s seven forty five.

When asked about the time the word sâ’at is necessary. You have two options available:

Sâ’at e cand qazâ mixorid?	What o’clock do you eat?
Ce sâ’at i qazâ mixorid?	What o’clock do you eat?

Month names

The Iranian calendar is a solar calendar and begins on the first day of spring (March 21):

bahâr	spring	1	farvardin	2	ordibeheŝt	3	xordâd
tâbestân	summer	4	tir	5	mordâd	6	ŝahrivar
pâyiz	autumn	7	mehr	8	âbân	9	âzar
zemestân	winter	10	dey	11	bahman	12	esfand

The names of the months of the Christian calendar come from the French:

ĵânvie

fevrie

mârs

âvril

me

ĵuan

ĵuie

ut

septâmbr

oktobr

novâmbr

desâmbr

Weekdays

The week starts on Saturday (ŝanbe) and ends on Friday (jom’e; âdine).The days of the week are:

ŝanbe	yekŝanbe	doŝanbe	seŝanbe	câhârŝanbe	panjŝanbe	jom’e; âdine
Saturday	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday

Depending on whether you have the night before or the night after a weekday in mind, ŝab (evening, night) plays a different role:

jom’eŝab

Friday evening

ŝab e jom’e

Thursday night

Dates

The ordinals are usually used for dates:

(ruz e) ŝanbe, panjom e mehr(mâh) e (sâl e) hezâr o sisad o navadoyek	Saturday 5th Mehr 1991
(ruz e) ŝanbe, panjom e oktobr e (sâl e) do hezâr o davâzdah	Saturday 5th October 2012

Ages

The following expressions/questions are usually used for ages:

(To) cand sâl dâri?	How old are you?
(Man) bist sâl dâram.	I’m 20 years old.
(Shomâ) cand sâl etân ast?	How old Are you?
(Man) bist sâl am ast.	I’m 20 years old.