- How an adjective can modify another?
- Does adjectives have a fixed order in Persian?
- How can we put more emphasis on an adjective?
- How can several adjectives be connected?
The group “noun + adjective” can be modified by another adjective:
| سگ سفید بزرگ sag-e sefid-e bozorg big white dog |
In English, when several adjectives modify a noun, they are put in a fixed order. For example, “size” comes before “age” and “age” comes before “shape”. That is, adjectives of size have a higher rank than adjectives of age:
| Correct | Incorrect |
|---|---|
| a fat old dog | an old fat dog |
| a small round black leather handbag | a leather black round small handbag |
Persian does not have any limitation and adjectives can come in any order depending on the intended emphasis. Adjectives that are more distant from the noun, can indicate more emphasis:
| سگ چاق پیر sag-e châgh-e pir fat old dog |
سگ پیر چاق sag-e pir-e châgh fat old dog |
In English, adjectives of the same rank are connected with “and” e.g. “old and new books”. In Persian, adjectives do not have ranking and they can be always connected with “و” (and). In fact, it is often preferred to connect adjectives with “و” instead of modifying preceding adjectives. That is, we usually say “fat and old dog” instead of “fat old dog”. Again, more distant adjectives can indicate more emphasis:
| سگ چاق و پیر sag-e châgh o pir fat old dog |
| سگ پیر و چاق sag-e pir o châgh fat old dog |