Persian verbs are classified into two main groups: simple verbs and compound verbs. Simple verbs have only one part which is the infinitive:
| Simple verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| داشتن dâštan | to have |
| دادن dâdan | to give |
| رفتن raftan | to go |
| خواندن xwândan | to read; to sing |
Compound verbs
In Persian, a compound verb consists of an infinitive and one or more words that come before the infinitive and together, they function as a single verb. The words that precede the infinitive are called preverb:
| Compound verb | Preverb |
|---|---|
| بر داشتن bar dâštan to pick up | بر bar |
| دوست داشتن dust dâštan to like, to love | دوست dust |
| دست بر داشتن dast bar dâštan to desist | دست بر dast bar |
| بازی کردن bâzi kardan to play | بازی bâzi |
| به دست آوردن be dast âvordan to obtain | به دست be dast |
When a compound verb is going to be conjugated, the preverb sits aside and conjugational items are added to the infinitive:
| بازی کردن bâzi kardan to play | به دست آوردن be dast âvordan to obtain |
|---|---|
| بازی کردم bâzi kardam I played | به دست آوردم be dast âvordam I obtained |
| بازی میکنم bâzi mikonam I play, I am playing | به دست میآورم be dast miâvaram I obtain, I am obtaining |
| بازی کردهام bâzi kardeam I have played | به دست آوردهام be dast âvordeam I have obtained |
| بازی خواهم کرد bâzi xwâham kard I will play | به دست خواهم آورد be dast xwâham âvord I will obtain |