Number:
This feature takes the following values: Plur, Sing.
Plur: Plural
The nominal plural form is always marked, most commonly by -ān (historically the oblique plural). There are remnants of other Old Iranic declension classes: -īn, -ūn, but they are used interchangeably.
Some pronouns can take the nominal plural suffix, e.g. interrogative kēān “who”:
- kē hē az kēān hē “Who are (you)? From whom (pl.) are (you)?”
The enclitic pronouns have regularised the plural by adding the nominal plural suffix to the singular form:
| regularised plural | inherited plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1pl. | =m-ān | =n |
| 2pl. | =t-ān | n/a |
| 3pl. | =š-ān | =š |
There is a new pronominal plural suffix -(ē/i)šān, which is probably derived from the plural demonstrative awēšān by reanalysis. It is attested in Manichaean Middle Persian (e.g. imišān/imēšān), but its existence in Zoroastrian Middle Persian is uncertain.
Verb forms have special portmanteau suffix for person and number, e.g. bar-ēd “carry.3sg” vs. bar-ēnd “carry.3pl”.
Sing: Singular
The singular is the unmarked category in Middle Persian. This form can also be used in plural context and for generic reference. As such, it is only annotated for explicit singular forms such as personal pronouns and verb forms but not for nouns, adjectives, and demonstratives.
Number in other languages: [ab] [arr] [axm] [bej] [bg] [bm] [bor] [cs] [ctn] [cy] [el] [en] [es] [ess] [eu] [fi] [fr] [ga] [gn] [gub] [hbo] [hu] [hy] [it] [ka] [ky] [myv] [naq] [oge] [orv] [pal] [pcm] [ps] [pt] [qpm] [ru] [sl] [sv] [tpn] [tr] [tt] [u] [uk] [urb] [urj] [xcl] [xmf]