Zendegi mikonin: Formal "You live" in Persian (Farsi)

Zendegi mikonin in a sentence

Real lines from the course, said by the people you meet in it.

1. Shoma koja zendegi mikonin?

   Where do you live? (formal)

   Module 2, lesson 9

2. Ahle koja-yin? Koja zendegi mikonin?

   Where are you from? Where do you live?

   Module 3, lesson 2

3. Shoma chetorin? Koja zendegi mikonin?

   How are you? Where do you live?

   Module 14, lesson 3

What Zendegi mikonin is made of

• zendegilife
• +mi-does
• +kondo
• +-inyou all

Zendegi mikonin is four pieces: zendegi (life), mi- (does), kon (do) and -in (you all).

-id is the fuller form (bebakhshid); everyday speech says -in. After a vowel -in turns into -yn: mikha-yn, bia-yn, kei mia-yn.

The ending mi- is taught in Module 2, lesson 5: Where do you live?

The ending -in is taught in Module 6, lesson 1: Excuse me?

When to say Zendegi mikonin

Ask an elder where they live: Shoma koja zendegi mikonin?

The usual mix-up with Zendegi mikonin

Friend form and respectful form swapped

For a friend: Zendegi mikoni. For an elder: Zendegi mikonin. The polite line changes mikoni to mikonin.

More about Zendegi mikonin

Zendegi mikonin means you live, in the polite form for an elder. It is zendegi (life), mi- (does it), kon (do) and the respectful -in, the same ending as in Chetor-in. The usual line is Shoma koja zendegi mikonin? (where do you live?). Often it follows Ahle koja-yin? in a short run of polite questions. It is taught in Module 2, lesson 9, in the lesson called Ask the polite way. The friendly version is Zendegi mikoni?, so the two lines teach you that only the last letter changes when the person you speak to is older.

Questions people ask about Zendegi mikonin