This page has audio!
Questions
Yes/No Questions
Yes/no questions are typically formed by ending the sentence with rising intonation.
پول داری؟
فکر نمی‌کنی کار بدی کردی؟
امروز جمعه است؟
این کتاب را خوانده‌ای؟
Do you have money?
Don’t you think that you did a bad thing?
Is it Friday?
Have you read this book?
There is also the more formal way of making a yes/no question by adding the word “آیا” at the beginning of the sentence and keeping the rising intonation.
آیا زمین گرد است؟
Is the Earth round?
Question words
What
The word “چه” means "what". When it is used before a noun (as in the English phrase "what book is that?"), the noun usually gets the “ی” suffix (the indefinite article).
چه فرقی می‌کند؟
چه سازی می‌زنی؟
از چه می‌ترسید؟
چه‌تان شد؟
What difference does it make?
What musical instrument do you play?
What are you (plural) afraid of?
What happened to you?
Some “چه” combinations act as almost separate words. They are usually written attached to each other (“چه‌کار” instead of “چه کار”) and they are pronounced as one word (with one stressed syllabel at the end of the whole word).
چه‌کار می‌کنی؟
لباسش چه‌رنگی بود؟
What are you doing?
What colour was his/her garment?
“چه” and the verb “است” merge into a new word when the latter follows the former.
مسئله چیست؟
What is the problem?
Where
کجایی؟
خودکار من را کجا گذاشتی؟
کجایش کثیف است؟
رأی من کجاست؟
Where are you?
Where did you put my pen?
What part of it is dirty?
Where is my vote?
Which
کدام کت را پوشیدی؟
کدام را می‌گویی؟
کدامتان با من می‌آید؟
Which coat did you put on?
Which one are you talking about?
Which one of you comes with me?
When
بازی کِی شروع می‌شود؟
کِی مُرد؟
When will the match/game begin?
When did he/she die?
Why
چرا می‌خندی؟
چرا فارسی یاد می‌گیریم؟
چرا چیزی نگفتید؟
Why are you laughing?
Why are we learning Persian?
Why didn’t you say anything?
Who
There are two question words used meaning “who”; “چه کسی” and “که”.
چه‌کسی حرف مرا (من را) می‌فهمد؟
با که حرف می‌زنی؟
Who understands my word?
Who are you talking to?
The combination of the words “که” and “است” changes into “کیست”.
این ماشین کیست؟
Whose car is this?
How
ماهی‌ها چگونه نفس می‌کشند؟
چه‌طوری این کار را کردی؟
چه‌جوری رفتی؟
How do fish breathe?
How did you do this?
How did you go?
Keep this in mind, however, that the first word, “چگونه” is very formal and sounds funny if used in spoken language. The two other, “چه‌جوری” and “چه طوری” are exclusively colloquial.
How much
چه‌قدر آب لازم است؟
چه‌قدر می‌خواهی؟
How much water is needed?
How much do you want?
How many
چند روز طول می‌کشد؟
چند بار آنها را با هم دیدی؟
این ساعت را چند خریدی؟
How many days does it take?
How many times did you see them together?
For how much did you buy this watch?
The word “چند” can always be used in place of a number to ask a quantity.
چند تا خواهر داری؟
فصل چندم کتاب را می‌خوانی؟
چندمین اتاق؟
How many sisters do you have?
Which chapter of the book are you reading? (1st? 2nd? …)
Which room? (The first one? the second one? …)
Or
علی را دیدی یا برادرش را؟
می‌آیی یا نه؟
Was it Ali that you saw or his brother?
Are you coming or not?