Показатель прямого дополнения را

را (râ) follows a direct object that is definite or specific: the thing both speakers know about. English shows the same difference with 'the' and 'a'; Persian shows it with را after the object.

Romanization follows Tehran pronunciation: â is the long a, kh is the "ch" of Scottish loch, gh stands for both غ and ق, and ' marks a glottal stop.

With and without را

What takes را

• Nouns with a demonstrative or a possessor: این فیلم را دیدی؟ - Have you seen this film? کیفم را گم کردم - I lost my bag.
• Names: مریم را می‌شناسی؟ (Maryam râ mishenâsi?) - Do you know Maryam?
• Pronouns as objects: او را دیدم - I saw him/her. من + را is written مرا (marâ), تو + را تو را or ترا. Speech often uses an ending instead: دیدمش (didamesh).
• A noun already mentioned or known from the situation: غذا را خوردی؟ - Did you eat the food (I left you)?

What does not take را

• The subject: علی آمد, not *علی را آمد.
• An indirect object, which takes به: کتاب را به علی دادم - I gave the book to Ali.
• A general or non-specific object: چای می‌خورم - I'm drinking tea; سیب دوست دارم - I like apples.

Where it goes

را closes the whole object phrase, after any ezafe chain: کتابِ جدیدِ علی را خواندم (ketâb-e jadid-e Ali râ khândam) - I read Ali's new book.

Spoken Tehran: -o and -ro

In speech را becomes -o after a consonant and -ro after a vowel: کتابو خوندم (ketâbo khundam) - I read the book; خونه رو دیدی؟ (khune-ro didi?) - Did you see the house? With pronouns: منو (mano), تو رو (to-ro). The famous line from mothers at the table is غذاتو بخور! (ghazâto bokhor) - Eat your food!

For English speakers

A rough guide: if English says 'the', 'this', 'my' or a name in front of the object, Persian wants را. If English says 'a', 'some' or uses a bare plural, it usually does not. 'Do you know Maryam?' needs را even though English has no article there.

Mistakes English speakers make

• No را on a name: *علی دیدم - say علی را دیدم.
• را on the subject: *علی را آمد - say علی آمد.
• را in the middle of the phrase: *کتاب را جدید خریدم - say کتابِ جدید را خریدم.
• را on an indirect object: *علی را کتاب دادم - say به علی کتاب دادم.