'هست' and 'است': Unraveling Existence and Identity

Today, we're here to shed light on the unique roles of two seemingly similar words: 'هست' (hast) and 'است' (ast).

They're both conjugated form of the verb بودن /budan/ "to be" for third person singular.

هست /Hast/

/Hast/هست tells us whether something exists or is present. It's like a spotlight, shining on the things around us and confirming their existence.

We use 'هست' when we want to say "there is" or "there are(usually with generic nouns*)."

Examples:

1. ماشین هست. /Māshīn hast/ - There is a car.
2. در یخچال آب هست. dar yakhchāl āb hast/ - There is water in the fridge.

است /Ast/

Think of this word as the identity checker. It tells us "what is." It's like introducing someone at a party – it lets us know who or what something is. We use 'است' to describe qualities, states, or conditions.

Examples:

1. او پزشک است. (Ū pezeshk ast.) - He/she is a doctor.
2. آسمان آبی است. (Āsmān ābī ast.) - The sky is blue.

The Distinction: Here's the magic: 'هست' (hast) focuses on existence, while 'است' (ast) unveils identity. Remember, 'هست' is all about things being there, like a detective confirming a presence. On the other hand, 'است' is about revealing the essence of something, unveiling its true nature.

Bonus Points:

1. Negation: The negated version of both 'هست' and 'است' is the same: 'نیست' (nist). So when something doesn't exist or is not there, you'll use 'نیست' with both verbs.

2. While 'هست' (hast) can stand alone, 'است' (ast) often joins hands with another word, like "پزشک است" (pezeshk ast) – "is a doctor." The two create a dynamic duo, revealing the true identity of the subject.

3. Descriptive Nature of 'است': 'است' (ast) acts as a descriptive verb, linking the subject to its description. This is why it answers questions about how something is. It's your key to describing qualities and conditions.

In Spoken Persian:

In spoken Persian, you'll mostly find a shortened form of 'است' (ast), frequently represented as '-e' at the end of a word. However, 'هست' (hast) remains unchanged in both spoken and written Persian.

Examples:

«اسم من شیرین است.» (Spoken: /esm-e man Shirin-e/اسم من شیرینه) translates to "My name is Shirin."  

«او بچه‌ است.».(Spoken:/un bacheast/ اون بچه‌ست.) translates to "he/she's a child."

However, /hast/هست remains unchanged:

در کتابحانه‌ی من کتاب هست. spoken: /tu ketābkhune-ye man ketāb hast/ translates to: "My library there are books."

So, there you have it. In a nutshell, 'هست' /hast/ and 'است' /ast/ team up to tell us if something is present (existence) and what it truly is (identity).

Stay curious and keep exploring the beauty of the Persian language. Until next time!

*A generic noun is a noun that is used to refer to a whole class of things (or people, places, etc.). For instance, saying در خانه‌ی من کتاب هست./tu khuneye man KetAb hast/