تا

See also: با and پا

Persian

Pronunciation

Dari	تا
Iranian Persian
Tajik	то

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [tɑː]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰɑː]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰɑː]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰɑː]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰɔː]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰɒː]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰɔ]

Readings
Classical reading?	tā
Dari reading?	tā
Iranian reading?	tâ
Tajik reading?	to

Etymology 1

From Middle Persian [script needed] (OD /⁠tā⁠/, “until, so that”), from Old Persian 𐎹𐎠𐎫𐎠 (y-a-t-a /⁠yātā⁠/), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *HyátʰaH (“as, like”), from Proto-Indo-European *Hyós. Compare Sanskrit यथा (yathā).

Preposition

تا • (tâ)

1. until; as far as; up to (in time or space)

   تا پارسال ― tâ parsâl ― until last year

   تا اندازه‌ای ― tâ andâze-'i ― up to an extent

   تا کنارِ پنجره رفتم.

   tâ kenâr-e panjere raftam.

   I went up to the windowside.

   فاصله اصفهان تا تهران

   fâsele-ye esfahân tâ tehrân

   distance from Isfahan to Tehran

2. than (used in comparisons)

   Synonym: از (az)

Usage notes

• (than): While Persian most commonly uses the preposition از (az) for comparisons, تا (tâ) is also used, especially when the object of comparison is the direct object of the verb or a prepositional phrase. When از (az) is used, the object of comparison precedes the verb, but when تا (tâ) is used, it follows the verb. The fact that تا (tâ) is used together with the object marker or a preposition can help reduce ambiguity:

  من پدرم را بیشتر از مادرم می‌بینم.

  man pedar-am râ bištar az mâdar-am mi-binam.

  I see my father more than my mother [does] / I see my father more than [I see] my mother.

  من پدرم را بیشتر می‌بینم تا مادرم را.

  man pedar-am râ bištar mi-binam tâ mâdar-am-râ.

  I see my father more than [I see] my mother.

Conjunction

تا • (tâ)

1. (usually in the initial clause) as long as, so long as, as far as

   تا یادش می‌آید ― tâ yâd-aš mi-âyad ― as far as he remembers

   تا مادرم آنجاست او باید برود.

   tâ mâdar-am ânjâ-st u bâyad beravad.

   As long as my mother is there, he should go.

   تا تو نروی٬ مادرت نمی‌آید.

   tâ to na-ravi, mâdar-at ne-mi-âyad.

   Your mother will not come until you go.

   (literally, “As long as you do not go, your mother will not come.”)

2. (usually in the initial clause) by the time, when

   تا رسیدم دختر رفته بود.

   tâ residam doxtar rafte bud.

   By the time I arrived, the girl had left.

   تا درسم را تمام کردم، کار خوبی پیدا کرده بودم.

   tâ dars-am râ tamâm kardam, kâr-e xubi peydâ karde budam.

   By the time I finished my studies, I had found good job.

3. (in the initial clause, taking the main stress of the sentence) as soon as

   Synonym: همینکه (haminke)

   تا من دیدمش، خانه را ترک کردم.

   tâ man didam-eš, xâne râ tark kardam.

   As soon as I saw him, I left the house.

4. (in a subsequent clause) until

   مادرت نمی‌آید تا تو بروی.

   mâdar-at ne-mi-âyad tâ to beravi.

   Your mother will not come until you go.

5. (with subjunctive, in a subsequent clause) to; in order to; so that

   Synonyms: تا اینکه (tâ in-ke), که (ke)

   رفتم تا او را ببینم. ― raftam tâ u râ bebinam. ― I went to see him.

   • c. 1260s, Jalāl ad-Dīn Mohammad Rūmī, translated by Reynold A. Nicholson, مثنوی معنوی [Masnavi-ye-Ma'navi], volume 5, verse 1480—1481:

     الله الله قسم مسکین بعد من
     وا مگیریدش ز حرص خویشتن
     تا بماند بر شما کشت و ثمار
     در پناه طاعت حق پایدار.

     allâh allâh qesm-e meskin ba'd-e man
     vâ ma-girid-aš ze hers-e xištan
     tâ be-mânad bar šomâ kešt o semâr
     dar panâh-e tâ'at-e haqq pâydâr.

     For God's sake, for God's sake, after I am gone, do not on account of your covetousness withhold the portion of the poor,
     So that the crops and fruit may remain [as a] permanent [blessing bestowed] on you under the safeguard of your obedience to God.

Etymology 2

From Middle Persian [script needed] (tʾk' /⁠tāg⁠/, “item; unit; single”), already used as a classifier in MP. Doublet of طاق (tâq, “odd (of a number); unique”), which apparently passed through Arabic.

Noun

تا • (tâ)

1. The generic classifier, used as a counting unit for numbers greater than one. Obligatory in colloquial Persian.

   دیروز ۲۴تا کتاب خریدم.

   diruz bist-o-čahâr tâ ketâb xaridam.

   Yesterday I bought twenty-four books.

   این ۶تا بهتر از همه هستند.

   in šeš tâ behtar az hame hastand.

   These six are the best.

2. fold

   Synonym: لا (lâ)

3. match; equal; peer

Derived terms

• بی تا (bi tâ, “matchless”)
• تا کردن (tâ kardan, “to fold”)
• همتا (hamtâ, “equal; match”)
• یکتا (yektâ, “unique”)

 

See also

• نفر (nafar, classifier for humans)

Urdu

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian تا (tā).

Adverb

تا • (tā) (Hindi spelling ता)

1. to
2. until
3. as far as

Conjunction

تا • (tā) (Hindi spelling ता)

1. whilst
2. while

Preposition

تا • (tā) (Hindi spelling ता)

1. until