Definite and indefinite (1) Attributive -i suffix
Saeed Yousef, Hayedeh Torabi · 2020
When a noun is in its absolute form in Persian (i.e., not accompanied by any determiners), it can be either definite or indefinite, and it is the context that usually helps one decide how to translate it. As indefinite, it can be the noun in its generic sense (for professions, etc.), or in a general sense (equal to indefinite plural in English). A general or generic sense is much less likely to be expressed by plural nouns, and nouns in the plural usually tend to be considered definite, unless an indefinite determiner is also added; in many cases it is necessary to use plural to convey definiteness. It is, however, possible, to use plural nouns for general indefinite statements. Where no indefinite determiner is present, nouns modified by adjectives also tend to be understood as definite. When definite/indefinite determiners or markers are present, the boundary between them is no more blurred.