Say Most Common Words in Farsi
Want to learn Persian (locally known as Farsi, Dari or Tajik), the national language of Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan? Here's a primer to get you started.
Contents
Steps
- Learn these common phrases and words. If you need help with the pronunciation, see Tips.
Meeting People
- Hi: Salam سلام or dorood درود
- Good morning!: Sobh bekheyr ! !صبح بخیر
- Good evening! Asr bekheyr! !عصر بخیر
- Good night! Shab bekheyr! !شب بخیر
- Welcome! (to greet someone) Khosh amadid! !خوش آمدید
- How are you? Haleh shoma chetor ast? حال شما چطور است؟
- I'm doing well. Man khoobam. .من خوبم
- Thank you (very much)! (kheily) mamnoon! !(خیلی) ممنون
- You're welcome. (In response to "thank you") Khahesh mikonam. .خواهش می‌کنم
- See you later! Ba’adan mibinamet. .بعدأ می‌بینمت
- Goodbye! bedrood بدرود
- What's your name? Esme shoma chist? اسم شما چیست ؟
- 'My name is [Sara]. Esme man [Sara] ast. .اسم من [سارا] است
- Nice to meet you! Az molaaghat e shoma khosh-bakhtam. .از ملاقات شما خوشبختم or simply say "khoshbakhtam!"
- Where are you from? Shoma ahl e koja hastid? شما اهل کجا هستید؟
- I'm from (the U.S/ Iran): Man ahl e (America/Iran) hastam. .من اهل (آمریکا / ایران) هستم
- How old are you?: Chand saalete? چند سالته؟
- I'm (twenty, thirty,...) years old. Man (beest/see,...) saalameh. .من (بیست/سی) سالمه
Basic Conversation
- Good luck!: Movaffagh bashid موفق باشید
- Congratulations!: Tabrik migam تبریک می گم
- Bless you (when sneezing): A’afiat bashad عافیت باشد
- Sorry (for a mistake): "Bebakhshid" ببخشید
- No Problem!: "Moshkeli nist" or "Eshkali nadare" مشکلی نیست
- I need to practice my Persian more: Man bayad farsi ro bishtar tamrin konam
من باید فارسی رو بیشتر تمرین کنم
- What? Where?: Chi? Koja? چی؟ کجا؟
- I love you!: Farsi: Doostet daram! or Asheghetam (usually for romance) Dari: "Dostet darom" دوستت دارم
Asking for Help
- Can You Say It Again?: Mishe tekrar konid? میشه تکرار کنید ؟
- I Don't Understand!: Motavajjeh nemisham متوجه نمیشم
- I Don't Know!: slang: " Nemidoonam" formal: "Nemidanam" نمیدانم
- What time is it?: Sa’at chand ast? ساعت چند است؟
- What's That Called In Persian?: Be Farsi chi misheh? به فارسی چی میشه؟
- What Does "moshkeli" Mean In English?: “moshkeli” be engilisi chi misheh? به انگلیسی چه میشود؟ “moshkeli”
- I'm lost: Man gom shodam من گم شدم
- Can I help you?: Mitoonam komaketoon konam? میتوانم کمکتان کنم؟
- "I need help": Man komak niaz daram. من کمک نیاز دارم
- Can you help me?: Shoma mitoonid komakam konid? شما میتوانید کمکم کنید؟
- Where is the (bathroom/ pharmacy)?: Dastshooi/darookhaneh kojast? (دستشویی/داروخانه) کجاست؟
- How much is this?: Gheymatesh chand ast? قیمتش چند است ؟ slang: in chandeh? این چنده؟
- Excuse me ...! (to ask for something): Bebakhshid ببخشید
- Excuse me! ( to pass by): Bebakhshid ببخشید
- Do you speak (English/ Persian)?: Aya shoma (Engilisi/Farsi) harf mizanid?
آیا شما (انگلیسی/فارسی) حرف میزنید ؟
- I feel sick: Man mariz hastam من مریض هستم
- I need a doctor: Man be doktor niaz daram من به دکتر نیاز دارم
- Emergency!: Ezterary! ! اضطراری
- Help me!: Komakam kon! !کمکم کن
Colors
- Black: seeyāh or meshki سیاه یا مشکی
- Blue: ābee آبی
- Brown: ghah-ve-yee قهوه ای
- Gray: khākestaree خاکستری
- Green: sabz سبز
- Orange: nārenjee نارنجی
- 'Purple or "violet"': arghavanee or banafsh ارغوانی
- Red: "ghermez" or "sorkh" قرمز
- White: sefeed سفيد
- Yellow: zard زرد
Numbers
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Time
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Tips
- Persians use "Merci" as a common form of "thank you".
- Persian (called Farsi in Persian) speakers use a lot of English terms for modern devices, like TV, radio, computer, modem and cable. The pronunciation is a bit different though.
- The Dari which has major differences is, ironically, spoken by communities in Iran. The Dari spoken in Afghanistan can be understood perfectly by Persian speaking people i.e. Iranians. The difference is comparable with the difference between RP English ('Queen's English') and Scouse (Merseyside English.) The same, incidentally, applies to the difference between Persian and the Tajik language, spoken in Tajikistan and parts of Uzbekistan. Dari is simply another name for Persian. The word comes from dar meaning door (the English word 'door' has the same root as 'dar', both languages being of Indo-European origin.) What it refers to is the doors of the (royal) court, thus in essence meaning court language, just as 'Queen's English' was used in Britain.
- Dari is a version of Persian spoken by Afghans, but there are major differences between the two languages.
- Visit Google Translate and set the language you wish to translate into to Persian. Type in the English version of the word you need help pronouncing. Once it's popped up in Persian, click the megaphone on the right side of the screen. You'll be able to hear how the word is pronounced.
Warnings
- Just like in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," watch out for people translating wrong on purpose. If suspicious, double check with another person before embarrassing yourself somewhere else.
Related Articles
- Learn Key Phrases in Persian
- Say Thank You in Persian
- Say "Where Is the Bathroom" in Several Different Languages
