How to Say Most Common Words in Farsi

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Farsi, also known as Persian, is spoken by some 110 million people worldwide and is the official language of Iran, Afghanistan (where it is known as Dari), and Tajikistan (where it is known as Tajikistan). The language is also spoken in nearby countries such as Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan, as well as throughout the Arab world. If you want to learn to speak Farsi, start with basic greetings and conversation. Knowing the basic vocabulary can also help you better understand Farsi. If you are traveling to a Farsi-speaking country, you may also need to know how to ask for help. Movafagh defeated! (Good luck!)[1]

1. 

   Start with baleh and nakheyr for “yes” and “no.” These are the two most basic words in any language, and are essential if you are navigating a Farsi-speaking area. If someone offers you something, add “thank you” at the end by saying nakheyr, mamnūnam.[2]

   • Be careful with these words if you don’t fully understand what the person said. You can try man nemidânam (I don’t know) or nemifahmam (I don’t understand).

   Advice: When talking casually with people you know or people your own age, you can shorten nakheyr to na.

2. 

   Learn the days of the week. If you travel, you’ll need to know the days of the week so you know when to be somewhere or when you need to leave your accommodation.[3]

   • Sunday: yek shanbe יקשנה
   • Monday: Doshanbe Dushanbe
   • Tuesday: seh shanbe سه شنبه
   • Wednesday: chehāreshenebeh גארשבנה
   • Thursday: panj-shanbeh panj shanbeh
   • Friday: jom’e جمعه
   • Saturday: Shanbe شنبه

3. 

   Choose other words to describe the date and time. You won’t always use the day of the week to tell someone when something happened or will happen. Maybe you mean deeRooz (yesterday), emRooz (today), or farad (tomorrow).[4]

   • The word for day is Rooz (роз.) If something happened in the morning, you would use the word sobh (morning). The word for evening is asr (عصر), while the word for night is shab (شب).
   • You can also use hālā (حالا) which means “now” or ba’dan (بعداً) which means “later”.

4. 

   Count to 10 in Farsi. Counting to 10 is one of the first things you usually learn in any language. To count from 1 to 10 in Farsi, say yek, do, se, chahaar, panj, shesh, haft, hasht, noh, dah.[5]

   • Ordinal numbers are also important, especially if people are talking about dates. Nokhost (نخست) means “first”, doovom (دوم) means “second”, and sevom (سوم) means “third”.

1. 

   Use Salam to say “hello” in most settings. The word “salam” literally means “peace” and is used as a general greeting throughout the Muslim world. This greeting is suitable to use with anyone, at any time of the day.[6]

   • Another common greeting in Farsi is dorood (درود). This is an older, more traditional greeting meaning “hello.”
   • If you greet someone who enters your house, you can also say Khosh amadid! (!خوش عردم), meaning “welcome”.

   Greetings for certain times of the day:

   Good morning: Sobh bekheyr! (!صبح بخير)

   Good evening: Asr bekheyr! (!عصر بخير)

   Good evening: Shab bekheyr! (!شب بخير)

2. 

   Ask Haleh shoma chetor ast? (حال شمة تحميل است?) for “How are you?” After saying “hello”, it is customary in Persian cultures to ask the other person for their well-being. If the other person asks you first, you can answer Man khoobam (.من خوبم), which means “I’m fine.”[7]

   • If you are talking to a close friend or someone your age or younger, you can try Halet chetor? ( چتوری? ), which is very informal, similar to saying “What’s up?”

3. 

   Introduce yourself by saying Esme, man... fast (.اسم من است). To tell a person your name, say “Esme man,” then your name, followed by “ast.” For example, if her name is Sarah, you would say “Esme man Sarah ast”. To ask for someone else’s name, say Esme shoma chist?[8]

   • When the other person tells you their name, you can say Az molaaghat e shoma khosh-bakhtam. (.از عملة شمة خشبتم), meaning “I’m glad.” You can also just say “khoshbakhtam”.

4. 

   Explain that you only speak a little Farsi. If you’re just learning Farsi but still want to have a conversation, you can say Farsim xub nist (فارسیم خوب نیست), which means “I don’t speak Farsi/Persian well.” You can also say mishe ahesteh tar sohbat konid or “please speak more slowly” if you have trouble understanding the person.[9]

   • You can add nemifahmam (نمي فهمم), which means “I don’t understand”.
   • If you feel more comfortable speaking English, you can ask Engelisi yâd dâri? (انگلیسی ياد داری?) or “Do you speak English?”

5. 

   Express your gratitude by saying mamnūnam (ممنونم) to say “thank you.” This is a relatively formal way of saying “thank you” in Persian. Persians also say merci, just like the French. However, this is considered a more informal term.[10]

   • If the person thanks you, reply khahesh mikonam (خوهش مي كنم), which means “you’re welcome.”
   • Other polite Farsi words include moteassefam (excuse me), lotfan (please), and bebakhshid (excuse me).

6. 

   End the conversation with bedrod (بدرود) after “bye”. When you’re ready to say goodbye, this is the basic way of saying “bye-bye.” You can also say khoda hafez (خدا حافز), which also means “goodbye.”[11]

   • In the morning you might as well say Rooze khoobi dashteh bashid! which means “Have a nice day!”[12]
   • If the person keeps talking to you, you can say man bayad beravam, which means “I have to go.”[13]

1. 

   Start with Bebakgshid to get someone’s attention. This word means “excuse me” and is a polite way of getting someone’s attention before asking a question. Then you could say Aya mitavanid be man komak konid?, which means “Can you help me?”[14]

   • You can also say Man ahle inja nistam if you want to tell a person “I’m not from here.”

2. 

   Use man komak niaz daram to forcefully ask for help. This phrase literally means “I need help” so if you have any problems this will alert them. However, he should probably be prepared to explain his problem in Farsi. By the way, ask Aya about Engilisa’s embarrassment? or speak English?”[15]

   • You could also say Komakam kon! which means “Help me!” Save this for when something more serious is going on, not for when you just need to ask for directions or find a bathroom.

3. 

   get instructions if you are lost It can be difficult to navigate in an unfamiliar place, especially when all the signs are in a language you are just beginning to learn. Say Man gom shodeham to tell someone that you are lost. Then show the person where you want to go. A written name, a map or a photo can help.[16]

   • If the place you are looking for is nearby, could you please say that Aya mitavanid be man neshan dahid? which means “can you show me?”
   • If you just want to know where the nearest bathroom is, ask dashtshuee which one. It’s usually best to ask someone of the same gender as you.

4. 

   Say man mariz hastam (من معریت اشتم) if you feel sick. This expression lets those around you know that you are not feeling well. If you are very sick, you could also say Man be doktor niaz daram, which means “I need a doctor.”[17]

   • In an emergency, you could say Doctor ra seda conid! (Call the doctor!) or the Emergency Department! (Call an ambulance!).

   Advice: If you have an emergency and don’t feel comfortable describing your needs in Farsi, say Injâ kasi Engelisi midânad? which means “Is there anyone here who speaks English?”

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