فارسی(Persian)

/qānun-e asāsi/

قانون اساسی عالی‌ترین سند حقوقی کشور است که ساختار حکومت و حقوق شهروندان را تعریف می‌کند.

Constitution

/demokrāsi/

A system where citizens participate in governance through elections.

/adālat/

Fair and impartial administration of law.

/pārlomān/

The supreme legislative body of a state.

/hoqūq-e asāsi/

Rights guaranteed to citizens by the constitution.

/divān-e āli-ye keshvar/

Highest court in Iran.

/eqtesād/

System of production and consumption.

/māliāt/

Compulsory payment collected by government.

/tavarom/

Sustained rise in general price levels.

/tolid-e nākhāles dākheli/

Total value of goods and services produced in a country.

/entekhābāt/

Process of selecting representatives through voting.

/fasād/

Abuse of power for personal gain.

/āmuzeš/

Process of acquiring knowledge and skills.

/behdāšt/

State of physical and mental well-being.

/kešāvarzi/

Practice of farming and cultivation.

/san'at/

Economic activity involving manufacturing.

/āzādi/

The power to act without restraint.

/barābari/

Equal rights and opportunities for all.

/mohit-e zist/

The natural world.

/farhang/

The customs and achievements of a people.

/zabān/

A system of communication.

/tārix/

The recorded past of human civilization.

/siyāsat/

Activities related to governance and power.

/budja/

Annual financial plan of government.

/faqr/

Insufficient income to meet basic needs.

/jam'iyat/

Total number of people in a region.

/adālat-e ejtemā'i/

Fair distribution of resources in society.

/šahrvandi/

Legal membership of a state.

/towse'e/

Economic and social progress.

/hākemiyat/

Supreme authority of a state.

/diplomāsi/

Management of international relations.

/hoqūq-e bašar/

Universal rights belonging to every person.

/towse'e-ye pāydār/

Development meeting present needs without compromising the future.

/jahāni šodan/

Integration of world economies and cultures.

/now'āvari/

Introduction of new ideas and methods.

/fanāvari/

Application of scientific knowledge.

/sāzmān-e melal/

International organisation promoting peace.

/eslāhāt/

Changes aimed at improving a system.

/solh/

Freedom from conflict; harmony.

/tanow'/

Variety of cultures and traditions.

/tejārat/

Buying and selling between countries.

/sarmāye-gozāri/

Allocation of resources to generate returns.

/bikāri/

State of lacking paid work.

/siyāsat-e māli/

Government policy on taxation and expenditure.

/siyāsat-e poli/

Central bank policy on money supply.

/tafkik-e qovā/

Division into legislative, executive, and judicial branches.

/dowlat-e refāh/

State protecting citizens' well-being.

/ra'is jomhur/

Head of state.

/naxost vazir/

Head of government.

/federālism/

Division of power between central and regional governments.

/salām/

The universal Persian greeting, from the word for peace.

/chetori/

The friendly way to ask how someone is; formally, hāl-e shomā chetor ast.

/khubam/

The standard reply to how are you — khub (good) plus -am (I am).

/mersi/

Borrowed from French, the everyday casual thank-you in Iran.

/mamnun/

A warm standard thank-you; kheyli mamnun — thank you very much.

/khāhesh mikonam/

Means both you're welcome and please — a pillar of Persian politeness.

/lotfan/

The direct word for please when making requests.

/bebakhshid/

Used to apologize or politely get attention.

/mota'asefam/

A sincere apology or expression of sympathy.

/khodāhāfez/

The standard farewell — may God protect you.

/be omid-e didār/

A warm farewell, literally in hope of meeting.

/baleh/

The polite yes; āreh is the casual version.

/āreh/

The informal yes among friends.

/na/

The simple no; nakheyr is the formal version.

/esm-e man/

Introduce yourself with esm-e man ... ast.

/khoshbakhtam/

Said on meeting someone new — literally I am fortunate.

/befarmāid/

The all-purpose courtesy — come in, sit down, help yourself, after you.

/ta'ārof/

The famous Persian dance of courtesy — offering, declining, insisting — that shapes every exchange.

/ghorbānat beram/

An affectionate exaggeration sprinkled through warm Persian talk, often shortened to ghorbānat.

/yek/

The number one.

/do/

The number two.

/se/

The number three.

/chahār/

The number four — Chahārshanbe Suri is the fire festival on the eve of the year's last Wednesday.

/panj/

The number five.

/shesh/

The number six.

/haft/

The number seven — the haft-sin table of Nowruz holds seven symbolic items.

/hasht/

The number eight.

/dah/

The number ten.

/sad/

The number one hundred.

/hezār/

The number one thousand — hezār dāstān, a thousand tales.

/emruz/

The present day.

/fardā/

The day after today.

/diruz/

The day before today.

/alān/

At this moment.

/sā'at/

An hour of time, or the clock that measures it; sā'at chand ast — what time is it?

/daghighe/

Sixty seconds of time.

/hafte/

Seven days — the Iranian week runs Saturday to Friday.

/māh/

A month of the calendar — and the moon itself; māh-e man, my moon, is sweet talk.

/sāl/

Twelve months; sāl-e no — the new year that begins at Nowruz.

/khānevāde/

The family — center of Persian life and Friday lunches.

/mādar/

Mother; māmān in everyday talk.

/pedar/

Father; bābā in everyday talk.

/barādar/

A male sibling — cognate with the English word brother.

/khāhar/

A female sibling.

/pesar/

A male child or boy.

/dokhtar/

A female child or girl — cognate with daughter.

/mādarbozorg/

Grandmother — literally great mother.

/pedarbozorg/

Grandfather — literally great father.

/hamsar/

Husband or wife — a gender-neutral, respectful word.

/bacheh/

A young person; bacheh-hā — kids.

/dust/

A friend; dust dāshtan, to like or love, is built on this word.

/mard/

An adult male.

/zan/

An adult female; also means wife in everyday speech.

/āghā/

The respectful address for a man — āghā-ye Ahmadi, Mr. Ahmadi.

/khānom/

The respectful address for a woman.

/hamsāye/

A person living nearby — treated with famous Persian hospitality.

/āb/

Water — the first word of many Persian proverbs and place names.

/chāy/

Tea — brewed strong over the samovar and sipped through a sugar cube.

/ghand/

The sugar cube held between the teeth while sipping tea, Iranian style.

/nān/

Bread — sangak, barbari, lavāsh — fresh from the neighborhood bakery.

/panir/

White cheese — nān-o-panir with herbs is the classic Persian breakfast.

/berenj/

Rice grain — cooked it becomes polo or chelo, crowned with crispy tahdig.

/polo/

Steamed rice mixed with herbs, beans or fruit — sabzi-polo, zereshk-polo and more.

/tahdig/

The golden crust from the pot's bottom — the most fought-over bite at the table.

/kabāb/

Grilled meat — chelo-kabāb with saffron rice is Iran's national dish.

/ghormeh sabzi/

The beloved green herb stew with kidney beans and dried lime — many call it Iran's true national dish.

/khoresh/

Any Persian stew served over rice — fesenjān, gheymeh, ghormeh sabzi.

/sabzi/

Fresh herbs — a plate of sabzi-khordan accompanies every proper meal.

/mive/

Fruit — offered to every guest from a heaping bowl.

/sib/

The apple — one of the seven S items on the Nowruz table.

/anār/

The ruby fruit of Persian poetry, eaten on Yaldā night.

/gusht/

Meat of any kind.

/morgh/

Chicken — zereshk-polo bā morgh is wedding-feast food.

/māhi/

Fish — served with herb rice on the New Year table.

/shirini/

Sweets and pastries — boxes of them travel to every visit and celebration.

/ghahve/

Coffee — the word café-glacé and Turkish-style ghahve-khāne (coffeehouse) come with it.

/gorosne/

Needing food; gorosna-am — I am hungry.

/teshne/

Needing water.

/khāne/

The home — khāne-ye khodetān ast, it is your own home, says the host.

/shahr/

A city — Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, each a world of its own.

/khiābān/

A city street or avenue.

/meydān/

A public square — Isfahan's Naqsh-e Jahan is among the world's grandest.

/bāzār/

The covered market — labyrinths of carpets, spices and copper, beating heart of the old city.

/forushgāh/

A shop or store, modern counterpart of the bazaar stall.

/masjed/

A Muslim house of worship — Iran's tiled domes are world treasures.

/esfahān/

The city of blue domes and bridges — Esfahān nesf-e jahān, Isfahan is half the world.

/madrese/

A school for children.

/dāneshgāh/

A university — literally the place of knowledge.

/bimārestān/

The place where the sick (bimār) are treated.

/māshin/

An automobile; Tehran traffic is an adventure of its own.

/otobus/

Public bus transport.

/metro/

The underground rail — Tehran's metro is among the region's largest.

/tāksi/

A cab — shared darbast taxis crisscross every Iranian city.

/forudgāh/

Where planes land — the place of coming down.

/safar/

Travel — safar bekheyr, have a good journey!

/kojā/

Question word asking about place.

/chi/

The everyday what; che / chist in formal speech.

/ki/

Question word for people — context separates it from key (when).

/key/

Question word asking about time.

/cherā/

Question word asking for a reason — also means yes! in answer to a negative question.

/chetor/

Question word asking about manner.

/chand/

Asks quantity or price — chand ast? how much is it?

/kodām/

Question word for choosing among options.

/kuh/

A mountain — Damāvand, Iran's mythic peak, rises over Tehran.

/daryā/

The sea — the Caspian in the north, the Persian Gulf in the south.

/rudkhāne/

A river — Isfahan's Zāyande-rud flows under ancient bridges.

/derakht/

A tree — cypress trees stand for grace in Persian gardens and poems.

/gol/

A flower — gol-e sorkh, the rose, queen of Persian gardens and verse.

/bāgh/

The Persian garden — chārbāgh design inspired paradise gardens worldwide; the word paradise itself is Persian.

/āsemān/

The sky above.

/khorshid/

The sun — shir-o-khorshid, lion and sun, is the old emblem of Persia.

/setāre/

A star — cognate with the English word star itself.

/havā/

The weather or the air — havā khub ast, the weather is good.

/bārān/

Rain — a beloved name and the music of Persian ballads.

/barf/

Snow — Tehran's Alborz peaks wear it half the year.

/bahār/

Spring — the season of Nowruz, when the Persian year begins anew.

/tābestān/

The hot season.

/zemestān/

The cold season — opened by Yaldā, its longest night.

/kavir/

The desert — central Iran's starlit salt plains.

/gorbe/

The cat — the long-haired Persian cat carries the country's name worldwide.

/sag/

A dog.

/parande/

A bird — the nightingale (bolbol) sings to the rose in Persian poetry.

/shir/

One famous word, three meanings: milk, lion, and faucet — context is everything!

/sar/

The head — and the start of countless idioms, sar-e kār, at work.

/cheshm/

The eye — saying cheshm also means yes, at your service, upon my eye!

/dast/

The hand — dastet dard nakone, may your hand not ache, is how you thank a cook.

/pā/

The foot or leg.

/del/

The heart of feeling — delam barāt tang shode, my heart has tightened for you: I miss you.

/ghalb/

The anatomical heart — del carries the feelings, ghalb does the pumping.

/dahān/

The mouth.

/dandān/

A tooth — cognate with dental.

/gush/

The ear; gush kardan — to listen.

/salāmati/

Good health — raised as a toast: be salāmati, to your health!

/bimār/

Ill, unwell; mariz is the everyday synonym.

/doktor/

A physician — also the respectful title for any PhD holder.

/dāru/

Medication from the dārukhāne, the pharmacy.

/dard/

Pain or ache — sar-dard, headache; del-dard, stomachache.

/khāb/

Sleep — and the dream you see inside it; khāb-e khosh, sweet dreams.

/kār/

Work or job; sar-e kār — at work.

/edāre/

An office or government bureau.

/pul/

Money — counted in tomans in daily life, rials on paper.

/tomān/

The everyday currency unit — one toman equals ten rials, a constant mental math.

/gheymat/

The cost of something — open to friendly bargaining in the bazaar.

/mo'allem/

A schoolteacher, an honored figure.

/dāneshju/

A student at university — literally a seeker of knowledge.

/mohandes/

An engineer — like doktor, used as a respectful title.

/ketāb/

A book — Iranians wrote some of the world's most loved poetry into them.

/fārsi/

The Persian language — sweet fārsi, called shekar (sugar) by its poets.

/irān/

The land of Persia — home of Cyrus, Hafez and the Persian garden.

/nowruz/

The New Day — the spring equinox new year, celebrated for thirteen days with haft-sin, visits and renewal.

/haft-sin/

The Nowruz spread of seven items starting with S — sabzeh, senjed, sib, sir, samanu, somāq, serkeh.

/yaldā/

The winter solstice night — families stay up with pomegranates, watermelon and Hafez poems.

/hāfez/

The 14th-century poet of Shiraz — his divān sits beside the Quran in Iranian homes, opened for fortunes.

/she'r/

Poetry — the soul of Persian culture, quoted in everyday conversation.

/farsh/

The Persian carpet — gardens woven in wool, the pride of Tabriz, Kashan and Isfahan looms.

/honar/

Art and craft — miniature painting, calligraphy, tilework.

/musighi/

Music — the tār, setār and santur carry the classical radif tradition.

/raghs/

Dance — joyous circling at weddings and family parties.

/arusi/

A wedding — nights of music, dance and sofreh-ye aghd ceremony.

/mehmāni/

A dinner gathering — the mehmān (guest) is, as Iranians say, God's friend.

/mehmān-navāzi/

The famed Persian hospitality — guests are honored, fed and never let go hungry.

/samāvar/

The tea urn bubbling all day in Iranian homes — borrowed from Russia, perfected in Iran.

/raftan/

To go — miravam, I go; boro, go!

/āmadan/

To come toward the speaker; biā — come!

/khordan/

To eat — and casually to drink too; ghazā khordan, to have a meal.

/nushidan/

To drink — the formal verb; khordan covers it in everyday talk.

/didan/

To see; mibinamet — see you!

/shenidan/

To hear or listen.

/goftan/

To say or tell; begu — tell me!

/harf zadan/

To speak or converse — literally to strike words.

/khāndan/

To read — and to sing; āvāz khāndan, to sing a song.

/neveshtan/

To write — Persian flows right to left in elegant nasta'ligh script.

/dādan/

To give; bede — give it!

/gereftan/

To take, catch or obtain — also to take a taxi or a photo.

/kharidan/

To purchase — kharid, shopping, is the noun.

/forukhtan/

To sell — the forushande (seller) calls prices in the bazaar.

/khābidan/

To sleep; khāb, sleep itself.

/bidār shodan/

To awaken from sleep.

/kār kardan/

To work — kardan (to do) builds hundreds of compound verbs like this.

/kardan/

To do — the engine of Persian compound verbs: fekr kardan, bāzi kardan, komak kardan.

/fekr kardan/

To think — literally to do thought.

/dānestan/

To know information; midānam — I know.

/dānesh/

Knowledge — the root of dāneshgāh (university) and dāneshju (student).

/tavānestan/

Can, to be able; mitavānam — I can.

/komak kardan/

To assist someone; komak! — help!

/dust dāshtan/

To like or love — dustet dāram, I love you, built on the word for friend.

/bozorg/

Large in size or great in stature — bozorg-sāl, elder.

/kuchak/

Little in size.

/khub/

Good — the most common positive adjective in Persian.

/bad/

Not good — badi, badness, and bad luck all cluster here.

/āli/

Excellent — the enthusiastic compliment Iranians reach for constantly.

/ghashang/

Lovely — ghashangh-e as a suffix of endearment: jigaram ghashang!

/garm/

Warm in temperature — and warm in welcome, pestiriz-e garm, warm reception.

/sard/

Cold in temperature.

/tāze/

Fresh — tāze-vāred, a newcomer; nān-e tāze, fresh bread.

/jadid/

New or modern, contrasting with ghadimithe old.

/ghadimi/

Old in age — for things; for people, use pir or salmand.

/shirin/

Sweet — also the immortal heroine of the Khosrow-o-Shirin love epic.

/talkh/

Bitter in taste; talkh-kām, bitter-fated.

/tond/

Hot and spicy for food — or fast in pace; tond-ro, fast-walker.

/por/

Full — por-shoda-am, I am full (after eating).

/khāli/

Empty; bosh-e khāli — an empty bottle; vacant.

/sābet/

Stable or established — also used for a landline (sābet) versus mobile.

/sobh/

Morning — sobh bekheyr, good morning!

/shab/

Night — shab bekheyr, good night!

/lebās/

Clothing, garments.

/kafsh/

Shoes — removed at the door before entering Iranian homes.

/miz/

A table or desk.

/sandāli/

A chair for sitting.

/sofre/

The cloth laid on the floor for meals — to eat on sofre is to eat together.

/darkhāst/

A request or application — darkhāst dādan, to make a request.

/telefon/

A phone — telefon kardan, to make a call.

/kāmpiyuter/

A computer — also rāyāne in formal Persian.

/internet/

The internet — central to modern Iranian daily life.

/eshgh/

Passionate love — the fuel of Sufi poetry and Persian song.

/shādi/

Joy and celebration — shad bash, be joyful!

/gham/

Deep sorrow — the bittersweet motif of Persian classical music.

/tars/

Fear; midārsam — I am afraid.

/heyajān/

Excitement — heyajan-angiz, exciting.

/omid/

Hope — be omid-e didar, in hope of meeting, closes many letters.

/azizam/

Term of endearment for anyone beloved — parent, child, friend, spouse.

/jigaram/

Literally my liver — in Persian culture the liver, not heart, is the seat of deepest love.

/sabr/

Patience — sabr kon, be patient; a prized Persian virtue.

/dustān/

Friends — the plural of dust; used warmly in addresses.

/kucheh/

The narrow alley of old neighborhoods — kucheh-bāzāri, a child raised in the alleys.

/āsānsor/

The elevator — from the French ascenseur.

/sākhteman/

A building or structure.

/pārk/

A public park — families flock here on Friday, Iran's day off.

/tamiz/

Clean — tamiz kardan, to clean.

/kasif/

Dirty, unclean.

/arzān/

Inexpensive — harza is the informal version.

/gerān/

Expensive — also dear and heavy; gerān-qeymat.

/sabz/

Green — the color of Islam, spring and Persian gardens.

/sorkh/

Red — sorkh-pust, a red-faced person from the cold or excitement.

/ābi/

Blue — the color of Iran's iconic tiled domes.

/zard/

Yellow — the color of saffron, Iran's precious spice.

/za'farān/

The world's most precious spice — Iran grows most of it; rice, desserts and tea all glow with its gold.

/eydi/

The crisp new banknotes gifted to children at Nowruz — eagerly awaited!

/jang/

War — a word heavy with the memory of the Iran-Iraq War.

/jangal/

A forest — the green jungles of Gilan and Māzandarān fringe the Caspian.

/darband/

The beloved mountain gorge north of Tehran — Tehranis hike here for fresh air and tea.

/sobhāne/

Breakfast — nān-o-panir-o-chai, bread, cheese and tea.

/nāhār/

The midday meal — traditionally the main meal.

/shām/

The evening meal — also the name of the city Damascus in Persian.

/khaste nabāshi/

Said to anyone finishing a task — a unique Persian expression of acknowledgment.

/safar bekheyr/

The warm send-off for any traveller — may your journey be good.

/mamnun az inke/

The phrase that begins a heartfelt expression of gratitude.