Persian/Vocabulary

Introduction to Persian Vocabulary This page is designed to help you expand your Persian vocabulary (واژگان - Vāžegān). Persian vocabulary draws heavily from Middle Persian, but also includes significant loanwords from Arabic, French, and more recently, English. Structure of Entries Each entry in the tables below includes: Persian Script: The written form. Transliteration: A phonetic guide to pronunciation. English Meaning: The definition. Basic Greetings and Polite Expressions These are essential for starting a conversation or being polite in daily life. Persian Transliteration English سلام Salaam Hello / Peace درود Dorood Hello (Formal/Literary) خداحافظ Khodā hāfez Goodbye صبح بخیر Sobh bekheir Good morning روز بخیر Ruz bekheir Good day شب بخیر Shab bekheir Good night خوش آمدید Khosh āmadid Welcome ممنونم / متشکرم Mamnoonam / Motesakkeram Thank you خواهش می‌کنم Khāhesh mikonam You're welcome / Please بله Bale Yes نه Na No ببخشید Bebakhshid Excuse me / I'm sorry لطفاً Lotfan Please Pronouns Persian pronouns are gender-neutral. Note that colloquial speech often uses shortened forms (shown in parentheses). Persian Transliteration English من Man I تو To You (Singular, Informal) شما Shomā You (Singular, Formal / Plural) او U He / She / It ما Mā We آن‌ها Ānhā They Numbers (Adad-ha) Persian uses a modified Arabic script for numbers, though Western numerals (1, 2, 3) are also understood. Below are the traditional Persian numerals. Numeral Persian Transliteration English ۱ یک Yek One ۲ دو Do Two ۳ سه Se Three ۴ چهار Chahār Four ۵ پنج Panj Five ۶ شش Shesh Six ۷ هفت Haft Seven ۸ هشت Hasht Eight ۹ نه Noh Nine ۱۰ ده Dah Ten ۱۰۰ صد Sad One Hundred ۱۰۰۰ هزار Hezār One Thousand Question Words These words are used to form questions. Persian Transliteration English چی؟ Chi? What? کی؟ Ki? Who? کجا؟ Kojā? Where? کی؟ Key? When? چرا؟ Cherā? Why? چطور؟ Chetor? How? چند؟ Chand? How much? / How many? کدام؟ Kodām? Which? Common Adjectives Adjectives usually follow the noun and are connected by the Ezāfe vowel (pronounced -e or -ye). Persian Transliteration English خوب Khub Good بد Bad Bad بزرگ Bozorg Big کوچک Kuchak Small جدید Jadid New قدیمی Ghadimi Old زیبا Zibā Beautiful زشت Zesht Ugly گران Gerān Expensive ارزان Arzān Cheap خوشمزه Khoshmaze Delicious سریع Sari' Fast کند Kond Slow Family Members (Khānevādeh) Persian Transliteration English خانواده Khānevāde Family پدر Pedār Father مادر Mādār Mother برادر Barādār Brother خواهر Khāhār Sister پسر Pesar Son / Boy دختر Dokhtar Daughter / Girl شوهر Shohar Husband زن / همسر Zan / Hamsar Wife / Spouse Food and Drinks (Ghazā va Nooshidani) Persian Transliteration English آب Āb Water نان Nān Bread برنج Beranj Rice گوشت Goosht Meat مرغ Morgh Chicken ماهی Māhi Fish سبزیجات Sabzijāt Vegetables میوه Miveh Fruit چای Chāy Tea قهوه Ghāveh Coffee شیر Shir Milk نمک Namak Salt Days of the Week (Ruz-hā-ye Hafteh) The Persian week starts on Saturday. The names are mostly based on numbers (e.g., Saturday is "Shanbe", Sunday is "1-Shanbe"). Persian Transliteration English شنبه Shanbe Saturday یکشنبه Yekshanbe Sunday دوشنبه Doshanbe Monday سه‌شنبه Seshanbe Tuesday چهارشنبه Chahārshanbe Wednesday پنجشنبه Panjshanbe Thursday جمعه Jome Friday Useful Phrases Introductions My name is [Name]: Esm-e man [Name] ast. (اسمی من [...] است) I am from [Country]: Man az [Country] hastam. (من از [...] هستم) I don't understand: Man nemifahmam. (من نمی‌فهمم) Common Questions How are you? (Formal): Hāl-e shomā chetore? (حال شما چطوره؟) How are you? (Informal): Chetori? (چطوری؟) What is this? In chist? (این چیست؟) How much is this? In chand ast? (این چند است؟) See Also Persian Grammar Persian Verbs Persian Alphabet Vocabulary