The Talking Farsi Phrasebook

The Talking Phrasebook Series presents useful phrases and words in side-by-side translation and with audio files specifically geared to help students work on listening skills and pronunciation. Below, you will find several useful phrases and words. To the left is the English and to the far right is the Farsi translation in both Latin and Perso-Arabic scripts.

In the center column for each row is a play button. The recorded file will feature first English, then the Farsi in three versions: one slow, one with each syllable broken out, and a last version that will be spoken as it might be overheard in a conversation between native speakers.

10 Facts About Farsi

Status: Farsi is an Indo-European language distantly related to English, Greek, and Hindi. Its branch diverged from other Indo-European languages sometime in the late 3rd millennium BCE.

Farsi vs. Persian: The terms “Farsi” and “Persian” are often treated as interchangeable, creating some confusion. “Persian” is an exonym that has been used for centuries in English. Meanwhile, “Farsi” (فارسی) is an endonym used in Iran. Persian languages also include Dari (دری), spoken in Afghanistan, and Tajik (тоҷикӣ), spoken in Tajikistan. All three are generally mutually intelligible, yet differ in pronunciation, vocabulary, and even writing systems. Further, most speakers of Tajik or Dari would not say that they speak Farsi. This resource focuses on the Persian spoken in Tehran, Iran, and uses “Farsi” to refer to it. For comparison, see our Tajik phrasebook.

Speakers: An estimated 110–130 million people speak Persian varieties worldwide, most of them in Iran. An estimated 3–4 million Farsi speakers live outside Iran, with major diaspora communities in the United States, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Germany. The United States alone has nearly half a million speakers, many concentrated in California.

Influences: Persian varieties have borrowed from different languages, and their vocabularies and other features reflect these varied influences. Farsi has been particularly influenced by Arabic and French, while Tajik shows stronger Russian and Turkic influences, especially from Uzbek. Dari retains more Classical and Old Persian vocabulary and vowel features than Farsi or Tajik and also reflects influence from languages such as Urdu and Pashto.

Gender: Persian does not distinguish grammatical gender. The third-person singular pronoun او (pronounced “oo”) means both “he” and “she.” Nouns do not have masculine or feminine forms, and many titles and relationship terms are gender-neutral. For example, همسر (hamsar) means “spouse;” Farsi does not have separate terms for “husband” or “wife.”

Diminutives: Persian uses suffixes to form diminutives, which can express small size, affection, or other attitudes. The suffix ی (-i) can create affectionate forms of personal names. For example, فاطمه (Fāṭeme) may become فاطی (Fāṭi) as a familiar or affectionate nickname. The suffix ـک (-ak) can indicate smallness or convey an emotional tone. دختر (dokhtar) means “girl,” while دخترک (dokhtarak) means “little girl” and can suggest affection or pity. مردک (mardak), literally “little man,” is often dismissive. The suffix ـچه (-che) commonly indicates a smaller version of the undeclined noun would refer to. For example, باغ (bāgh, garden) becomes باغچه (bāghche, small garden), while کتاب (ketāb, book) becomes کتابچه (ketābche, booklet). It can also indicate affection.

Respect: Persian expresses respect primarily through titles, pronouns, and verb forms. For instance, آقا (āghā, Mr./sir) and خانم (khānom, Ms./Mrs.) can be used before names or on their own when addressing someone to show respect. Persian, like many languages, also distinguishes between an informal you, تو (pronounced “to”), and formal or plural you شما (pronounced “shomā”). The first is used with close friends, children, and family members when appropriate, and shomā with strangers, older people, and in formal situations. Because  شما (shomā) is plural, plural verb forms are used with it. For example, شما خوب هستید؟ (shomā khub hastid?) means “Are you well?” while تو خوب هستی؟ (to khub hasti?) is the informal equivalent.

Cases: While Old Persian had a rich case system, modern Persian relies primarily on word order (typically subject-object-verb) and prepositions to express grammatical relationships. Genitive possession is still constructed with ezāfe, a linking vowel that connects a noun to a following modifier or possessor. For example, کتابِ من (ketâb-e man) means “my book,” with the ezāfe linking کتاب (ketâb, book) to من (man, I/me).

Definite/Indefinite: Persian has no direct equivalents of the English articles “a,” “an,” and “the,” but it can express indefiniteness and definiteness through markers, suffixes, and context. The suffix ی (-i) can mark an indefinite noun: کتابی (ketâbi, a book). Alternatively, یک (yek, one) can precede the noun with similar effect, as in یک کتاب (yek ketâb, a book or one book). An unmarked noun may be interpreted as definite or indefinite depending on context. In colloquial Persian, the suffix ـه (-e) can mark a definite noun, as in کتابه (ketâbe, the book).

Dialects: Farsi has several regional dialects, including those of Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, and Khorasan. Standard Iranian Persian is largely based on the Tehran variety (which is illustrated below), although regional speech differs in accent and vocabulary. Dari and Tajik also have regional dialects.

The Farsi Alphabet

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Modern Farsi uses a modified Perso-Arabic script with 32 letters. Adapted from the 28-letter Arabic alphabet, it adds four letters for sounds not found in Arabic: پ (p), چ (ch), ژ (zh), and گ (g). The cursive script is written from right to left and does not use capital letters.

Survival Basics

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Hello!		Salam! سلام! (common)
Hello!		Dorood! درود! (formal/polite)
Yes		Bale بله
No		Kheyr خیر
Good morning!		Sobh bekheyr! صبح به‌خیر!
Good afternoon!		Rooz bekheyr! روز به‌خیر!
Good evening!		Asr bekheyr! عصر به‌خیر!
What’s up?		Chikaara mikoni? چیکارا می‌کنی؟ (informal)
What’s up?		Che khabar? چه خبر؟ (informal)
How are you?		Halet chetore? حالت چطوره؟ (informal)
How are you?		Haletun chetor Hast? حالتون چطور هست؟ (formal)
Good, thanks, and you?		Khoobam sepaas, shoma chetorid? خوبم سپاس، شما چطورید؟
Good bye!		Khodahafez! خداحافظ! (common)
Good bye!		Fe’lan! فعلا! (informal)
See you later!		Ba’dan mibinamet! بعداً می‌بینمت!
Sorry!		Bebakhshid! ببخشید!
Open/closed		Baz / Baste باز / بسته
Pull/push		Bekeshid / Feshar dahid بکشید / فشار دهید (when referring to a door)
Small/big		Koochak / Bozorg کوچک / بزرگ
Do you speak English?		Aya englisi sohbat mikonid? آیا انگلیسی صحبت می‌کنید؟
I don’t speak English.		Man englisi sohbat nemikonam. من انگلیسی صحبت نمی‌کنم.
I only speak a little Persian.		Man faghat kami farsi baladam. من فقط کمی فارسی بلدم.
I understand.		Motevajjeh misham. متوجه می‌شم.
I don’t understand.		Motevajjeh nemisham. متوجه نمی‌شم.
Thank you!		Sepaas! سپاس!
Thank you very much!		Kheyli mamnoon! خیلی ممنون!
Very well, thanks!		Kheyli khoob, sepaas! خیلی خوب، سپاس!
Well/Good		Khoob خوب
Poor/Bad		Bad بد
Please		Lotfan لطفاً
You’re welcome!		Khahesh mikonam! خواهش می‌کنم!
Enjoy!		Nooshe jan! نوش جان! (when someone is eating)
Excuse me!		Bebakhshid! ببخشید!
A little		Kami کمی
Could you speak more slowly?		Mitunid kami ahesteh tar sohbat konid? می‌تونید کمی آهسته‌تر صحبت کنید؟
Could you repeat, please?		Mitunid lotfan tekrar konid? می‌تونید لطفاً تکرار کنید؟
Could you write that down?		Mitunid benevisidesh? می‌تونید بنویسیدش؟
I would like to make an appointment.		Mikham yek vaght reserv konam. می‌خوام یک وقت رزرو کنم.
My bag was stolen		Kife man dozdide shod. کیف من دزدیده شد.
My wallet was stolen		Kife poole man dozdide shod. کیف پول من دزدیده شد.
My passport was stolen		Gozarnaameye man dozdide shod. گذرنامه من دزدیده شد.
I need a doctor!		Be pezeshk niaz daram! به پزشک نیاز دارم!
Call the police!		Ba police tamas begirid! با پلیس تماس بگیرید!

Introductions in Persian

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What is your name?		Naameh shoma chiye? نام شما چیه؟
Pleased to meet you!		Az ashnaee ba shoma khoshbakhtam! از آشنایی با شما خوشبختم!
I am 25 years old.		Man bist o panj sale hastam. من بیست و پنج ساله هستم.
How old are you?		Chand saletune? چند سالتونه؟
Where are you from?		Ahle koja hastid? اهل کجا هستید؟
I am American.		Man amrikaee hastam. من آمریکایی هستم.
No, I am from Canada.		Kheyr, man ahle kanada hastam. خیر، من اهل کانادا هستم.
She is German.		Oo almanee ast. او آلمانی است.
He is Irish.		Oo erlandi ast. او ایرلندی است.
We are from France.		Ma ahle faranse hastim. ما اهل فرانسه هستیم.
They are from Wales.		Anha ahle velz hastand. آن‌ها اهل ولز هستند.
How do you like Iran?		Iran ro chetor mibinid? ایران رو چطور می‌بینید؟
I like Iran very much.		Man iran ro kheyli doost daram. من ایران رو خیلی دوست دارم.
Have you ever been to Mashhad?		Ta hala mashhad raftid? تا حالا مشهد رفتید؟
I have never been to Isfahan before.		Man ta be hal esfahan naraftam. من تا به حال اصفهان نرفتم.
This is my second time in Tehran.		In dovvomin safare man be tehran ast. این دومین سفر من به تهران است.
What do you do?		Shoghletun chiye? شغلتون چیه؟
I am a doctor		Man pezeshk hastam. من پزشک هستم.
I am a teacher		Man mo’allem hastam. من معلم هستم.
I am a student.		Man daneshjoo hastam. من دانشجو هستم. (university student)
I am on vacation.		Man dar morakhasi hastam. من در مرخصی هستم. (if employed/working)
I am on vacation.		Man dar ta’tilat hastam. من در تعطیلات هستم. (student on break)
I am here on business.		Man baraye kar inja hastam. من برای کار اینجا هستم.
I am studying here.		Man inja dars mikhoonam. من اینجا درس می‌خونم.

Asking Directions

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Where are the toilets?		Dastshooee kojast? دستشویی کجاست؟
Men		Aghayan آقایان (public signage)
Women		Banovan بانوان (public signage)
Where is the nearest bank?		Nazdiktarin bank kojast? نزدیک‌ترین بانک کجاست؟
Where is the nearest post office?		Nazdiktarin edareye post kojast? نزدیک‌ترین اداره پست کجاست؟
Where is the nearest train station?		Nazdiktarin istgahe ghatar kojast? نزدیک‌ترین ایستگاه قطار کجاست؟
Where can I find Wi-Fi?		Koja mitunam vay-fay peyda konam? کجا می‌تونم وای‌فای پیدا کنم؟
Do you know the Wi-Fi password?		Gozarvaazheh ye vay-fay ro midoonid? گذرواژه وای‌فای رو می‌دونید؟
How can I order a taxi?		Chetor mitunam taxi begiram? چطور می‌تونم تاکسی بگیرم؟
Straight ahead!		Mostaghim! مستقیم!
Take a right!		Be rast bepichid! به راست بپیچید!
Take a left!		Be chap bepichid! به چپ بپیچید!
After the stoplight		Ba’d az cheraghe ghermez بعد از چراغ قرمز
Next/First/Last		Ba’di / Avvalin / Akharin بعدی / اولین / آخرین

Shopping

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How much does that cost?		Gheymatesh chande? قیمتش چنده؟
The menu, please!		Meno, lotfan! منو، لطفاً!
I’d like some water, please.		Yek livan aab mikham, lotfan. یک لیوان آب میخوام لطفاً.
I’d like the bill, please.		Soorathesab ro biyarid, lotfan. صورت‌حساب رو بیارید، لطفاً.
Do you accept credit cards?		Keredit kart ghabool mikonid? کردیت کارت قبول می‌کنید؟

Counting

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0		Sefr صفر
1		Yek یک
2		Do دو
3		Se سه
4		Chahar چهار
5		Panj پنج
6		Shesh شش
7		Haft هفت
8		Hasht هشت
9		Noh نه
10		Dah ده
11		Yazdah یازده
12		Davazdah دوازده
13		Sizdah سیزده
14		Chahardah چهارده
15		Panzdah پانزده
16		Shanzdah شانزده
17		Hefdah هفده
18		Hejdah هجده
19		Noozdah نوزده
20		Bist بیست
21		Bist o yek بیست و یک
22		Bist o do بیست و دو
30		Si سی
40		Chehel چهل
50		Panjah پنجاه
60		Shast شصت
70		Haftad هفتاد
80		Hashtad هشتاد
90		Navad نود
100		Sad صد
111		Sad o yazdah صد و یازده
125		Sad o bist o panj صد و بیست و پنج
200		Devist دویست
300		Sisad سیصد
400		Chaharsad چهارصد
500		Pansad پانصد
600		Sheshsad ششصد
700		Haftsad هفتصد
800		Hashtsad هشتصد
900		Nohsad نهصد
1000		Hezar هزار

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