Lesson 2: Greetings and everyday phrases
Say hello, ask how someone is, thank them and say goodbye. About five minutes.
Lesson 2: Greetings and everyday phrases
18 exercises, about 5 minutes
You’ll learn: سلامخوبی؟حال شما چطوره؟خوبم، مرسیمرسیخواهش می‌کنم
Words and phrases in this lesson
| Persian | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| سلام | salām | HelloWorks at any time of day, with anyone. |
| خوبی؟ | khubi? | How are you? (casual)Literally “are you good?”, for friends and family. |
| حال شما چطوره؟ | hāl-e shomā chetore? | How are you? (polite)For elders and people you don’t know well. |
| خوبم، مرسی | khubam, mersi | I’m fine, thanks |
| مرسی | mersi | ThanksBorrowed from French and heard everywhere. |
| خواهش می‌کنم | khāhesh mikonam | You’re welcomeIt also means “please”. |
| ببخشید | bebakhshid | Excuse me / sorry |
| بله | bale | YesPolite; among friends people say آره (āre). |
| نه | na | No |
| اسم من سارا است | esm-e man sārā ast | My name is Sara |
| اسمت چیه؟ | esmet chie? | What’s your name? (casual) |
| خوشبختم | khoshbakhtam | Nice to meet youLiterally “I’m fortunate”. |
| صبح بخیر | sobh bekheyr | Good morning |
| شب بخیر | shab bekheyr | Good night |
| خداحافظ | khodāhāfez | GoodbyeLiterally “God keep you”. |
Polite or casual?
Persian has two words for “you”: to for friends, family and children, and shomā for elders, strangers and anything formal. When in doubt, use shomā; nobody minds being treated politely.
Ta’arof
Ta’arof is the Iranian art of politeness: a host offers several times and a guest declines several times before accepting. Befarmāyid (بفرمایید) means “please, after you” or “please, help yourself”. When a shopkeeper says ghābel nadāre (قابل نداره, “it’s not worth anything”), that’s ta’arof: you still pay.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say hello in Persian?
Salām (سلام). It works at any time of day, with anyone.
How do you say thank you in Persian?
Mersi (مرسی) is the most common. Mamnun (ممنون) and motashakkeram (متشکرم) are more formal.
How do you say “how are you?” in Persian?
Khubi? (خوبی؟) with friends and family; hāl-e shomā chetore? (حال شما چطوره؟) to be polite. Answer khubam, mersi (خوبم، مرسی): I’m fine, thanks.
How do you say goodbye in Persian?
Khodāhāfez (خداحافظ), literally “God keep you”. At night, shab bekheyr (شب بخیر): good night.
What does khoshbakhtam mean?
“Nice to meet you” — literally “I’m fortunate”. Say it when you’re introduced to someone.