LESSON NOTES

Absolute Beginner S1 #1
Saying Hello in Persian at Any Time of the
Day

CONTENTS

Dialogue - Persian
Main
Vowelled
Romanization
English
Vocabulary
Sample sentences
Vocabulary phrase usage
Grammar
Cultural insight

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DIALOGUE - PERSIAN
MAIN

.‫ﺳﻼم‬ : ‫ﺳﯿﻨﺎ‬ 1.

.‫ﺳﻼم‬ : ‫ﺷﯿﺮﯾﻦ‬ 2.

‫ﭼﻄﻮری؟ ﺧﻮﺑﯽ؟‬ : ‫ﺳﯿﻨﺎ‬ 3.

‫ ﺗﻮ ﺧﻮﺑﯽ؟‬.‫ﻣﻦ ﺧﻮﺑﻢ‬ : ‫ﺷﯿﺮﯾﻦ‬ 4.

.‫ ﻓﺮدا ﻣﯽ ﺑﯿﻨﻤﺖ‬.‫ﻣﻦ ﻫﻢ ﺧﻮﺑﻢ‬ : ‫ﺳﯿﻨﺎ‬ 5.

.‫ﺧﺪاﺣﺎﻓﻆ‬ : ‫ﺷﯿﺮﯾﻦ‬ 6.

VOWELLED

.‫ﺳﻼم‬
َ : ‫ﺳﯿﻨﺎ‬ 1.

.‫ﺳﻼم‬
َ : ‫ﺷﯿﺮﯾﻦ‬ 2.

‫ﭼﻄﻮری؟ ﺧﻮﺑﯽ؟‬
ِ : ‫ﺳﯿﻨﺎ‬ 3.

‫ ﺗُﻮ ﺧﻮﺑﯽ؟‬.‫ﻣَﻦ ﺧﻮﺑَﻢ‬ : ‫ﺷﯿﺮﯾﻦ‬ 4.

.‫ ﻓَﺮدا ﻣﯽ ﺑﯿﻨَﻤِﺖ‬.‫ﻣَﻦ ﻫَﻢ ﺧﻮﺑَﻢ‬ : ‫ﺳﯿﻨﺎ‬ 5.

.‫ﺧُﺪاﺣﺎ ِﻓﻆ‬ : ‫ﺷﯿﺮﯾﻦ‬ 6.

ROMANIZATION

1. Sina : salaam.

2. Shirin : salaam.

3. Sina : chetori? khoobi?

4. Shirin : man khoobam. to khoobi?

5. Sina : man ham khoobam. fardaa mibinamet.

6. Shirin : khodaahaafez.

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ENGLISH

1. Sina : Hello.

2. Shirin : Hello.

3. Sina : How are you? Are you fine?

4. Shirin : I'm fine, how about you?

5. Sina : I'm fine too. See you tomorrow.

6. Shirin : Bye.

VOCABULARY

Persian Romanization English Class

‫ﺧﻮب‬ khoob good adjective

‫ﻣﻦ‬ man I, me pronoun

‫ﭼﻄﻮری‬ chetori how adverb

‫ﺗﻮ‬ to you (singular) pronoun

‫ﺳﻼم‬ salaam hello interjection

‫ﻓﺮدا‬ fardaa tomorrow noun

‫دﯾﺪن‬ didan to see, to watch, to look, to visit, watch verb, noun

‫ﺧﺪاﺣﺎﻓﻆ‬ khodaahaafez. goodbye interjection

SAMPLE SENTENCES

.‫اﺣﺴﺎس ﺧﻮﺑﯽ دارم‬ .‫او ﻣﻌﻠﻢ ﺧﻮﺑﯽ اﺳﺖ‬

ehsaas-e khoobi daaram. oo moa'llem-e khoobi ast.

I feel good. He's a good teacher.

.‫ﻣﻦ ﺗﺎ ﺣﺎﻻ ﭼﻨﯿﻦ ﭼﯿﺰی ﻧﺪﯾﺪم‬ .‫از ﻣﻦ ﻋﮑﺲ ﻧﮕﯿﺮ‬

man taa haalaa chenin chizi nadidam. az man aks nagir.

I have never seen such a thing. "Don't take photos of me."

‫ﭼﻄﻮری ﺑﺮم ﻣﯿﺪون اﻧﻘﻼب؟‬ .‫ﺑﻬﻢ ﯾﺎد ﺑﺪه ﭼﻄﻮری از ﮐﻨﺘﺮل اﺳﺘﻔﺎده ﮐﻨﻢ‬

chetori beram meydoon-e enqelaab? behem yaad bede chetori az kontorol estefaadeh
konam.
How do I get to Enqelab square?
Tell me how to use the remote control.

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 ‫ﭼﻄﻮری ﺗﻮاﻧﺴﺘﯿﺪ از اﯾﻦ راه ﺑﺮوﯾﺪ؟‬ ‫ﭼﻄﻮری ﺑﺮوم ﻣﯿﺪان اﻧﻘﻼب؟‬
chetor tavaanestid az in raah beravid? chetori beravam meydaan-e enqelaab?
How did you go by this way? How can I go to Enghelab Square?

.‫ﻣﻦ ﺗﻮ را ﻣﯽ ﺷﻨﺎﺳﻢ‬ .‫او ﻫﯿﭻ وﻗﺖ ﺑﻪ ﻣﻦ ﺳﻼم ﻧﻤﯽ ﮐﻨﺪ‬

man to raa mishenaasam. oo hich vaqt be man salaam nemikonad.
I know you. He never says hello to me.

.‫ﻓﺮدا ﺗﻌﻄﯿﻞ اﺳﺖ‬ ‫ﭘﺲ از ﻣﺮاﺳﻢ ﻓﺎرغ اﻟﺘﺤﺼﯿﻠﯽ او ﯾﮏ ﺳﺎﻋﺖ از واﻟﺪﯾﻨﺶ‬

.‫درﯾﺎﻓﺖ ﮐﺮد‬
fardaa ta'til ast.
pas az maraasem-e faareqotahsili oo yek saa'at
Tomorrow is a holiday.
az vaaledeynash daryaaft kard.
She got a watch from her parents after the
graduation ceremony.

.‫ﻣﻦ ﻫﻤﯿﺸﻪ اﯾﻦ ﻧﻤﺎﯾﺶ ﺗﻠﻮﯾﺰﯾﻮﻧﯽ را ﻣﯽﺑﯿﻨﻢ‬ .‫ﺧﺎﻧﻮاده ﻣﻦ ﺳﺎل آﯾﻨﺪه از رم دﯾﺪن ﺧﻮاﻫﻨﺪ ﮐﺮد‬
man hamishe in namaayesh-e televizioni raa khaanevaadeye man saal-e aayande az rom
mibinam. didan khaahand kard.
I always watch this TV show. My family will visit Rome next year.

.‫او ﻧﺘﻮاﻧﺴﺖ ﺻﻔﺤﻪ را ﻧﺒﯿﻨﺪ‬ ‫ ﻫﯿﭻ ورزﺷﯽ را ﻧﻤﯽﺑﯿﻨﻢ وﻟﯽ دﯾﺮوز اﺳﺘﺜﻨﺎء ﻗﺎﺋﻞ‬،ً‫ﻣﻌﻤﻮﻻ‬
.‫ﺷﺪم‬
oo natavaanest safhe raa nabinad.
mamoolan, hich varzeshi raa nemibinam vali
She couldn't stop looking at the screen.
dirooz estesnaa ghaael shodam.
Usually, I don't watch any sports but I made an
exception yesterday.

.‫او ﺑﻪ دﯾﺪن ﻣﻦ آﻣﺪ‬ .‫ﺗﺎ دﻓﻌﻪی ﺑﻌﺪ ﺧﺪاﺣﺎﻓﻆ‬

oo be didan-e man aamad. taa daf'e-ye ba'd khodaahaafez.
He came to see me. Bye until next time.

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

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‫ﺳﻼم‬
Salam is a salutation meaning "hello" in Persian that can be used at any time of the day, anywhere and
by anyone. It's usually the first thing people say to each other when they meet, over the phone, or even
in letters and messages.

‫ﺧﺪا ﺣﺎﻓﻆ‬
Khodahafez means "goodbye" or "farewell." It consists of two parts: Khoda, meaning "God," and hafez,
which means "protector." This literally means, "May God protect you" when we say "goodbye" to
someone.

‫دﯾﺪن )ﻣﯽ ﺑﯿﻨﻤﺖ( ا‬

Mibinamet means "see you" in Persian. It's not used that often, but sometimes people say it when
saying goodbye to show that they are going to meet again soon. It is a form of the verb didan, meaning
"to see," which is the present or future tense; in Persian (mi), the subject pronoun "I," or (am) in Persian,
and the object "you," or (Et) in Persian, in itself.

GRAMMAR
The Focus of this Lesson is Greetings.
‫ ﺗﻮ ﺧﻮﺑﯽ؟‬.‫ﻣﻦ ﺧﻮﺑﻢ‬
man khoobam. to khoobi?
"I'm fine, how about you?"

In Persian, there are different ways of saying "How are you?" In informal speech, for example, when you
are talking to your friends, ‫ ﭼﻄﻮری؟‬is used as "How are you?" and ‫ ﺣﺎﻟﺖ ﭼﻄﻮره؟‬means "How are you
feeling?" ‫ ﺧﻮﺑﯽ؟‬is also used when you simply want to say "Are you fine?" These are all in singular forms.

Informal and Formal, Singular and Plural

In order to make these questions sound formal, the plural forms are used instead. In the plural forms,
the i sounds at the end of the words become id. ‫ ﭼﻄﻮری؟‬will become ‫ﭼﻄﻮرﯾﺪ؟‬, and ‫ ﺧﻮﺑﯽ؟‬will be ‫ ﺧﻮﺑﯿﺪ؟‬.
But the most formal way of all is ‫ ﺣﺎﻟﺘﺎن ﭼﻄﻮر اﺳﺖ؟‬, meaning, "How are you feeling?," which is the plural
of ‫ﺣﺎﻟﺖ ﭼﻄﻮره؟‬.

For example:

‫ ﺣﺎﻟﺘﺎن ﭼﻄﻮر اﺳﺖ؟‬،‫ﺳﻼم آﻗﺎ‬

‫ﭼﻄُﻮر اﺳﺖ؟‬ ِ ‫ ﺣﺎﻟِﺘﺎن‬،‫ﺳﻼم آﻗﺎ‬
َ
salaam aaghaa, haaletaan chetor ast?
"Hello sir, how are you feeling?"

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‫ ﺷﻤﺎ ﭼﻄﻮرﯾﺪ؟‬،‫ﻣﻦ ﺧﻮﺑﻢ‬
‫ﭼﻄُﻮرﯾﺪ؟‬ِ ‫ ﺷُ ﻤﺎ‬،‫ﻣَﻦ ﺧﻮﺑَﻢ‬
man khooban, shomaa chetorid?
"I'm fine, how about you (plural)?"

Examples from this lesson:

‫ ﭼﻄﻮری؟ ﺧﻮﺑﯽ؟‬:‫اﻟﻒ‬

‫ ﺗﻮ ﺧﻮﺑﯽ؟‬.‫ ﻣﻦ ﺧﻮﺑﻢ‬:‫ب‬

‫ ﻣﻦ ﻫﻢ ﺧﻮﺑﻢ‬:‫اﻟﻒ‬.

Examples from this dialogue:

‫ﭼﻄﻮری؟ ﺧﻮﺑﯽ؟‬
‫ﭼﻄُﻮری؟ ﺧﻮﺑﯽ؟‬ِ
chetori? khoobi?
"How are you? Are you fine?"

‫ ﺗﻮ ﺧﻮﺑﯽ؟‬.‫ﻣﻦ ﺧﻮﺑﻢ‬
‫ ﺗُﻮ ﺧﻮﺑﯽ؟‬.‫ﻣﻦ ﺧﻮﺑَﻢ‬
َ
man khoobam, to khoobe?
"I'm fine, how about you? (are you fine too?)"

Sample Sentences

‫ ﺣﺎﻟﺖ ﺧﻮﺑﻪ؟‬،‫ﺳﻼم‬
‫ ﺣﺎﻟِﺖ ﺧﻮﺑِﻪ؟‬،‫ﺳﻼم‬
َ
salaam, haalet khoobe?
"Hello, are you feeling good?"

‫ﺣﺎل ﺷﻤﺎ ﭼﻄﻮر اﺳﺖ؟‬

‫ﭼﻄُﻮر اﺳﺖ؟‬ِ ‫ﺣﺎل ِ ﺷُ ﻤﺎ‬
haal-e shomaa chetor ast?
"How are you (plural) feeling?"

Language Expansion

In response to the above questions, we usually answer by saying, "I'm fine" ( ‫) ﻣﻦ ﺧﻮﺑﻢ‬. This is used for
both formal and informal situations, and it's often followed by a short thanks: mamnoon / motshakker /
mersi.

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CULTURAL INSIGHT
Greetings in Persian

The word salam ("Hello") comes from salamati, which means "health" in Persian. There is also a well-
known saying that goes, Salam Salamati Miare, meaning, "Salam brings health." Grandmothers often tell
this to their grandchildren.
In a popular poem by Hafez that's heard a lot on radio and TV, he wrote, Salami cho booye khoshe
Ashenayi, which means, "A hello is like the good scent of an acquaintance." It shows how salam is the
symbol of friendship. In other words, salam in Iran is the beginning and the most important part of a
conversation since it starts everything!

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