A2.3 – Everyday Situations

Overview

In this chapter you move from simple personal topics to real-life situations that you will meet every day in a Persian speaking environment. You already know how to introduce yourself and talk in the present. Now you will see how Persian works in shops, restaurants, on the street, in transport, and at the doctor.

You will not learn complete dialogues for every place yet. Instead, you will focus on key patterns, useful words, and survival phrases. The detailed grammar for past tense and more complex structures comes later. Here you mainly use the present tense and very simple past expressions that you can already guess.

Throughout this chapter, try to read Persian examples aloud. Even if the script is still difficult, seeing real sentences in written Persian will help you connect sound, meaning, and writing.

Shopping and Prices

Shopping in Persian uses a small number of very frequent words. Once you know them, you can adapt to many different situations: buying fruit, clothes, medicine, or a bus card.

The essential word for “price” is “ghaymat”:

قیمت
/ghéymat/
price

To ask “How much is this?” you can say:

این چند است؟
/īn chand ast?/
How much is this?

In everyday speech people usually drop “ast”:

این چند؟
/īn chand?/

If you want to be more specific, you use “cheghadr” which means “how much / how many”:

You will hear and see numbers with “toman” or “rial”. In daily life in Iran people mostly speak about “toman”:

تومان
/tomān/
toman (spoken money unit)

For example:

این ده هزار تومان است.
/īn dah hezār tomān ast./
This is ten thousand toman.

You can add “lotfan” (please) to be polite:

قیمتش چقدر است، لطفاً؟
/ghéymatesh cheghadr ast, lotfan?/
How much is the price, please?

Notice the ending “-esh” on “ghaymat”:

قیمتش
/ghéymatesh/
its price

You will learn possession in detail later, but here it is useful to recognize.

When you want to buy something, you use the verb “khāstan” (to want) in the present:

می‌خواهم این را بخرم.
/mikhāham īn rā bekharam./
I want to buy this.

“Bekharam” comes from “kharidan” (to buy). At this level, it is enough if you can recognize and repeat “mikhāham … bekharam” as a bundle.

In informal spoken Persian you usually hear:

می‌خوام اینو بخرم.
/mikhām īno bekharam./

Here “īn rā” becomes “īno” in speech.

If you do not want something, you can simply say:

نمی‌خواهم.
/nemikhāham./
I do not want (it).

Or informally:

نمی‌خوام.
/nemikhām./

If you want to ask for a different color or size, you usually combine “dige” (another / else) or “bozorgtar / koochiktar” (bigger / smaller, you will learn comparison later) with the noun. For now it is enough to understand a basic exchange such as:

کوچک‌تر ندارید؟
/koochiktar nadārid?/
Do you not have a smaller one?

Here “nadārid” means “you do not have”. You will study negation in detail later. At this stage, remember the sound and meaning together.

When you pay, the seller may say:

بفرمایید.
/befarmāyid./
Here you are. / Go ahead. (polite formula)

You can answer:

ممنون.
/mamnun./
Thanks.

or

خیلی ممنون.
/kheili mamnun./
Thank you very much.

Food and Restaurants

Eating together is very important in Persian speaking cultures. You will often receive invitations to “come and eat” or “drink tea”. For everyday situations you need some basic food words and restaurant phrases.

First, some key nouns:

غذا
/ghazā/
food, meal

رستوران
/resturān/
restaurant

صبحانه
/sobhāne/
breakfast

ناهار
/nāhār/
lunch

شام
/shām/
dinner

نان
/nān/
bread

آب
/āb/
water

چای
/chāy/
tea

In order to ask for something in a restaurant or café, you usually say “lotfan” with the noun or phrase:

یک چای لطفاً.
/yek chāy lotfan./
One tea, please.

آب می‌خورید؟
/āb mikhōrid?/
Will you drink water? / Do you drink water?

You can answer:

بله، آب می‌خورم.
/bale, āb mikhōram./
Yes, I drink water. / Yes, I will drink water.

“Bale” means “yes” and “na” means “no”:

بله
/bale/
yes

نه
/na/
no

For “I would like …” you can use “mikhāham” again:

Here “sefarresh dādan” means “to order”. At this level it is enough to remember that “sefarresh” is connected to ordering.

Another simple pattern is:

می‌شود …؟
/mishavad …?/
Is it possible to … ? / May I … ?

For example:

می‌شود منو ببینم؟
/mishavad menú bebīnam?/
May I see the menu?

The word “menú” is commonly used and understood.

When you are invited to eat in a home, you will hear a special polite phrase:

بفرمایید.
/befarmāyid./
Please, go ahead / Here, help yourself.

You can answer:

نوش جان.
/nush-e jān./
Enjoy your meal. (said to others)

People may also say “nush-e jān” to you when you are eating, to wish you a good appetite.

If you do not eat something, you can say:

نمی‌خورم.
/nemikhōram./
I do not eat (it).

or:

سیر هستم.
/sir hastam./
I am full.

At the end of a restaurant meal, you need “hesāb” (bill).

حساب لطفاً.
/hesāb lotfan./
The bill, please.

In a café or small shop you may also hear:

چقدر شد؟
/cheghadr shod?/
How much did it become? / How much is it total?

Here “shod” is a simple past form of “shodan” (to become). You will study it later, but you already meet it here as a fixed phrase.

Asking for Directions

In a city, you often need to ask where things are: the metro, the toilet, your hotel. Basic direction phrases use “kojā” (where) and “kist” or “ast” (is). The main verb is “boudan” (to be), which you already know.

The general pattern is:

Some common place words:

اینجا
/injā/
here

آنجا
/ānjā/
there

بالا
/bālā/
up, upstairs

پایین
/pāyin/
down, downstairs

راست
/rāst/
right

چپ
/chap/
left

جلو
/jelō/
in front

عقب
/aghab/
behind

کنار
/kenār/
next to, beside

To ask “Where is the toilet?” you can say:

دستشویی کجاست؟
/dastshui kojāst?/
Where is the toilet / bathroom?

For a hotel:

هتل من کجاست؟
/hotel-e man kojāst?/
Where is my hotel?

To be more polite, add “bebakhshid” at the beginning:

ببخشید، ایستگاه اتوبوس کجاست؟
/bebakhshid, īstgāh-e otobus kojāst?/
Excuse me, where is the bus stop?

“Otobus” is used for bus. You will practice transportation words in the next section, but here you can already see how they fit into a “kojāst” question.

When people answer, you will hear direction words combined with simple verbs like “raftan” (to go) and “peichidan” (to turn). For example, a short answer:

اینجاست.
/injāst./
It is here.

or:

آن‌جاست.
/ānjāst./
It is there.

Or a more detailed one:

راست بروید.
/rāst beravid./
Go right. (formal / polite)

مستقیم برو.
/mostaghīm boro./
Go straight. (informal singular)

“Mostaghīm” means “straight”. “Beravid / boro” comes from “raftan” (to go). You will study verb forms later, but it is useful now to understand that “boro” is “go!” to one person, and “beravid” is more polite or plural.

If you do not understand, use:

نمی‌فهمم.
/nemifahmam./
I do not understand.

or ask again:

می‌شود تکرار کنید؟
/mishavad tekrār konid?/
Could you repeat?

Here “tekrār kardan” means “to repeat”.

Transportation

Transportation vocabulary helps you move safely and talk about basic travel in the city or between cities. The same verbs and structures repeat a lot.

Key transport words:

تاکسی
/tāxi/
taxi

مترو
/metro/
metro, subway

اتوبوس
/otobus/
bus

قطار
/ghatār/
train

هواپیما
/havāpeymā/
airplane

ایستگاه
/īstgāh/
station, stop

فرودگاه
/forudgāh/
airport

بلیت
/belit/
ticket

To ask for a specific transport, you can again use “kojāst” or “cheghadr”:

ایستگاه مترو کجاست؟
/īstgāh-e metro kojāst?/
Where is the metro station?

بلیت تا تهران چقدر است؟
/belit tā Tehrān cheghadr ast?/
How much is a ticket to Tehran?

Here “tā” means “to / until”. You will see it more in time expressions later.

In a taxi, you can say where you want to go with “be” (to):

In informal speech:

می‌رم هتل.
/miram hotel./
I go / am going to the hotel.

When you get into a taxi in Iran, the driver often asks:

کجا می‌روید؟
/kojā miravid?/
Where are you going?

You can answer with the place name or address:

به فرودگاه می‌روم.
/be forudgāh miravam./
I am going to the airport.

If you want to ask the price before you go:

کرایه تا آن‌جا چقدر است؟
/kerāye tā ānjā cheghadr ast?/
How much is the fare to there?

“Kerāye” means “fare” or “rent” depending on context. For taxis it is the fare.

On public transport you often need to say whether you want a one way or return ticket. A very basic pair is:

رفت
/raft/
go, going

برگشت
/bargasht/
return

For example:

بلیت رفت می‌خواهم.
/belit-e raft mikhāham./
I want a one way ticket.

بلیت رفت و برگشت می‌خواهم.
/belit-e raft o bargasht mikhāham./
I want a return ticket.

The word “o” means “and”. You will study conjunctions later, but here you meet “o” in a very common phrase.

At the Doctor

Going to the doctor can feel stressful in any language, so even a small number of phrases helps you feel safer. You already know “man” (I), “to” (you), and the verb “hastam” (I am). You can use them for basic “I am sick” sentences.

Important health words:

دکتر
/doktor/
doctor

پزشک
/pezeshk/
doctor (more formal, native Persian word)

بیمارستان
/bimārestān/
hospital

درمانگاه
/darmāngāh/
clinic

داروخانه
/dāru khāne/
pharmacy

بدن
/badan/
body

تب
/tab/
fever

سرماخوردگی
/sarmākhordegi/
cold (illness)

سر
/sar/
head

درد
/dard/
pain

You use “dard” with body parts to say “pain in …”:

“Sarahm” is “my head”. You will learn possession later, but for now you can recognize it when you hear it. Informally people say:

سرم درد می‌کنه.
/saram dard mikone./

To say “I am sick”:

من مریض هستم.
/man mariz hastam./
I am sick.

or simply:

حالم بد است.
/hālam bad ast./
I feel bad. / I am not well.

“Hal” means “state, condition”. “Bad” means “bad”. In speech “hālam bad ast” becomes:

حالم بده.
/hālam bade./

To describe a simple symptom:

تب دارم.
/Tab dāram./
I have a fever.

سرماخورده‌ام.
/sarmākhorde-am./
I have a cold.

دل‌درد دارم.
/deldard dāram./
I have stomach ache.

Here “del” can mean “stomach / inside” in this context. “Del-dard” is a fixed expression for stomach pain.

At the start of a visit, the doctor might ask:

چه مشکلی دارید؟
/che moshkeli dārid?/
What problem do you have?

You can answer with one of the patterns above.

If you go to a pharmacy, you can say:

دارو می‌خواهم.
/dāru mikhāham./
I want medicine.

For more detail:

برای سرماخوردگی دارو می‌خواهم.
/barāye sarmākhordegi dāru mikhāham./
I want medicine for a cold.

“Barāye” means “for”. You will meet it again in prepositions.

The pharmacist or doctor may tell you:

این قرص را روزی دو بار بخورید.
/īn gors rā ruzi do bār bekhorid./
Take this pill twice a day.

Here “gors” is “pill / tablet”, “ruzi” is “per day”, and “do bār” is “two times”. At this level, you only need to understand the general idea, not every grammar detail.

If you do not understand the instruction, repeat your useful question:

ببخشید، می‌شود تکرار کنید؟
/bebakhshid, mishavad tekrār konid?/
Excuse me, could you repeat?

Vocabulary list for A2.3 – Everyday Situations