Idiomatic Expressions

What Are Idiomatic Expressions in Persian?

Idiomatic expressions in Persian are fixed combinations of words whose overall meaning is not simply the sum of their parts. If you translate them word by word into English, they often sound strange or even meaningless, yet native speakers use them constantly in everyday speech.

Persian idioms can come from poetry, religion, history, or traditional culture. Many are colorful and vivid, and they are a key part of sounding natural at B2 level and above.

In this chapter, we focus on some common, high‑frequency idioms that appear in modern Iranian Persian, mainly in spoken and informal written language, with comments on register and typical use.

Types of Persian Idioms You Will Meet

Persian idioms often follow certain patterns. Recognizing these patterns helps you guess meanings and remember expressions.

Idioms with "heart" and "liver"

Persian uses body parts very often in idioms, especially "heart" and "liver".

1. دل /del/ literally “heart”
2. جگر /jegar/ literally “liver”

دل is connected to feelings, courage, and desire. جگر can show affection or pain.

Examples:

دل‌م گرفته.
/ delam gerefte /
“My heart is taken.” Figurative: “I feel down. I am sad.”

دل‌م برات تنگ شده.
/ delam barât tang shode /
“My heart has become tight for you.” Figurative: “I miss you.”

دل ندارم.
/ del nadâram /
“I do not have a heart.” Figurative: “I do not feel like it, I have no energy for it.”

دل‌ت بخواد.
/ delet bekhâd /
“May your heart want it.” Often ironic: “As you wish, lucky you,” sometimes with a jealous or joking tone.

جگر‌م سوخت.
/ jegaram suxt /
“My liver burned.” Figurative: “I was deeply hurt, I felt great pain (emotionally).”

جگر‌سوز
/ jegar-suz /
“Liver-burning.” Figurative: “heartbreaking, extremely sad” or, in slang, “so cute it hurts.”

Idioms with "hand" and "head"

Another very productive group uses دست “hand” and سر “head”.

1. دست /dast/ “hand”
2. سر /sar/ “head”

Examples with دست:

دست‌م پره.
/ dastam pore /
“My hand is full.” Figurative: “I am busy, I have a lot to do.”

دست‌ت درد نکنه.
/ dastet dard nakone /
“May your hand not hurt.” Figurative: “Thank you.”

دست‌م بهت نمی‌رسه.
/ dastam behet nemiresse /
“My hand does not reach you.” Figurative: “You are out of my reach (socially, romantically, economically).”

دست به سر کردنِ کسی
/ dast be sar kardan-e kasi /
“To put someone to head.” Figurative: To push someone away politely, to get rid of them with excuses.

Examples with سر:

سرم شلوغه.
/ saram sholughe /
“My head is crowded.” Figurative: “I am very busy.”

سر به هوا
/ sar be havâ /
“Head to the air.” Figurative: “Absent‑minded, daydreaming, careless.”

سر و صدا
/ sar o sedâ /
“Head and sound.” Figurative: “Noise, fuss, commotion.”

سرِ چیزی دعوا داشتن
/ sar-e chizi da’vâ dâshtan /
“To have a fight over something.”

Everyday Conversational Idioms

Here we look at frequent idioms that make your speech sound very natural. Remember that many of these are informal.

Greetings, thanks, and small talk

Persian small talk is full of fixed idiomatic responses.

خسته نباشید.
/ khaste nabâshid /
“Do not be tired.” Used to greet someone who is working or has just finished work, close to “Well done” or “Thanks for your effort.”

خسته نباشید.
خودتون خسته نباشید.
/ khodetun khaste nabâshid /
Response: “You yourself do not be tired.” A polite echo.

قربونِت.
/ ghorbunet /
Literally “(I am) your sacrifice.” Figurative: An affectionate “thanks / love you,” very informal and emotional.

فدات بشم.
/ fadât besham /
Literally “May I be sacrificed for you.” Figurative: “I really care about you,” very informal, usually between close friends, couples, or family.

مرسی، زنده باشی.
/ mersi, zende bâshi /
“Thanks, may you be alive.” Figurative: Warm “thanks a lot,” slightly informal.

Talking about effort and difficulty

جون‌م دراومد.
/ junam darumad /
“My life (soul) came out.” Figurative: “It was extremely hard, I got exhausted.”

مو به مو
/ mu be mu /
“Hair by hair.” Figurative: “In great detail, exactly.”

مو لای درزِ کارش نمی‌ره.
/ mu lâye darz-e kâresh nemire /
“No hair goes into the crack of his work.” Figurative: “His work is perfect, flawless.”

از جون و دل کار کردن
/ az jun o del kâr kardan /
“To work from life and heart.” Figurative: “To work with all one’s heart, very hard and sincerely.”

Talking about time and frequency

یه عمره ندیدمت.
/ ye omre nadidamet /
“I have not seen you for a lifetime.” Figurative: “I have not seen you for ages.”

سرِ فرصت
/ sar-e forsat /
“At the head of opportunity.” Figurative: “When there is time, later when possible.”

همین الان
/ hamin alân /
“Right now.” Used for emphasis, in speech often almost idiomatic in commands: همین الان بیا “Come right now!”

Idioms for Emotion and Attitude

Persian speakers express emotion richly with idiomatic phrases. At B2 level, mastering these helps you interpret tone and attitude, not only content.

Happiness and approval

حال‌م جا اومد.
/ hâlam jâ umad /
“My state came into place.” Figurative: “I feel better now,” after rest, food, good news, etc.

دلم خنک شد.
/ delam khonak shod /
“My heart cooled.” Figurative: “I feel satisfied (because justice was done or revenge happened).”

کِیف کردم.
/ keyf kardam /
“I enjoyed (it) so much.” Informal, strong enjoyment.

عاشقِتَم.
/ âshegh-etam /
“I am in love with you.” Can be serious romantic or informal enthusiastic praise: “I adore you / I am crazy about you.”

Anger and irritation

حوصله ندارم.
/ hosse-le nadâram /
“I do not have patience.” Figurative: “I am not in the mood, I do not feel like talking / doing this.”

رو اعصابم راه نرو.
/ ru ye asâbam râh naro /
“Do not walk on my nerves.” Figurative: “Do not get on my nerves, do not annoy me.”

کفرم در اومد.
/ kofram darumad /
“My blasphemy came out.” Figurative: “I got really angry / extremely irritated.”

Fear and surprise

قلبم اومد تو دهنم.
/ ghalbam umad tu dahanam /
“My heart came into my mouth.” Figurative: “I was terrified.”

خشک‌م زد.
/ khoshkam zad /
“Dryness hit me.” Figurative: “I froze (from surprise or fear).”

جا خوردم.
/ jâ khordam /
“I ate place.” Figurative: “I was startled.”

Idioms for Describing People

Persian uses vivid expressions to describe personality, intelligence, and behavior. Many are informal; some are slang, and you must choose them carefully depending on context.

Positive descriptions

زرنگ
/ zerang /
Literally “clever, sharp.” Can be positive: “smart, quick, resourceful.”

آب زیرِ کاه
/ âb zire kâh /
“Water under straw.” Often means “quiet but smart / strategic,” sometimes “sly, not as simple as they look.” Can be positive or negative.

آدمِ حسابی
/ âdam-e hesâbi /
“A proper person.” Figurative: “a decent person, respectable.”

با شخصیت
/ bâ shakhsiat /
“With personality.” Figurative: “dignified, classy, well-mannered.”

Negative or critical descriptions

کله‌ش باد داره.
/ kalesh bâd dâre /
“His head has air.” Figurative: “He is arrogant, conceited.”

آدمِ دوزاری
/ âdam-e dozâri /
“Two‑riali person (very cheap).” Figurative: “worthless, low‑value person,” strongly negative.

نمک‌نشناس
/ namak nashnâs /
“One who does not recognize salt.” Figurative: “ungrateful,” especially to someone who has helped them.

دو رو
/ do ru /
“Two‑faced.” Figurative: “hypocritical.”

Idioms in Social Interaction

These expressions often appear in invitations, refusals, and politeness formulas.

Invitations and offers

قدم‌تون روی چشم.
/ ghadametun ru ye cheshm /
“Your step on the eye.” Figurative: “You are very welcome,” very polite and warm.

چشم.
/ cheshm /
“Eye.” As an idiomatic single word it means “Certainly, OK, I will do it,” very polite.

مزاحمتون نمی‌شم.
/ mozâhematun nemisham /
“I will not be your disturbance.” Figurative: Used when leaving: “I will not bother you more,” like “I will let you go now.”

زحمت کشیدید.
/ zahmat keshidid /
“You pulled trouble.” Figurative: “You went to too much trouble (for me),” polite thanks when someone did something for you.

Refusals and softening "no"

قابلی نداره.
/ ghâbli nadâre /
“It has no worth.” Figurative: Said when giving something or about a gift: “It is nothing, do not mention it.”

دست‌تون درد نکنه، زحمت می‌شه.
/ dastetun dard nakone, zahmat mishe /
“Thank you, it will be trouble.” Often used to politely refuse an offer or at least show you do not want to burden someone.

فعلاً مزاحم نمی‌شم.
/ fa’lan mozâhem nemisham /
“For now, I will not disturb (you).” Softly ending a conversation.

Idioms for Agreement, Disagreement, and Opinion

These expressions pack a lot of meaning and attitude into short phrases.

Agreement and sympathy

حرف نداره.
/ harf nadâre /
“It has no talk.” Figurative: “It is excellent, perfect.”

کاملاً حق با توئه.
/ kâmelan haq bâ toe /
“Completely the right is with you.” Figurative: “You are absolutely right.”

دردِت به جونم.
/ dardet be junam /
“May your pain come to my life.” Figurative: “I feel for you deeply, I really sympathize,” very emotional and informal.

Disagreement and criticism

حرفِ حساب بزن.
/ harf-e hesâb bezan /
“Say reasonable words.” Figurative: “Be reasonable, say something that makes sense.”

بی‌خودی شلوغش نکن.
/ bi-khodi sholughesh nakon /
“Do not make it crowded for no reason.” Figurative: “Do not make a big deal out of it.”

زیادی روی اعصابه.
/ ziyâdi ru ye asâb-e /
“It is too much on the nerves.” Figurative: “It is very annoying.”

Idioms for Quantity, Degree, and Evaluation

Persian has many idioms to talk about “a lot,” “a little,” “cheap,” “expensive,” and the quality of things or experiences.

Quantity and degree

یه دنیا
/ ye donyâ /
“One world.” Figurative: “a lot, a huge amount.”
Example: یه دنیا ممنونم. / ye donyâ mamnunam / “Thank you so much.”

کلی
/ kolli /
“Total.” As an adverb: “a lot, many, very.” Example: کلی خندیدیم “We laughed a lot.”

یه جورایی
/ ye jurâi /
“In some way.” Figurative: “kind of, sort of.”

از این‌ور بوم افتادن
/ az in-var-e bum oftâdan /
“To fall from this side of the saddle.” Figurative: “To go to the opposite extreme,” often used when someone overreacts or changes too much.

Cheap, expensive, quality

مثل آبِ خوردن
/ mesl-e âb-e khordan /
“Like drinking water.” Figurative: “Very easy.”

خونه رو سرمون خراب شد.
/ khune ru saremûn kharâb shod /
“The house collapsed on our head.” Figurative: “We got into huge trouble.”

پوست‌مون کنده شد.
/ pushtemun kande shod /
“Our skin was peeled.” Figurative: “We struggled a lot, it was very hard.”

Idioms with Religious and Cultural Color

Some very common idioms come from religious or traditional culture. Even non‑religious speakers often use them as fixed phrases.

ان‌شاءالله
/ in-shâ’allâh /
“God willing.” Figurative: “Hopefully,” often used for future events.

ماشالله
/ mâshâ’allâh /
“God has willed it.” Figurative: Praise or admiration, sometimes also to avoid “evil eye.”

خدا رو شکر.
/ khodâ ro shokr /
“Thanks be to God.” Figurative: “Thank God.”

الهی قربونت برم.
/ elâhi ghorbunet beram /
“God, may I be sacrificed for you.” Very affectionate, often said to children or loved ones.

How to Learn and Use Idioms Effectively

To move from understanding idioms to using them naturally, you need more than a simple list.

A simple method:

First, collect idioms you hear.
Second, write them with example sentences.
Third, mark register: F (formal), N (neutral), I (informal), S (slang).
Fourth, try to use 2 or 3 in your own speech each week.

Over time, idioms will become part of your active vocabulary and will strongly improve your fluency and naturalness.

Vocabulary List for This Chapter