Proverbs and Sayings

Why Proverbs Matter in Persian

Persian is rich in ضرب‌المثل‎ /zarbolmasal/ “proverbs” and گفتارهای رایج /goftārhā‑ye rāyej/ “common sayings.” Native speakers use them in daily speech, in jokes, in serious discussions, and even in literature and media. At B2 level, you should not only recognize many of these expressions, but also start using them naturally to sound more fluent and culturally aware.

Persian proverbs often:

1. Use simple grammar but have non‑literal meanings.
2. Refer to everyday things, like animals, food, or family.
3. Work as complete comments, not just as words in a sentence.

In this chapter we will focus on understanding, interpreting, and using important proverbs and sayings, not on memorizing long lists out of context.

Everyday Proverbs with Animals

Animal images are extremely common in Persian. They help you understand attitudes, humor, and social norms.

“The cat and the meat”: distance and self‑control

Persian:
گربه را دمِ حجله می‌کشند.
/ gorbe rā dame hojde me‑koshand. /

Literally: “They kill the cat at the bridal chamber door.”

Meaning: You must show your seriousness or authority at the beginning, before problems start. It is about setting clear rules or limits right away.

Typical use: A manager introduces strict rules on the first day. A parent is strict with a child at the start. Someone might say this proverb to explain why the person is being tough at the beginning.

Related structure: Note the object marker را /rā/ and the present stem کش /kesh-/ with می‌کشند /mi‑koshand/ “they kill.”

“Donkey and university”: unchanged nature

Persian:
الاغ را ببر دانشگاه، برمی‌گردد همان الاغ است.
/ olāgh rā bebar dāneshgāh, barmigardad hamān olāgh ast. /

Literally: “Take a donkey to university, it comes back the same donkey.”

Meaning: Education or external changes do not always change a person’s basic nature or character. Often used a bit harshly, so be careful.

Typical use: When someone with many degrees still behaves foolishly. This is informal and can be insulting.

“Wolf in sheep’s clothing”

Persian:
گرگ در لباس گوسفند
/ gorg dar lebās‑e gusfand /

This is more a fixed expression than a full proverb, but you will hear it.

Literally: “Wolf in the clothing of a sheep.”

Meaning: A dangerous or bad person who looks kind and harmless. Very similar to English.

Typical use: Talking about someone who pretends to be good but is not trustworthy.

Grammatically, notice the ezāfe: لباسِ گوسفند /lebās‑e gusfand/ “clothing of a sheep.”

Proverbs about Effort, Work, and Patience

Persian culture values صبر /sabr/ “patience” and زحمت /zahmat/ “effort” highly. Many proverbs encourage working hard and waiting for results.

“No pain, no gain”

Persian:
نابرده رنج گنج میسّر نمی‌شود.
/ nāborde ranj ganj mosar na‑mi‑shavad. /

Literally: “Without having borne hardship, treasure is not achieved.”

Meaning: You cannot reach success without effort. Exactly like “no pain, no gain.”

Use: In study contexts, business, exercise, learning languages. It is formal or literary in style, but still well known and often quoted.

Language notes:
نابرده /nāborde/ here means “not borne” (past participle) + رنج /ranj/ “hardship, effort.”
میسر /mosar/ is a formal word meaning “possible / attainable.”

“Step by step, stone by stone”

Persian:
قطره قطره جمع گردد، وانگهی دریا شود.
/ ghatre ghatre jam’ gardad, vāngahi daryā shavad. /

Literally: “Drop by drop is gathered, and then it becomes a sea.”

Meaning: Small, repeated efforts add up to something big. Do not underestimate small steps.

Use: To encourage someone who is progressing slowly. Good for language learning, saving money, or working on a long‑term project.

Note: The style is literary, so in speech you might hear simplified versions, but this classical form is very famous.

“Every work has its time”

Persian:
هر کاری وقتِ خودش را دارد.
/ har kāri vaghte khodesh rā dārad. /

Literally: “Every job has its own time.”

Meaning: Do things at the right time. There is an appropriate moment for each activity.

Use: When someone is rushing or doing something at a bad time. Also used to calm people: the right moment will come.

Grammar: Note the pronoun خودش /khodesh/ “itself” with ezāfe: وقتِ خودش /vaghte khodesh/.

Proverbs about Luck and Destiny

Fate and “what is written” appear often in Persian thought and language. These proverbs do not mean passivity, but they recognize limits of control.

“Whatever is written, will be”

Persian:
هر چه پیش آید، خوش آید.
/ har che pish āyad, khosh āyad. /

Literally: “Whatever comes, may it come pleasantly.”

Meaning: Accept what happens with a positive attitude. Similar to “Whatever happens, happens” but with a more optimistic feeling.

Use: When plans change or unexpected events happen. It can comfort someone or express a relaxed attitude.

Grammar: هر چه /har che/ “whatever” is a useful structure.
آید /āyad/ is a classical / formal form of “comes” (from آمدن /āmadan/).

“This too shall pass”

There is no single standard proverb identical to “This too shall pass,” but a very common saying with similar meaning is:

Persian:
هیچ چیز دائمی نیست.
/ hich chiz dā’emi nist. /

Literally: “Nothing is permanent.”

Meaning: Good or bad situations will not stay forever.

Use: To comfort someone in a difficult period, or to remind that success can also be temporary.

Stylistically neutral and common in everyday speech.

Proverbs about Speech and Silence

Knowing when to speak and when to stay quiet is a cultural value, and several famous proverbs focus on language itself.

“Speech is silver, silence is golden”

Persian:
سکوتْ نشانهٔ عقل است.
/ sokut neshāne‑ye ’aql ast. /

Literally: “Silence is a sign of intelligence.”

Meaning: Wise people do not talk too much. Silence can show understanding and maturity.

Use: When someone talks too much, or to praise a quiet person who listens carefully.

Note: There is also a more direct version similar to English:
کم‌گویی، نشانِ خرد است.
/ kam‑guyi, neshān‑e kherad ast. /
“Speaking little is a sign of wisdom.”

“Think before you speak”

Persian:
اول فکر کن، بعد حرف بزن.
/ avval fekr kon, ba’d harf bezan. /

Literally: “First think, then speak.”

Meaning: Exactly like the English proverb. Emphasizes planning your words.

Use: Parents to children, teachers to students, friends reminding each other. Informal and very common.

Note the imperative forms: فکر کن /fekr kon/ “think” and حرف بزن /harf bezan/ “speak.”

Proverbs about Relationships and Social Life

Relationships, friendship, and community are central themes in Persian proverbs.

“Tell me who your friends are…”

Persian:
بگو با که می‌گردی، تا بگویم کی هستی.
/ begu bā ke migardi, tā beguyam ki hasti. /

Literally: “Say with whom you go around, so I may say who you are.”

Meaning: Your character is shown by the people you spend time with. Very close to “Tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are.”

Use: Advising someone about choosing friends or partners.

Note: The verb گشتن /gashtan/ in colloquial present is می‌گردی /migardi/ “you go around.”

“Blood is thicker than water”

Persian:
خون، خون را می‌کِشد.
/ khun, khun rā mi‑keshed. /

Literally: “Blood pulls blood.”

Meaning: Family members are strongly connected and attracted to each other. Family ties are powerful.

Use: When relatives support each other, even after conflict. It can be positive or critical, depending on tone.

Notice the verb کشیدن /keshidan/ here with a special meaning: “to attract, to pull.”

“Do not judge a book by its cover”

Persian:
تا نبینی، باور نکن.
/ tā nabini, bāvar nakon. /

Literally: “Until you see, do not believe.”

Meaning: Do not judge or believe something before you see clear evidence. It is weaker than “do not judge a book by its cover,” but often used similarly as a warning to wait for direct experience.

Use: When talking about rumors, online information, or people you have not met.

Grammar: The negative present subjunctive forms نبینی /nabini/ and نکن /nakon/ are important at this level.

Proverbs in Colloquial Persian

Many proverbs exist in both a formal or classical version and an informal everyday version. At B2, you should recognize both, but you will usually use the colloquial ones in speech.

Colloquial pronunciation and shortening

Example proverb:
از این ستون تا آن ستون، فرج است.
/ az in sotun tā ān sotun, faraj ast. /

Literally: “From this pillar to that pillar, there is relief.”

Meaning: Time can bring solutions. Waiting a bit might improve the situation.

In colloquial speech you might hear:
از این سِتون تا اون سِتون، فَرَجِه.
/ az in setun tā un setun, faraje. /

Key features:

1. این /in/ → این /in/ but often pronounced very quickly.
2. آن /ān/ → اون /un/ in speech.
3. است /ast/ → ه /e/ attached to فرج /faraj/: فرجه /faraje/.

When you learn a proverb, try to know:

1. The written, standard form.
2. The spoken, colloquial form.

Proverbs with “there is” and “it is”

Many short sayings use the structures هست /hast/ “there is” or است /ast/ “is.”

Example:
هر چیزی، جایی دارد.
/ har chizi, jāyi dārad. /

Literally: “Everything has a place.”

Meaning: There is a right place or context for everything.

In casual speech:
هر چیزی یه جایی داره.
/ har chizi ye jāyi dāre. /

Note the colloquial forms:
یه /ye/ from یک /yek/, and داره /dāre/ from دارد /dārad/.

Recognizing When a Sentence Is a Proverb

At B2 level, an important skill is to notice that a sentence is not “literal” but a fixed saying. Some signals help you recognize this.

Useful signals:

1. The sentence sounds very compact and rhythmic.
2. It has unusual or old words, but people of all ages seem to know it.
3. The structure looks complete, like a self‑contained comment, not part of a bigger sentence.
4. People may smile, change their tone, or say it with a special voice.

When you suspect something is a proverb, you can ask in Persian:

این ضرب‌المثل است؟
/ in zarbolmasal ast? /
“Is this a proverb?”

Or more colloquially:

این مَثَله؟
/ in masale? /
“Is that a saying?”

Using Proverbs Naturally

At B2 level, using too many proverbs can sound artificial. The goal is to use a few well‑chosen ones at the right moment, not to show off your knowledge.

Some guidelines:

1. Match the register. A very classical proverb may sound strange in a very casual chat, unless the other person also likes traditional language or you use it humorously.
2. Watch tone. Some proverbs are gentle and kind, others are sharp or critical. For example, the “donkey to university” proverb is quite strong and can offend.
3. Use them as complete comments. Often you just say the proverb alone, not as a part of a long sentence. For example, when someone complains that progress is slow, simply saying:
   قطره قطره جمع گردد، وانگهی دریا شود.
   can be enough.
4. Listen first. Try to notice which proverbs your Persian friends or media content repeat often. Start with those, because they are alive in current language.

Learning Strategy for Proverbs

Proverbs are a good bridge between language and culture. For B2, you can build your own small “proverb bank.”

A practical method:

1. When you hear a proverb, write it down in Persian, with transliteration.
2. Add: literal meaning, real meaning, and one example situation where you could use it.
3. Practice saying it aloud with natural intonation.

You can even create mini‑dialogues for yourself where the last line is a proverb. This helps you attach the proverb to a context instead of memorizing it in isolation.

Over time, a few well‑chosen ضرب‌المثل /zarbolmasal/ will help your Persian sound more expressive, more natural, and more culturally connected.

Vocabulary List for This Chapter