B2.3 – Society and Culture

Persian, Society, and Culture at B2 Level

In this chapter you focus on how Persian is actually used when people talk and write about society and culture. You already know how to build correct sentences. Now you will see what kind of language appears in news, conversations, and discussions about social life, identity, and culture in Persian speaking contexts, mainly Iran.

You will meet vocabulary and patterns that return across the four subchapters of B2.3. Here we prepare your toolbox: the essential words, typical phrases, and a feeling for how Persians talk about “society” and “culture” in a natural way.

Talking about “society” in Persian

Modern public discussion in Persian frequently uses the word “society” and a range of abstract nouns. These are central if you want to follow news, social media, or educated conversations.

The most common word is “جامعه” /jâmeʿe/. It means “society,” “community,” or even “the public,” depending on context. For example:

“در جامعهٔ ایران، خانواده نقش مهمی دارد.”
“dar jâmeʿe-ye irân, khânevâde naqsh-e mohemi dârad.”
“In Iranian society, the family has an important role.”

Persian often uses “ایرانی” /irâni/ as an adjective for “Iranian,” and “مردم” /mardom/ for “people” in a broad, sometimes emotional sense. When speakers say “مشکل مردم” /moshkel-e mardom/ they usually mean “problems ordinary people face,” not “problems of humans in general.”

You will also see many abstract nouns that end in “ـیت” /-iyat/ or “ـی” /-i/, for example “آزادی” /âzâdi/ “freedom,” “عدالت” /edâlat/ “justice,” “هویت” /hoviyat/ “identity,” “برابری” /barâbari/ “equality.” These words are central to discussion of society, law, and rights.

Persian media also talks about groups within society: “جوانان” /javânân/ “the youth,” “زنان” /zanân/ “women,” “مردان” /mardân/ “men,” “کارگران” /kâregarân/ “workers,” “دانشجویان” /dânešjuyân/ “university students.” These plural forms with “ـان” /-ân/ or “ـیان” /-iyân/ are very common when describing social groups.

Institutions, state, and public life

When newspapers talk about society in Persian they constantly mention institutions and state structures. For B2 level you need to recognize the basic vocabulary so you can follow a text even if you do not understand every detail.

The word “دولت” /dowlat/ means “government” as a political body. “حکومت” /hokumat/ can also mean “government” but often has a more general sense of “rule,” “regime,” or “ruling power.” You also meet “قانون” /ghânun/ “law,” “حقوق” /hoghuq/ “rights,” and expressions like “حقوق بشر” /hoghuq-e bašar/ “human rights.”

The word “نظام” /nezâm/ means “system,” often political or institutional. For example, “نظام آموزشی” /nezâm-e âmuzeshi/ is “educational system,” and “نظام سیاسی” /nezâm-e siâsi/ is “political system.” In social discussions it is very common to contrast “جامعه” /jâmeʿe/ “society” with “نظام” or “حکومت.”

Public spaces and institutions appear under names such as “دانشگاه” /dânešgâh/ “university,” “مدرسه” /madrese/ “school,” “اداره” /edâre/ “office, government department,” and “شهرداری” /šahrdâri/ “municipality, city council.” Knowing these words helps you understand examples and news reports about daily public life.

Everyday social roles and relationships

To talk about society you also need to talk about the roles people have within it. Persian has basic words like “خانواده” /khânevâde/ “family,” “دوست” /dust/ “friend,” “همسایه” /hamsâye/ “neighbor,” “همکار” /hamkâr/ “colleague,” and “شهروند” /šahrvand/ “citizen.”

Persian discussion of social life often uses “نقش” /naqš/ “role” and “مسئولیت” /mas’uliyat/ “responsibility.” You can say:

“هر شهروند، نقش و مسئولیت دارد.”
“har šahrvand, naqš va mas’uliyat dârad.”
“Every citizen has a role and a responsibility.”

Relationships inside society are also described by words like “رابطه” /râbete/ “relationship,” “اعتماد” /eʿtemâd/ “trust,” and “همبستگی” /hambastegi/ “solidarity.” These words help you talk about social cohesion, or about social problems when these elements are weak.

You will also meet phrases like “فشار اجتماعی” /fešâr-e ejtemâʿi/ “social pressure,” and “هنجار اجتماعی” /henjâr-e ejtemâʿi/ “social norm.” These are useful when discussing how individuals react to expectations of family, work, or community.

Culture, “فرهنگ,” and identity

The key word for “culture” is “فرهنگ” /farhang/. It is very central in Persian, and combines with many other words. For example:

“فرهنگ ایرانی” /farhang-e irâni/ Iranian culture
“فرهنگ سنتی” /farhang-e sonnati/ traditional culture
“فرهنگ مدرن” /farhang-e modern/ modern culture

The little connecting “e” sound in the middle is the ezâfe, which you know from earlier levels. At B2 you should be comfortable reading long ezâfe chains like “فرهنگ غنی ایرانی” /farhang-e ghani-ye irâni/ “rich Iranian culture.”

Persian uses “هویت” /hoviyat/ for “identity,” and the phrase “هویت فرهنگی” /hoviyat-e farhangi/ is very common: “cultural identity.” You can describe more specific identities, for example “هویت ملی” /hoviyat-e melli/ “national identity,” and “هویت دینی” /hoviyat-e dini/ “religious identity.”

In public speech, writers and speakers often connect “فرهنگ” with “آداب و رسوم” /âdâb o rosum/, literally “manners and customs,” used as “traditions and customs.” So if somebody writes “آداب و رسوم ایرانی” they are referring to Iranian traditional practices and habits within the broader “فرهنگ ایرانی.”

Values, norms, and social change

When Persians talk about society and culture, they often focus on “ارزش‌ها” /arzeš-hâ/ “values” and “هنجارها” /henjâr-hâ/ “norms.” Another frequent word is “سنت” /sonnat/ “tradition,” which appears in expressions like “جامعهٔ سنتی” /jâmeʿe-ye sonnati/ “traditional society.”

By contrast, modern life and change are described with “مدرن” /modern/ and “تغییر” /taghyir/ “change.” For example:

“جامعهٔ ایران در حال تغییر است.”
“jâmeʿe-ye irân dar hâl-e taghyir ast.”
“Iranian society is changing.”

Writers may write “تضاد” /tazâd/ “conflict, contrast” between “سنت و مدرنیته” /sonnat o modernite/ “tradition and modernity,” or between “نسل‌ها” /nasl-hâ/ “generations.” This vocabulary lets you read and express ideas about social evolution, cultural tension, and generational differences.

Words related to evaluation appear frequently: “مثبت” /mosbat/ “positive,” “منفی” /manfi/ “negative,” “مفید” /mofid/ “useful,” “مضر” /mozer/ “harmful.” You might encounter sentences like “این تغییر، هم مثبت است و هم منفی” which means “This change is both positive and negative.”

Religion and culture in public life

In many Persian speaking societies, especially Iran, religion is closely connected with culture and public life. Even if you do not want to discuss religion deeply, you need basic vocabulary to understand references.

The word “دین” /din/ means “religion,” and “مذهب” /mazhab/ means a religious denomination or branch. “مذهبی” /mazhabi/ can mean “religious” as an adjective, for example “خانوادهٔ مذهبی” /khânevâde-ye mazhabi/ “a religious family.”

You will see the phrase “فرهنگ دینی” /farhang-e dini/ “religious culture” and sometimes “فرهنگ سکولار” /farhang-e sekulâr/ “secular culture,” especially in academic or journalistic texts. Another frequent abstract noun is “اعتقادات” /eʿteqâdât/ “beliefs.”

Persian does not always separate “religious” and “cultural” aspects. For example, “ماه رمضان” /mâh-e ramazân/ “the month of Ramadan” is a religious period, but many speakers may also describe it as part of “فرهنگ ما” /farhang-e mâ/ “our culture.” At B2 you should be able to recognize such references and understand that they often carry both cultural and religious meanings.

Media language for society and culture

News and media texts are a major source of language about society and culture. Here you see some typical verbs and noun patterns that appear again and again.

Important verbs include “برخورد کردن” /barkhord kardan/ “to treat, to deal (with someone/something),” “تبعیض قائل شدن” /tabʿiz ghâʾel šodan/ “to discriminate,” “حمایت کردن” /hemâyat kardan/ “to support,” and “محدود کردن” /mahdud kardan/ “to limit, to restrict.” These compound verbs are very common in social and political reporting.

Nouns that describe social issues often contain the root of a verb you know, plus a pattern such as “ـش” /-eš/ or “ـت” /-at/. For example, “توسعه” /toseʿe/ “development,” “مهاجرت” /mohâjerat/ “migration,” “آلودگی” /âludegi/ “pollution,” and “خشونت” /khoshunat/ “violence.” You do not need to memorize every word in this group now, but you should be comfortable recognizing the style: many of these are long, abstract nouns used in media and academic writing.

Media also often uses the phrase “مشکلات اجتماعی” /moškelât-e ejtemâʿi/ “social problems,” or “آسیب‌های اجتماعی” /âsib-hâ-ye ejtemâʿi/ literally “social harms.” If you see the adjective “اجتماعی” /ejtemâʿi/ you know the topic is connected to society, social life, or social sciences.

Culture in everyday life: habits and practices

Culture is not only politics and abstract nouns. Persian speakers also talk about ordinary cultural practices that shape daily life.

The word “سبک زندگی” /sabk-e zendegi/ “lifestyle” is very common in contemporary language. Speakers may contrast “سبک زندگی سنتی” /sabk-e zendegi-e sonnati/ “traditional lifestyle” with “سبک زندگی مدرن” /sabk-e zendegi-e modern/ “modern lifestyle.”

Persian has specific terms for celebrations, ceremonies, and rituals that are part of cultural identity. For example, “نوروز” /nowruz/ is the Persian New Year, and is often described as “جشن نوروز” /jašn-e nowruz/ “the Nowruz festival.” It belongs to “فرهنگ ایرانی” but is also celebrated in other Persian influenced regions.

Another common expression is “مراسم” /marâsem/ “ceremonies” which can include weddings, funerals, and religious observances. People might say “مراسم عروسی” /marâsem-e arusi/ “wedding ceremonies,” or “مراسم مذهبی” /marâsem-e mazhabi/ “religious ceremonies.”

These words help you understand not only literature and movies, but also everyday conversations about how people “do things” in their culture, how they celebrate, and how they mark important stages in life.

Diversity within Persian speaking cultures

Persian is used across different regions and communities, so talking about society and culture also includes discussing diversity. Important vocabulary includes “قومیت” /qowmiyat/ “ethnicity,” “اقلیت” /aqalliyat/ “minority,” and “اکثریت” /aksariyat/ “majority.”

Speakers use “گروه‌های قومی” /goruh-hâ-ye qowmi/ “ethnic groups,” and “زبان مادری” /zabân-e mâdari/ “mother tongue,” especially when they talk about different peoples inside Iran and in neighboring countries. Another expression is “فرهنگ‌های محلی” /farhang-hâ-ye mahalli/ “local cultures.”

Persian has the adjective “متفاوت” /motafâvet/ “different,” and the noun “تفاوت” /tafâvot/ “difference.” In social and cultural discussions you may also see “تنوع” /tanavvoʿ/ “diversity.” These words allow you to describe variety within one society without judging it positively or negatively.

At B2 level it is useful to notice that Persians can speak of “فرهنگ مشترک” /farhang-e moštarak/ “shared culture” and “تفاوت‌های فرهنگی” /tafâvot-hâ-ye farhangi/ “cultural differences” at the same time. This reflects the idea that one society can have a common identity while also including many subcultures.

Key expressions for discussing society and culture

Finally, it is helpful to collect a few ready made expressions that appear again and again when Persians talk about society and culture. These are not full sentences yet, but phrases you can combine with your existing grammar.

You will often see:

“در سطح جامعه” /dar satḥ-e jâmeʿe/ “at the level of society”
“در زندگی روزمره” /dar zendegi-ye ruzmarre/ “in everyday life”
“در فرهنگ ما” /dar farhang-e mâ/ “in our culture”
“نقش مهمی در … دارد” /naqš-e mohemi dar … dârad/ “has an important role in …”
“تأثیر زیادی بر … دارد” /taʾsir-e ziâdi bar … dârad/ “has a big influence on …”

These formulas help you build more complex and natural sounding statements about social and cultural topics. For example:

“رسانه‌ها نقش مهمی در فرهنگ جوانان دارند.”
“resânehâ naqš-e mohemi dar farhang-e javânân dârand.”
“Media have an important role in the culture of young people.”

At B2 level, the goal is not to memorize every possible term about society and culture, but to recognize the main families of words, the typical combinations, and the style used in public discussion. The vocabulary in this chapter will return in B2.3 when you read or hear about news, social issues, history and identity, arts and literature, and humor, and it will allow you to express your own views in a more precise and natural Persian.

Vocabulary list for this section