B2.4 – Argumentation

Overview of Argumentation in Persian

In upper intermediate Persian, you are expected to argue, justify, and defend your views clearly. Argumentation in Persian relies strongly on clear structure, explicit markers for reason and result, and a careful balance between directness and politeness. In this chapter you will see how Persian speakers build arguments, move from point to point, and signal agreement or disagreement at a B2 level.

Persian argumentative style is usually explicit about reasons and consequences, and it often uses short clauses linked by connectors such as چون, بنابراین, از یک طرف, and در نتیجه. You will already know many connectors from earlier levels, but here you will see how they are used in organized, multi‑step arguments.

Stating a Clear Position

To argue effectively in Persian, you first need to express your main position in a focused sentence. At B2 level you should be able to state not only personal likes or dislikes, but also nuanced opinions on social, cultural, or abstract topics.

You can introduce a clear position in several ways.

For a direct personal stance you can use expressions like به نظر من, از نظر من, or فکر می‌کنم. For a more formal or neutral tone you can use به عقیده‌ی من or می‌توان گفت که.

Examples:
به نظر من آموزش رایگان برای همه‌ی مردم یک حق اساسی است.
In my opinion, free education for all people is a basic right.

به عقیده‌ی من، رسانه‌ها نقش مهمی در شکل‌دادن به افکار عمومی دارند.
In my view, the media play an important role in shaping public opinion.

In spoken argumentation, you often need to show how strong your position is. You can soften or strengthen your claim with adverbs and expressions like کاملاً, تا حدی, واقعاً, یا صادقانه بگویم.

Examples:
تا حدی با این نظر موافقم، اما فکر می‌کنم مشکلاتی هم وجود دارد.
I agree with this view to some extent, but I think there are also problems.

صادقانه بگویم، این طرح در عمل قابل اجرا نیست.
Honestly speaking, this plan is not workable in practice.

Supporting Your Argument with Reasons

After stating your position, you must support it. Persian uses several common patterns to express reasons and justifications. At B2 level, you are expected to combine these reason clauses in longer sequences.

The most neutral and frequent causal conjunction is چون, which means “because.” For a slightly more formal style you can use زیرا or چرا که, and for “because of” followed by a noun phrase you can use به خاطر or به دلیل.

Examples:
من این پیشنهاد را قبول نمی‌کنم، چون اطلاعات کافی نداریم.
I do not accept this proposal, because we do not have enough information.

امتحان سخت بود، زیرا سؤالات خیلی مفهومی بودند.
The exam was difficult, because the questions were very conceptual.

خیلی‌ها به این قانون اعتراض کردند، به دلیلِ تأثیرِ منفی‌اش بر اقتصاد.
Many people protested against this law because of its negative effect on the economy.

In argumentation, you often present more than one reason. Persian typically links several reasons with connectors like اولاً, ثانیاً, هم این‌که, and also with simple و.

Example:
با این تصمیم مخالفم؛ اولاً هزینه‌ی زیادی دارد، ثانیاً به محیط‌زیست آسیب می‌زند.
I am against this decision. Firstly, it costs a lot, secondly, it harms the environment.

You can also use structures like دلیلِ اصلی این است که and مهم‌ترین علت این است که to highlight your strongest reason.

Example:
دلیلِ اصلیِ مخالفتِ من این است که این قانون می‌تواند آزادیِ بیان را محدود کند.
The main reason for my opposition is that this law can limit freedom of speech.

Showing Results and Consequences

Good arguments not only give reasons but also show what results or consequences follow. Persian uses several common markers for result. Some are neutral, others are typical for more formal or written argumentation.

The most frequent are بنابراین, در نتیجه, and در نهایت. You also encounter پس in neutral spoken language. More formal options include از این رو and به این ترتیب.

Examples:
اطلاعات کافی نداریم، بنابراین نمی‌توانیم تصمیمِ قطعی بگیریم.
We do not have enough information, therefore we cannot make a definite decision.

هزینه‌ها زیاد است، در نتیجه پروژه فعلاً متوقف شده است.
The costs are high, as a result the project has been stopped for now.

اول باید نیازهایِ مردم را در نظر بگیریم، به این ترتیب سیاست‌هایِ ما واقع‌بینانه‌تر می‌شود.
First we should consider people’s needs, in this way our policies become more realistic.

In more elaborate argumentation, you might chain causes and results: one reason leads to a result, which then becomes a new cause for another result. Persian accepts repeated use of در نتیجه or a combination such as در نتیجه … و در نهایت.

Example:
اقتصاد ضعیف است، در نتیجه بیکاری زیاد شده است و در نهایت، نارضایتیِ اجتماعی افزایش یافته است.
The economy is weak, as a result unemployment has increased and finally social dissatisfaction has grown.

Contrasting Ideas and Introducing Counterarguments

Argumentation is not only about reasons that support your view. At B2 level you are expected to show that you see more than one side. Persian offers several connectors that introduce contrast, limitation, or counterarguments.

The most basic contrast words are اما and ولی. For a more formal style you can use با این حال, در عین حال, or در حالی که. To say “on the one hand / on the other hand” you often see از یک طرف and از طرفِ دیگر.

Examples:
این طرح از نظرِ تئوری جالب است، اما در عمل مشکلاتِ زیادی دارد.
This plan is interesting in theory, but in practice it has many problems.

این قانون می‌تواند امنیت را بیشتر کند، با این حال آزادیِ فردی را هم محدود می‌کند.
This law can increase security, however it also limits individual freedom.

از یک طرف، استفاده از ماشین راحت‌تر است، از طرفِ دیگر، آلودگی را هم بیشتر می‌کند.
On the one hand, using a car is more comfortable, on the other hand, it also increases pollution.

To introduce a counterargument that you then reject, you can use expressions like بعضی‌ها معتقدند که, عده‌ای فکر می‌کنند که, or گفته می‌شود که, followed by a phrase that marks your disagreement, for example، اما من با این نظر موافق نیستم.

Example:
بعضی‌ها معتقدند که اینترنت باعثِ تنهاییِ بیشتر شده است، اما من با این نظر موافق نیستم.
Some people believe that the internet has caused more loneliness, but I do not agree with this view.

Structuring Multi‑Step Arguments

At B2, your arguments should have a clear internal structure. Persian has a set of organizing expressions that signal the order of your points, such as اول, بعد, سپس, در درجه‌ی اول, در درجه‌ی دوم, and در نهایت. These allow your listener or reader to follow the progression of your reasoning.

You can organize your argument in three typical stages: introduction of the topic and position, development with several points, and conclusion.

For the development stage, you might use:

اول از همه، باید به این نکته اشاره کنم که …
First of all, I should point out that …

در درجه‌ی اول، مسئله‌ی هزینه‌ها مهم است. در درجه‌ی دوم، باید به کیفیت هم توجه کنیم.
Firstly, the issue of costs is important. Secondly, we must also pay attention to quality.

سپس / بعد / بعد از آن to move to the next point:
سپس، لازم است به تأثیرِ این تصمیم بر نسلِ جوان فکر کنیم.
Then, it is necessary to think about the effect of this decision on the young generation.

You can also use connectors like علاوه بر این and از طرفِ دیگر to add or shift points within your argument.

Example:
این سیاست می‌تواند درآمدِ دولت را افزایش دهد. علاوه بر این، ممکن است شفافیت را هم بیشتر کند.
This policy can increase government income. In addition, it may also increase transparency.

Evaluating Evidence and Reliability

More advanced argumentation often comments on how strong or weak evidence is. In Persian you can evaluate information and sources by using adjectives such as قابل‌اعتماد, منطقی, قانع‌کننده, and expressions like به نظر می‌رسد که or به احتمالِ زیاد.

Examples:
این آمار برایِ نتیجه‌گیریِ قطعی کافی نیست.
These statistics are not enough for a definite conclusion.

این استدلال چندان قانع‌کننده نیست، چون رویِ یک نمونه‌ی کوچکِ آماری تکیه دارد.
This argument is not very convincing, because it relies on a small statistical sample.

به نظر می‌رسد این تحقیق قابل‌اعتماد باشد، چون روشِ علمیِ روشنی دارد.
It seems that this research is reliable, because it has a clear scientific method.

You can also carefully distance yourself from information using passive or impersonal expressions like گفته می‌شود که or گزارش شده است که.

Example:
گزارش شده است که کیفیتِ هوا در سال‌هایِ اخیر بدتر شده است، اما هنوز اطلاعاتِ دقیق منتشر نشده است.
It has been reported that air quality has worsened in recent years, but precise data have not yet been published.

Responding to Other Arguments

Good argumentation in Persian also involves reacting to what others say. At B2 level you should be able to partially agree, politely disagree, and show that you understand the other side while maintaining your own position.

To show partial agreement you can use تا حدی, در بعضی موارد, or از یک نظر.

Examples:
تا حدی با شما موافقم، اما فکر می‌کنم مسئله پیچیده‌تر از این است.
I agree with you to some extent, but I think the issue is more complex than this.

از یک نظر حق با شماست، ولی نباید بقیه‌ی عوامل را نادیده بگیریم.
In one respect you are right, but we should not ignore the other factors.

To politely disagree, Persian often uses expressions that soften the contradiction, such as فکر نمی‌کنم این طور باشد, اجازه بدهید با احترام مخالفت کنم, or شاید این‌طور به نظر برسد، اما.

Examples:
فکر نمی‌کنم این طور باشد؛ تجربه‌هایِ اخیر چیزِ دیگری را نشان می‌دهد.
I do not think it is like that. Recent experiences show something different.

اجازه بدهید با احترام با شما مخالفت کنم. آمارها تصویرِ دیگری را نشان می‌دهند.
Allow me to respectfully disagree with you. The statistics show a different picture.

When you want to build on someone’s idea but redirect it, you can use expressions such as نکته‌ی خوبی است، اما or درست است که … ، اما.

Example:
نکته‌ی خوبی است، اما در کنارِ آن باید به مسائلِ فرهنگی هم توجه کنیم.
That is a good point, but besides that we must also pay attention to cultural issues.

Concluding and Summarizing Your Argument

Every strong argument in Persian finishes with a conclusion that collects the main points and returns to your initial position. Some typical conclusion phrases are در مجموع, در کل, در نهایت, and به طورِ کلی. You can also use بنابراین or به این نتیجه می‌رسیم که in more formal texts.

Examples:
در مجموع، می‌توان گفت که مزایایِ این طرح بیشتر از معایبِ آن است.
Overall, it can be said that the advantages of this plan are greater than its disadvantages.

در نهایت، من معتقدم که بدونِ اصلاحِ نظامِ آموزشی، این مشکلات حل نخواهد شد.
In the end, I believe that without reforming the educational system, these problems will not be solved.

به این نتیجه می‌رسیم که سرمایه‌گذاری رویِ آموزش، هم برایِ فرد و هم برایِ جامعه مفید است.
We reach the conclusion that investing in education is beneficial both for the individual and for society.

If you want to leave space for other views, you can soften your conclusion with expressions like البته این فقط یک دیدگاه است or طبیعی است که بعضی‌ها نظرِ دیگری داشته باشند.

Example:
در مجموع، این سیاست می‌تواند مفید باشد، البته این فقط یک دیدگاه است و طبیعی است که بعضی‌ها نظرِ دیگری داشته باشند.
Overall, this policy can be useful, although this is only one viewpoint and it is natural that some people have a different opinion.

Vocabulary Table for Argumentation