Formal Presentations

Overview of Formal Presentations in Persian

Formal presentations in Persian, for academic or professional contexts, require controlled language, clear structure, and culturally appropriate politeness. By C2 level, you already know the grammar. What you need here is mastery of typical formulas, set phrases, and discourse patterns that make a talk sound native-like and professional.

This chapter focuses on spoken, relatively formal Persian, for situations such as conference talks, academic defenses, business presentations, and official briefings.

Opening a Presentation

A Persian presentation almost always begins with a short greeting, sometimes a religious or cultural phrase, followed by self‑introduction and statement of topic.

A neutral, widely acceptable opening is:

سلام عرض می‌کنم خدمت همهٔ حضّار گرامی.
salam arz mikonam khedmate hame‑ye hozzâr‑e gerâmi.
“I greet all the esteemed attendees.”

You can adjust based on formality and context.

Very formal or religious‑friendly:
بسم‌الله الرحمن الرحیم
besmellâh‑er‑rahmân‑er‑rahim
“In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.”

Followed by:

خانم‌ها، آقایان، سلام. خیلی خوشحالم که امروز اینجا در خدمت شما هستم.
khânom‑hâ, âqâyân, salâm. kheili khoshhâlam ke emruz injâ dar khedmate shomâ hastam.
“Ladies and gentlemen, hello. I am very glad to be here with you today.”

In an academic setting, you may address a specific group:

اساتید محترم، همکاران گرامی، دانشجویان عزیز، سلام.
asâtid‑e mohtaram, hamkârân‑e gerâmi, dâneshju yân‑e aziz, salâm.
“Respected professors, dear colleagues, dear students, hello.”

Immediately after greeting, move to introducing yourself and your role:

بنده [نام] هستم، [سمت / رشته] در [دانشگاه / شرکت].
bande [nâm] hastam, [semat / reshte] dar [dâneshgâh / sherkat].
“I am [name], [position / field] at [university / company].”

To state the title or subject of your talk:

موضوع ارائهٔ امروز من «[عنوان]» است.
mozû‑e erâ e‑ye emruz‑e man “[onvân]” ast.
“The topic of my presentation today is ‘[title].’”

or, slightly more conversational but still formal:

امروز می‌خواهم در موردِ «[عنوان]» صحبت کنم.
emruz mikhâham dar mored‑e “[onvân]” sohbat konam.
“Today I would like to talk about ‘[title].’”

Stating Purpose and Structure

High‑level Persian presentations signal the purpose, relevance, and structure early. This orients the audience and sounds highly professional.

To state the purpose:

هدفِ اصلیِ ارائهٔ امروز من این است که …
hadaf‑e asli‑ye erâ e‑ye emruz‑e man in ast ke …
“The main goal of my presentation today is to …”

In a research talk:

در این ارائه، ابتدا مسئله را معرفی می‌کنم، سپس روش کار و نتایج را توضیح می‌دهم، و در پایان به جمع‌بندی و پیشنهادها می‌پردازم.
dar in erâ e, ebtedâ mas ale râ moarrefi mikonam, sepan ravash‑e kâr va natâyej râ tozih midaham, va dar peyân be jam bandi va pishnehâdhâ mipardâzam.
“In this presentation, I will first introduce the problem, then explain the methodology and results, and finally move to the conclusion and suggestions.”

Useful structure sentences:

ارائهٔ من از سه بخشِ اصلی تشکیل شده است.
erâ e‑ye man az se bakhsh‑e asli tashkil shode ast.
“My presentation consists of three main parts.”

در بخشِ اوّل، … در بخشِ دوّم، … و در بخشِ سوّم، …
dar bakhsh‑e avval, … dar bakhsh‑e dovvom, … va dar bakhsh‑e sevvom, …
“In the first part, … in the second part, … and in the third part, …”

If you want to connect to previous talks:

این ارائه ادامهٔ بحثی است که در جلسهٔ قبل شروع کردیم.
in erâ e edâme‑ye bahsi ast ke dar jalse‑ye ghabl shoru kardim.
“This presentation is a continuation of the discussion we started in the previous session.”

Transition Phrases and Signposting

At C2 level, a key to sounding native in formal presentations is smooth transitions. Persian uses many set phrases that function as clear signposts.

Moving from introduction to main content:

حالا اگر اجازه بدهید واردِ بحثِ اصلی بشوم.
hâlâ agar ejâze bedahid vâred‑e bahs‑e asli beshavam.
“Now, if you permit, I will move into the main discussion.”

For moving between sections:

در ادامه، به [موضوع بعدی] می‌پردازیم.
dar edâme, be [mozû‑e ba di] mipardâzim.
“Next, we will address [the next topic].”

بگذارید ابتدا به [نکتهٔ اوّل] بپردازم.
begzârid ebtedâ be [nokte‑ye avval] bepardâzam.
“Let me first turn to [the first point].”

بعد از این مقدمه، می‌رسیم به …
ba d az in moghadame, miresim be …
“After this introduction, we come to …”

For digression and return:

اگر بخواهم کمی دقیق‌تر شوم، باید بگویم که …
agar bekhâham kami daghig‑tar shavam, bâyad beguyam ke …
“If I want to be a bit more precise, I must say that …”

برگردیم به سؤالِ اصلی.
bargardim be so âl‑e asli.
“Let us return to the main question.”

Summarizing a section before moving on:

پس تا اینجا دیدیم که …
pas tâ injâ didim ke …
“So up to this point, we have seen that …”

به طور خلاصه، در این بخش نشان دادیم که …
be tor‑e kholâse, dar in bakhsh neshân dâdim ke …
“In summary, in this section we showed that …”

Explaining Visuals and Data

In formal presentations, you often refer to slides, charts, and tables. Persian has a fairly standard repertoire for this.

Referring to a slide:

در این اسلاید، می‌توانید [X] را ببینید.
dar in eslây d, mitavânid [X] râ bebinid.
“In this slide, you can see [X].”

همان‌طور که در این شکل مشاهده می‌کنید، …
hamân‑tor ke dar in shekl moshâhede mikonid, …
“As you can see in this figure, …”

همان‌طور که در نمودارِ سمتِ راست می‌بینید، …
hamân‑tor ke dar nemudâr‑e samte râst mibinid, …
“As you see in the chart on the right, …”

Pointing to data:

اعدادی که در این جدول آمده، نشان می‌دهد که …
a dâdi ke dar in jadval âmade, neshân midahad ke …
“The numbers presented in this table show that …”

این روند، افزایشِ تدریجیِ [X] را در طولِ زمان نشان می‌دهد.
in ravand, afzâyesh‑e tadriji‑ye [X] râ dar tole zamân neshân midahad.
“This trend shows the gradual increase of [X] over time.”

For interpretations:

این تفاوت از نظرِ آماری معنادار است.
in tafâvot az nazar‑e âmâri ma nâdâr ast.
“This difference is statistically significant.”

می‌توان این نتایج را این‌گونه تفسیر کرد که …
mitavân in natâyej râ in‑gune tafsir kard ke …
“These results can be interpreted as follows, that …”

If you need to soften claims:

به نظر می‌رسد که این داده‌ها از این فرضیه حمایت می‌کنند.
be nazar mirasad ke in dâde hâ az in farziye hemâyat mikonand.
“It seems that these data support this hypothesis.”

Managing Time and Audience Attention

Native‑like speakers control time explicitly and show awareness of the audience’s patience and expectations.

Indicating time constraints:

با توجه به محدودیتِ وقت، سعی می‌کنم فقط به مهم‌ترین نکات بپردازم.
bâ tavajoh be mahdudiyat‑e vaqt, sa i mikonam faqat be mohem‑tarin nokât bepardâzam.
“Given the time constraints, I will try to focus only on the most important points.”

اگر از زمان جلوتر باشیم، در پایان کمی وقت برای بحثِ بیشتر خواهیم داشت.
agar az zamân jelotar bâshim, dar peyân kami vaqt barâye bahs‑e bishtar khâhim dâsht.
“If we are ahead of time, we will have some time for further discussion at the end.”

To regain attention:

اگر بخواهم نکتهٔ اصلیِ این اسلاید را در یک جمله خلاصه کنم، این است که …
agar bekhâham nokte‑ye asli‑ye in eslây d râ dar yek jomle kholâse konam, in ast ke …
“If I want to summarize the main point of this slide in one sentence, it is that …”

آنچه تا اینجا گفتیم، ما را به این نتیجه می‌رساند که …
ânche tâ injâ goftim, mâ râ be in natije mirasânad ke …
“What we have said so far leads us to the conclusion that …”

Handling Questions and Interaction

Formal Persian has a rich system for polite turn‑taking and answering questions in public.

Inviting questions:

از توجه شما سپاس‌گزارم. اگر سؤالی دارید، خوشحال می‌شوم پاسخ بدهم.
az tavajoh‑e shomâ sepâsgozâram. agar soâli dârid, khoshhâl mishavam pâsokh bedaham.
“Thank you for your attention. If you have any questions, I would be glad to answer.”

یا:

اگر نکته‌ای مبهم است، لطفاً همین حالا بفرمایید.
agar nokte i mobham ast, lotfan hamin hâlâ befarmâyid.
“If anything is unclear, please say so right now.”

Before answering:

خیلی ممنون از سؤالِ خوب‌تان.
kheili mamnun az soâl‑e khub‑etân.
“Thank you very much for your good question.”

or slightly more neutral:

متشکرم از سؤال‌تان.
moteshakkeram az soâl‑etân.
“Thank you for your question.”

If you need clarification:

اگر درست متوجه شده باشم، سؤال‌تان این است که …
agar dorost motavvajje shode bâsham, soâl‑etân in ast ke …
“If I have understood correctly, your question is …”

Giving a direct but polite answer:

به طور خلاصه، پاسخِ کوتاه این است که …
be tor‑e kholâse, pâsokh‑e kutâh in ast ke …
“In short, the brief answer is that …”

If you do not know or cannot answer fully:

صادقانه بگویم، در حال حاضر پاسخِ دقیقی ندارم، ولی می‌توانم بعد از جلسه منابعِ لازم را برایتان بفرستم.
sâdeghâne beguyam, dar hâl‑e hâzer pâsokh‑e daghighi nadâram, vali mitavânam ba d az jalse manâbe‑e lâzem râ barâyetân befrestam.
“To be honest, I do not have an exact answer right now, but I can send you the necessary references after the session.”

Politely deferring extensive discussion:

سؤالِ بسیار مهمی است، ولی به دلیلِ محدودیتِ وقت، اگر اجازه بدهید، در بحث‌های بعد از جلسه مفصل‌تر به آن بپردازیم.
soâl‑e besyâr mohemi ast, vali be dalil‑e mahdudiyat‑e vaqt, agar ejâze bedahid, dar bahs hâ‑ye ba d az jalse mofassal‑tar be ân bepardâzim.
“It is a very important question, but due to time limitations, if you allow, let us address it more fully in the discussions after the session.”

Rhetorical Strategies for Formal Talks

At C2, you can strategically use hedging, emphasis, and evaluation in Persian to sound nuanced and credible.

Hedging your claims:

تا حدّی می‌توان گفت که …
tâ hadd i mitavân goft ke …
“To some extent one can say that …”

به نظر می‌رسد که …
be nazar mirasad ke …
“It appears that …”

شاید بتوان این‌طور استدلال کرد که …
shâyad betavân in‑tor estedlâl kard ke …
“Perhaps one can argue that …”

Emphasizing importance:

نکتهٔ بسیار مهم در اینجا این است که …
nokte‑ye besyâr mohem dar injâ in ast ke …
“The very important point here is that …”

تأکید می‌کنم که این فقط یک مثال ساده است.
ta kid mikonam ke in faqat yek mesâl‑e sâde ast.
“I stress that this is only a simple example.”

Expressing evaluation and stance:

از دیدگاهِ من، این رویکرد مزایایِ قابلِ توجهی دارد.
az didgâh‑e man, in ruykord mazâyâ‑ye ghâbel‑e tavajjohi dârad.
“From my point of view, this approach has considerable advantages.”

به باورِ بسیاری از پژوهشگران، …
be bavâr‑e besyâri az pazhuheshgârân, …
“According to the belief of many researchers, …”

If you want to sound more cautious and academic:

در موردِ اعتبارِ این نتایج، باید با احتیاط صحبت کنیم.
dar mored‑e e tebâr‑e in natâyej, bâyad bâ ehtiyât sohbat konim.
“With regard to the validity of these results, we must speak with caution.”

Closing and Summarizing

Effective formal presentations end with a clear summary, statement of contribution, and polite thanks.

Summarizing main points:

اجازه بدهید در چند جمله، نکاتِ اصلی را جمع‌بندی کنم.
ejâze bedahid dar chand jomle, nokât‑e asli râ jam bandi konam.
“Allow me to summarize the main points in a few sentences.”

در این ارائه، اوّل نشان دادم که … سپس توضیح دادم که … و در نهایت، استدلال کردم که …
dar in erâ e, avval neshân dâdam ke … sepas tozih dâdam ke … va dar nahâyat, estedlâl kardam ke …
“In this presentation, I first showed that … then explained that … and finally argued that …”

Stating contribution or significance:

امیدوارم نشان داده باشم که این کار می‌تواند به درکِ بهترِ [X] کمک کند.
omidvâram neshân dâde bâsham ke in kâr mitavânad be dark‑e behtar‑e [X] komak konad.
“I hope I have shown that this work can help with a better understanding of [X].”

These are also good formulas for research defenses:

به طور خلاصه، مهم‌ترین دستاوردهای این پژوهش عبارت‌اند از: …
be tor‑e kholâse, mohem‑tarin dastâvard hâ‑ye in pazhuhesh ebrât and az: …
“In summary, the main achievements of this research are: …”

Polite thanks and farewell:

از توجه و حوصلهٔ شما صمیمانه سپاس‌گزارم.
az tavajoh va hovsele‑ye shomâ samimâne sepâsgozâram.
“I sincerely thank you for your attention and patience.”

اگر پرسشی دارید، با کمالِ میل در خدمت‌تان هستم.
agar porse shi dârid, bâ kamâl‑e mil dar khedmat‑etân hastam.
“If you have any questions, I am at your service with great pleasure.”

For very formal occasions:

از برگزارکنندگانِ این نشست، و از شما حضّارِ گرامی، صمیمانه تشکر می‌کنم.
az bargozârkonandegân‑e in neshast, va az shomâ hozzâr‑e gerâmi, samimâne tashakkor mikonam.
“I sincerely thank the organizers of this session and you, the esteemed audience.”

Voice, Pronunciation, and Delivery in Formal Contexts

At C2, linguistic choices are not enough. Delivery choices also carry social meaning in Persian.

Speech rate and clarity:

In Persian formal settings, a moderate pace, clear consonants (especially ق /gh/ and خ /kh/), and full vowel articulation are valued. Avoid heavy reduction that belongs to casual speech, for example, prefer:

می‌خواهم /mikhâham/ over می‌خوام /mikhâm/
می‌توانیم /mitavânim/ over می‌تونیم /mitunim/ in most academic talks.

Register consistency:

Although you may occasionally slip into a slightly less formal form for warmth, keep core verbs in standard form:

می‌خواهم، می‌توانم، هستم, نیستم, نمی‌دانم
rather than
می‌خوام، می‌تونم، ام, نیستم, نمی‌دونم

Polite second person:

In presentations, unless speaking to close peers, address the audience with شما and plural polite verb forms:

اگر مایل باشید، در پایان بحث، می‌توانیم واردِ جزئیاتِ بیشتری بشویم.
agar mâyel bâshid, dar peyân‑e bahs, mitavânim vâred‑e joz iât‑e bishtari beshavim.
“If you wish, at the end of the discussion we can go into more details.”

Handling Technical Terms and Code-Switching

Professional and academic talks often require technical vocabulary or English terms. At C2, you should know how to integrate them smoothly.

Introducing a technical term:

اصطلاحی که من استفاده می‌کنم، «[term]» است، که منظورم از آن [تعریف] است.
estelâhi ke man estefâde mikonam, “[term]” ast, ke manzuram az ân [ta rif] ast.
“The term I use is ‘[term]’, by which I mean [definition].”

If you switch to an English word:

من از واژهٔ انگلیسیِ «[English term]» استفاده می‌کنم، چون رایج‌تر است.
man az vâje‑ye engelisi‑ye “[English term]” estefâde mikonam, chun râyej‑tar ast.
“I will use the English word ‘[English term]’ because it is more common.”

When you want to indicate an acronym:

در ادامه، به اختصار، از «[سرواژه]» استفاده می‌کنم.
dar edâme, be ekhtesâr, az “[sarvâje]” estefâde mikonam.
“Henceforth I will use the acronym ‘[acronym].’”

This explicit meta‑commentary about terms and acronyms is very characteristic of professional Persian academic talk.

Vocabulary Table for This Chapter