How to Say Thank You in Persian (Farsi)

Merci is the thank you of daily life. It is borrowed from French, which entered Persian in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries along with a lot of other everyday words, and it is used by every age group in every city. You say it when someone passes you the salt, holds a door, hands you change or brings you tea.

To make it stronger, put Kheyli in front: Kheyli merci, thank you very much. To use it as a whole answer, add the person: Merci, baba. If you are saying no to an offer, Merci is also half of the polite refusal, Na, merci, no thanks, which we cover in the guide to yes and no.

Say it the French way, mer-SEE, with the stress at the end. That is the spoken form you will hear in Tehran, and it is the one the course teaches.

When someone has made you something or done something for you, Persian has a phrase that says more than Merci. It is Dastet dard nakone, which means may your hand not hurt. You say it to the cook after a meal, to a friend who helped you move and to anyone who made you something with their hands.

The ending changes with the person. Dastet dard nakone uses the friendly your, and it is the one for a cousin, a friend, a sibling or a parent. For an older person or someone you do not know well, switch to Dastetoon dard nakone. The ending -oon is the respectful your, the same idea as shoma in place of to.

A third phrase thanks people for effort. Khaste nabashi means do not be tired, and it is said to anyone who has finished a job, a chore or a long day. Iranians say it all day long, to a shopkeeper at closing time, to a colleague at the end of a meeting and to a parent who has just cooked dinner.

This is where Persian is richer than English. There is no single you are welcome that everyone says. People pick from several answers, and each carries a different feeling.

Ghabel nadare is the classic. It means it is nothing, and literally it is not worthy of you. It is the modest answer to thanks, and it is also what people say when they offer something or turn down payment. Zahmat nist, it is no trouble, is the same spirit in plain words. Khahesh mikonam is the textbook you are welcome: it is polite and standard, though between close family it can sound a little formal.

At the table, the cook's answer to your thanks is often a wish for your meal. Nooshe jan means enjoy your food, and you can answer it with Kheyli merci. After your thanks the cook may say Nooshe joonet, the same wish with joon, soul, in it: may it nourish your soul. If someone compliments you in return, the modest answer is Lotf dari, you are kind.

In a more formal setting, with someone older or in a business conversation, Merci still works, and people also use Mamnun, which means grateful or thankful. Kheyli mamnun is thank you very much, and Mamnunam is I am grateful. These are a little more polished than Merci and you will hear them from shop staff, officials and elders.

Do not worry about choosing perfectly. A warm Merci with a smile and a small nod is correct in almost every situation, and an older person will be pleased that you tried anything in Persian at all.