Formal "How are you?" in Persian (Farsi): Chetorin

Chetorin in a sentence

Real lines from the course, said by the people you meet in it.

1. Salam, chetorin?

   Hi, how are you? (formal)

   Module 1, lesson 4

2. Salam! Shoma chetorin?

   Hi! How are you?

   Module 2, lesson 4

3. Salam, maman! Shoma chetorin?

   Hi, Mom! How are you?

   Module 4, lesson 1

4. You say

   Khoobam. Shoma chetorin?

   I'm good. How are you?

   Module 4, lesson 3

5. Nommi, your friend

   Salam! Na, khoobam. Shoma chetorin?

   Hi! No, I'm good. How are you?

   Module 15, lesson 7

What Chetorin is made of

• chetorhow
• +-inyou all

Chetorin is two pieces: chetor (how) and -in (you all).

-id is the fuller form (bebakhshid); everyday speech says -in. After a vowel -in turns into -yn: mikha-yn, bia-yn, kei mia-yn.

The ending -in is taught in Module 6, lesson 1: Excuse me?

When to say Chetorin

Say Shoma chetorin? to a grandparent or another elder. To a cousin or a friend, keep Chetori?

The usual mix-up with Chetorin

Friend form and respectful form swapped

For a friend: Chetori. For an elder: Chetorin. The polite line changes chetori to chetorin.

More about Chetorin

Chetorin is the polite way to ask how someone is. It is the same chetor (how) as in Chetori, with the ending -in, the respectful you, in place of the friendly -i. Say Shoma chetorin? to a grandparent or another elder, and keep Chetori? for a cousin or a friend. The stress moves to the end: che-toh-REEN. The same -in ending makes other polite lines, such as Mikhayn and Ahle koja-yin. It is taught in Module 1, lesson 4, in the lesson about asking an elder how he is, which is where the shift between friendly and polite speech first appears.

Questions people ask about Chetorin