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Persian (Farsi) Phrases for Visiting Iran
Visiting Iran is a Finglish by Iranopedia track for English speakers traveling to Iran. It teaches the Persian you use from the airport to the family dinner table: taxis, the bazaar, taarof, restaurants and visiting relatives, in Finglish, with audio.
Who it is for: First trips, and anyone going to see family they have not met yet. The track teaches casual spoken Persian, the way people really talk in Tehran, and it is about language and manners only.
Included in Full Access. $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year.
The six phrases to learn first
These six already live in the main course, so you can hear each one and open its lesson today. They cover most of a first day.
Say them slowly. Spoken Persian in Tehran is the form this course teaches, so people will understand you even with an accent.
Taxi in Tehran: what to say from the back seat
A taxi ride is a short script. Here is the order it usually goes in, and the Finglish for each beat.
Say hello
Start with Salam. It works before anything else.
Name where you are going
Say the place, then add Lotfan, please. A place name plus please is a complete request.
Ask the price
Ask Chande?, how much is it, before or during the ride, so the number is clear.
Hear the polite refusal
The driver may answer Ghabel nadare, it is nothing. This is taarof, a ritual of polite offers. It is usually an invitation to insist, not a free ride.
Insist kindly and say thank you
Offer the money again with a smile and a Merci. The track gives you the exact sentence for insisting.
The track is about the language of the ride: greetings, destinations, prices and thanks.
At the bazaar: asking the price
In a bazaar, the price is a conversation. You ask first, you listen, and you answer with a number of your own. You will already know Chande?, and the main course teaches numbers 1 to 10 in Module 3, so the first answers are within reach.
Two more words come up everywhere. Arzun means cheap, and Bazar is the market itself. The track builds the full sentence for asking whether a price can come down a little, said kindly, the way you would to a shopkeeper you want to see again. Fixed-price shops exist too, and the track shows the difference in a few lines.
Taarof: when no means yes
Taarof is the Persian system of polite offers and refusals. A first no is often a step, not an answer. Three things you will hear, what they usually mean, and what to do.
| You hear | It usually means | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Ghabel nadare | It's nothing. A polite offer to waive the payment or the thanks. | Thank them, then offer again, warmly. They expect it. |
| Befarmaid | Please, go ahead. An invitation to sit, enter or eat. | Accept the second time, with a small thank you. |
| Na, merci | A polite first no to an offer of food or help. | If you mean no, say it twice, kindly. If you want it, wait for the second offer. |
With friends and younger people taarof softens a lot. With elders, in a taxi and at a family table, it is the normal way to be polite.
At the family table
The dinner table is where the most Persian gets used. These are the lines you will need, in the order a meal goes.
No, thanks. I'm full.
A polite no that still thanks the cook. Expect to be offered again.
Dastet dard nakone
Thanks for making this
Thank you for making this. Say it to whoever cooked.
Visiting a family you have not met? Start with Khoshbakhtam, nice to meet you, and let the rest of the evening teach you.
The track, module by module
Nine short modules in two parts: getting around on your own, then arriving at a family home. Each ends with something you can say.
Landing at the airport
Find the exit, passport control and your bags, and ask someone for help.
You will say: Where is the exit?
Taxis and fares
Say where you are going, ask the price and pay with the right thank you.
You will say: How much to get there?
The bazaar
Ask a price, hear the answer and ask for a little less, kindly.
You will say: Can it be a little cheaper?
Taarof, explained
Know when to say no first, when to insist and how to accept.
You will say: No, no, I insist.
Restaurants and chai
Order a meal and tea, and ask for the bill.
You will say: The bill, please.
Getting around town
Ask for the metro, a street or a shop and understand the answer.
You will say: Where is the metro station?
Visiting family
Arrive at a home with the right words for the door.
You will say: Am I bothering you?
At the family table
Accept, refuse and compliment food the way a guest does.
You will say: I'm full, thank you for the food.
Goodbyes at the door
Leave warmly and promise to come back.
You will say: Until we meet again.
Ready when you are
Visiting Iran is included in Full Access, the same plan as the whole main course. Ameer will be your host.
Questions
No. Every line is in Finglish, Persian in English letters, with audio you can copy.
Anyone heading to Iran, on a first trip or to see family you have not met yet.
Taarof is the Persian system of polite offers and refusals, such as a driver waving off payment. You do not have to be perfect at it, but knowing it exists means you will never be confused by a first no.
Yes. The track teaches spoken Tehrani Persian, the everyday form that is the most widely understood, and people are glad to hear you try.
Yes, when it opens. Every track will be included in Full Access, the same plan as the whole main course, at $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year. Module 1 is free with no signup, and it is the best place to start while you wait.
More tracks
Finglish by Iranopedia is a Persian (Farsi) learning app for English speakers. It teaches everyday spoken Persian in English letters, built around you: a daily review that schedules every word for you, speaking practice, games and real-life conversations. Module 1 is free with no signup.