Persian is a language where even a misplaced ‘thank you’ can turn you from ‘polite foreigner’ to ‘that weirdo who won’t stop bowing’. If you want to sound less like a textbook and more like someone who actually knows their khoresht from their kabob, here are six phrases that’ll do the trick. (And yes, one of them is for complaining about traffic. Priorities.)
1. “Digeh che khabar?” (دیگه چه خبر؟)
Digeh che khabar?
/diːˈɡe tʃe xæˈbær/“What’s new? / What else is going on?”
2. “Kheili sham shekast!” (خیلی شام شکست!)
Kheili sham shekast!
/xeˈliː ʃɒːm ʃeˈkæst/“Lit. ‘Dinner broke a lot!’ (i.e., I’m stuffed)”
3. “Vay, che trafiki!” (وای، چه ترافیکی!)
Vay, che trafiki!
/vɒːj, tʃe tɾɒːˈfiːkiː/“Wow, what traffic!”
For extra authenticity, follow up with “Inja hame ajaleh darand” (“Everyone here is in a hurry”) while aggressively cutting someone off.
4. “Na merci” (نه مرسی)
Na merci
/næ meɾˈsiː/“No thanks”
5. “Ye dasti” (یه دستی)
Ye dasti
/je dæsˈtiː/“Lit. ‘A handful’ (i.e., a little bit)”
6. “Khasteh nabashid” (خسته نباشید)
Khasteh nabashid
/xæsˈte næˈbɒːʃid/“Lit. ‘Don’t be tired’ (i.e., good job / well done)”
For more ways to sound like a local, check out our guide to Persian verbs that’ll upgrade your conversations or how to describe Iranian architecture without sounding like a tourist.
