Beginner course · Lesson 13
Tehran runs on taxis, from shared cars on fixed routes to app-booked rides. Drivers often know the main roads but not the side streets, so being able to give directions in Persian yourself is a real advantage. For the practical side, see our guides to Tehran’s taxis and the Tehran metro.
In this lesson you will learn to say left, right and straight on, to tell a driver where to stop, to agree a fare and to find your way round the metro. It builds on the mikhâm beram (“I want to go”) pattern from Lesson 12, so you can start using it on your very first ride.
Directions
These are the words you will use most often in a taxi. Chap and râst work on their own, but you will often hear them with dast-e (“hand of”) in front: dast-e chap, on the left-hand side.
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| مستقیم | mostaghim | straight on |
| چپ | chap | left |
| راست | râst | right |
| بپیچید | bepichid | turn |
| سر کوچه | sar-e kuche | at the top of the alley (where it meets the street) |
| اینجا | injâ | here |
| همینجا | haminjâ | right here |
| نزدیک | nazdik | near |
| دور | dur | far |
| بعد از چهارراه | ba’d az chahârrâh | after the crossroads |
| پل | pol | bridge, flyover |
| دست چپ / دست راست | dast-e chap / dast-e râst | on the left / on the right |
| برگردید | bargardid | go back |
| دور بزنید | dor bezanid | turn round, make a U-turn |
| کوچه | kuche | alley, side street |
| خیابون | khiâbun (written: khiâbân) | street |
Put them together into short instructions. Drivers are used to passengers directing them turn by turn, so one instruction at a time is perfectly natural.
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| مستقیم برید | mostaghim berid | go straight on |
| بعد از چهارراه بپیچید دست چپ | ba’d az chahârrâh bepichid dast-e chap | turn left after the crossroads |
| سر کوچه نگه دارید | sar-e kuche negah dârid | stop at the top of the alley |
| دوره؟ | dure? | is it far? |
| نه، نزدیکه | na, nazdike | no, it’s near |
Grammar note: To ask someone politely to do something, put be- in front of the present stem and add -id: berid (go; written: beravid), bepichid (turn). In verbs made of a word plus a verb, the be- is often left out: negah dârid (stop), rowshan konid (turn on). This -id form is the safe choice with drivers and strangers. With friends, drop the ending: boro (go), bepich (turn), negah dâr (stop).
In the taxi
Most of what you need in a taxi fits into a handful of phrases. Start with where you are going, then agree the price before you set off.
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| می‌خوام برم … | mikhâm beram … | I want to go to … |
| دربست | darbast | private hire (the whole car) |
| چقدر می‌شه؟ | cheghadr mishe? | how much will it be? |
| لطفاً اینجا نگه دارید | lotfan injâ negah dârid | please stop here |
| پیاده می‌شم | piâde misham | I’ll get out (here) |
| کولر رو روشن کنید لطفاً | kuler ro rowshan konid lotfan | could you turn the air conditioning on, please? |
| تاکسی | tâksi | taxi |
| کرایه | kerâye | fare |
| کرایه چقدر شد؟ | kerâye cheghadr shod? | how much was the fare? |
| یواش‌تر لطفاً | yavâshtar lotfan | slower, please |
With ride-hailing apps such as Snapp the price is fixed in the app, but the driver will still ring or ask you exactly where you are, so sar-e kuche and haminjâ earn their keep. Remember from Lesson 8 that people drop the thousands: a driver who says sad (100) means 100,000 tomans.
Tehran tip: If you get into a shared taxi and want the whole car to yourself, say darbast before you set off; it costs more but the driver will take you door to door.
Asking the way
On foot, start with ببخشید bebakhshid (excuse me) and add a place and kojâst? (where is it?).
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| ببخشید، مترو کجاست؟ | bebakhshid, metro kojâst? | excuse me, where’s the metro? |
| از اینجا دوره؟ | az injâ dure? | is it far from here? |
| پیاده می‌شه رفت؟ | piâde mishe raft? | can you walk there? |
On the metro
Metro signs are in Persian and English, but announcements and conversations on the platform are in Persian. Lines are numbered, and the direction of travel is shown by the station at the end of the line.
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| ایستگاه | istgâh | station |
| خط | khat | line |
| بلیت | belit | ticket |
| ایستگاه بعدی | istgâh-e ba’di | next station |
| کجا عوض کنم؟ | kojâ avaz konam? | where do I change? |
| خط یک | khat-e yek | line 1 |
| به سمت … | be samt-e … | towards … |
| ورودی / خروجی | vorudi / khoruji | entrance / exit |
Dialogue: a private taxi to Azadi Square
Driver: سلام، کجا می‌رید؟
Salâm, kojâ mirid?
Hello, where are you going?
Tom: سلام. می‌خوام برم میدان آزادی. دربست چقدر می‌شه؟
Salâm. Mikhâm beram meydân-e Âzâdi. Darbast cheghadr mishe?
Hello. I want to go to Azadi Square. How much for a private ride?
Driver: صد و پنجاه.
Sad-o-panjâh.
A hundred and fifty (thousand tomans).
Tom: خیلی گرونه! صد و بیست؟
Kheyli gerune! Sad-o-bist?
That’s very expensive! A hundred and twenty?
Driver: باشه، بفرمایید.
Bâshe, befarmâyid.
All right, get in.
Tom: مستقیم برید، بعد از پل بپیچید دست راست.
Mostaghim berid, ba’d az pol bepichid dast-e râst.
Go straight on, then turn right after the flyover.
Driver: اینجا؟
Injâ?
Here?
Tom: بله، همینجا نگه دارید لطفاً. بفرمایید. خسته نباشید!
Bale, haminjâ negah dârid lotfan. Befarmâyid. Khaste nabâshid!
Yes, stop right here, please. Here you are. Thank you!
Bâshe means “OK”. Befarmâyid is an all-purpose polite word: “please, go ahead”, “come in” or “here you are” when handing something over. Khaste nabâshid, literally “may you not be tired”, is what Tehranis say to anyone who has been working for them, and drivers hear it all day.
Practise
- Tell a driver: straight on, then turn left, and stop here.
- Ask how much a private taxi to Azadi Square (meydân-e Âzâdi) will cost.
- What do these mean? dast-e râst, dur, istgâh-e ba’di.
- Ask a passer-by where the metro is and whether you can walk there.
- You are on the metro and need to change lines. What do you ask?
- How would you tell a friend, informally, to go straight on?
- At the end of a ride, ask how much the fare was and thank the driver.
Show answers
- Mostaghim berid, ba’d bepichid chap. Lotfan injâ negah dârid.
- Darbast meydân-e Âzâdi cheghadr mishe?
- On the right; far; the next station.
- Bebakhshid, metro kojâst? Piâde mishe raft?
- Kojâ avaz konam?
- Mostaghim boro.
- Kerâye cheghadr shod? Then hand over the money with befarmâyid and say khaste nabâshid or mamnun.
Flashcards
Test yourself
Summary
- Directions in Persian: mostaghim (straight on), chap (left), râst (right), often with dast-e in front.
- Polite instructions end in -id: berid, bepichid, negah dârid.
- In a taxi, say where you want to go with mikhâm beram …, agree the price, and ask for darbast if you want the whole car.
- On the metro, look for your khat (line) and the station it runs be samt-e (towards).