Intermediate course · Intermediate lesson 13
Family is at the centre of life in Tehran, and within minutes of meeting someone you will be asked about yours. Persian family words are also more precise than English ones: there is no single word for “aunt” or “uncle”, because it matters whether they are on your mother’s or your father’s side. This lesson gives you the vocabulary and phrases to talk about your family and understand theirs.
The immediate family
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| خانواده | khânevâde | family |
| پدر / بابا | pedar / bâbâ | father / dad |
| مادر / مامان | mâdar / mâmân | mother / mum |
| برادر / داداش | barâdar / dâdâsh | brother / bro (informal) |
| خواهر / آبجی | khâhar / âbji | sister / sis (informal) |
| پسر | pesar | son; boy |
| دختر | dokhtar | daughter; girl |
| شوهر | shohar | husband |
| زن / خانم | zan / khânum | wife (khânumam, my wife, is the more polite way to say it) |
| همسر | hamsar | spouse (formal, neutral) |
| پدربزرگ / بابابزرگ | pedarbozorg / bâbâbozorg | grandfather / grandad |
| مادربزرگ / مامان‌بزرگ | mâdarbozorg / mâmânbozorg | grandmother / granny |
| نوه | nave | grandchild |
زن zan means both “woman” and “wife”, which is why many people prefer khânumam or hamsaram when talking about their own wife. Add the possessive endings from beginner Lesson 11 to say whose: bâbâm (my dad), khâharet (your sister), pesaresh (his/her son).
Aunts, uncles and cousins
Here is where Persian is more exact than English. Your father’s brother and your mother’s brother have different names, and so do the aunts.
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| عمو | amu | uncle: father’s brother |
| عمه | amme | aunt: father’s sister |
| دایی | dâyi | uncle: mother’s brother |
| خاله | khâle | aunt: mother’s sister |
| زن‌عمو / زن‌دایی | zan amu / zan dâyi | wife of your amu / of your dâyi |
| شوهرعمه / شوهرخاله | shohar amme / shohar khâle | husband of your amme / of your khâle |
Cousins are named after the aunt or uncle they belong to: pesar (son) or dokhtar (daughter) plus the relative. So پسرعمو pesar amu is the son of your father’s brother, دخترخاله dokhtar khâle the daughter of your mother’s sister, and so on: pesar dâyi, dokhtar amme. Each is a fixed compound, usually said with no ezafe between the two parts (pesar amu, not pesar-e amu) and normally written as one word in Persian script. To say “my cousin”, put the possessive ending on the end of the whole compound: pesar amum, my cousin (son of my father’s brother); dokhtar khâlam, my cousin (daughter of my mother’s sister).
In-laws, marriage and weddings
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| مادرشوهر / پدرشوهر | mâdarshohar / pedarshohar | mother-in-law / father-in-law (husband’s parents) |
| مادرزن / پدرزن | mâdarzan / pedarzan | mother-in-law / father-in-law (wife’s parents) |
| عروس | arus | bride; daughter-in-law |
| داماد | dâmâd | groom; son-in-law |
| باجناق | bâjenâgh | the husbands of two sisters, to each other |
| جاری | jâri | the wives of two brothers, to each other |
| فامیل | fâmil | relatives, the extended family |
| مجرد | mojarrad | single |
| متأهل | mote’ahhel | married (formal; on forms) |
| نامزد | nâmzad | fiancé, fiancée |
| ازدواج کردن | ezdevâj kardan | to get married |
| خواستگاری | khâstegâri | a formal visit to ask for a woman’s hand |
| عقد | aghd | the marriage ceremony |
| عروسی | arusi | wedding (party) |
Talking about your family
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| چند تا خواهر و برادر داری؟ | chand tâ khâhar o barâdar dâri? | how many brothers and sisters have you got? |
| یه برادر و دو تا خواهر دارم | ye barâdar o do tâ khâhar dâram | I have one brother and two sisters |
| تک‌فرزندم | takfarzandam | I’m an only child |
| ازدواج کردید؟ | ezdevâj kardid? | are you married? (polite) |
| آره، ده ساله که ازدواج کردیم | âre, dah sâle ke ezdevâj kardim | yes, we’ve been married for ten years |
| پسرم ده سالشه | pesaram dah sâleshe | my son is ten |
| خانواده خوبن؟ | khânevâde khuban? | is the family well? |
| سلام برسونید | salâm beresunid | give them my regards |
Grammar note: After a number, the noun stays singular: do tâ khâhar, two sisters, never do tâ khâharhâ. Ages use sâl (year) with a possessive ending and “is”: chand sâleshe? (how old is he/she?), bist sâlame (I’m twenty), and politely chand sâletune? (how old are you?).
Dialogue: Friday lunch at Nâzanin’s grandmother’s
Tom: این آقا کیه؟
In âghâ kiye?
Who’s this man?
Nâzanin: داییمه، برادر مامانم.
Dâyime, barâdar-e mâmânam.
That’s my uncle, my mum’s brother.
Tom: پس اون خانم خاله‌ته؟
Pas un khânum khâlate?
So is that woman your aunt?
Nâzanin: نه، اون زن‌داییمه. خاله‌م تو شیراز زندگی می‌کنه.
Na, un zan dâyime. Khâlam tu Shirâz zendegi mikone.
No, that’s my uncle’s wife. My aunt lives in Shiraz.
Tom: چند تا پسرخاله و دخترخاله داری؟
Chand tâ pesar khâle o dokhtar khâle dâri?
How many cousins have you got on your mum’s side?
Nâzanin: خیلی! فقط از طرف مامانم دوازده تا.
Kheyli! Faghat az taraf-e mâmânam davâzdah tâ.
Loads! Twelve just on my mum’s side.
Tom: من تک‌فرزندم، فقط دو تا پسرعمو دارم.
Man takfarzandam, faghat do tâ pesar amu dâram.
I’m an only child. I’ve only got two cousins, on my dad’s side.
Grandmother: تام جون، یه چای دیگه می‌خوری؟
Tâm jun, ye châi-ye dige mikhori?
Tom dear, will you have another tea?
Tom: دستتون درد نکنه، خیلی خوشمزه بود.
Dastetun dard nakone, kheyli khoshmaze bud.
Thank you so much, it was delicious.
Dâyime is dâyi + -m (my) + -e (is). Az taraf-e means “on the side of”, and جون jun (written: jân), “dear”, follows a name to show affection.
Tehran tip: Kinship words spill over to people who are not family at all. Children call their parents’ friends amu and khâle, a shopkeeper may call a young man dâdâsh, and older people are addressed warmly as mâdar or pedar jun. Many Tehran families gather at a grandparent’s home for lunch on Fridays; if you are invited, it is a real compliment.
Practise
- Name these relatives in Persian: your mother’s sister; your father’s brother; your mother’s brother; your father’s sister.
- Who is your dokhtar dâyi?
- Say “I have one brother and two sisters”.
- Ask someone politely whether they are married.
- Say “my daughter is seven”.
- Which is correct: se tâ bache or se tâ bachehâ?
- What is the difference between mâdarzan and mâdarshohar?
Show answers
- khâle; amu; dâyi; amme.
- The daughter of your mother’s brother (a cousin).
- یه برادر و دو تا خواهر دارم ye barâdar o do tâ khâhar dâram.
- ازدواج کردید؟ ezdevâj kardid?
- دخترم هفت سالشه dokhtaram haft sâleshe.
- se tâ bache: the noun stays singular after a number.
- Mâdarzan is a man’s mother-in-law (his wife’s mother); mâdarshohar is a woman’s mother-in-law (her husband’s mother).
Flashcards
Test yourself
Summary
- Core family words come in a formal and an informal version: pedar / bâbâ, barâdar / dâdâsh, khâhar / âbji.
- Aunts and uncles depend on the side: amu and amme are your father’s siblings, dâyi and khâle your mother’s.
- Cousins are pesar or dokhtar plus the relative: pesar amu, dokhtar khâle.
- In-laws also depend on whose parents they are: mâdarzan versus mâdarshohar.
- Give ages with sâleshe, and keep nouns singular after numbers: do tâ khâhar.