Vocabulary
This page gathers the most useful Persian adjectives for two everyday jobs: saying how you feel, and describing other people, both what they look like and what they are like. It finishes with common opposites and the small words that make an adjective stronger or weaker.
Persian adjectives are easy to use. They never change for gender or number, and they follow the noun, linked by the ezafe (Lesson 11): dust-e mehrabun, a kind friend. To say someone is something, add the short form of “to be” (Lesson 9): khastam (I’m tired), khoshhâli? (are you happy?), mehrabune (he or she is kind).
How do you feel?
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| خوشحال | khoshhâl | happy, glad |
| ناراحت | nârâhat | upset, unhappy; uncomfortable |
| غمگین | ghamgin | sad (more literary) |
| عصبانی | asabâni | angry |
| خسته | khaste | tired |
| نگران | negarân | worried |
| آروم | ârum (written: ârâm) | calm |
| راضی | râzi | satisfied, content |
| گیج | gij | confused |
| مطمئن | motma’en | sure, certain |
| حسود | hasud | jealous |
| عاشق | âshegh | in love |
| می‌ترسم | mitarsam | I’m scared |
| حوصله‌م سر رفته | howselam sar rafte | I’m bored |
| استرس دارم | esteres dâram | I’m stressed |
| خجالت می‌کشم | khejâlat mikesham | I’m embarrassed; I feel shy |
| دلم برات تنگ شده | delam barât tang shode | I’ve missed you (informal) |
What people look like
Height is described with قد ghad (height): ghadesh bolande means “he or she is tall”, literally “their height is long”. Hair is مو mu, and muhâsh meshkiye means “their hair is black”.
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| قدبلند | ghadboland | tall |
| قدکوتاه | ghadkutâh | short |
| لاغر | lâghar | thin, slim |
| چاق | châgh | fat, overweight (blunt) |
| خوش‌تیپ | khoshtip | good-looking, well dressed |
| خوشگل | khoshgel | pretty, beautiful |
| قشنگ | ghashang | lovely, pretty |
| زیبا | zibâ | beautiful (more formal) |
| زشت | zesht | ugly |
| جوون | javun (written: javân) | young |
| پیر | pir | old (of people) |
| مسن | mosen | elderly (polite) |
| بور | bur | blond |
| مشکی | meshki | black (of hair, eyes, clothes) |
| فرفری | ferferi | curly |
| کچل | kachal | bald |
| ریشو | rishu | bearded |
| عینکی | eynaki | wearing glasses |
What people are like
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| مهربون | mehrabun (written: mehrabân) | kind |
| خوش‌اخلاق | khoshakhlâgh | good-natured, pleasant |
| بداخلاق | badakhlâgh | bad-tempered, grumpy |
| باهوش | bâhush | clever, intelligent |
| زرنگ | zerang | smart, quick, savvy |
| تنبل | tanbal | lazy |
| پرکار | porkâr | hard-working |
| خجالتی | khejâlati | shy |
| اجتماعی | ejtemâ’i | sociable, outgoing |
| بامزه | bâmaze | funny; cute |
| شوخ | shukh | jokey, playful |
| جدی | jeddi | serious |
| صبور | sabur | patient |
| مودب | moaddab (written: mo’addab) | polite |
| بی‌ادب | bi-adab | rude |
| دست‌ودل‌باز | dast-o-delbâz | generous |
| خسیس | khasis | mean, stingy |
| مغرور | maghrur | arrogant, proud |
| مهمون‌نواز | mehmun-navâz | hospitable |
| باحال | bâhâl | cool, fun (slang) |
Common opposites
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| بزرگ | bozorg | big |
| کوچیک | kuchik (written: kuchek) | small |
| خوب | khub | good |
| بد | bad | bad |
| جدید | jadid | new |
| قدیمی | ghadimi | old (of things) |
| آسون | âsun (written: âsân) | easy |
| سخت | sakht | hard, difficult |
| تمیز | tamiz | clean |
| کثیف | kasif | dirty |
| پر | por | full |
| خالی | khâli | empty |
Stronger, weaker, more and most
Add -tar for “more” and -tarin for “most”: bozorg, bozorgtar, bozorgtarin (big, bigger, biggest). “Than” is از az: emruz az diruz sardtare, today is colder than yesterday.
Grammar note: The -tarin form goes before the noun, with no ezafe: behtarin restorân, the best restaurant. The comparative of khub (good) is usually behtar (better) and behtarin (best).
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| خیلی | kheyli | very |
| یه کم | ye kam | a bit |
| نسبتاً | nesbatan | fairly, quite |
| کاملاً | kâmelan | completely |
| اصلاً | aslan | not at all (with a negative) |
| زیادی | ziâdi | too (much) |
| بهتر | behtar | better |
| بهترین | behtarin | best |
Tehran tip: Iranians are generous with compliments, but praise of a baby, a new car or someone’s good looks is often followed by چشم نخوره cheshm nakhore, “may the evil eye not touch it”, a little like touching wood. Say it yourself after paying a compliment and people will smile.
Example sentences
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| خیلی خسته‌م | kheyli khastam | I’m really tired |
| چرا ناراحتی؟ | cherâ nârâhati? | why are you upset? (informal) |
| نگران نباش | negarân nabâsh | don’t worry (informal) |
| خیلی مهربونید | kheyli mehrabunid | you’re very kind (polite) |
| برادرم قدبلنده | barâdaram ghadbolande | my brother is tall |
| این فیلم خیلی باحال بود | in film kheyli bâhâl bud | this film was really good fun |
| امروز از دیروز سردتره | emruz az diruz sardtare | today is colder than yesterday |
| اون باهوش‌ترین دانشجوی کلاسه | un bâhushtarin dâneshju-ye kelâse | she’s the cleverest student in the class |
| اصلاً خسته نیستم | aslan khaste nistam | I’m not tired at all |