Intermediate course · Intermediate lesson 14
Whether you are working for an Iranian company, studying at a Tehran university or dealing with a supplier, you will need a layer of business Persian: job titles, office small talk, meetings and, above all, the formal way of writing emails. This lesson covers all four. Office conversation is in the relaxed spoken language you already know; emails and letters switch to the formal written register.
Jobs
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| پزشک / دکتر | pezeshk / doktor | doctor |
| مهندس | mohandes | engineer |
| وکیل | vakil | lawyer |
| حسابدار | hesâbdâr | accountant |
| پرستار | parastâr | nurse |
| برنامه‌نویس | barnâmenevis | programmer, developer |
| کارمند | kârmand | employee, office worker |
| مدیر | modir | manager, director |
| فروشنده | forushande | shop assistant, salesperson |
| راننده | rânande | driver |
| استاد | ostâd | lecturer, professor; master of a craft |
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| شغلتون چیه؟ | shoghletun chiye? | what’s your job? (polite) |
| مهندسم | mohandesam | I’m an engineer |
| تو یه شرکت کار می‌کنم | tu ye sherkat kâr mikonam | I work for a company |
| کارمند بانکم | kârmand-e bânkam | I work at a bank (I’m a bank employee) |
At work
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| شرکت | sherkat | company |
| اداره | edâre | office, especially a government department |
| دفتر | daftar | office (the room or premises); also notebook |
| همکار | hamkâr | colleague |
| رئیس | ra’is | boss |
| حقوق | hoghugh | salary |
| قرارداد | gharârdâd | contract |
| ساعت کاری | sâ’at-e kâri | working hours |
| اضافه‌کاری | ezâfekâri | overtime |
| مرخصی گرفتم | morakhasi gereftam | I’ve taken time off |
| سرم شلوغه | saram sholughe | I’m busy (literally “my head is crowded”) |
| فردا تعطیله | fardâ ta’tile | tomorrow’s a holiday; we’re closed tomorrow |
| خسته نباشید | khaste nabâshid | well done, thanks for your work (literally “may you not be tired”) |
| سلامت باشید | salâmat bâshid | the reply: “may you be well” |
خسته نباشید khaste nabâshid is one of the most useful phrases in Iran. Say it to colleagues at the end of the day, to a mechanic who has fixed your car, or to a shopkeeper at closing time. It acknowledges their effort, and the answer is always salâmat bâshid.
Meetings
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| جلسه | jalase | meeting |
| دستور جلسه | dastur-e jalase | agenda |
| جلسه ساعت چنده؟ | jalase sâ’at-e chande? | what time is the meeting? |
| جلسه عقب افتاد | jalase aghab oftâd | the meeting has been postponed |
| جلسه کنسل شد | jalase kansel shod | the meeting was cancelled |
| فردا یه قرار دارم | fardâ ye gharâr dâram | I have an appointment tomorrow |
| گزارش | gozâresh | report |
| موافقم / مخالفم | movâfegham / mokhâlefam | I agree / I disagree |
Studying
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| دانشگاه | dâneshgâh | university |
| رشته‌تون چیه؟ | reshtatun chiye? | what are you studying? |
| مهندسی می‌خونم | mohandesi mikhunam | I’m studying engineering (written: mikhânam) |
| لیسانس / فوق‌لیسانس | lisâns / fogh-e lisâns | bachelor’s degree / master’s degree (everyday terms) |
| امتحان | emtehân | exam |
| کلاس | kelâs | class |
Writing a formal email
Emails and letters to people you do not know, to companies and to any official body are written in the formal register: full verbs (midaham, not midam), ast rather than -e, râ rather than ro, and va for “and”. Here is a short, typical example.
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| با سلام و احترام، | bâ salâm va ehterâm, | with greetings and respect (the standard opening; like “Dear Sir or Madam”) |
| جناب آقای احمدی | jenâb-e âghâ-ye Ahmadi | Mr Ahmadi (formal address) |
| احتراماً، گزارش ماه آبان به پیوست ارسال می‌شود. | ehterâman, gozâresh-e mâh-e Âbân be peyvast ersâl mishavad. | Respectfully, please find attached the report for the month of Âbân. |
| لطفاً زمان جلسه‌ی هفته‌ی آینده را اعلام بفرمایید. | lotfan zamân-e jalase-ye hafte-ye âyande râ e’lâm befarmâyid. | Please let me know the time of next week’s meeting. |
| منتظر پاسخ شما هستم. | montazer-e pâsokh-e shomâ hastam. | I look forward to your reply. |
| با تشکر | bâ tashakkor | with thanks (sign-off) |
For a woman, the formal address is سرکار خانم کریمی sarkâr khânom-e Karimi. Other common sign-offs are با سپاس bâ sepâs (with thanks) and با احترام bâ ehterâm (respectfully), and در صورت امکان dar surat-e emkân means “if possible”.
Grammar note: Befarmâyid is the polite form of bekonid or begid (do, say), so e’lâm befarmâyid is a very courteous “please announce”. Ersâl mishavad is a passive, “is sent”; formal writing uses the passive far more than speech does.
Dialogue: First day at the office
Mr Ahmadi: سلام آقا مارک، خوش اومدید! من احمدی هستم، مدیر بخش.
Salâm âghâ Mârk, khosh umadid! Man Ahmadi hastam, modir-e bakhsh.
Hello Mark, welcome! I’m Ahmadi, head of the department.
Mark: سلام، خوشبختم. ممنون.
Salâm, khoshbakhtam. Mamnun.
Hello, pleased to meet you. Thank you.
Mr Ahmadi: ایشون خانم کریمی هستن، همکارتون. برنامه‌نویسن.
Ishun khânum-e Karimi hastan, hamkâretun. Barnâmenevisan.
This is Ms Karimi, your colleague. She’s a developer.
Ms Karimi: خوش اومدید. جلسه‌ی هفتگی ساعت ده شروع می‌شه.
Khosh umadid. Jalase-ye haftegi sâ’at-e dah shoru’ mishe.
Welcome. The weekly meeting starts at ten.
Mark: می‌شه دستور جلسه رو برام ایمیل کنید؟
Mishe dastur-e jalase ro barâm imeyl konid?
Could you email me the agenda?
Ms Karimi: حتماً. فقط امروز سرم خیلی شلوغه، بعد از ناهار می‌فرستم.
Hatman. Faghat emruz saram kheyli sholughe, ba’d az nâhâr miferestam.
Of course. I’m just very busy today, so I’ll send it after lunch.
Mark: خسته نباشید!
Khaste nabâshid!
(at the end of the day) Thanks for everything today!
Ms Karimi: سلامت باشید. فردا می‌بینمتون.
Salâmat bâshid. Fardâ mibinametun.
You too. See you tomorrow.
Notice the respectful plural: ایشون ishun (this person; written: ishân) and hastan, barnâmenevisan (they are) are used for one person to show respect. Bakhsh means department, and khosh umadid (written: khosh âmadid) is welcome.
Tehran tip: Professional titles are used as forms of address in Tehran: âghâ-ye mohandes for an engineer (and often for any man in a technical or managerial job), khânum-e doktor for a doctor or PhD holder, ostâd for a lecturer or master craftsman. Friday is the weekend and the working week traditionally starts on Saturday; many offices close early or are shut on Thursdays, so check which days people work before you plan a meeting.
Practise
- Ask someone politely what their job is.
- Say “I’m an engineer and I work for a company”.
- What do you say to a colleague at the end of the day, and how do they reply?
- Write the opening of a formal email to Mr Rezâyi.
- Give two formal sign-offs.
- Say “the meeting has been postponed”.
- Say “I’m very busy today”.
Show answers
- شغلتون چیه؟ shoghletun chiye?
- مهندسم و تو یه شرکت کار می‌کنم mohandesam o tu ye sherkat kâr mikonam.
- Khaste nabâshid; the reply is salâmat bâshid.
- با سلام و احترام، جناب آقای رضایی bâ salâm va ehterâm, jenâb-e âghâ-ye Rezâyi
- Bâ tashakkor, bâ sepâs or bâ ehterâm.
- جلسه عقب افتاد jalase aghab oftâd.
- امروز سرم خیلی شلوغه emruz saram kheyli sholughe.
Flashcards
Test yourself
Summary
- Job titles such as mohandes, doktor and ostâd double as polite forms of address.
- Everyday office phrases: saram sholughe, morakhasi gereftam, jalase aghab oftâd.
- Khaste nabâshid thanks anyone for their work; the reply is salâmat bâshid.
- Formal emails open with bâ salâm va ehterâm and jenâb-e âghâ-ye / sarkâr khânom-e, and close with bâ tashakkor, bâ sepâs or bâ ehterâm.
- Emails use the written register: full verbs, ast, râ, va and the passive.