Intermediate course · Intermediate lesson 15
Finding a home is one of the first big jobs for anyone moving to the city, and it is where your Persian will be tested hardest. This lesson teaches the Persian you need for renting a flat in Tehran, in the words agents and landlords actually use: rooms and furniture, the unusual rahn and ejâre system, talking to the estate agent and landlord, asking for repairs and getting on with the neighbours.
The flat
Most Tehranis live in flats in low- and mid-rise blocks. Listings describe a flat by its size in square metres (متراژ metrâzh), the number of bedrooms and the floor it is on.
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| آپارتمان | âpârtemân | flat |
| خونه | khune | house, home (written: khâne) |
| واحد | vâhed | unit, flat in a building |
| اتاق خواب | otâgh-e khâb | bedroom |
| پذیرایی / هال | pazirâyi / hâl | living room, reception room |
| آشپزخونه | âshpazkhune | kitchen (written: âshpazkhâne) |
| حموم | hammum | bathroom (written: hammâm) |
| دستشویی | dastshuyi | toilet |
| بالکن | bâlkon | balcony |
| آسانسور | âsânsor | lift |
| پارکینگ | pârking | parking space |
| انباری | anbâri | storage room |
| دوخوابه | do khâbe | two-bedroom (ye âpârtemân-e do khâbe) |
| نوساز | nowsâz | newly built |
Furniture and appliances
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| مبله | moble | furnished (âpârtemân-e moble) |
| مبل | mobl | sofa, armchairs |
| تخت | takht | bed |
| کمد | komod | wardrobe, cupboard |
| یخچال | yakhchâl | fridge |
| ماشین لباسشویی | mâshin-e lebâsshuyi | washing machine |
| اجاق گاز | ojâgh-e gâz | gas cooker |
| شوفاژ | shufâzh | radiators, central heating |
| پکیج | pakij | combi boiler |
| کولر | kuler | air conditioner, cooler |
Rahn and ejâre: how renting works
Renting in Tehran works differently from most countries. Instead of a small deposit and a high monthly rent, the tenant usually pays the landlord a large lump sum at the start, called رهن rahn (also vadi’e in contracts). The landlord holds it for the length of the lease and returns it when the tenant moves out, less anything owed for unpaid bills or damage. On top of that, the tenant pays a monthly اجاره ejâre, rent.
The two are negotiated as a package: the more you pay as rahn, the lower your monthly ejâre, and the other way round. Part of one can often be “converted” into the other by agreement. If you pay everything as deposit, with no monthly rent at all, that is رهن کامل rahn-e kâmel. Leases normally run for one year, and both deposit and rent are usually renegotiated at renewal.
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| بنگاه | bongâh | estate agency (on signs usually مشاور املاک moshâver-e amlâk, property consultant) |
| صاحبخونه | sâhebkhune | landlord, landlady (written: sâhebkhâne) |
| مستأجر | mosta’jer | tenant |
| رهن و اجاره | rahn o ejâre | deposit and rent |
| رهن کامل | rahn-e kâmel | full deposit, no monthly rent |
| قرارداد اجاره | gharârdâd-e ejâre | lease, tenancy agreement |
| قرارداد بستن | gharârdâd bastan | to sign a contract |
| شارژ | shârzh | monthly service charge for the building |
| مدیر ساختمون | modir-e sâkhtemun | building manager (often a resident) |
| اسباب‌کشی | asbâbkeshi | moving house |
Tehran tip: Leases are usually signed at the bongâh, which normally charges both landlord and tenant a commission and can register the contract in the official system, giving it a tracking code (کد رهگیری kod-e rahgiri). Ask for one, keep proof of every payment of rahn, and photograph the flat before you move in. For current costs, see our prices tracker.
Dialogue: At an estate agency
Agent: سلام، بفرمایید.
Salâm, befarmâyid.
Hello, how can I help?
Lucy: سلام. دنبال یه آپارتمان دوخوابه می‌گردم، نزدیک مترو.
Salâm. Donbâl-e ye âpârtemân-e do khâbe migardam, nazdik-e metro.
Hello. I’m looking for a two-bedroom flat near the metro.
Agent: رهن کامل یا رهن و اجاره؟
Rahn-e kâmel yâ rahn o ejâre?
Full deposit, or deposit and rent?
Lucy: رهن و اجاره. مبله هم باشه بهتره.
Rahn o ejâre. Moble ham bâshe behtare.
Deposit and rent. Furnished would be better.
Agent: یه واحد هفتاد متری داریم، طبقه‌ی سوم، نوسازه. آسانسور و پارکینگ داره.
Ye vâhed-e haftâd metri dârim, tabaghe-ye sevvom, nowsâze. Âsânsor o pârking dâre.
We have a 70-square-metre flat on the third floor. It’s new, with a lift and parking.
Lucy: می‌شه فردا ببینیمش؟
Mishe fardâ bebinimesh?
Can we see it tomorrow?
Agent: حتماً. ساعت پنج؛ با صاحبخونه هماهنگ می‌کنم.
Hatman. Sâ’at-e panj; bâ sâhebkhune hamâhang mikonam.
Certainly. Five o’clock; I’ll arrange it with the landlord.
Lucy: ممنون. قبل از اینکه قرارداد ببندیم، می‌خوام صاحبخونه رو ببینم.
Mamnun. Ghabl az inke gharârdâd bebandim, mikhâm sâhebkhune ro bebinam.
Thanks. Before we sign a contract, I’d like to meet the landlord.
Agent: البته.
Albatte.
Of course.
New here: donbâl-e … migardam (I’m looking for …), haftâd metri (70-metre), hamâhang kardan (to arrange, coordinate) and albatte (of course). Notice bebinimesh (see it) from Intermediate Lesson 12 and ghabl az inke + subjunctive from Intermediate Lesson 10.
Repairs
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| شیر آب چکه می‌کنه | shir-e âb chakke mikone | the tap is dripping |
| آب گرم نداریم | âb-e garm nadârim | we haven’t got any hot water |
| پکیج خراب شده | pakij kharâb shode | the boiler has broken down |
| برق رفته | bargh rafte | there’s a power cut (literally “the electricity has gone”) |
| لوله‌کش / برق‌کار | lulekesh / barghkâr | plumber / electrician |
| کی می‌تونید درستش کنید؟ | key mitunid dorostesh konid? | when can you fix it? |
Grammar note: Kharâb shode uses the present perfect (Intermediate Lesson 6) for a state that started in the past and still holds: “it has broken, so it doesn’t work now”. The same pattern gives bargh rafte and âb ghat’ shode, the water has been cut off.
Neighbours
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| همسایه | hamsâye | neighbour |
| سر و صدا | sar-o-sedâ | noise, racket |
| ببخشید، یه کم صدا رو کم می‌کنید؟ | bebakhshid, ye kam sedâ ro kam mikonid? | sorry, could you turn it down a bit? |
| ما همسایه‌ی جدیدتونیم | mâ hamsâye-ye jadidetunim | we’re your new neighbours |
Practise
- Name four rooms in a flat in Persian.
- Explain the difference between rahn and ejâre.
- What is rahn-e kâmel?
- Say “I’m looking for a furnished two-bedroom flat”.
- Tell your landlord the tap is dripping, then ask when they can fix it.
- Politely ask a neighbour to turn the noise down.
- What do bongâh, sâhebkhune and mosta’jer mean?
Show answers
- For example: otâgh-e khâb, pazirâyi, âshpazkhune, hammum, dastshuyi.
- Rahn is a large deposit paid at the start and returned at the end; ejâre is the monthly rent. More rahn means less ejâre.
- Paying everything as a deposit, with no monthly rent.
- دنبال یه آپارتمان دوخوابه‌ی مبله می‌گردم donbâl-e ye âpârtemân-e do khâbe-ye moble migardam.
- شیر آب چکه می‌کنه. کی می‌تونید درستش کنید؟ shir-e âb chakke mikone. Key mitunid dorostesh konid?
- ببخشید، یه کم صدا رو کم می‌کنید؟ bebakhshid, ye kam sedâ ro kam mikonid?
- Estate agency, landlord, tenant.
Flashcards
Test yourself
Summary
- Rooms and fittings: otâgh-e khâb, pazirâyi, âshpazkhune, hammum, âsânsor, pakij, moble.
- Rahn is a large returnable deposit and ejâre the monthly rent; they trade off against each other, and rahn-e kâmel means no monthly rent.
- Leases are usually signed at a bongâh and should be registered with a kod-e rahgiri.
- Report problems with kharâb shode, chakke mikone and bargh rafte, and ask key mitunid dorostesh konid?
- Keep the peace with hamsâye: ye kam sedâ ro kam mikonid?