Intermediate course · Intermediate lesson 4
Tehranis give and receive instructions all day: in taxis, in shops, at home and over the phone. This lesson teaches the Persian imperative, the verb form for commands such as “go”, “come” and “sit down”, and the softer ways to ask for things that keep you on the right side of Iranian politeness.
If you know the subjunctive from Lesson 3, you already know almost everything you need. And you have met several imperatives already: bepichid (turn), negah dârid (stop) and dobâre begid (say it again).
Forming the imperative
Start from the subjunctive. For one person you know well, drop the ending: beri → boro. For anyone you call shomâ, or for a group, keep the -id ending: berid. The polite form is the one you will use most.
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| برو / برید | boro / berid | go |
| بیا / بیایید | biyâ / biyâid | come |
| بگو / بگید | begu / begid (written: beguyid) | say, tell |
| ببین / ببینید | bebin / bebinid | look, see |
| بده / بدید | bede / bedid (written: bedahid) | give |
| بشین / بشینید | beshin / beshinid (written: beneshin / beneshinid) | sit |
| بگیر / بگیرید | begir / begirid | take, get |
| بخور / بخورید | bokhor / bokhorid | eat, have |
| بیار / بیارید | biyâr / biyârid (written: biâvar / biâvarid) | bring |
| صبر کن / صبر کنید | sabr kon / sabr konid | wait |
| وایسا / وایسید | vâysâ / vâysid | wait! stop! (very spoken; from وایستادن vâystâdan, written: ایستادن istâdan) |
Grammar note: In speech, the be- prefix changes its vowel to match the stem. Before an o sound it becomes bo-: boro, bokhor. Before â it becomes bi-: biyâ, biyâr. Compound verbs made with kardan or dâshtan take no prefix at all: sabr konid, negah dârid, rowshan konid.
Don’t: the negative imperative
Replace be- with na-. Before â it becomes na- with a y: nayâ.
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| نرو | naro | don’t go |
| نیا | nayâ | don’t come |
| نگو! | nagu! | don’t say it! (also: no way!) |
| نترس | natars | don’t be afraid |
| نگران نباش | negarân nabâsh | don’t worry |
| تعارف نکنید | ta’ârof nakonid | don’t stand on ceremony |
Asking politely
A bare command, even with -id, can sound abrupt to a stranger. Tehranis soften requests in a few standard ways. Most of them use the subjunctive you learned in Lesson 3.
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| لطفاً در رو ببندید. | Lotfan dar ro bebandid. | Please close the door. |
| می‌شه پنجره رو باز کنید؟ | Mishe panjere ro bâz konid? | Could you open the window? |
| می‌شه یه کم آروم‌تر برید؟ | Mishe ye kam ârumtar berid? | Could you go a bit slower? |
| می‌تونید کمکم کنید؟ | Mitunid komakam konid? | Can you help me? |
| زحمت نباشه، یه لیوان آب بدید؟ | Zahmat nabâshe, ye livân âb bedid? | If it’s no trouble, could I have a glass of water? |
| یه لحظه صبر کنید. | Ye lahze sabr konid. | Just a moment, please. |
می‌شه mishe (“is it possible?”) is the Swiss army knife: you met it in bâ kârt mishe? and it works before almost any request. Zahmat nabâshe (“if it’s no trouble”) is a little more formal and very gracious.
Befarmâid: the word that does everything
بفرمایید befarmâid is the polite imperative of farmudan, a formal verb meaning “to command”, and you will hear it dozens of times a day. It means “please” in the sense of “go ahead”, “help yourself” or “here you are”.
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| بفرمایید | befarmâid | here you are; go ahead; yes? (answering the phone or a knock) |
| بفرمایید تو | befarmâid tu | please come in |
| بفرمایید بشینید | befarmâid beshinid | please sit down |
| بفرمایید چای | befarmâid châi | please have some tea |
| چشم | cheshm | of course, right away (literally “eye”), said when agreeing to a request |
Dialogue: visiting an Iranian home
Emma has been invited to tea by her colleague’s mother, Mrs Ahmadi.
Mrs Ahmadi: سلام، خوش اومدید! بفرمایید تو.
Salâm, khosh umadid! Befarmâid tu.
Hello, welcome! Please come in.
Emma: سلام، ممنون. این برای شماست.
Salâm, mamnun. In barâye shomâst.
Hello, thank you. This is for you.
Mrs Ahmadi: وای، چرا زحمت کشیدید؟
Vây, cherâ zahmat keshidid?
Oh, why did you go to the trouble?
Emma: قابل شما رو نداره.
Ghâbel-e shomâ ro nadâre.
It’s nothing (literally “it isn’t worthy of you”).
Mrs Ahmadi: بفرمایید بشینید. علی، برای مهمونمون چای بیار!
Befarmâid beshinid. Ali, barâye mehmunemun châi biyâr!
Please sit down. Ali, bring our guest some tea!
Ali: چشم.
Cheshm.
Right away.
Mrs Ahmadi: بفرمایید، شیرینی بخورید.
Befarmâid, shirini bokhorid.
Here, have a pastry.
Emma: مرسی، دستتون درد نکنه. خیلی خوشمزه‌ست.
Mersi, dastetun dard nakone. Kheyli khoshmazast.
Thank you. It’s delicious.
Mrs Ahmadi: یکی دیگه بردارید!
Yeki dige bardârid!
Take another one!
Emma: نه، مرسی. دیگه نمی‌تونم!
Na, mersi. Dige nemitunam!
No, thank you. I can’t manage any more!
Mrs Ahmadi: تعارف نکنید!
Ta’ârof nakonid!
Don’t be shy!
New words: خوش اومدید khosh umadid (welcome; written: khosh âmadid), زحمت کشیدید zahmat keshidid (you went to trouble), مهمون mehmun (guest; written: mehmân), شیرینی shirini (pastries, sweets), برداشتن bardâshtan (to pick up, take) and دیگه dige (another; any more). Ghâbel-e shomâ ro nadâre is the gift-giver’s version of the shopkeeper’s ghâbel nadâre from Lesson 14.
Tehran tip: Spoken Tehrani often swaps the -id ending for -in: you will hear befarmâin, berin and begin as often as the forms taught here. Both are fine. And when your host says ta’ârof nakonid and offers more, it is perfectly polite to accept: the first refusal was the taarof.
Practise
- Tell a friend (informally) to come here, then say the same to an older stranger.
- Give the polite imperative of: raftan, goftan, neshastan, âvordan.
- Say “Don’t worry” to a friend.
- Ask a taxi driver, politely, if he could stop here.
- Ask someone whether they can help you.
- Your colleague asks you to send a file. Reply “of course” the Persian way.
- Someone knocks on your office door. What do you say to invite them in?
- Why is it bokhorid but bebinid?
Show answers
- بیا اینجا Biyâ injâ; بیایید اینجا Biyâid injâ.
- berid, begid, beshinid, biyârid.
- نگران نباش Negarân nabâsh.
- می‌شه اینجا نگه دارید؟ Mishe injâ negah dârid?
- می‌تونید کمکم کنید؟ Mitunid komakam konid?
- چشم Cheshm.
- بفرمایید Befarmâid, or befarmâid tu.
- Be- becomes bo- before an o sound in the stem (khor).
Flashcards
Test yourself
Summary
- The informal imperative is the subjunctive without its ending (boro); the polite one keeps -id (berid).
- Be- becomes bo- before o and bi- before â; compound verbs drop it.
- The negative uses na-: naro, nagu, ta’ârof nakonid.
- Soften requests with lotfan, mishe …?, mitunid …? or zahmat nabâshe.
- Befarmâid offers, invites and answers; cheshm agrees to a request.