Lesson 10: Asking Questions
Asking questions in Persian is easy: word order usually stays the same, and you simply raise your voice at the end. Metro injâst means “the metro is here”; metro injâst? means “is the metro here?”.
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| چی؟ | chi? | what? |
| کی؟ | ki? | who? |
| کِی؟ | key? | when? (spelled like ki, said differently) |
| کجا؟ | kojâ? | where? |
| چرا؟ | cherâ? | why? |
| چطور؟ | chetor? | how? |
| چند؟ | chand? | how many? how much? |
| کدوم؟ | kodum? | which? (written کدام) |
Questions you’ll use every day
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| دستشویی کجاست؟ | dastshuyi kojâst? | where’s the toilet? |
| مترو کجاست؟ | metro kojâst? | where’s the metro? |
| این چیه؟ | in chiye? | what’s this? |
| ساعت چنده؟ | sâ’at chande? | what time is it? |
| کی باز میشه؟ | key bâz mishe? | when does it open? |
| چطور برم …؟ | chetor beram …? | how do I get to …? |
Tehran tip: In formal writing you will see آیا âyâ at the start of yes/no questions. In conversation nobody uses it; just raise your voice.
Practise
- Ask where the bazaar is.
- Ask what something costs, using chande?.
← Lesson 9: “To Be” and “To Have” | All lessons | Lesson 11: Joining Words with the Ezafe →