Lesson 5: Greetings and Basic Courtesies
Iranians are generous with greetings and thanks, and a polite exchange often runs longer than it would in English. This lesson gives you the core phrases; our taarof phrasebook covers the more elaborate courtesies.
Hello and goodbye
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| سلام | salâm | hello (works everywhere) |
| سلام علیکم | salâm aleykom | hello (more formal, often from older people) |
| صبح بخیر | sobh bekheyr | good morning |
| عصر بخیر | asr bekheyr | good afternoon |
| شب بخیر | shab bekheyr | good night |
| خداحافظ | khodâhâfez | goodbye |
| فعلاً | fe’lan | see you (informal; literally “for now”) |
How are you?
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| خوبی؟ | khubi? | how are you? (informal: friends, children) |
| خوب هستید؟ | khub hastid? | are you well? (polite) |
| حالتون چطوره؟ | hâletun chetore? | how are you? (polite, spoken) |
| خوبم، مرسی | khubam, mersi | I’m fine, thanks |
| بد نیستم | bad nistam | not bad |
| شما چطورید؟ | shomâ chetorid? | and you? |
Please, thank you and sorry
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| لطفاً | lotfan | please |
| مرسی | mersi | thanks (borrowed from French, very common) |
| ممنون | mamnun | thank you |
| خیلی ممنون | kheyli mamnun | thank you very much |
| خواهش میکنم | khâhesh mikonam | you’re welcome; also “please, go ahead” |
| ببخشید | bebakhshid | excuse me; sorry |
| بله | bale | yes (polite) |
| آره | âre | yeah (informal) |
| نه | na | no |
Polite and informal “you”
Persian has two words for “you”: تو to for family, close friends and children, and شما shomâ for everyone else. As a newcomer, use shomâ with adults, and let people invite you to be more informal.
Tehran tip: Say salâm when you get into a taxi or walk into a shop, and khodâhâfez or mersi when you leave. It costs nothing and makes a noticeably warmer impression.
Practise
- Greet a shopkeeper in the morning and ask how they are, politely.
- What is the difference between bale and âre?
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