Vocabulary
Whether you are working in Tehran, doing business with Iranian partners or simply paying for things, you need a core of words for work and money. This page sets out the essential Persian business vocabulary: jobs, the workplace, trade, money and banking, plus the verbs that go with them.
For numbers, prices and the difference between rials and tomans, see Lesson 8: Bigger Numbers, Prices and Money. Banking admin is also covered in our phone, bank and everyday admin phrasebook.
At work
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| کار | kâr | work; job |
| شغل | shoghl | occupation, job |
| شرکت | sherkat | company |
| اداره | edâre | office (especially a government office) |
| دفتر | daftar | office; also notebook |
| کارمند | kârmand | employee, office worker |
| کارفرما | kârfarmâ | employer |
| رئیس | ra’is | boss, head |
| مدیر | modir | manager, director |
| مدیرعامل | modir-âmel | managing director, CEO |
| همکار | hamkâr | colleague |
| منشی | monshi | secretary, receptionist |
| مشتری | moshtari | customer, client |
| جلسه | jalase | meeting |
| وقت | vaght | appointment; time |
| حقوق | hoghugh | salary |
| مرخصی | morkhasi | leave, time off |
| اضافه‌کاری | ezâfe-kâri | overtime |
| مصاحبه | mosâhebe | interview |
| رزومه | rezume | CV |
| بیکار | bikâr | unemployed; free, not busy |
Jobs
To say what you do, use the job with hastam or its short spoken ending: mohandesam (I’m an engineer), hesâbdâr hastam (I’m an accountant). Someone who is self-employed says کار آزاد دارم kâr-e âzâd dâram.
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| مهندس | mohandes | engineer (also used as a courtesy title) |
| دکتر | doktor | doctor |
| پرستار | parastâr | nurse |
| وکیل | vakil | lawyer |
| حسابدار | hesâbdâr | accountant |
| معلم | mo’allem | teacher |
| استاد | ostâd | lecturer, professor; master of a craft |
| فروشنده | forushande | shop assistant, salesperson |
| مغازه‌دار | maghâzedâr | shopkeeper |
| آشپز | âshpaz | cook, chef |
| کارگر | kârgar | worker, labourer |
| برنامه‌نویس | barnâmenevis | programmer |
| خبرنگار | khabarnegâr | journalist |
Business and trade
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| تجارت | tejârat | trade, business |
| کسب‌وکار | kasb-o-kâr | business (especially a small business) |
| سرمایه | sarmâye | capital |
| سرمایه‌گذاری | sarmâyegozâri | investment |
| سود | sud | profit; interest |
| ضرر | zarar | loss |
| قرارداد | gharârdâd | contract |
| فاکتور | fâktor | invoice |
| پیش‌فاکتور | pish-fâktor | quotation, pro forma invoice |
| صادرات | sâderât | exports |
| واردات | vâredât | imports |
| گمرک | gomrok | customs |
| بورس | burs | stock exchange |
| سهام | sahâm | shares |
| مالیات | mâliyât | tax |
| تورم | tavarrom | inflation |
| بیمه | bime | insurance |
Money and banking
Iranians pay for almost everything with a local bank card, and move money between people with کارت‌به‌کارت kârt-be-kârt, a transfer straight from one bank card to another. Even small traders will often ask for a kârt-be-kârt rather than cash.
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| پول | pul | money |
| پول نقد | pul-e naghd | cash |
| اسکناس | eskenâs | banknote |
| سکه | sekke | coin; gold coin |
| حساب | hesâb | account; bill |
| کارت بانکی | kârt-e bânki | bank card |
| کارت‌به‌کارت | kârt-be-kârt | card-to-card transfer |
| عابربانک | âberbânk | cash machine |
| رمز | ramz | PIN, password |
| وام | vâm | loan |
| قسط | ghest | instalment |
| چک | chek | cheque |
| صرافی | sarrâfi | bureau de change |
| ارز | arz | foreign currency |
| نرخ | nerkh | rate |
| دلار | dolâr | dollar |
| یورو | yuro | euro |
Useful verbs
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| کار کردن | kâr kardan | to work |
| استخدام شدن | estekhdâm shodan | to be hired |
| استعفا دادن | este’fâ dâdan | to resign |
| اخراج شدن | ekhrâj shodan | to be sacked |
| پول درآوردن | pul darâvordan | to earn money |
| خرج کردن | kharj kardan | to spend |
| پس‌انداز کردن | pasandâz kardan | to save (money) |
| پرداخت کردن | pardâkht kardan | to pay (formal) |
| واریز کردن | vâriz kardan | to pay in, transfer to an account |
| قرض گرفتن | gharz gereftan | to borrow |
Tehran tip: People in Tehran follow exchange rates closely, and the rate quoted in conversation is usually the open-market rate at the sarrâfi, not the official one. Prices move fast as a result; our Iran prices tracker shows what everyday things cost now. Remember too that foreign bank cards do not work in Iran, so visitors rely on cash or a local tourist card.
Example sentences
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| شغلتون چیه؟ | shoghletun chiye? | what do you do? (literally “what is your job?”) |
| تو یه شرکت نرم‌افزاری کار می‌کنم | tu ye sherkat-e narmafzâri kâr mikonam | I work for a software company |
| فردا ساعت ده جلسه داریم | fardâ sâ’at-e dah jalase dârim | we have a meeting at ten tomorrow |
| می‌تونم یه وقت بگیرم؟ | mitunam ye vaght begiram? | can I make an appointment? |
| لطفاً فاکتور رو برام بفرستید | lotfan fâktor ro barâm befrestid | please send me the invoice |
| کارت‌به‌کارت می‌کنم | kârt-be-kârt mikonam | I’ll do a card-to-card transfer |
| نزدیک‌ترین عابربانک کجاست؟ | nazdiktarin âberbânk kojâst? | where’s the nearest cash machine? |
| پول نقد ندارم | pul-e naghd nadâram | I don’t have any cash |
| دلار امروز چنده؟ | dolâr emruz chande? | what’s the dollar rate today? |