Vocabulary
خوب khoob good | ||||
من man I, me | ||||
چطوری chetori how | ||||
تو to you (singular) | ||||
سلام salaam hello | ||||
فردا fardaa tomorrow | ||||
دیدن didan to see, to watch, to look, to visit, watch | ||||
خداحافظ khodaahaafez. goodbye |
Lesson Notes
Grammar
The Focus of this Lesson is Greetings.
من خوبم. تو خوبی؟
man khoobam. to khoobi?
"I'm fine, how about you?"
In Persian, there are different ways of saying "How are you?" In informal speech, for example, when you are talking to your friends, چطوری؟ is used as "How are you?" and حالت چطوره؟ means "How are you feeling?" خوبی؟ is also used when you simply want to say "Are you fine?" These are all in singular forms.
Informal and Formal, Singular and Plural
In order to make these questions sound formal, the plural forms are used instead. In the plural forms, the i sounds at the end of the words become id. چطوری؟ will become چطورید؟, and خوبی؟ will be خوبید؟ . But the most formal way of all is حالتان چطور است؟ , meaning, "How are you feeling?," which is the plural of حالت چطوره؟.
For example:
سلام آقا، حالتان چطور است؟
سَلام آقا، حالِتان چِطُور است؟
salaam aaghaa, haaletaan chetor ast?
"Hello sir, how are you feeling?"
من خوبم، شما چطورید؟
مَن خوبَم، شُما چِطُورید؟
man khooban, shomaa chetorid?
"I'm fine, how about you (plural)?"
Examples from this lesson:
الف: چطوری؟ خوبی؟
ب: من خوبم. تو خوبی؟
الف: من هم خوبم.
Examples from this dialogue:
چطوری؟ خوبی؟
چِطُوری؟ خوبی؟
chetori? khoobi?
"How are you? Are you fine?"
من خوبم. تو خوبی؟
مَن خوبَم. تُو خوبی؟
man khoobam, to khoobe?
"I'm fine, how about you? (are you fine too?)"
Sample Sentences
سلام، حالت خوبه؟
سَلام، حالِت خوبِه؟
salaam, haalet khoobe?
"Hello, are you feeling good?"
حال شما چطور است؟
حال ِ شُما چِطُور است؟
haal-e shomaa chetor ast?
"How are you (plural) feeling?"
Language Expansion
In response to the above questions, we usually answer by saying, "I'm fine" ( من خوبم ). This is used for both formal and informal situations, and it's often followed by a short thanks: mamnoon / motshakker / mersi.
Cultural Insights
Greetings in Persian
The word salam ("Hello") comes from salamati, which means "health" in Persian. There is also a well-known saying that goes, Salam Salamati Miare, meaning, "Salam brings health." Grandmothers often tell this to their grandchildren.
In a popular poem by Hafez that's heard a lot on radio and TV, he wrote, Salami cho booye khoshe Ashenayi, which means, "A hello is like the good scent of an acquaintance." It shows how salam is the symbol of friendship. In other words, salam in Iran is the beginning and the most important part of a conversation since it starts everything!
Lesson Transcript
INTRODUCTION |
Mohammad: Hello everyone, My name is Mohammad. |
Brandon: Hi, I'm Brandon. Welcome to PersianPod101.com. This is Absolute Beginner, Season 1, Lesson 1 - Saying Hello in Persian at Any Time of the Day. |
Mohammad: We're going to be your hosts all through this "Persian Absolute Beginner Series". And we’ll start with some lessons about introducing yourself. |
Brandon: In this lesson, you'll learn how to say the key greetings in Persian. That's right, you'll get to know the basic greetings, from a conversation that takes place between two friends, Bahar and Shirin, who are talking on the phone. |
Mohammad: During the conversation they'll greet each other, and since they're friends, they'll use informal Persian language. |
Brandon: So, let's listen to the conversation carefully, and hear the phrases they use. Are you ready? |
Mohammad: Ready. Let's go! |
POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
Brandon: So Mohammad! The word "Salam" is one of the most important parts of a conversation in Persian, right? |
Mohammad: That's right. Salam is how you start a conversation, when you meet someone. |
Brandon: So, would you tell us, where does the word originate from? |
Mohammad: It's somewhat related to the word "Salamati," which means "health" in Persian. |
Brandon: That's interesting, so it originally means "health". |
Mohammad: Yes, there's even a well-known phrase, where we say "Salam salamati miare," meaning "Salam brings health". |
Brandon: Interesting! And I remember hearing another famous line about "Salam" and "acquaintance", and something about a "nice scent". How did it go again? |
Mohammad: It's a popular poem from Hafez that says, "Salami cho booye khoshe ashenayi", meaning "A "Hello" is like the good scent of acquaintance or friendship". |
Brandon: I see. So it really is an important part of the Persian language. |
KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
Brandon: Now let's take a closer look at the usage of some of the key words and phrases used in this lesson. Our first word is... |
Mohammad: Again, "Salam"! |
Brandon: As we said earlier, this is a salutation meaning "Hello" in Persian. When and how can we use it, Mohammad? |
Mohammad: It can be used at any time of the day, and by anyone, even by complete strangers who are meeting for the first time, or by best friends. |
Brandon: And judging by our conversation, it's used everywhere, like for example over the phone. |
Mohammad: Of course. Also in letters, messages, or when we talk to someone directly, we use "Salam". |
Brandon: Great. Now let's move on to our second phrase, which is... |
Mohammad: "Khodahafez". |
Brandon: It means "Goodbye" or "Farewell", right? |
Mohammad: That's right. It actually consists of two parts, "Khoda" and "Hafez", which mean "God" and "Protector", respectively |
Brandon: So whenever you say "Goodbye" to someone, you're actually wishing the "Protection of God" for that person? |
Mohammad: Exactly! |
Brandon: That's nice! Let's repeat it again for our listeners. |
Mohammad: "Khodahafez" (pause) "Khodahafez". |
Brandon: Alright. Our last phrase is... |
Mohammad: " می بینمت " (Mibinamet). |
Brandon: It means "See you". |
Mohammad: Right. " می بینمت " is a form of the verb "Didan," meaning "to see", which contains the present or future tense; in Persian (Mi), the subject pronoun "I," or (Am) in Persian, and the object "You," or (Et) in Persian, in itself. |
Brandon: Wow! That's a complete sentence in just one word! Is it used often? |
Mohammad: Not really. But again, it depends on the person and the situation. |
Brandon: Let's say it one more time. Listeners, listen and repeat. |
Mohammad: "Mibinamet" (pause) "Mibinamet". |
Brandon: Okay. Now let’s move on to the grammar. |
GRAMMAR POINT |
Brandon: In this lesson, you’ll learn how to say "How are you?" in formal and informal ways. |
Mohammad: There are so many different ways. The one we used in our conversation as informal speech was "Chetori?" |
Brandon: This literally means "How are you?", but it's in singular form and it’s only used for speaking with friends or close people like family members. What is the formal form of this? |
Mohammad: That would be "Chetorid?," To make a verb plural, change the last "i" to an "id". |
Brandon: Oh, so in order to make anything formal, you use its plural form? |
Mohammad: Yes, that's the general rule. |
Brandon: And what are the other informal ways of asking "How are you?" |
Mohammad: " حالت چطوره؟ " meaning "How are you feeling?", and " خوبی؟ " which simply means "Are you fine?" |
Brandon: Once again "How are you feeling?" is... |
Mohammad: " حالت چطوره؟ " (haalet chetore?). |
Brandon: And its formal form? |
Mohammad: " حالتان چطور است؟ " (haaletaan chetor ast?). It's plural even if used for only one person, and I would say, it's the most formal way of all. |
Brandon: Okay. So, let's say I'm your boss! How would you ask me how I'm feeling? |
Mohammad: " سلام آقا حالتان چطور است؟ " (salaam aaghaa, haaletaan chetor ast?). |
Brandon: And if I'm your friend? |
Mohammad: I would say: " چطوری؟ خوبی؟ " (chetori? khoobi?). Just like in the conversation. |
Brandon: The formal form of which will be " چطورید؟ خوبید؟ " (chetorid? khoobid?), right? |
Mohammad: That's right. |
Brandon: Now, how do I have to respond to all of these? For example, how do I say "I'm fine"? |
Mohammad: " من خوبم " (man khoobam), is the same as "I'm fine." |
Brandon: Is this formal or informal? |
Mohammad: It can be used for both situations. And it's usually followed by a short thanks, like "Mamnoon". |
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Mohammad: Instantly access them all right now at PersianPod101.com |
Outro |
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Brandon: Okay, that was an exciting beginning! And that’s all for this lesson. To reinforce what you’ve learned in this lesson, please check the lesson notes. And if you have any comments or questions, leave us a post on this lesson at PersianPod101.com. |
Mohammad: We’re happy to help! |
Brandon: We'll continue with introductions in the next lesson, so stay tuned! |
Mohammad: See you soon. Khodahafez. |
Brandon: Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you next time. |
107 Comments
HideHello Listeners! How do you say "goodbye" in Persian?
Salaam Mark,
Thank you for your comment!
Please note that "چطوری" has two meanings in Persian:
1- How are you?
2- how
We have some examples for the second meaning in the Vocabulary section.
Please feel free to ask if any question arises; we would be glad to assist.
Best,
Ali
Team PersianPod101.com
Salam
There is a mistake in the quiz in lesson one:
چطوری
My response in English was ‘how are you?’, which was incorrect. The answer provided was ‘how’.
I believe I am correct and the answer provided by Persianpod is incorrect.
Ba ehteram,
Mark
Salam Daniel,
Welcome to our site! To get started with our system, it is first of all recommended that you check out our Help Center page where you will find plenty of useful information on how to start learning on our site, what the dashboard is for, how you can see your account settings, what subscription options there are, what Free Lifetime Account means exactly, and many more. You can find our Help Center page at: https://www.PersianPod101.com/helpcenter.
Probably the most importantat this strage is to keep in mind though is that we have a Lesson Library (available on top of the site) where you can browse from hundreds of available lessons. You might experience that the vocabulary is occasionally a bit too advanced or the audio is a bit too fast. In such cases, please make sure that you have a solid foundation of the alphabet and pronunciation (you can find these lessons in the Lesson Library too) and that you completed all the previous lessons in that same series\ leading up to the current lesson.
Hope this helps. Feel free to contact us again if you have any further questions or remark.
Kind regards,
Levente
Team PersianPod101.com
Please create an alphabet lesson. The listening lessons are perfect. But I can't do the reading.
Salam sophia,
Thank you very much for your cute emoji message!😇
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
We wish you good luck with your language studies.
Kind regards,
Levente
Team PersianPod101.com
😎
Salam Kian,
Welcome to our site! To get started, I would strongly recommend that you check out our Help Center page first where you will find detailed information on how to start learning with our system, what the dashboard is for, how you can see your account settings, what subscription options there are, what Free Lifetime Account means exactly, and many more. You can find our Help Center page at: https://www.PersianPod101.com/helpcenter.
Hope this helps. Feel free to contact us again if you have any further questions or remark.
Kind regards,
Levente
Team PersianPod101.com
How am I supposed to complete the quiz without knowing how to read farsi?
Salam Lol,
Welcome to our site! To get started, I would strongly recommend that you check out our Help Center page first where you will find detailed information on how to start learning with our system, what the dashboard is for, how you can see your account settings, what subscription options there are, what Free Lifetime Account means exactly, and many more. You can find our Help Center page at: https://www.PersianPod101.com/helpcenter.
Hope this helps. Feel free to contact us again if you have any further questions or remark.
Kind regards,
Levente
Team PersianPod101.com
Hello
How do we complete the QUIZZ when we can not read persian, but only romanization ?
Kindly