Dialogue

Vocabulary

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Lesson Notes

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Mohammad: Hello listeners, I'm Mohammad.
Brandon: And I'm Brandon, hi everyone and welcome back to PersianPod101.com. This is Absolute Beginner Season 1, lesson 16 - Getting What You Want in Iran. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to say that you want, would like or prefer something in Persian.
Mohammad: Yes, and that's by listening to a conversation that takes place in a house, around the TV.
Brandon: This conversation is among family members.
Mohammad: And that's why they'll be using informal language.
Brandon: So, are you ready?
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
Brandon: So, what was all that about? Family members were fighting over TV channels?
Mohammad: Yes. It happens a lot among Iranian families.
Brandon: And why do you think it happens often?
Mohammad: Well, watching TV is still one of the biggest joys of everyday life for Iranian families, and since there are many different programs for every kind of taste, all at the same time, fights occur!
Brandon: And who finally wins the fight?
Mohammad: The one with more power! No! I mean those who are more patient have more chances the next time!
Brandon: Oh, so that's how it works! Have you ever had or seen a fight over the TV?
Mohammad: Sure I've had them! Even if we don't start one, we can always watch it on TV!
Brandon: A TV fight show on the TV! That may be quite fun!
KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES
Brandon: Let’s take a closer look at some of the words and phrases from this lesson. What did we have in our conversation, Mohammad?
Mohammad: The first word is "cheraa" which means "why" in Persian.
Brandon: "cheraa." Is it used for asking the reason for something that happens?
Mohammad: Yes. And like English, it starts the question and is followed by what we're asking about.
Brandon: And what's the difference with English?
Mohammad: Well in Persian, the word order doesn't change after the question word.
Brandon: Really? Can you please give us an example?
Mohammad: For Example, in English, "You didn't eat." becomes "Why didn't you eat?"
Brandon: That's right. "Didn't" comes before "you."
Mohammad: But in Persian, it remains the same. "You didn't eat." or "ghazaa nakhordi." becomes "cheraa ghazaa nakhordi?".
Brandon: That's interesting! Please listen and repeat everyone.
Mohammad: "cheraa." "cheraa - ghazaa - nakhordi?".
Brandon: Now our next phrase is ...?
Mohammad: "shoroo' shodan," "shoroo' - shodan."
Brandon: What's the meaning?
Mohammad: "To be started" or "to begin."
Brandon: It's in dictionary form. What's the one that we had in the dialogue?
Mohammad: It was the third person past tense, which is "shoroo' shod."
Brandon: And the present form of it is...?
Mohammad: "shoroo' mishavad," "shoroo' - mishavad."
Brandon: It consists of two words, right?
Mohammad: Yes. It's a two-word verb, including "shoroo'" which means "Start," and "shodan" meaning "to become."
Brandon: Which literally makes it "To become started".
Mohammad: That's right.
Brandon: So one more time, could you please repeat it slowly?
Mohammad: "shoroo' shodan," "shoroo' - shodan."
Brandon: Our last phrase is ...?
Mohammad: "kenaar raftan." It literally means "to go aside."
Brandon: What is the real meaning?
Mohammad: In a sentence, this would mean "to make way" for someone or something.
Brandon: I see. So shouldn't it be in the imperative form?
Mohammad: It should, yes. The imperative form is used a lot. That's "boro kenaar!" which means "Make way!" or "Let me pass!"
Brandon: It has kind of a "This is not yours!" sense to it.
Mohammad: Right, and it can also have the sense of "Leave it alone!" It can be used for talking about leaving a position in a job as well.
Brandon: Great! one more time, would you please say it again slowly?
Mohammad: "kenaar - raftan," (Pause) "boro - kenaar" (Pause).
Brandon: Good job! Okay, now onto the grammar.

Lesson focus

Brandon: In this lesson, we’re going to learn about how to say you want or would like something in Persian. In other words, how to state a preference. Let's start with the verb "to want." How do you say "I want" in Persian?
Mohammad: We use the word "mikhaaham" or the informal "mikhaam." This is the regular first person present form of "khaastan" or "to want."
Brandon: And you put this "mikhaam" at the beginning of a sentence, like English?
Mohammad: Yes, we start the sentence with "mikhaam" or "I want."
Brandon: So next, we have to say what we want. Which form or tense is used in case it's a verb? Do we use the dictionary form like English?
Mohammad: Actually we have to use the conditional form, since it's something that isn't done yet. So instead of the regular prefix "mi," we put "be" with the verb and make it conditional.
Brandon: Can you give us some examples of both regular and conditional verbs with these prefixes?
Mohammad: Yes. For example, "miravam" means "I go," so that "beravam" means "If I'm to go."
Brandon: And how do you use it with "I want"?
Mohammad: We add the conditional form to "I want." So it becomes "mikhaaham beravam."
Brandon: Great! Now what if what we want is a noun? For example, "I want a book."
Mohammad: Then the order of the words is changed. Since there's only one verb, which is "to want," it goes to the end of the sentence, and the noun comes before it. In this case, "ketaab mikhaam" means "I want a book."
Brandon: I see. It makes perfect sense now! Okay. Let's move on to "I like." How do you say "I like something" in Persian?
Mohammad: It's the same structure as "I want." Only instead of the verb "mikhaam" we use "doost daaram," which means "I like."
Brandon: So we put "doost daaram" first, and then we add the verb, right?
Mohammad: Exactly, and if it's a noun, we say the name first and then add "doost daaram."
Brandon: Okay. For example, let's say "I like to go." The conditional form of "to go" was "beravam," right?
Mohammad: That's right. It'll be "doost daaram beravam."
Brandon: And what about the noun version? Say for example, "I like autumn."
Mohammad: "paayiz raa doost daram."
Brandon: "paayiz" is "autumn." What's "raa"?
Mohammad: "raa" or "ro" is the marker of an object, since "autumn" is the object in this sentence.
Brandon: Do you always put "raa" after the object?
Mohammad: Yes, it's usually there. You may hear objects without "raa" in the spoken language, but it sounds better with "raa."
Brandon: I see. So once again, please repeat the "I like" sentence.
Mohammad: paayiz - raa - doost - daaram.

Outro

Brandon: So listeners, did you "LIKE" this lesson?
Mohammad: Do you "WANT" some more?
Brandon: If yes, then we’ll see again in the next lesson!
Mohammad: Thanks for listening, khodaahaafez!
Brandon: Bye!

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