Dialogue

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Brandon: Hello again. I'm Brandon.
Mohammad: And I'm Mohammad. "Salam!"
Brandon: Welcome back to PersianPod101.com. This is Absolute Beginner, Season 1, Lesson 4 - Apologizing in Persian. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to apologize and be sorry in Iran.
Brandon: First of all, we'll listen to a conversation that happens in a subway station. It takes place between a girl named Shabnam and a Stranger.
Mohammad: They are complete strangers, so they are using formal Persian.
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
Brandon: Mohammad, why would someone step on someone else's foot without realizing it in a subway station?
Mohammad: Emm...maybe because it's very crowded?
Brandon: Do subway stations really become that crowded in Iran?
Mohammad: Yes. In Tehran, both subways and buses get so crowded sometimes.
Brandon: Buses? Why buses?
Mohammad: Because they're really cheap, and they're spread all over the city.
Brandon: So buses are really popular in Tehran. And what about the subways?
Mohammad: Subways don't really go everywhere like buses, but probably the fact that they don't have any traffic jams, and they're fast, makes them popular.
Brandon: I see, so they get crowded during the rush-hour.
Mohammad: Right—to a level that people may be pushed or stuck in the crowd while entering or leaving the train.
Brandon That doesn’t sound like fun!
KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES
Brandon: Let’s take a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson.
Mohammad: " آخ! " (Akh!)
Brandon: What's wrong?
Mohammad: I hit my hand against the wall, and it hurts!
Brandon: I know, it's our first word, isn't it?
Mohammad: Oh, well...
Brandon: Could you please say it once again?
Mohammad: " آخ! " (Akh!)
Brandon: So, you say this when you're in pain.
Mohammad: That's right. It's the same as "Ouch!" in English.
Brandon: There was also another similar word or sound, for expressing pain. What was it again?
Mohammad: " آی! " (Ai!). You're right. They're really similar.
Brandon: What if the pain is really intense?
Mohammad: You repeat the word "Akh" a few times saying... "Akh akh akh...!".
Brandon: Okay. Our next word is again a similar one.
Mohammad: " وای " (vai), which means "Oh!".
Brandon: So, does it have a negative meaning?
Mohammad: Yes, most of the time.
Brandon: For example, can you say "Oh, no!"?
Mohammad: It'll be: " وای نه! " (vai, na!).
Brandon: In other words, you say this whenever you're surprised.
Mohammad: That's correct, but it's not always negative.
Brandon: A positive "Oh!" Then I guess it'll be translated as "Wow!"
Mohammad: Exactly. For example, " بستنی " (bastani) means "Ice cream". If I say " وای! بستنی!" (vai! bastani!), it'll mean...
Brandon: "Wow! Ice cream!"
Mohammad: Our last phrase is " اشکالی نداره " (eshkaali nadaare).
Brandon: It means "No problem" or "Don't worry, it's okay". Can we break this down?
Mohammad: "eshkaal" means "Problem" and "eshkaali" is "Any problem". "nadaare" means "Hasn't".
Brandon: So, literally translated, together they become, "It hasn't any problem".
Mohammad: Right. It's the same as saying "It doesn't matter".
Brandon: And in order to show that an apology is accepted, after someone's apology, you use this phrase.
Mohammad: Yes, you simply say, " اشکالی نداره " (eshkaali nadaare).
Brandon: Alright. Let's move on to the grammar.

Lesson focus

Brandon: In this lesson, you’ll learn how to apologize in Persian.
Mohammad: Do you remember any of the words from the conversation that are related to our grammar point about apologizing?
Brandon: If I'm correct, the apology was expressed in more than one way, right?
Mohammad: Yes, there are various phrases for apologizing in Persian.
Brandon: Then let's start with the most common one.
Mohammad: It's " ببخشید " (bebakhshid).
Brandon: What exactly does it mean?
Mohammad: It means "Excuse me" or "I'm sorry". Literally, "Forgive me".
Brandon: And where or when is it used?
Mohammad: This is usually the first and quickest apology that comes to mind in any situation, and I would say it’s the one used the most.
Brandon: I see. So it's used almost always.
Mohammad: If we insist, we can say that it's used for even little mistakes, like stepping on someone's feet.
Brandon: We also had another version.
Mohammad: Yes, as well as bebakhshid, we have Mibakhshid. They're basically the same. The slight difference is that "bebakhshid" means "Please forgive me", and "Mibakhshid" means "Would you forgive me?"
Brandon: Okay. And one last thing, is this "Excuse me" also used before asking a question, like in English?
Mohammad: Yes. Sometimes people use it as a polite way of asking questions. It still means "Sorry", but as in "Sorry for interrupting".
Brandon: So, "Excuse me, what time is it?" will be ...?
Mohammad: " ببخشید، ساعت چند است؟ " (bebakhshid, saa’at chand ast?).
Brandon: Great! Now, what's the other way to apologize, used in the conversation?
Mohammad: " عذر می خوام " (ozr mikhaam).
Brandon: How is it different than the previous one,"bebakhshid"?
Mohammad: It's a little more formal. This one means "I apologize".
Brandon: Is it used for bigger mistakes?
Mohammad: Well sometimes, but not necessarily. It can be considered an even more polite apology.
Brandon: Okay, how about practicing with an example?
Mohammad: For example, " عذر می خوام که دیر کردم " (ozr mikhaam ke dir kardam), which means "I apologize for being late".
Brandon: Alright. And there is another phrase very similar to this one, right?
Mohammad: Yes. It's " معذرت می خواهم " (ma’zerat mikhaaham), which has the same meaning but with more strength.
Brandon: Can you say the previous example with this version too?
Mohammad: Yes. It would be " معذرت می خوام که دیر کردم " (ma’zerat mikhaam ke dir kardam).
MARKETING PIECE
Brandon: Attention perfectionists! You’re about to learn how to perfect your pronunciation.
Mohammad: Lesson Review Audio Tracks.
Brandon: Increase fluency and vocabulary fast with these short, effective audio tracks.
Mohammad: Super simple to use. Listen to the Persian word or phrase...
Brandon: then repeat it out loud in a loud clear voice.
Mohammad: You’ll speak with confidence knowing that you’re speaking Persian like the locals.
Brandon: Go to PersianPod101.com, and download the Review Audio Tracks right on the lessons page today!:

Outro

Brandon: Fantastic! Well, I guess that'll do for this lesson. Listeners, how did you find it?
Mohammad: Let us know in the comments!
Brandon: And don’t forget to check the lesson notes. Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you next time!
Mohammad: "Khodahafez". Bye until then.

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