How to Talk About Time in Persian (Farsi): Complete Beginner’s Guide

Being able to talk about time in Persian (Farsi) is one of the most essential skills for daily communication. Whether you want to ask for the time, make appointments, talk about your schedule, or discuss past and future events, mastering time expressions will instantly make your Persian sound more natural.

This complete guide will teach you Persian time vocabulary, how to ask and tell the time, days of the week, parts of the day, and future expressions—all with clear examples you can use immediately.

Basic Time Vocabulary in Persian (Farsi)

Let’s start with the most important time-related words in Persian. These are the building blocks you’ll use in almost every conversation.

• Time: zamān (زمان)
• Hour / Clock: sā’at (ساعت)
• Minute: daqiqe (دقیقه)
• Second: sāniye (ثانیه)
• Day: rooz (روز)
• Morning: sobh (صبح)
• Noon: zohr (ظهر)
• Afternoon: asr (عصر)
• Night: shab (شب)
• Yesterday: diruz (دیروز)
• Today: emruz (امروز)
• Tomorrow: fardā (فردا)

In Persian, sā’at means both hour and clock, and context tells you which one is meant.

How to Ask for the Time in Persian

Asking for the time in Persian is simple and commonly used in everyday conversations.

• What time is it?
  Sā’at chand ast? (ساعت چند است؟)
• Casual form:
  Sā’at chande? (ساعت چنده؟)

The shorter form is very common in spoken Persian.

How to Tell the Time in Persian

To tell the time in Persian, you usually say the hour first and then add the minutes.

• Sā’at yek ast (ساعت یک است) — It’s one o’clock
• Sā’at haft ast (ساعت هفت است) — It’s seven o’clock

Adding minutes:

• Sā’at yek-o daqiqe panj — 1:05
• Sā’at haft-o daqiqe dah — 7:10

Special time expressions:

• Quarter past: rob’-e sā’at (ربع ساعت)
• Half past: nim sā’at (نیم ساعت)
• Ten to two: dah daqiqe be do (ده دقیقه به دو)

Persian expresses time as “minutes to the next hour,” not subtraction.

Parts of the Day in Persian

• Morning: sobh — Sā’at haft sobh ast
• Noon: zohr — Sā’at do zohr ast
• Afternoon: asr — Sā’at chār asr ast
• Night: shab — Sā’at noh shab ast

Days of the Week in Persian

• Saturday — Shanbeh (شنبه)
• Sunday — Yek-shanbeh (یک‌شنبه)
• Monday — Do-shanbeh (دوشنبه)
• Tuesday — Se-shanbeh (سه‌شنبه)
• Wednesday — Chahār-shanbeh (چهارشنبه)
• Thursday — Panj-shanbeh (پنج‌شنبه)
• Friday — Jom’eh (جمعه)

In Iran, the week starts on Saturday, and Friday is the main day off.

Talking About the Future in Persian

• Tomorrow: fardā — Man fardā miravam
• Next week: hafte-ye āyande
• In the future: dar āyande

Time and Culture in Persian Society

Persian culture balances punctuality with flexibility. While business settings value being on time, social events may follow a more relaxed sense of scheduling.

Iran also uses the Jalāli (Persian) calendar, a solar calendar that begins in spring and aligns closely with natural seasons.

Learn Persian Naturally with Danaa School

If you want to confidently use time expressions in real conversations, structured learning makes all the difference. At Danaa School, you’ll learn Persian through practical examples, daily usage, and cultural context—not memorization.